Friday, June 23, 2006
hearts & harps
(Todd M. Duym photo - via Boompa)
The end of the world came this past Tuesday, and I bet you missed it. I've actually had a copy of La Fin Du Monde by Hylozoists for awhile, but thought I'd wait on talking about it until a) you could go see them (which doesn't look like it'll be happening soon, unfortunately) or b) pick up the album yourself (which happened on June 20th).
I'm not generally that huge on mostly instrumental music. I adore Godspeed and Mogwai, and am a fan of Sigur Ros, Do Make Say Think, and Mono, but can't say that I listen to that last three all that much (and yes, I know Sigur Ros has vocals on pretty much all the tracks, but his voice might as well be an instrument). That being said, I'm digging this quite a bit. It's not blowing my mind, like say, F#A#infinity, but it's getting more than its fair share of spins. Part of the reason is because all those post-rock comparisons don't really fit. The album has some moments of grandeur, but they're not really reaching for the same kind of epic mid-song movements that the bands they'll probably get lumped in with do. It's got a very subtle cinematic quality to it. There's also this great duality to the record. It's great as background music, for one. And, while that generally wouldn't be a selling point, it's also really rewarding as a very careful listen.
Oh... and if you're the type of person who is impressed by name drops, here are some of the people that contributed to La Fin Du Monde: Paul Aucoin (Hylozoists main man, and Sadie), Julie Penner (BSS), Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy/Les Mouches/Arcade Fire/really nice guy), Jason Tait (the Weakerthans/also a really nice guy), Patrick Conan (Tricky Woo), Paul Lowman, Matthew Faris, Wayne Petti, and Dale Murray (4/5ths of Cuff the Duke).
Boompa has Strait Is The Gait up for download. But, in addition, here's my favourite off of the album.
download: the Hylozoists - If Only Your Heart Was A Major Sixth
In other Boompa related action, Run, Chico, Run is at the Railway on July 12th with Yukon and Poison Dart. I saw them live a couple years ago at the Brickyard and didn't think much of them, but their latest swayed my opinion, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they are in the flesh now. (thanks to Liam for the email)
Pride Tiger plays the Cobalt with Lions In The Street on August 4th. I'm pretty amped on the Diplo/CSS/BDR show, but jesus is this going to rock. It's a years worth of riffage crammed into one night.
LitS are headlining their own show on July 15th at the Lamplighter... which is the same day that Feist plays FolkFest. Dudes, if you're reading this, book some shows on nights that I don't already have plans on! Actually, both are probably doable... or at least, I'll try.
You can still download their entire EP at their website.
Elliott Brood are at the Railway on August 1st. I know nothing about them, but Scott, who was kind enough to give the headsup on the show, has said that they "are good" in the comments.
Half way through 2006 recap post coming on Monday. I'm sure the excitement about my completely subjective opinions is high enough already, but I promise to throw in some .mp3s and other interesting things.
now playing: Pride Tiger - What It Is
hearts & harps
(Todd M. Duym photo - via Boompa)
The end of the world came this past Tuesday, and I bet you missed it. I've actually had a copy of La Fin Du Monde by Hylozoists for awhile, but thought I'd wait on talking about it until a) you could go see them (which doesn't look like it'll be happening soon, unfortunately) or b) pick up the album yourself (which happened on June 20th).
I'm not generally that huge on mostly instrumental music. I adore Godspeed and Mogwai, and am a fan of Sigur Ros, Do Make Say Think, and Mono, but can't say that I listen to that last three all that much (and yes, I know Sigur Ros has vocals on pretty much all the tracks, but his voice might as well be an instrument). That being said, I'm digging this quite a bit. It's not blowing my mind, like say, F#A#infinity, but it's getting more than its fair share of spins. Part of the reason is because all those post-rock comparisons don't really fit. The album has some moments of grandeur, but they're not really reaching for the same kind of epic mid-song movements that the bands they'll probably get lumped in with do. It's got a very subtle cinematic quality to it. There's also this great duality to the record. It's great as background music, for one. And, while that generally wouldn't be a selling point, it's also really rewarding as a very careful listen.
Oh... and if you're the type of person who is impressed by name drops, here are some of the people that contributed to La Fin Du Monde: Paul Aucoin (Hylozoists main man, and Sadie), Julie Penner (BSS), Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy/Les Mouches/Arcade Fire/really nice guy), Jason Tait (the Weakerthans/also a really nice guy), Patrick Conan (Tricky Woo), Paul Lowman, Matthew Faris, Wayne Petti, and Dale Murray (4/5ths of Cuff the Duke).
Boompa has Strait Is The Gait up for download. But, in addition, here's my favourite off of the album.
download: the Hylozoists - If Only Your Heart Was A Major Sixth
In other Boompa related action, Run, Chico, Run is at the Railway on July 12th with Yukon and Poison Dart. I saw them live a couple years ago at the Brickyard and didn't think much of them, but their latest swayed my opinion, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they are in the flesh now. (thanks to Liam for the email)
Pride Tiger plays the Cobalt with Lions In The Street on August 4th. I'm pretty amped on the Diplo/CSS/BDR show, but jesus is this going to rock. It's a years worth of riffage crammed into one night.
LitS are headlining their own show on July 15th at the Lamplighter... which is the same day that Feist plays FolkFest. Dudes, if you're reading this, book some shows on nights that I don't already have plans on! Actually, both are probably doable... or at least, I'll try.
You can still download their entire EP at their website.
Elliott Brood are at the Railway on August 1st. I know nothing about them, but Scott, who was kind enough to give the headsup on the show, has said that they "are good" in the comments.
Half way through 2006 recap post coming on Monday. I'm sure the excitement about my completely subjective opinions is high enough already, but I promise to throw in some .mp3s and other interesting things.
now playing: Pride Tiger - What It Is
1 Comments:
Fatlip, Cadence Weapon, and some other dude at Richard's on Richards, July 7!
