2015): Fun, Epic and Righteously Weird

September 25, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Concerts, at their very best, are far more than musicians on a stage giving energy to an audience. They convey electricity that moves beyond the music and allows an audience to return energy back to the artists themselves. It becomes a communal experience shared by the guy in the antlers, the girl with the giraffe mask on her head, the elderly gentlemen in the clown costume, the kid with the tin foil alien hat, the 16 year old first concert goer and the band themselves. Last night while playing the Danforth, Metric seemed acutely aware of this.

With animal masks of their own, Metric took the stage and quickly broke into “Lie Lie Lie” from their barely one week old album Pagans In Vegas. Out of the mask, Emily Haines bounced across the stage now adorned in Christmas-lit peacock feathers and had the floor singing along. It was spectacle of the highest order, including a trippy lightshow to boot, and one embraced by the audience as a whole.

Leaning heavily on their new record, Metric left no room for popular numbers like “Stadium Love”, “Monster Hospital”, or “Gimme Sympathy” and honestly, they weren’t needed. The band had come prepared and used a mix of charisma, well rehearsed tunes and a light show that would put many arena acts to shame.

Hell, the only technical glitch of the night came when so much fog was released; the whole stage all but disappeared from view. The thing is, everyone was having so much fun it all seemed to be just another added highlight in the festivities.

By the time the encore ended, washed in bubbles, paper cannon explosions and Haines singing “Celebrate”, the meaning of the night’s events became clear. Concerts, at their core, are more than a mere performance… they are a shared celebration of life shared by everyone wanting to escape mediocrity and, if only for a moment, join the weirdness of an epic event. Fun, epic and righteously weird – I call that a pretty good night.

Stadium Dreams Turn To Stadium Sound: Metric – Pagans In Vegas

September 23, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

Metric has never hidden their overwhelming desire to headline a fan-filled stadium show, and Pagans In Vegas may just be the vehicle that drives them there. More than mere hyperbole, they seem to have found the perfect mix of Cure-like synth, 90’s indie guitar, and electro/dance rhythm. The tunes are catchy enough to get the casual fan singing along and the loyal fan seeking deeper meaning from the lyrics and, dare I say, inspiration.

Opening track “Lie Lie Lie” is a perfect example. My kids are singing along in the back seats of the minivan, unaware of the song’s underlying theme of media’s dehumanization of women. From that point on, Haines sticks mostly to the themes of broken relationships and rising back up after a fall. While this album might seem like a bit of rock ‘n’ roll cliché at times, Metric pulls off the desired impact of connecting us to the music. So when Haines’ vocals demand “the stars above” on early single “The Shade (I Want It All)”, the listener feels entitled to it as well.

Like any great album, this record can boast a number of songs that would be deemed radio-friendly and single-worthy. In addition to the two above-mentioned songs, “The Governess” and “Too Bad, So Sad” also seemed primed for significant airplay.

Pagans in Vegas is packed with all of the right ingredients to get a stadium full of people moshing in the pit and ‘pogo’ing in their seats. Only time will tell if it happens this time round.

Overshadowed or Overlooked? Screaming Trees – Sweet Oblivion

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

It had been years since I last played a Screaming Trees record. Once a staple that sat by the CD player and saw pretty regular rotations in the carousel, it had moved to a secondary location for music seldom played. New music, new bands, new sounds had found their way into my imagination and I moved on. Then the other day I saw a post for an advance order of Sweet Oblivion on vinyl and my mind flashed back – “damn, it’s been too long” as I started to type my order.

A few weeks later the gold coloured vinyl is spinning on my turntable and it feels like an old friend has returned from a long trip away. The conversation flows easy as if no time has passed at all, and I’m at ease just listening when I hear the old familiar stories. Not epic like Soundgarden or angry like Nirvana, Screaming Trees were a pretty straight forward gritty rock band with a penchant for great song writing and one of the best vocalists of the era in Mark Lanegan. Unfortunately, like many of the great 90’s rock bands, they didn’t stay together past the turn of the century, and faded from view.

Anyway, for vinyl junkies you have three choices to spin Sweet Oblivion. The original ’92 release had a limited vinyl printing that came with the CD booklet and a sticker on the shrink wrap declaring it the “One Foot In The Grave” version. If you can find it, it will set you back a minimum of $50.00 plus shipping.

In 2010, Music On Vinyl released a 180 gram version that had fans giving compliments for quality. You can still find it most anywhere.

Finally, Newbury Comics released a limited 1000 copies on 180 gram translucent gold vinyl. In addition to the foil stamped numbering on the cover it included new liner notes written by Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin. They still have copies, so don’t go crazy ordering from resale sights asking for a $100.

Overshadowed or overlooked, I’m not sure which, but Screaming Trees should have been bigger than they got. Regardless, Sweet Oblivion is sure appreciated and is once again sitting in a spot close to the stereo.

Going Through The Motions? or The Arcs – Yours, Dreamily

September 21, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

It’s interesting that two guys who appear to hate each other as much as Jack White and Dan Auerbach should have careers that seem to parallel each other so closely. For whatever reason, they both have tried stepping outside the bands they are known for to create something new and different. However, White wisely chose to bring in other vocalists and songwriters (Brendan Benson with the Raconteurs and Allison Mosshart with Dead Weather) to help change the direction of his sound. The result is a distinct difference between each band.

Auebach hasn’t chosen this route. While the writing credits have been distributed throughout the band, The Arcs debut Yours, Dreamily may as well be a new Black Keys record. His guitar – vocal combo doesn’t explore any new territory that differentiates one band from another.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this is a bad record, on the contrary, it does exactly what you might expect from Auerbach by giving you a collection of songs that work his strengths. You have that blues/soul influence played with his vintage Supro and a couple songs that work as ‘rockin’ singles.’ “Outta My Mind” is a familiar anchor song that serves as a statement of arrival, a wave if you wish, that pushes the album towards the deeper cuts. Auerbach laments “working just to beat the clock / all I need is one more shot” on “The Arc” and while his voice seems rather sleepy in the sentiment, the guitar work is ferocious giving the song an image of someone rising up after a beating down.

The problem with Yours, Dreamily is that familiarity with the Black Keys library has begun to breed the perception of complacency with new band the Arcs. There isn’t anything new to offer, but still, if Auerbach is only going through the motions, he does it far better than most.

Buying New Vinyl (In Canada)… when the economy has gone to shit!

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

“Are you sure you really needed that album” asks my wife as she looks at a recent credit card statement. Don’t get me wrong, we NEVER carry a balance from one month to the next, it’s just that the exchange rate has gone through the roof recently. So, what cost a dollar last year is costing a buck thirty plus shipping (which is also far more expensive because of the falling dollar). In other words, “OH WOE IS ME!” if you’re buying new vinyl from south of the border, you can quite easily go broke.

To make matters worse, some of the best music sites have yet to figure out how to ship items at anything near a reasonable cost. For instance, let’s take a look at the recent rerelease of Urge Overkill’s Stull EP on Touch & Go Records. The white vinyl edition of Stull sells for $16.00 USD, a price I’m willing to pay for a ten inch record. However, the shipping is $34.30 through the USPS (United States Postal Service), meaning the record is now triple its retail value. Then if you add the exchange rate the price jumps up to $66.89, making Stull’s cost quadruple the original asking price.

Now, not all sites use USPS to ship, and thank goodness for that. Recently, I ordered two albums from Newbury Comics and it was a better scenario. Paul Simon’s Graceland and the Modern Lovers eponymous record on coloured vinyl had asking prices that, combined, cost me $45.98 and another $16.00 in shipping for both. Newbury uses a courier service that charges only $14.00 for the first item and another $2.00 for each additional item. Of course, now with the current financial crisis sending the Canadian Dollar to an eleven year low, that small fortune I was spending is now an actual fortune and quite a bit more difficult to justify. My $62.97 USD bill shows up as $83.73 CAD on my credit card statement. OUCH!

When I first started ordering stuff from the US, the Canadian dollar was on par or better than USD. Now I’m looking at a huge markup that has made internet ordering direct from US record labels far less desirable.

Still, you do have options. First, if the label is using USPS, fire off a quick note to them expressing interest in their product, but not their shipping method. If they care about customer service, they will investigate alternate shipping methods. If that doesn’t work, go to your local record store to find out if they can order it in. It isn’t likely that you’ll get the “collector’s edition coloured vinyl” available only to fans making advance orders… but it is worth a shot. Finally, if that favorite artist of yours is coming to town, bring along some cash to their merch booth. Chances are, if they didn’t sell out during the advance order stage, it will be on the tour bus waiting for a chance to separate you from your money.

Regardless, even for a hardcore music buyer, the prices are now out of range. If only some entrepreneur with more brains than I could devise a way to distribute exclusive items in Canada, the costs would come down and music fans in the Great White North would be very happy. As it is, my vinyl orders will have to be filed under occasional – if at all. The vinyl revival may end not because of lack of interest, but instead because it is cost prohibitive… at least for us Canadian shoppers!

The Fratellis – Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied

August 25, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

It seems to me that The Fratellis international debut Costello Music has followed the band as an albatross since its 2006 release. Whether this is fair or not is of little importance as every review seems to have allowed that album to define everything they’ve recorded since.

It really is unfortunate as Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied should stand or fall on its own merits as opposed to the lofty expectations placed on it by someone wishing to relive 2006-07. With that in mind, The Fratellis have leapt into 2015 not by exploring their own past, but those of others to take on new sounds and influences. Carnival like surroundings with a funky beat runs through “Dogtown” and a distinct disco feel on “Thief” has pictures of the dance floor running behind Jon Fratelli’s twist of a phrase.

Even the ever familiar guitar heavy sounds are sometimes suppressed to focus on more atmospheric fare as on “Slow” and “Rossana” which again live and die on Jon Fratelli’s ability to play with his lyrics.

As the songs stand individually each tells a new and interesting story that fit well into the various playlists you might create based on your own mood. Which leads to the only real problem with Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied… its lack of momentum as a whole. A ‘song’ can rock, but ‘songs’ have difficulty sustaining attention over a lengthy period. Like the famous bird/metaphor, it can capture your attention, but whether it is a good omen (album) or bad depends on your plans. Are you looking at the beauty of the bird, or working on a plan to put an arrow through it?

Not Afraid To Run With The Bulls or Langhorne Slim – The Spirit Moves

August 19, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Sometimes it’s just best to drop the whole genre tag and just say: “dude, it’s rock ‘n’ roll at its finest.” Langhorne Slim has elements of country, folk, soul and alt rock flowing through the speakers all at once, and like a good mixed drink, the end result is finer than any individual part. Slim boasts “I’m tough enough to run with the bulls,” and while my use of the metaphor is out of context with the songs, it does describe his song writing.

Slim is a bit of an eclectic master with themes of joy and misery intermingling with equal passion. Essentially, he is fearless in bending songs around multiple influences. Horns play on a number of tracks and in a different way each time. On “Spirit Moves” he uses them as a counter melody similar to Johnny Cash’s classic “Ring Of Fire” and then brings them back later for “Life’s A Bell” as a Memphis Horns/Stax/Otis Redding tool for emotional emphasis. With the ever present acoustic instruments some songs drift towards sounds reminiscent of Nick Drake and Cat Stevens but the album as a whole pulls everything back into that unique Langhorne Slim vision.

The Spirit Moves is filled with moments that seem both intimate and celebratory, resulting in a record that gives inspiring highs and tragic lows. As the needle rises off of side B, you find yourself flipping it back to side A for another listen… and things can’t get much better than that.

You can pick up The Spirit Moves on all the usual mediums or order it direct from Dualtone with extra swag. Unfortunately, the coke bottle green vinyl seems to be sold out.

Parapan Adventures pt 1 – Track & Field

August 14, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

No sooner had we settled into our seats then – SMASH – the track was twisted into a chaotic scene of wheelchairs and riders all over the ground. Flying at about 30km per hour, a slight miscalculation by a single athlete resulted in five of them being taken out of the race in a single shot. I exclaim to no one in particular, “Holy crap, these wheelchair races are a cross between speed skating and NASCAR. The athletes don’t need bicycle helmets; they need body armour.”

The first run of the men’s T54 800 metre final only had three racers in a field of eight cross the finish line. The results were (pun intended) wiped out and the race was done over again, with Canadians Alex Dupont and Joshua Cassidy finishing gold and silver in what proved to be a highlight of the evening’s events.

Yet sports fans in our city seem overwhelmingly apathetic to these thrilling acts of athleticism here at the Parapan Am Games. Race after race, event after event, performed to spectators given permission to take just about any seat because the York University venue had ten times more empty seats than butts placed in them.

For just a moment, remove the ‘Para’ portion of Parapan and picture the power and skill it takes a pair of runners tied together to run world class times completely in sync.

Terezinha Guihermina of Brazil has done just that here this week. On August 11^th, her performance was only two seconds off the pace that won Andre DeGrasse the gold medal in the men’s 100 metre event at the Pan Am Games. Oh, I forgot to mention, she is blind and runs with the help of a guide. This gets me thinking; these are not the feats of an athlete who should have an asterisk beside her name to denote a disability. Her only limitation is the one we choose to put in front of her by not recognizing the incredible scale of her accomplishments on the same level as her peers in the Pan American Games.

Essentially, Guihermina is a rock star without an audience, holding world records in the 100, 200 and 400 metre women’s T11. She ran last night in the 400m semi-final to a crowd that was diminishing as the night went on. Sure, there is a good contingent of enthusiastic fans, but honestly, when orange shirt volunteers are shouting encouragement more loudly than paying spectators, we need to question our perception of the Parapan Am Games.

For my part, I see world class athletes competing in events unique to their gifts… which isn’t any different than able bodied athletes taking part in their sports. So, perhaps it is time to incorporate the ‘para’ athletes into the full spectacle of the Pan Am and Olympic games. Why not have the T 54 100 metre wheelchair final run at the same event as the 100 metre sprint final.

Last night, I heard “O Canada” played twice and watched our athletes receive a bunch of medals. It was an inspirational night, not because I saw people with disabilities overcoming adversity, but rather, I saw elite athletes performing feats I couldn’t imagine doing in my wildest dreams.

Test Pressing Heaven! or Big Star – Third / Sister Lovers

August 13, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

If you have the idea of starting your listening day by discovering Big Star for the first time, don’t start with Sister Lovers / Third. Both #1 Record and Radio City are power-pop masterpieces that also serve as great introductions to the “Greatest Band You’ve Never Heard.”

On the other hand, Third is the opposite side of the coin. While definitely a masterpiece in its own right, it is bi-polar in its dramatic swings between happiness and absolute despair. It drops all pretensions and attempts of being a great rock ‘n’ roll album and instead mines the depths of failed relationships in their darkest moments, and then snaps back to honest sentiment and joy. In its own way Third is like Big Star’s version of the White Album requiring a bit of context to appreciate the artistry. It isn’t just the album themes either, Alex Chilton was literally in a mood for self-sabotage.

Ardent Studio creator John Fry who had been very influential in Big Star saw his relationship with Alex Chilton breaking down and things between them had become increasingly antagonistic. It has been reported as so bad that when Fry complimented “Downs” as having “pop potential,” Chilton all but ruined it; using a basketball as a snare drum, some ill timed steel drums and turning it into a “Revolution #9” moment. Whatever Fry heard is completely submerged beneath a sonic ramble and talking as replacement for singing.

Don’t let that idea confuse you, Third may not be a collection of songs filled with anger turned into sonic hooks, like say Fleetwood Mac; instead it becomes either unwavering in its depictions of loneliness and despair or a drunken arm around your shoulder full of sloppy proclamations. It has brutal honesty as its companion which means that things can get a little dicey. One moment can be heartbreakingly beautiful and poppy (“Thank You Friends”) and another can be devastatingly cruel (“Holocaust”). Even the Christmas track “Jesus Christ” has an echoing feel that keeps Chilton separated from his sentiment.

Third isn’t an easy listen. Watching things fall apart never is. Yet, it makes for amazing artistic expression; songs that relate to you on a more personal level, and take you to places of personal tragedy. Hope and comfort are found in the idea that others have also hurt as badly as you have.

Now, as for vinyl, you have some great choices. The first is obviously hitting the resale market where you can find original pressings in great shape. For whatever reason, Big Star fans seem to have taken great pains to care for their records. However, I wish you luck finding them at a decent cost. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find any of the original 1975 test pressings on the market. There were only around 200 printed and given out as promotional material to record executives and radio stations. The 1978 official release by PVC Records sells well over a hundred dollars, with some resellers fetching over $200.

In 1985 PVC reissued Third with a new cover and title dubbing the album Big Star’s Third: Sister Lovers.

This edition is much more reasonably priced in the $40 range at Discogs.

1988 saw yet another cover change and a new record company releasing Third on white vinyl. This German edition from Line Records shows up being priced around $30 dollars but add at least that same price in additional shipping, as it is primarily European resellers offering it.

Ryko got into the Big Star game in 1992, releasing Third on CD with another cover and a few added bonus tracks. It can still be found used or new at regular prices.

In 2007 Four Men With Beards released a 180 gram vinyl edition that restored the original cover. It can still be found at around $30 at the usual places.

Then there is the last Omnivore edition released first on Record Store Day in 2011 and then later direct order. This “Test Pressing Edition” was a perfect example of how a treasured record should be treated by a record company for fans. Rather than simply putting out a new printing, they used 180 gram audiophile vinyl, had it remastered by the same people who did the original, in the same studio (Ardent) and packaged it with all kinds of memorabilia. All classic records should be treated this way when possible. Quite simply, the vinyl kills my CD copy. The people at Ardent Studios treated Third like an ancient holy scripture and restored it to something worthy of the heavens. The RSD release was limited to 2000 copies but five lucky people out there got an unexpected gift – an actual 1975 test pressing enclosed in their package signed by Big Star’s Jody Stephens and Ardent Studios head John Fry. I didn’t see any of these for sale. However the RSD edition does sell for over a $100 on the resale market.

That edition never made it to all fans, so Omnivore offered another 500 copies in 180 gram clear vinyl to those fortunate enough to see the news and order it direct. Prices for this edition are over a hundred dollars with some resellers asking well over $200.

OK, all cliché and hyperbole aside, it sounds fantastic and is a prize possession within my record collection. The only thing that I would hold in higher esteem is an actual 1975 test pressing, and I’m not expecting to run into any of those.

My First & Last Word on the Subject! or Original Jimmy Page Listening Event Article

August 10, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

Ok, so I’ve written a post here before on this same experience. It was full of all kinds of stuff only fit for my blogging audience. However, the first thing I wrote was for publication… except that – it didn’t get published. So, here is the original Jimmy Page Listening Event Article. Hope You Enjoy!

An Intimate Listening Event: Hosted By Jimmy Page

Under the eerie red lights of the Freemason “Red Room,” there are medieval style thrones lining the walls. In stark Twilight Zone-like contrast, the centre of the room is filled with those “hard on your ass” chairs you would expect in a public school library. There are chandeliers with incandescent bulbs where candles once burned hanging from the ceiling; velvet drapery on the stage hiding a screen for the video projector; middle ages-type mason symbols on the wall with camera men standing directly below them. It’s a bizarre spectacle populated by aging rockers, business types, contest winners and music journalists mingling in the surreal dance of ‘who can rub elbows with the rock god.’

Honestly, it’s rather easy to lose perspective.

Everyone has a lanyard around their neck, mimicking the illustrious backstage pass of teenage dreams past. Multiple conversations float in the air about instruments lying nearby in case Jimmy wants to jam. Some guys have brought guitars to be signed while others jockey for aisle seats in hopes of shaking the hand of Jimmy Page.

And who can blame them…

When Led Zeppelin last convened for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert back in 2007, 20 thousand tickets were sold, with 20 million more fans requesting tickets. On this night, there are 200 or so people in the room listening to a selection of songs handpicked by legendary guitarist/producer Jimmy Page, showcasing tunes from Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda.

Things quiet down quickly as Q107’s Jeff Woods welcomes the Zeppelin architect to the stage. A standing ovation greets Page who tells us we are about to depart on a “musical journey.” It’s at this moment that the surreal nature of the evening is lost and everyone remembers why they are really here – the music.

While there have been a few jaded critics claiming “cash grab” after multiple reissues of Zeppelin material over the decades (1990 Box Set, 1993 Complete Recordings, 2008 Definitive Collection and the 2014 -2015 Remasters), hearing the results of Page’s remaster and companion audio causes a fan to re-examine just how damn brilliant Led Zeppelin were back in the day.

Leaning heavily on the supplemental material from the deluxe edition of Coda, we hear alternate versions of “Friends”, “Desire”, “Poor Tom”, “Fool In The Rain”, “Bonzo’s Montreux” and “When The Levee Breaks” under it’s working title of “If It Keeps On Raining.” It’s staggering. Familiar tunes are given new life, and nuances previously missed are pulled out with sonic clarity. “Bonzo’s Montreux” is portrayed as a “mix construction in progress” but it sounds more like a drum symphony, with individual sounds given more clarity. The perceived steel drum sound that was a highlight can be clearly heard as a Page studio effect meant to emphasize John Bonham’s abilities.

Previously unreleased “Sugar Mama” is a playful example of the band’s 1968 musical prowess. Recorded during the Led Zeppelin I sessions, it was left off the album because it didn’t fit with the feel of their spectacular debut.

“If It Keeps On Raining (When the Levee Breaks)” is a whole different recording, with Robert Plant’s vocals taking on a ghostly tone over a new menacing rhythm that places emphasis on the song’s darker nature.

As the last notes of “If It Keeps On Raining” ring, the Woods and Page interview portion of the evening begins. At once Page’s personable storytelling grips the audience, with various anecdotes conveyed on the Led Zeppelin mythos.

Woods then pulls out the question that everyone wants answered – why did it end? We all know that Bonham died, but Woods goes further, using the example of the Who continuing after the death of Keith Moon.

Page replies with an explanation that continues to build on the legacy of Zeppelin as both a unique and influential band, suggesting a “synchronicity” “synergy” and a virtual “ESP” that existed between band members. That if you look back at concert bootlegs, you see that the band’s penchant for improvisation made it so that fans never got the same show twice. The result was a group of musicians who had fun and remained relevant for their entire duration. His voice begins to drift off a bit as he finishes “ten years of these concerts, all of the improvisations, that when you have lost one of the key members of it, you wouldn’t be able to continue.” Snapping back, he then jokes about training a new drummer on the many ways to play a single Led Zeppelin song.

A few minutes later and it is all finished. Page offers a smile to the crowd and then vanishes. On the same Masonic Temple floor Zeppelin played 45 years ago, an offering of hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine is served to attendees… there are shared reminisces about the evenings events and smiles all around. It might not be the epic “Rock ‘N’ Roll backstage pass party” of a bygone era”, but it is a good way to end the night.

The Led Zeppelin remasters of Presence, In Through The Out Door, and Coda hit store shelves on July 31^st.

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