AWmusic

The sonic experiment commenced… and closing my eyes, I felt like I was floating away from my home galaxy. The sound kept building and escalating into something one can’t quite fully describe without sounding too spaced out with polite confusion. It seemed like the soundtrack of one big climax where the end result, perhaps being the meaning of life.

Fuck Buttons played at the magically interesting social experiment known as Christiania, at the local music venue Loppen (translates to “flea”) I won’t mention more about this because I owe more words to the band instead of getting lost in the wonders of the local environment/venue. To summarize, when you leave Christiania, there’s a big wooden sign that reads; “You are now entering the EU” that should briefly suffice as an ideological tidbit of the place, but if you are further intrigued just Google it, you’ll see what I mean…

There’s definitely something elusive about the creative forces of the duo; Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power from Bristol, England. Seeing them perform live, being so close to their vast array of electronic equipment on stage, seeing their heads bobbing and legs pumping n’ swaying, something came over me. It was like witnessing the birth of electronic music. Feeling as if I had stumbled upon Joe Meek experimenting with meticulous madness in a home studio, or catching a Kraftwerk show at a time when I didn’t even fathom about owning a personal computer. With Fuck Buttons, I know I’ll listen to them in 2073 and it’ll still sound as innovative and enigmatic as it does now.

Their set powered on through with songs from their just released brand new second album entitled Tarot Sport (and also with enough of an homage to their first album Street Horrrsing, especially with a great encore of Sweet Love for Planet Earth) Included were three songs that caught my interest, imagination, and bodily movements to a strong degree. Surf Solar escalates like one long mysterious space odyssey. The Lisbon Maru, strange title eh? There’s nothing musically better it seems than when a band has an odd titled song that just screams out; “research my moniker for some added intelligence and deeper meaning!”… It’s a ship, lots of death, look it up after you listen to it well. Olympians makes me wish this song was officially requested by the IOC for usage during the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies of every Olympic Games (instead of the typically bad disco/dance fodder or stale classical music) from now on… as long as Fuck Buttons would reject the offer based on a not “selling out” stipulation.

The Loppen show was the second time that I’ve seen Fuck Buttons perform. The first was at the 2008 Roskilde Festival, with that performance still easily ranking in my top ten bands ever seen at Roskilde out of the four times I’ve been there (that’s pretty good considering the large amount of amazing bands that I’ve seen those few times) Something always sticks with me when I listen to Fuck Buttons, I recall the look of amused mystery that I’ve seen on the faces of the audience, a look of humbled curiosity and acknowledgment. That they are indeed witnessing something truly unique and in its own realm of sound, something that they’re never quite sure how to move to, but it doesn’t matter.

Fuck Buttons – Surf Solar
Fuck Buttons – The Lisbon Maru
Fuck Buttons – Olympians

Caw!… That’s right! The Coconut Monkeyrocket can definitely garner an excitable response with birds, or any animal for that matter… especially us humans.

Welcome to the wonderfully fun music genre cleverly referred to as electrokitsch and/or toonbeat. It’s a sound that keeps you smiling for days on end, and The Coconut Monkeyrocket (fun name to say) is the epitome of this upbeat and playful sonic experiment. I recently stumbled upon the couple years old album; “With Birds” quite randomly online in my never-ending search for awesome music, and I couldn’t be more contented with this discovery.

The Coconut Monkeyrocket is Jason Emmett, hailing from Florida. He explores and scours tons of random bits of sounds from thrift store records and a bunch of wacky snippets from other mysterious sources to create new, yet vaguely comforting and familiar tunes. It seems like a Herculean task with so many sounds trying to fit in and find their place. It’s gotta be as tedious as counting and categorizing celestial bodies in a far off galaxy, of trying to piece together bird squawks, bongos, horns, vintage voices, and cheap electronics into something that doesn’t end up sounding like it was recorded at a mental institution. Yet, Jason pulls it off and then some, into one awesome collection of songs that comes across like a mixture of Saturday morning cartoons of the 80’s, cheesy Hawaiian themed surf films, and sitcoms/spacey shows of the 50’s and 60’s. The Coconut Monkeyrocket’s “With Birds” makes me wanna write up a quirky script for a TV show (that may or may not make it past the pilot) just so I could use one of the songs as the kick ass theme music for it.

The Coconut Monkeyrocket is filled with a wonderful variety of far-out sonic ingredients. Each one does it’s part to make you smile, chuckle, and move… perhaps even invent a new improvised swing-like dance of some entertaining note. I’m having too much fun with this album!

The Coconut Monkeyrocket – Shopping for Explosives
The Coconut Monkeyrocket – Snufflin’ Dynamo
The Coconut Monkeyrocket – Bloops, Bleeps, Bongos and Brass
The Coconut Monkeyrocket – Square Beer

I have travelled Ida’s homeland of Norway (amazing country, you gotta check it out, but don’t forget to take out a mortgage to be able to afford Norwegian beer) a couple times in my recent past. That’s how I first came to hear Ida’s music, live at a wonderfully awesome festival in the capital city of Oslo called the Øya Festival.

My ongoing feud with Ola originated because Lykke Li (the current reigning Swedish pop-tart) was also playing the same festival on the same day as Ida Maria back in August 2008. I had a long alcohol fuelled debate with Ola about who was better musically and also who was, well, let’s not be childish about it; more bangable. I hate to use that as a concerning factor for musicians. It always makes me think of a terrible old ad featuring Blondie wearing a skimpy dress that had the words below; “Wouldn’t you like to rip her to shreds?”

Not to bring Lykke Li into this, as one should not compare such different musicians (I do like some of her stuff too) but my angle concerning Ida Maria and her music is that she’s not an oversexed piece of meat tossed out to ravenous deaf wolves. She’s got a wholesome yet edgy survivalist feel to her. She came from the tiny town of Nesna, on the rugged Norwegian coastline, then onto a missionary run boarding school in Bergen (of a similar rugged coastline) which by the way could be the most gorgeous city in the world, maybe if it rained one third less than it does (it rains about 275 days of the year there) so she has an endearing tale of coming from relative obscurity and striving to get her voice and music heard.

Ida Maria’s music is an energetic flow of pop rock, it has an uplifting and introspective feel to it. I dig her voice, she has an honest persistence as she sings with a gentle raspy tone, occasionally escalating into a proclaiming yell. Her lyrics are delivered with an admirable sense of urgency that makes her songs come off very openly with personal sentiment. She has a strong and dedicated musical persona, really giving it her all during live shows that can leave her falling to her feet, or even head butting a guitar that once drew blood. She really is one strong and sincere woman.

Her album Fortress ‘round My Heart has only recently been released to the North American audience. These songs have existed for a little while now. The album comes off a bit tinkered with and more polished, but only if you’re already a fan or a well tuned Norwegian in the know. Either way, it’s good stuff to have a solid Norwegian musician being well received outside her home country. Isn’t that right Ola?

Ida Maria – Oh My God
Ida Maria – Keep Me Warm
Ida Maria – Queen of the World
Ida Maria – Drive Away My Heart

p.s. listen to her song; To Do List For January (on her myspace or youtube) as soon as you can just in case the American political environment changes too much…

It seemed a bit hectic and disorganized trying to get in as I was waiting for them to sell extra tickets at the door, but I agree that organization should always take a backseat to creativity any day. Especially if the musicians pull up with nonchalant conviction in a veggie oil powered ragtag school bus, or C OOL BUS as the letters “S” and “H” were conveniently removed from the sign above the windshield.

The show took place in an artsy gallery basement (/sauna as short time elapsed) It was a great location to have held this kind of music in, it came across like a secret concert performed hidden out on the fringes of society/reality.

I found myself in the basement wandering about, taking in the quirky atmosphere of the place to prep myself for the rest of the night. This included grabbing a few of the low quality cans of warmish beer sold from a doorway with aid of a pre purchased raffle ticket. I walked about some more and crossed paths with Dan Deacon himself. You can’t miss him, if you’ve seen him before. He looks like a dude that I would’ve procrastinated and joked around with in a computer class. I shared a few humble and polite words with him/tried to impress as I had seen him perform before, last summer at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark (which by the way is the greatest music festival in the world, so he has copious credibility in my eyes for that) He played at 2 am then to a huge crowd of a Danish dance party and everyone adored it.

I missed more than enough of the initial opening act; Teeth Mountain, to constitute not fully writing about them now (my “not-my-fault” apologies to them) but they sounded pretty good-instrumental-trippy-chic… the image of a mountain of teeth does creep me out a tad.

I did catch all of the other opening act; Future Islands, and I was quite impressed by how easily the lead singer and his minimalist poppy beats got my right leg gyrating and head bobbin’. He played the part like a mixture of Meat Loaf and Jack Black if they were in an electronic band, his energy was that boisterously good. I feel guilty as shit for being in a rush after the show and forgot to grab a copy of his album.

Future Islands – Pinnochio
Future Islands – Old Friend
Future Islands – Little Dreamer

My buddy Sai said to me randomly during a quiet moment as Dan Deacon was setting up that; “this is gonna be good”. I nodded and scanned over the gallery basement and noticed that everyone else seemed to have that same look of contented anticipation as Sai did when he spoke this to me.

Dan Deacon had instant control over the audience with his politely enforced audience directions and we all embraced it. With Dan’s instructions, we all knelt with an arm in the air, then later pointed to a photographer who wasn’t kneeling like the rest of us, cause he was perched upon a ladder for a better shot. Sporadic giggling was then muted out by Dan’s electronic mastery. During the show the audience was directed and engaged in large dance circle where more members were invited in by those already dancing. We also formed a standing human tunnel which lead us outside on the sidewalk, and then back in when it was our turn to pass under the raised arms as the beginning of the line became the end. This is the genius that is Dan Deacon; everyone moving about comfortably and part of the same dance organism. Fuck the oppression of just being confined to the original tiny tract of floor space as when you first arrive. We all moved about sharing and trading space, providing a great sense of audience euphoria (not to mention a better, closer photo op spot for those who were so inclined)

Dan Deacon just has this fun and strange awesomeness about himself. His music is wildly experimental, (i.e. his song Wooody Wooodpecker from his 2007 album; Spiderman of the Rings, that consists of the Woody Woodpecker laugh/call looped incessantly throughout mellowly escalating electronic pulsation, of which I must have listened to 24 times in a row when I first got that album before finally getting around to the other tracks, too bad he didn’t play it that night) it’s filled with kooky lyrics that you don’t need to know the origin of, just yell it out if you know them. For those that didn’t know any lyrics, he got all of us singing a song in unison towards the end of his show; “Silence like the wind overtakes me… Ooooohhhhh” (repeat) These words are still firmly implanted in my mind days later after the show. There’s something therapeutic about words that don’t necessarily make sense. Reminds me of my love of seeing those little kids at their parents side, say in a grocery store, waiting room, or walking down the street, and they are just crazily humming and making up their own songs for sheer personal amusement. We can all have that exciting and refreshing fun with Dan Deacon.

Dan Deacon – The Crystal Cat
Dan Deacon – Snookered
Dan Deacon – Get Older

And in the blurry world of music, too often tied up with financial viability, crass commodities, mainstream pandering, and too cool for school scenester indifference, sometimes all we need is a playful, innocent, simplistic child like fun to give our ears and minds a break and just be able to dance like a 5 year old. Slagsmålsklubben expresses this much needed sound perfectly.

Slagsmålsklubben (which translates to “the fight club”) hails from Norrköping, Sweden. The band is comprised of 6 members; Frej Larsson, Joni Mälkki, Björn Nilsson, Kim Nilsson, Joakim “Beebop” Nybom, and Hannes Stenström. Their electro pop music (or synthpop/bitpop to those in the know) comes across like a fusion of video game music, pulsating club beats, and fun, silly electronic melodies. For me, the songs can evoke a time lapse image of a child genius playing with toy instruments which morphs back and forth into 8 bit computer/video games and electronic instruments.

Boss For Leader! is actually a couple years old already (2007 release) but it’s their most recent album, and it took me a little while to find a cost effective copy to buy online. Plus, I really felt like writing about a Scandinavian band as I have an informed bias about the music and bands coming out of this area of the world. Let me indulge you; I believe that some of the better music in the world is coming from Scandinavian nations, and it has been for a while now. (I don’t mean ABBA, although I do get a bit uppity and excitable when I hear Waterloo) The theory I believe in is two fold. Firstly, Scandinavians speak English better than most foreign countries, so they’ve been paying attention and fully understanding all the North American and U.K. music. Secondly, their location, close enough to the U.K. and watching down over the rest of Europe. So they have the great sense of language and geographical placement to be easily receptive of many great music sources and can use this inspiration and knowledge to make their own creative sound scenes.

The album is done up like a quirky election campaign advertisement, quite entertaining with it’s tacky yet inspiring messages written in the liner notes. The music isn’t following a similar political suit per se, as all songs are instrumental. Bottom line is that it’s a cool nerdy collection of fun electronica to immerse yourself into, and make up some new geeky dance with.

Slagsmålsklubben – Speedboats
Slagsmålsklubben – Malmö Beach Night Party
Slagsmålsklubben – Spanska Förhoppningar

Not the official video for Slagsmalsklubben’s song Sponsored by Destiny, but a very cool video/school assignment by Tomas Nilsson who reinterpreted the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood with modernized graphical information.

When a band with as awesome of a name as Japanther is coming to play your city you best see them live… especially if you factor in that they sing into old telephones instead of microphones, and they once played a set at an indoor swimming pool alongside a synchronized swim team called Aquadoom. I mean really, how could you pass on this band?

I couldn’t have been more excited to find out that Japanther was bringing their loopy, electro, lo-fi, gritty, punk sound to Toronto recently. I was even boldly advertising their show as; “Japanther @ Wrong Bar, 73% chance it’ll be your fav live show of the year” through various online means of communication. This claim was made only from hearing songs of theirs I found online and random youtube videos. By the way, I was mistaken by that 73% claim, after having seen them I should have jacked it up to 93%.

Japanther from New York City is comprised of Ian Vanek on drums and Matt Reilly on bass, they both sing and experiment with cassettes and a Casio keyboard. They also play around with spoken word audio clips, some are from movie/TV dialogue, some are more difficult to pin point exactly. I was ecstatic to hear a bit of Chevy Chase from Fletch (one of my fav comedy movies of all time) speaking at the beginning of the song; Um Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruling Me.

Their live show was nothing less than a full on, sweaty, euphoric dance party as if the world could end the following day. I was right up front experiencing some of the best musical therapy I’ve ever had the pleasure to indulge in. During one of their first songs they told everyone to rush up on stage, a lovely girl helped pull me up on the stage where about twenty of us audience members surrounded Ian and Matt and we all felt like new enthusiastic members of Japanther. I also lost count of how many times I hopped up on the stage and jumped off and crowd surfed. When I got home though, checking my random minor bruises and scratches, I suspect it was maybe seven or eight. The crowd was so spellbound and united by the music. Any other show and you’d probably be pissed off at some guy crowd surfing several times (I make it more acceptable by the fact that I’m like a 6’2, 150 lbs. spider monkey type creature that’s easy for an energetic crowd to toss around)

Not only was it one of the best live show I’ve seen, it was one of the best audiences I’ve been a part of. It just makes sense that if people really love and believe in a band, then their audience will have a strong unspoken bond with each other, we will be accepting of crowd surfing and not be offended by an accidental push or step on the foot. Japanther’s sound is an exciting, unifying force, not to mention they are an effective exercise method, I must have lost 10 lbs. in sweat (not the best for my slim frame) Japanther is definitely a band you have to see live!

Japanther – Um Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruling Me
Japanther – Bumpin Rap Tapes
Japanther – The Dirge

Richard Swift as Onasis is a wicked unpolished sprawling double EP that plays around with blues, no frills rock n’ roll, untidy echoed vocals, and at a few times taking a bit of a slower instrumental approach with some thoughtful and introspective organ sounds. It all works well and fits together. The songs can easily get your legs pumping, feet tapping, head bobbing, and make you wish you knew a dive bar that played this music round the clock.

I have a great respect and fascination of music that is technically simplified. Where production value is not the utmost of importance, rather a more raw performance sound where you can really capture and understand the energy created. Where the feeling of the music is not lost or over done with studio recording magic. This album has that raw sound and feel, now I just need to find that “mythical” dive bar and/or buy an old Coup de Ville…

Richard Swift – The German (Something Came Up)
Richard Swift – Field Painting
Richard Swift – Opt III

Some brilliantly eccentric Danish friends of mine invited me to attend a smaller sized musical celebration known as Nakke Festival. It was there in the lovely and relaxingly therapeutic countryside of Denmark that I came across a wonderful band called Said the Shark.

Said the Shark took to the stage during a very warm and sunny July afternoon when all of us festival patrons were lazily seeking shade and successfully tricking our bodies out of a hang over with more alcohol. They proceeded to play some of the most beautiful music I’ve heard in awhile. Maya Saxell’s vocals flowed from the stage like a much welcomed refreshing summer breeze that easily recuperated the audience. The music fit perfectly into the festival environment and provided an unforgettable soundtrack.

Realizing that Said the Shark was playing a few shows close to home in Toronto this past week, I was ecstatic to be able see them again and have a chance to reconnect with my little Danish past.

Said the Shark is led by a fellow Canadian Maya Saxell whose voice and lyrics are a soothing and magical collection of poetry. She sings with a soft, mellow, and almost mumbled sense that conveys a dream like atmosphere. Along with her is four brilliantly talented Danes; Kim Oxlund, Mikkel Langlo Gelting, Rasmus Kabelka, and Hans Kjelstrup. They all perform with a great expression of playful and fun musical experimentation, with songs ranging from a very lovingly relaxed pace to an exciting, escalating raucous beat. Their songs are filled with guitars, drums, bells, toy instruments, phonograph horns, an old suitcase shaking with assorted instruments inside, drumsticks banging on guitar strings and sometimes a kitchen pot, and even a microphone getting dangerously close to an electric fan. It seems everyone ends up trying a bit of everything, and it couldn’t be more unique and exciting.

Their first show was at Lee’s Palace. From the first song I could close my eyes and be instantly transported back to a sunny and warm Danish field. While I was in my own little Said the Shark assisted world, a friend of mine at the show said something along the lines of how unique the band sounded and how they couldn’t really be compared to anything.

I also had the great experience to catch them play in a kitchen at a private party. Hearing their music in such close quarters was nothing short of euphoric. It was quite the scene with our tiny audience huddled around the kitchen (I’m sure this is what the Danes can refer to as “hyggeligt”) eventually playing along with various hand instruments that had been given out. The show was cut a bit short by the police who I believe were called by the neighbours, probably aggravated that they were not invited… none of this would have happened in Denmark I think.

I caught a third performance they played at The Central, it was so grand that it made the accompanying acts that night seem irrelevant, no offense to the other acts, I only say this to illustrate how well Said the Shark was playing. They make every song come so alive, it’s a delight to see how much they enjoy and believe in their music. The band’s enthusiasm is infectious, so I made sure to get both of their albums; Silly Killings and Always Prattling on About Wolves.

I had the great pleasure of getting to spend some time with the band sharing many words and laughs over some drinks. They truly are some of the most humble, easy going, and polite musicians one could ever meet. In Danish it’s common to say “tusind tak” which translates to “a thousand thank you’s”, somehow that still does not seem like enough to express my appreciation of the music, generosity, and kindness that I experienced from Said the Shark.

Said the Shark – Took You
Said the Shark – Shaky Heart
Said the Shark – Miss You Most
Said the Shark – My Sugar

So instead…

Welcome to the Albanian Wedding! a lovingly atmospheric and bombastic soundscape celebration hailing from the Balkan region of Europe. Of which the nation of Albania is situated like an ignored gem, a little ways beside the heel of the Italian boot and splashed by the Adriatic Sea (hooray for geographic knowledge.)

Fanfara Tirana (Tirana being the Albanian Capital) is a brass heavy band, comprised of 12 members ranging on instruments from saxophone, trumpet, flugelhorn, tuba, and clarinet. The band came together as like minded musical friends from an Albanian Armed Forces Band background. They began toying with an idea to become their own entity and see where it could take them. They then upped their ante with the recruiting of Hysni Zela; a renowned soloist from the Albanian National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble. Hysni provides over 30 years experience, a bit of vocals, and a wicked pair of shoes I wish I had. Their musical idea eventually would take them all over Europe playing a vast quantity of live shows and some of Europe’s largest music festivals such as Roskilde in Denmark and Sziget in Hungary.

I have a strong affinity for music from lesser known European locals (stemming from the fact that both my parents are from an Eastern European country that no longer exists.) I’ve always greatly enjoyed the sounds of a rich traditional sense and style coming from places of lengthy heritage. Hearing Fanfara Tirana’s warmth conjures up my own memories of Europe and my cousin’s Slovak wedding; a repetitive cycle of eating, drinking, and the far advanced, fun and expressive dancing techniques that I had to work hard to keep up with, well past 1 am.

The album is comprised of song selections that the band played initially while working as wedding musicians, hence the album title. They play what’s known as kaba, which is improvisational instrumental music originating from Southern Albania, where local fans claim; “they make the dead dance”. I can attest to this as I saw them perform at their 2008 Roskilde Festival appearance. During their show it did feel like a European wedding dance roaring through the wee hours of the morning and keeping the almost “dead” (people either tired or on questionable substances) uplifted and moving frantically… I believe that the “brides” and “grooms” of the audience probably won’t divorce from their Albanian brass listening habits after such a lively show.

Fanfara Tirana – Mediterranè #1
Fanfara Tirana – Te Lutem M’U Pergjigj [Give Me an Answer]
Fanfara Tirana – Merre Lehte [Take It Easy]

(FYI, I’ve been writing under my middle name; Paul, since my beginning here, but I’m now taking over with my first name as there was previously another Adam writing for this site.)

Soft Circle

When one wanders through a forest and hears a waterfall off in the distance, they will always be drawn in closer to witness it’s magnitude and velocity whatever the size may be; it’s an invitingly hypnotic, and exciting sound. I felt the exact same way from the first seconds of sound emanating from Soft Circle, as I was off in the distance sitting at the bar waiting for the show to commence.

I approached the stage and seeing Hisham Akira Bharoocha, the lone figure that makes up Soft Circle (by the way; how can you not make awesome music with a name like that?) with his back facing the audience, it really felt like I stumbled upon something amazing by accident. I didn’t feel excluded by this initial position of his, in fact it created great suspense and wonderment.

In the center of the stage laid an epicenter of pulsing electro-warmth; a circle of drums, guitar, various electronics and a vast array of wires forming like musical veins. It seemed I couldn’t quit tell where Hisham’s limbs and extremities ended and where his musical implements began. His set was a continuous flow of power with boisterous drumming, looping instrumental magic, and hauntingly murmured lyrics.

I met the humble and easy going Hisham after the show to share a few complimentary words and also scored a live recorded CD from him as his proper album was not available for sale due to some mix up. Either way as soon as I got home I ordered his album; Full Bloom online. If I ever start up a really cool cult, not one that relies on kool-aid, but champions individuality and positive action, I’m gonna try and get Soft Circle to provide the hymns.

Soft Circle – First Time
Soft Circle – Don’t Just Stand There

High Places

I am unaware of the origin and intention of this band’s name, but I can fashion an easy explanation from personal listening experience; hearing the music with my eyes closed can transport me onto a mountainside in a calm, joyous, and meditative state.

Mary Pearson and Robert Barber created a great sound euphoria for the audience. Between Mary’s beautifully soft vocals popping to and fro mixed with Rob’s electronic wizardry (and Mary’s too), there’s definitely never going to be a fight occurring at any of their performances; even if a quite drunk girl is constantly switching between two male dance partners of which I witnessed first hand… that’s got to say something about the mellow mood that High Places can emit at any given second.

Besides the electronic equipment that each commanded so well, both members also utilized a wooden shaker of sorts, a little hand held collection of meshed together beads. I loved their sense of experimental joy and it’s hard to get that fun rattling sound out of my mind, not that I want to. I mean I did buy their self titled album so I can prolong their lovely playful sounds.

High Places – The Tree with the Lights in It
High Places – From Stardust to Sentience

The Horseshoe Tavern was musically blessed with such a great combination of acts whose sound fit so well with one another. They formed a snug two piece puzzle and the image they made together was quite magnificent. I am glad that I did not miss this brilliant show, definitely one of my favourite music outings in the past while.