Showing posts with label Toronto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto. Show all posts
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buffaBLOG Road Trip Review: Foundry Series Week 1 - Four Tet & Purity Ring


Two days before the Foundry Series launched their three-week electronic music festival at the Tower Automotive Building, the city of Toronto denied access to the industrial haven that event-planners and independent musicians have cited as an area that needs exploring. Inside of the venue reminded me of one of the rooms at Silo City-- moving through large, wide pillars in a vast, formerly abandoned space. This was initially a bit of a bummer-to everyone involved- but luckily they were able to move the party to 99 Sudbury, a part-time gym, part-time venue space. 

For having only a short period of time to transfer the initially envisioned idea, the space served its purpose, split into two rooms, one smaller, more intimate and boasting ridiculously comfortable leather couches, and the other larger, a little more vacuous, with a giant 3-D video installation behind the DJ stage. I was excited to see Four Tet live since I heard "Angel Echoes" for the first time. Whenever I checked out his tour page it would read: Europe, Europe, Europe...It all fell into place step by step--wanting to travel to Toronto for a weekend, rediscovering my obsession for Four Tet, and a recent introduction to Purity Ring.

The festival was split into two separate nights, the first featuring Four Tet as the headliner with Gingy, DJ Colin, and Anthony "Shake" Shakir as openers. During Gingy's set my boyfriend and I decided to absorb the heavy, almost hard-house bangers on the leather couches, feel out the place, observe the crowd. Immediately I made the mistake of making eye contact with an intense looking woman who slithered next to us and said: "My name is Mary...married with three kids." Wanting to be polite, as many Canadians are to myself, I congratulated her. She found it strange that we would travel to see Four Tet from the states, and then proceeded to dance seductively in front of me. Shortly after, and slowly running out of diplomatic responses, we moved to the main room where Anthony "Shake" Shakir was starting his set. (In advance, I apologize for the quality of photos. One has to do their best when only working via phone.) 



I felt like I was teleported to the 90's, seeing the stack of records lined up to the side and watching Shakir mix with grace. After the show I did a little more research on the guy, having only found beforehand an old-school mix on a local Toronto DJ compilation on Spotify. He's a contemporary of acid-house guys Derrick May and Carl Craig and produced their earlier Metroplex releases. It was a refreshing break to watch instead of staring at a lit-up Macintosh apple computer. Initially his set began with a down-tempo house vibe and progressed to a smooth drum and bass style. 

Four Tet went on around 2 a.m., and at that point the place was jammed up. I secured a spot to the right of the stage and caught a decent visual for the first half of his set. He looked tired, but methodical, a decent poker face at all times mixed with the occasional smirk and glance at the audience. Musically, his set transferred from the psychedelic and ethereal sounds he's known for to harder, dance-heavy grooves, to specific blocks of middle-eastern influenced music, which really had the crowd going a little nuts. At one point, three girls tried to dance on the speakers, and one of them fell off the stage in front of me. That's kind of what you get for trying to go-go dance when Four Tet is playing. 


Night two's recap is a little less specific than night one, as I indulged in too many red bull vodkas initially and had to regain my breath and sanity during Blue Hawaii. I made it onto the floor for Austrian DJ Katie Stelmanis, whose relaxed and subtle ebbs of house was a very grounding experience. Again, another gap occurred, and Shigeto was the next act I caught. He performed a live drum solo set mixed with a slightly hip-hop vibe until Megan James from Purity Ring took over. To my surprise the room was even more packed and excited for Purity Ring versus Four Tet's crowd. Already knowing that Purity Ring was to a play a DJ set, I expected James to play a more trap-influenced mix. Instead, the music was still grind-heavy but switched beats a little too quickly instead of a comfortable glide between songs. 

Visually, the installations Foundry set-up reminded me of a watered down version of Amon Tobin's 'ISAM' live. The video screen focused on swirling cubes with an inter-spatial vibe. Once again, for the time-crunch, it was as much of a sensory experience as it could be. The next two line-ups for the Foundry series aren't as name-heavy as the first, but still worth checking out if you want to party. 




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Toronto's Alvvays Riding on Single "Adult Diversion"


What's new in the world of music? Perhaps I will never know--at least to the capacity that I expect myself to know. One thing I know is that Alvvays of Toronto is bumpin' and begging the lend of my ear. Their video for "Adult Diversion," visually, has all the remembrances of the 60s and 70s, while in an audial sense, bears the qualities of the 90s in its foggiest moments. Producer Chad VanGaalen brings his ticky-lo-fi signature to the track and the sweet, twee-ness of the song is beautifully balanced with the lead singer, Molly Rankin's, deeper register, making it a widely-accessible hit. Although this song is one of few singles from their debut album previously scheduled for release early this year, it still seems to be running strong, despite being postponed for the summer.The simple beat of "Adult Diversion" leaves out all the complications of songs trying to be more than they are, and leaves the basics of a happy, summer-longing tune. A catchy song is burning to creep into your lack-luster winter playlist to shake off the cold with Alvvays and the warm song of yester-today-year.



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Concert Review: Neutral Milk Hotel


On Sunday afternoon I drove over a snow coated peace bridge and crossed the border, en route to watch a reunited Neutral Milk Hotel play that evening at Koolhaus (a lofty venue located on the outskirts of downtown Toronto).  By the time we got there it was nightfall. We parked and walked toward the direction of the venue's address,  spotting it amid  isolated industrial buildings from the sea of people wrapped around all three sides of it. We joined the line and waited in 15 degree weather for at least half an hour, unsure of what to expect.

Neutral Milk Hotel became inactive shortly after the release of their sophomore album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in 1998. It was a collection of songs that definitively sold the band to listeners and critics alike, topping most year end "best of" lists, etc. Their decision to suddenly drop from the radar of the public subsequently catapulted their reputation into the league of indie-dieties,  amongst bands whose lo-fi mythology were worthy of gospel spreading (Modest Mouse, Pavement, Pixies, etc). Needless to say,  their reemergence over a decade later led to quickly sold out tickets.  

Upon entrance, I maneuvered towards the middle-frontish section of the crowd (fyi you can do this by feigning drunk). Elf Power was playing and although I was unfamiliar with their music, I  grooved along like I was. It wasn't contrived either, they were easy to tune into, their music radiated the intimacy, warmth, and quirkiness that can be attributed to most bands under the Elephant 6 Collective. After a 15 minute intermission the spotlights turned to the stage again, revealing the assemblage of instruments that the members of Neutral Milk Hotel would shortly utilize. Soon enough Scott Spillane walked on stage and fettered with the trumpet, Jeremy Barnes took seat behind his drum kit and in front of him, Julian Koster took center in front of a Moog synthesizer. Lastly, a bearded Jeff Mangum appeared from stage-left and picked up his guitar. The crowd nearly ignited when he began strumming the opening chords from "King of Carrot Flowers". And the excitement continued to escalate as he belted  "when you were young.." with his bagpipe of a voice. 

They continued onto to play "Holland, 1945" in which Spillane's silky trumpet balanced the explosive strumming and drumming of Barnes. They were tight as hell, and from then on it was all hazy,  I was too enamored with what was going on in front of me to jot down the rest of the setlist. However, they played through all of the songs from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea sans "Communist Daughter," some highlights from On Avery Island including "Naomi," "Songs Against Sex," and "Gardenhead/Leave me alone," alongside songs from their EP Ferris Wheel on Fire  and several unreleased tracks. At times Mangum's wife Astra Taylor and Laura Carter (who played in Elf Power as well) would join the group on stage and there were vivid, fleeting moments when all the members would burst into a fuzzy soundscape of a jam session. Emotively speaking, Mangum played through each song as though he had just written them a month ago. Yet dynamically (as chillingly clear when he played "Oh, Comely") his voice noticeably packed more resonance and his strumming more sturdiness than it did 15 years ago. 

Much to the crowd's delight, the encore went on for at least 15 minutes, during which the band played "Ghost", "Two Headed Boy (part 2)," and "Engine".  At one point, Koster used an extremely disheveled bowstring (I mean nearly all the hairs were dangling loose) to manipulate a theremin while Carter whipped out a black, boxy, electric saxophone. Oh yeah, did I mention that people were moshing to "Ghost"?

Altogether, what's important to note is that they exceeded expectations and left the crowd awe-struck; as  Toronto Star puts it "a stunning gig, one that's still rightfully become the stuff of legend in Toronto indie circles". The quality of their live performance allowed them to transcend their highly revered recordings. I had caught Jeff Mangum solo last year at Buffalo's Asbury Hall and this concert proved to me that it takes the entire band to breathe the songs into full life. Live, they didn't merely come across as quaint, bustling, freak folk tunes. They punctured your ears with aggression and the kind of raw energy that can only be forged through 20 something years of playing together. 


Jeannette Chin
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Concert Review: Connan Mockasin


[Part One, in which I review a Connan Mockasin concert] OK I went to see a Connan Mockasin concert in Toronto, Ontario on Monday the 13 of January, and I wanted to review it but instead I am just going to list the facts.

THE FACTS:

1) Connan Mockasin is a highly psychedelic rock/R&B band from New Zealand. They are currently based out of London. [That's two or three facts in one. Additionally, the “band” is largely the solo project of Connan Tant Hosford, who records in a collaborative manner and assembles touring groups for performances, and I am just going to refer to him/them as “Connan” from now on.]

4ish) Connan has been active on other continents for a few years (including opening for Radiohead on their 2012 Australian tour), but the Toronto show was part of their first run through North America – a short stint of six shows in five cities.

5) Connan has amassed quite a catalog of releases and collaborations and hype, but there are two primary documents: the 2011 album Forever Dolphin Love (which is very exploratory early-Radiohead-meets-Ariel Pink lo-fi bedroom jazz) and 2013's Caramel (a slow and sexy R&B concept album, psychedelic-still, but sounds more like 90s slow jams on BET, performed by a scrawny white guy with a superlative falsetto).

6) I've blogged about the band a couple times, and as a result, received a Press/Photo Pass +1 for the Toronto show from the band's North American publicist. I invited my friend Ben as the Plus One because 1) he is nebulously Canadian and Knows Toronto, 2) he really, really got into Connan after I showed him some YouTube clips, and 3) he has a camera.

9) Before I left for Canada, I took some brain drugs (Ben drove). We arrived at the venue [The Drake Hotel Underground, in Toronto's bohemian West Queen area] at 8:30PM. The show was scheduled to start at 8, but we doubted that Toronto shows are any more punctual than Buffalo shows, so we blasted a pint of Canadian whiskey in the car before ambling towards the venue.

11) At the Hotel, I inquired about being On The List. The lady at the door had a laptop but didn't have a List (or at least she didn't consult the laptop [my story was foolproof, though, so she let us in]). There were only a handful of other people there at that point, and it was all music journalist-types and the attractive* ladies that they'd invited on Plus One (some of the journalist-types were female, but everyone seemed to have invited an attractive lady except me [though Ben With A Camera is pretty attractive, and well-dressed**]).

13) A moment before the Connan set began, the bandleader himself, Hosford, was at the bar. He was flirting with an attractive lady and having a drink. He appeared to be drunk or high, but in a good way. He was wearing a weird sherpa hat, and didn't seem ostensibly concerned if the flirting was going to lead to intercourse. The opener, Brendan Phillip (an avant-indie two-piece, which I want to call avant-rap because it reminded me of Odd Future even though they didn't actually really rap, and they were really good, and they only played for a few minutes – doing the whole “Leave Them Wanting More” thing [which worked because the first thing I did when I woke up was look them up on the internet]) had just finished. I looked to Ben, and we asked each other aloud, “Are there two openers?”

16i) But, no. Hosford quickly abandoned the bar and went to the stage. He dicked around with his guitar for a second, misleadingly high and drunkishly, as the rest of the band came out. By that point, the venue was packed***. I wondered if the set was going to consist of his demented bedroom lo-fi stuff, or more recent, slow-jam sex-funk material.

16ii) The exact moment in which the first kick drum and bassline set in, the two attractive ladies in front of us instinctively took off their shirts.

16iii) For legal reasons [Ben and I are in relationships] I should explain that the shirt-taking-off ceremony wasn't a sex thing: it was more of a demented psychedelic thing. But it was cool.

17) Footnotes / Key. ***- Literally everyone at the show was *- attractive and **- well-dressed. There also wasn't that Repressed American thing where if you stand too close to a guy's girlfriend, he glares at you for the rest of the show.

18) The band played three songs from 2011's Forever Dolphin Love (“Faking Jazz Together”, “It's Choade My Dear”, and the titular track). The rest of the set consisted of sweaty sex-jams, but stylistically they managed to blend the seemingly-exclusive genres. It all sounded sexy and sharp and psychedelic.

20) But here's the thing: I hate when I get into a “psychedelic” band because the term has been co-opted by shitty Jam Bands so when I tell people that I'm into “psychedelic” bands the conversation gets into Burning Man and Bonnaroo and fucking Disco Biscuits. Psychedelic Music should be about exploration, and function as the opposite of repression; you should take off your shirt, and sneak dominant sevenths into as many chords as possible to add suspense, and have agreeable question marks hanging over your head while a deviant smile creeps into your cheeks. On the other hand, “Jam” gets recidivist and insular, and repressed and repetitive.

20ii) Over the last decade, a lot of Pet Sounds-influenced West Coast and Austin bands have been reclaiming the concept of Psychedelic by marrying garage rock and freak folk, which is light-years better than Jam, to be sure. But Connan seems to exist in a vacuum; it offers no analogues or contextualization. It's similar, in spirit, to Syd Barrett; songs that don't present anything besides word salad and slew of signs, and catchy guitar-play/pop-writing – unpredictable and alluring, and spacey and obscure, and super-question-mark-inducing, and it doesn't Mean anything. And it “doesn't mean anything” On Purpose, so you're just left with this catchy, jazzy vacuum music. It's just psychedelic, and sexy, and sharp. And when they're playing live and getting sweaty and taking clothes off, the band is tight. So. I was initially bummed that Connan didn't play Buffalo on this tour, but in the back of my head I felt that, even if the best Buffalo people set up and populated the show, it would have been far too repressed and awkward.

98) After 45ish minutes, Connan had finished their set, but it was clear that no one wanted it to be over. Also, and I should have elucidated this at an earlier outset, but throughout the show, Hosford seemed to be trying to get everyone naked, and did weird, suggestive psychedelic sex stuff with the audience and his band. So, as the band was trying to figure out what else they should play for an encore, the bandleader went down into the crowd with his guitar, and got everybody to lay down on the sweaty ground together before they kicked into another sharp and sexy foray, and then everyone jumped up for a few more songs.

100) Outside, after it ended, everyone was cool. No one acknowledged the show out loud. No one was mad that somebody stood too close to their girlfriend. Cabs pulled up; a cable car went by. Ben and I felt ashamed that we were American, and that things like that didn't happen in Buffalo. And then we finished our cigarettes and left.
[Part Two, in which Ben takes a video of the band performing the song "It's Choade, My Dear" and in which Ethan Calabrese edits the video to include shots of cats:]



steve gordon
~ Photo and Video by Ben Maries
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buffaBLOG Road Trip: Connan Mockasin


I really like checking out live music in Buffalo, I really do, but sometimes you gotta go hang out with his cool older brother Toronto to see a great show. So tonight, we're putting on our shoes and trekking up to our socialist neighbor in the North to see psychedelic freaks/virtuosos Connan Mockasin perform at The Drake ($13, 8pm).

Connan has been making ripples on other continents for a couple years: collaborating with Fatboy Slim, touring with Radiohead, and releasing two pysch R&B masterpieces, Forever Dolphin Love and Caramel (the latter of which made our year-end best-of roundup a few weeks ago). But this current stint marks the first time the enigmatic New Zealand group make their rounds in North America. It's a short run, and the band is only playing six shows (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Philly, Toronto, LA, and San Fran), but we've been fawning over their live performances on YouTube for a while, and heck, we'll be darned if we're gonna miss this.

You should come with. I have extra seats in my car. That's a real thing [steve at buffablog dot com]. But if you're not allowed in Canada or something, then eat a ton of brain drugs and get into a mind-bending YouTube vortex tonight instead (see below), then start crossing your fingers that Connan comes to Buffalo next time around.





steve gordon
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Tonight: Wildlife


When I started writing for this blog, the first band that I heard about was this band from Toronto that I had to see at the Mohawk called Wildlife. I didn't get to the show, but of course immediately regretted it because the gig immediately became somewhat legendary, at least among those who were there, and when I saw them open for Hollerado and Arkells at the Town Ballroom, and listened to their debut album Strike Hard Young Diamond, I understood why. Rousing, passionate, soaring, purposeful, and sharply melodic, Wildlife channels (tastefully) bands you give a shit about, bands like U2, Springsteen, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, and TV On The Radio; and puts on an intense and joyous live show that goes for your head, heart, and dancing feet. 

 Tonight they make a hotly anticipated return to our fair city for a special headlining show in support of their excellent current album ...On The Heart at The Waiting Room with blog favorite Roger Bryan & The Orphans handling opening support at 8pm, and get this... it's only $10. Yes, you can see the next big thing to come out of Canada up close at The Waiting Room for $10. You should probably be there.

Cliff Parks
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Picking Up The Slack For MTV: Phèdre - "Aquaris"


In this week's Picking Up The Slack, we take a look at the new music video from Toronto duo Phèdre. Later this month, the glamorous duo will be releasing their new LP Golden Age at a Warehouse Party in T-dot. It's now available through the label itself, Daps Records. The new album is said to pick-up where they left off on with their first self-titled offering and expand the Pop-Psychedelica and Hip-Hop Noise Rock with an even more fresh approach. The video was filmed in both Toronto and Chicago, and as seen below is a trippy harmonic equivalent to the music and lyrics. Enjoy.



james wild
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The Weeknd Needs To Play Buffalo


No, this isn't a hostage play like the one going on in our nation's capital or anything specifically emphatic. But as I perused Twitter Sunday night and noted Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot's transmissions from the first of two shows in Chicago for Toronto post r&b mystery man The Weeknd and read his review on Monday, this fact became crystal clear to me. At this point in the fall of 2013, it's past time that The Weeknd make a stop in Buffalo.

After bursting on the scene with an air of elusive mystery and a killer mixtape called House Of Balloons in 2011, The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, has cultivated a rabid and growing following thanks to his expressive new jack soul voice, ever interesting indie electronica sound, and dark, sexy, and vaguely dangerous witching hour subject matter. Enigmatic amorphousness soon gave way to hot live shows in Toronto and GTA before the hotly buzzed about act completely skipped Buffalo on their way to larger, more buzzworthy locals, and for local fans who'd gone all in The Weeknd's next two free mixtapes Thursday and Echoes of Silence and waited for Canada's next big thing to play here, it hurt.

It hurt because this is Buffalo, a city that's enjoyed the musical bounty of our neighbors to the north for decades, from Rush to The Tragically Hip to Sloan to Arkells, etc. etc.. We're the creamy nougat of Tor-Buff-Chester, the one's that get Arkells shows at the Town Ballroom, Tokyo Police Club at Soundlab, Wildlife at the Mohawk, Sam Roberts in just about every venue in the city, Gord Downie at the Adam's Mark to play and talk about protecting our Great Lakes, and two Hip shows at the Outer Harbor when Mother Nature rains us out. We've got the Peace Bridge, that brings us this wonderful bounty as well as the occasional band coming from or going to Toronto, where EVERYBODY plays. His US debut was always earmarked for someplace else, The Weeknd was crossing over into the US via WNY on his march to conquest on a regular basis.

And it's even worse now that The Weeknd released his proper debut album, Kissland, on Universal last month and riding an even bigger wave of buzz after an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel and Letterman and shows in big markets. It's becoming clear that The Weeknd is the big thing coming out of Canada right now (whereas Wildlife is the next big thing coming out of Canada), but because he falls entirely in between genres he's nowhere on local radio, a big problem now that we've skipped the "getting to know each other" phase on his path to stardom. 

Ideally The Weeknd (on Universal Records) would be in rotation on our "new music alternative" 107.7 FM, but that station is still decidedly in it's infancy and yet to fully take up it's professed mantle as a source for new music. I haven't heard any Weeknd, Toro Y Moi, Janelle Monae, or Chvrches for that matter, and way, way too much No Doubt and Muse, and that's a damn shame, especially because it isn't aiding in getting The Weeknd down here to Buffalo for a show. But I still remain optimistic about that station, in part because they're still setting up a local operation that will theoretically give it the local flavor longed for by area music fans. Patience will be a virtue, and in any case it's gratifying to hear Tame Impala, Phoenix, and new Arcade Fire on Buffalo radio that isn't 91.3.

I guess that patience applies to The Weeknd getting down here for a show. It is inevitable after all. It might be after his second album when he's spreading it around beyond the places he hit on his magical mystery introductory tour. In the meantime I'll re-consume his Trilogy mini boxed set (which collected his 3 mixtapes for a rather affordable price) and the aforementioned Kissland, and keep an eye out for word of our Buffalo show. Word on the street is that it will be worth the wait.

Cliff Parks


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buffaBLOG Road Trip: Austra


I recently spent the night at a friend's house in Toronto. While making breakfast, they played Austra's first record, Feel it Break, and I loved it from the minute it began. That was quite odd, as I normally do not like music like this, and when I asked my friend why, the simple reply was, "because it's good."

Feel it Break is a collection of dark, mid-tempo electo-synth. Lead singer Katie Stelmanis is a trained opera singer and played in the DIY riot grrrl band Galaxy. Austra's songs have deeply personal lyrics with a great queer-positive message. Their new record, 2013's Olympia, is ever so slightly more upbeat, but still atmospheric. Some reviews described it as danceable, which seems fair, though it is not a dance album. 

I feel this show will be drastically different than the standard basement/warehouse punk shows I normally go to, and this prospect alone intrigues me. I am not the biggest fan of large venues, but seeing a band that I enjoy play to a hometown crowd should be great.

The show is tonight at the Phoenix Theater, 410 Sherbourne St. in Toronto, 9pm. The cost is $27.


~ Photo by Anais F. Afonso



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Festival Bands, Man!: Tonstartssbandht


North By North East is happening right now! If you’re heading up to Toronto for the gigantic downtown music festival, check out our Festival Bands, Man! band Tonstartssbandht ("ton-starts-bandit") tonight at BLK BOX for a 1am show or Saturday night at the Comfort Zone for a midnight show.

Brothers from Florida who cradle their instruments like dead rabbits, Andy and Edwin White now live in Montreal and New York. Bluesy, psychedelic, electronic, a tough little boy who’s been thrown out of his trailer, Tonstartssbandht works to open your heart with Crosby Stills Nash-, Beach Boys-, Avey Tare-, Gregorian-, Fuck-Buttons-sweetness, then wraps it up in a steely, wool blanket and, laughing, chucks it in a black river. You check our bleeding heart flying down the dark current and notice the shores are lined by a thousand Allen Ginsbergs of various age chanting, cloaked in moonlight, and music wafts through the warm night on the odor of fried dough.

Listening to this music will be an experience, especially late at night when the cats come out and you’re starting to feel a chill. Tonstartssbandht released LPs in 2009 and 2011 and a special edition of 100 split cassettes with a Dirty Beaches B side in April. 

DETAILS

Band: Tonstartssbandht 

Festival: NXNE, Toronto, Ontario, CA

Venue/Stage: BLK BOX; Comfort Zone

Date & Time: Thursday Night, June 13 12AM; Saturday, June 15 1AM  
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Tonight: Chippewa Electronic Music Showcase


In the spirit of Memorial Day weekends past, a group of Chippewa clubs is having an Electronic Music Showcase tonight! Resident DJs at The Guvernment, Mark Oliver and Manzone & Strong, will make the trip down to Buffalo and be the featured performers of this showcase. Some of Buffalo's most popular club DJs will keep it going until 4am as always. The events will be dispersed among Soho Burger Bar, Privato, Bottoms Up, and The Purple Monkey. Though it is not stated, there may likely be cover charges at the doors of the establishments. Also the schedule and time slots for the performers will not be released until today. Follow @buffaBLOG on Twitter to get updated when that information is released. 

james wild
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buffaBLOG Road Trip: Ducktails


Your friendly neighborhood buffaBLOGGERS (hoping this nickname will stick) will be venturing up north today to see Ducktails. Touring in support of one of 2013's early highlights, The Flower Lane, Matt Mondanile's group will be performing at Toronto's The Garrison.

Also known as a member of Real Estate, Mondanile has been quietly releasing a string of great records as Ducktails. The latest record, The Flower Lane, sees Mondanile more willing to experiment with styles and bring in more collaborators, resulting in an excellent collection of breezy pop.

Opening for Ducktails is the experimental pop/electronic project, Monopoly Child Star Searchers.

Ducktails w/Monopoly Child Star Searchers
The Garrison, 1197 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
Doors @ 8:30
$12.50CN



Michael Torsell

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buffaBLOG Road Trip: alt-J (∆)


Well, the day has finally arrived. I have not been to Toronto since I was eight years old. Before that, I was in the womb when my mother went to Toronto a week or so before my due date to see Phantom of the Opera. When I was a freshman in college, my dreams of adventures in Buffalo included frequented trips to Canada; I rushed to get my passport. It has been about four years and I've been to Canada once, just over the border for a few hours to go to the beach.

Today the road trip commences. And tonight under the full moon, I'll be seeing alt-J.

Since my initial artist spotlight on alt-J a few months ago, their popularity has skyrocketed. Originally, tonight's show was booked to take place at Phoenix Concert Theater but due to high-demand the show was moved to Sound Academy. The Cambridge born band has been making serious moves: performed a sold-out show at Terminal 5 in New York City and even traveled down South for the iconic SXSW festival. 

I'm truly excited that over a decade later, the reason I'm finally going to Toronto is to see alt-J tonight. Stay tuned for the review of my Northern adventures.



alt-J on Facebook.

Tonight - March 27, 2013
alt-J
Sound Academy (11 Polson St. Toronto, Canada)
Doors at 7 p.m.
All ages


Alicia Greco
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buffaBLOG Road Trip: Dan Deacon and Animal Collective



How will experimental music be organically composed from relics of pop music and translated to live performance? Well that's exactly the question we seek to have answered tonight on our road trip to Toronto to see Dan Deacon and Animal Collective. Both artists have earned their acclaim by reshaping conventions. 
Dan Deacon is a modern day composer, and his high-energy performances are calculated. His whole approach is to take contemporary composition and deconstruct it into a shapable substance that he can sculpt into new music. It often sounds as though layers are constantly building off of each other into one epic climax of harmonious sound. The live translation is intended to break down the barriers of tentative human behavior, and to force on an attitude that is accepting of all fun emotions and experiences.

This song from Dan Deacon's most recent album America is a passing glance of cross-country journeys and traveling stomach butterflies.



Animal Collective, who will headline tonight's performance are the kings of trancendental pop music. Who would have thought that their sound now was born out of experimental ambience? Musicians who realize that the creative process is fueled by experimentation.


Tonight the two acts will play the third show of this new tour at The Danforth Music hall in Toronto, ON then head coast to coast across the U.S. They will then go overseas to Europe before returning this summer for the festival circuit, including performances at Camp Bisco in Mariaville, NY. Tonight's show is sold out.










james wild






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buffaBLOG Road Trip: Christopher Owens


When former Girls frontman Christopher Owens announced that he would be releasing his debut solo album, Lysandre, back in October of last year along with a string of East coast tour dates that included a stop at Toronto's Mod Club, the opportunity to head north to see the singer/songwriter was quickly seized. Tonight, along with his eight piece band complete with medieval fifes and back-up singers, we get a chance to witness the San Francisco artist perform cuts from his new record which takes its name and narrative from a woman he met at a festival while touring with Girls. Owens has called the album "a coming of age story, a road trip, a love story" which is evident from the emotional honesty the singer delivers that marked the three Girls records. Tickets for tonight's show are $20, with doors opening at 7pm for an early show.



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buffaBLOG's Best of 2012: Staff Picks - James Wild


It was really hard for me to pick favorites this year. Though I agree with both Mac and Steve G. that this year lacked by comparison in quantity of good albums and good songs, the quality of music produced this year, I believe, reached new heights. When it comes to choosing albums, songs, and shows what are the boundaries? Are there any? I listen to Mixtapes, EPs, whatever. Can an EP count as an album? Shut up. OK there a few things I tried to abide by. One being that my "Favorite Shows" are my favorite shows that I saw in Buffalo in 2012--this is buffaBLOG after all. Everything else are my real favs. There are a few surprises. Here is the music that aroused me in 2012.

Favorite Albums of 2012

1. Beach House - Bloom
Bloom topped many people's "best-of" lists in 2012, This haunting and epic portrait of life I did not fully comprehend until seeing Beach House live at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. After gluing the live translation of this work into my brain went on repeat in my earbuds. Earbuds didn't do it justice. The music on this album is so rich and so beautiful, that it would be hard for even an armadillo to ignore. This needs to be listened to at a high quality level. It makes a difference. Bloom speaks to me more than Beach House's last album Teen Dream. Not the soupy lyrics--but how the sound speaks to me-- how the guitar cries out to my heart!  I think something that you can listen to and enjoy from start to finish is what makes a great album. Bloom is enjoyed fully only after side B plays all the way through, and you hear the needle bumping the bridge of the record.

2. Purity Ring - Shrines

Perhaps one of my most memorable moments at Mohawk Place was talking with Megan James and Corin Roddick of Purity Ring after their show in August 2011. They were so energized and wanting to talk with the small crowd after the show. Since then they have received much deserved attention. When Shrines came out I had already heard just about every song on it. Their debut album was mostly the songs I was already too familiar with. So why did it not detract anything from me liking it? Because it is of thoughtful composition. A great album celebrates the process of evoking emotion from the listener. Shrines is another album from 2012 that does that for me. 


3. Phèdre - PHÈDRE
The most known unknown. Phèdre is a mysterious Toronto based "band" that unleashed this sexually imbued music as their debut, and it is truly one of my favorites from this year. The songs are short. There aren't that many. Phèdre drowns pop music in a vat of red wine and gold glitter.  The feeling I get when listening to this is comparable to the same bit of glory that occurs when doing a tiny bump of K after a long night of using MDMA, which I'll never ever do again Mom.  Often when I hear "In Decay" I find myself erect as if Zoey Deschanel was nibbling on my earlobe. 


Honorable Mention:

The Game - Jesus Piece
Though only a few weeks old, this was the rap album I was waiting for! I really liked releases from 2 Chainz, and Kendrick, and Rick Ross this year, but none of them were comparable to this as a FULL album. This is the type of Hip-Hop album that I listened to in high school, provocative story telling. It has everything you could ask for. For me it was a toss-up between this and 2 Chainz-Based on a T.R.U. Story. I chose this because I knew it would turn some heads, just as it turned my head when I first heard it only a few weeks ago. The Game basically admits to knowing who killed Biggie on the album. He doesn't snitch, but he is extremely deliberate about everything. Consider that the only thing I really relate to is defining one's own character. I have never driven a phantom before.



Favorite Songs of 2012

1. Major Lazer - "Original Don" (Flosstradamus Remix)
This was the song...er...track that started it all. I mean the Fosstradamus remix. In my opinion it started the Trap<->EDM movement that flourished this year. I happened to like the original  Major Lazer song too, but this remix literally took over and was played at every hip dance party. Admittedly it lost it's luster as it became overplayed. And the "Damn son, where'd you find this?" sample got to be downright annoying, but the impact that this song had on an entire movement that is still going on is undeniable.



2. 2 Chainz - "I'm Different"
Truly my favorite song of the year. 2 Chainz basically explains to the world why he is unique. The way that he raps is idiosyncratic. "I'm Different" is a shinning example of that.



3. Girl Unit - "Club Rez & Ensemble" (Club Mix)
Girl Unit is more known for their more bassy singles. When they put out the Club Rez EP this year I was delighted. To any lover of EDM music I urge you to listen. There is a cacophany of styles and sounds in these two particular songs is so well thought out. "Club Rez" takes me to a nightclub in my fantasy land. It is the type of song that makes you raise your head and hands towards the sky in a direct connection with the gods. And "Ensemble" is equally as hair raising, from the dancefloor of a celestial discotheque.





Favorite Show of 2012

2 Chainz at Town Ballroom on December 3, 2012
Every time I see a Hip-Hop show I always set the bar very low. There's too many variables, shitty sound, bad mics, arrogant performers. 2 Chainz put on the best Hip-Hop show I have seen in Buffalo. He commanded the stage like a good actor. Esentially he is an actor. Maybe that's why I like him so much, because of what a charachter he is. That night's performance was intelligent and catered to Buffalo. Per his instagram and twitter he seems to genuinely enjoy and put in the effort needed for his performances, and he certainly did so for Buffalo that evening.

I was so blessed to see so much good live music this year. I even got to see the Lumineers in front of a packed small crowd at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto at NXNE, and now they're nominated for two Grammys including Best New Artist! Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago was absolutely amazing. But the best part about this year is how much local music scene is bubbling. Seeing and hearing bands and DJs do their thing in their city is so gratifying for Buffalo and for all of us. Here's to good fortune, good health, and good music in the next year!
james wild
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Artist Spotlight: alt-J (∆)


∆ The delta: a symbolic representation of change. Not only the shortcut to achieve the symbol on a Mac, alt-J embodies the definition. Alt-J represents change.

I fell in love with them hard and fast. It started out as a simply obsessing over "Fitspleasure," which then turned into constantly listening to their album, An Awesome Wave, on Spotify. Soon I found myself sitting in my cousins quaint apartment living room, white walls lined with a solid collection of vinyl, watching a live performance of the group projected on her wall and was unable to avert my eyes. I was reveling in the fact that I've needed something new, a shift in the musical current of my life, and at the most unexpected moment I gained a newfound intrigue.

"It was music I was looking for, I just didn't know I was. I just loved it," said band's drummer, Thom Green, when introduced to the group and soon after quickly joined. Green and I have a consensus about the alternative and psychedelic sounds of alt-J.



Now based out of a terrace house in Cambridge, the four members (Gwil Sainsbury - guitarist/bassist, Joe Newman - guitarist/vocals, Gus Unger-Hamilton - keyboards, Thom Green - drums) originally met at University of Leeds in 2007. The group came to fruition after inspiration from hallucinogens and dorm room recordings through GarageBand. After playing locally for two years, they eventually released a four track demo '∆' in October 2011. Their 2012 album, An Awesome Wave, won a Barclaycard Mercury Prize, an annual prize awarded to the best album released from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Alt-J truly is the newest oncoming wave in the world of music. The vocals are eccentric and the instrumentals are inconceivably gorgeous and even more so after seeing them visually. You can only assume my excitement when I discovered they recently released that they'll be coming to Toronto this spring.

alt-J on Facebook.

Below is the mind-blowing, full concert alt-J performed under Seattle radio station, KEXP.   


Also check out this recently released dark Betatraxx remix of "Fitzpleasure."




And if you want to tessellate, check this video and seek the subliminal.

"Triangles are my favorite shape..."


 

Alicia Greco
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Album Review: The Weeknd - Trilogy


The other day, Nick was writing about his favorite venues and he mentioned The Icon, which of course was the spot back in the day. Sure I saw De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest there, and yes it was one of the first joints in Buffalo to serve Guinness on draft, but for me The Icon was it's third floor, with the reggae and old school hip-hop, and the couches and the smoke and people of various creeds and colors getting ____ed up and chilling the ____ out. That's what I think of when I listen to The Weeknd. That, and strip clubs. Not because The Weeknd is stripper music per se (although some Weeknd tracks would certainly work); rather, because The Weeknd brilliantly conjures scenes from a strip club and it's champagne rooms and a downtown world of backrooms, drugs, sex, getting ____ed up, and burning up the night...

 One of the best things about 2011 absolutely was The Weeknd. Over the span of three free Internet mixtapes, Abel Tesfaye and his producers stunned listeners and critics with emotionally complex lyrics and sonically adventurous productions that immediately drew the attention of indie listeners. House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence became events unto themselves,  while pointing to another possible future for r&b now that that genre is entirely played out, along with Frank Ocean, The Dream, and How To Dress Well. If you missed all of this (I won't hold it against you) all is not lost because The Weeknd has compiled all three mixtapes plus three new songs into a remastered and potent collection aptly entitled Trilogy that would easily be a contender for album of the year if it hadn't already been released last year.


House of Balloons starts us off in The Weeknd's midnight world with the dark and illicit "High For This," an ode to sly seduction and dangerous sex that features Tesfaye singing in his beautiful angelic falsetto "trust me girl... you wanna be high for this" to the object of his desire and to his audience. House of Balloons as an album is in fact one big vicarious seduction as The Weeknd slyly entices you to experience the dark thrills on display through the music. When not talking nasty Abel Tesfaye also proves to be a keen observer, wryly describing the particulars of the back room at a strip club in "House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls" and bleary AM scenes when the night's earnings/losses get counted in "The Morning." Best of all, the characters that stock these seamy tableaus are in touch with their tortured emotions, adding a little British New Wave anguish to the post r&b proceedings which already benefit from favoring Beach House and Siouxsie & The Banshees samples, trip-hop, and indie electronics over the now stale ass r&b tropes that have buried the genre. Yes, Tesfaye's tasty falsetto and phrasing is perfect, perfect r&b, but The Weeknd's House of Balloons and the rest of Trilogy is something new.

Thursday, the second installment should have been the runt of the litter and the one that should've scuttled the whole enterprise but like everything else about Trilogy it satisfyingly defied expectations. Trading the midnight champagne room milieu of House of Balloons for the hazy late night/early morning dreamworld of after hours parties and what happens when the lights go up, Thursday takes things further lyrically and musically. The exceedingly chilled out vibe of House of Balloons begins to take on an even darker hue on Thursday as grinding guitar samples and jittery electronics give the album an anxious teeth gnashing quality that goes perfectly with the late late after hours scenes and emotional wreckage and recriminations on display. 

 Echoes of Silence, the final installment of Trilogy serves as The Weeknd's graduate thesis, mature and fascinatingly divergent from House of Balloons as it embraces electronic minimalism while jettisoning the samples and traditional r&b structures that the first two parts played with while the sleaziness and emotional tumult crescendos and climaxes. After a properly louche and rough and tumble cover of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana," Silence quickly gets down to the nitty gritty on blistering cuts like "XO," "The Fall," and "Echoes of Silence" that showcases Tesfaye's unflinchingly blunt lyrical honesty, in stark contrast to the juvenile cheese wiz of contemporary r&b. It's a sublime closing argument.

 While I'll always remember those deliciously mysterious mp3's downloaded off of the Interwebs, the remixed and remastered Trilogy successfully polishes up and adds heft to an already aurally satisfying experience, and the three new songs included to round things out pleasingly prove that The Weeknd has way more up his/their sleeve. For people who missed out on The Weeknd last year, you are in for a profound, glorious treat, even if Trilogy isn't strictly speaking a triple album. Instead, Trilogy is three brilliant albums for the price of one, something new, and one hell of an introduction to a protean talent who's only getting started.

 Rating: A


Cliff Parks
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