popwreckoning

Saturday started with a KEXP set, this time by Handsome Furs, who would later headline the main stage. Even though it was much shorter, I enjoyed them much more in the Bean Room than I did on the Main Stage. The room was empty, less than fifty people, which meant they connected better.

Handsome Furs are an incredible live band. Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexi Perry have incredible chemistry which was fantastic to watch. Boeckner got into the crowd near the end of the set, and it was obvious that he was completely energized. The four songs they played were off their recent album Sound Kapital. Read my review of it here, and then go out And buy it.

After that set, a tip at a bar led me to Neumos to see local band Lovesick Empire. http://www.myspace.com/lovesickempire It was to be a weekend of local bands. This was great because Seattle has an amazing scene, and Block Party was set up to showcase a good number of them.

Lovesick Empire play bluesy stuff with something of a dirgey edge. They were spectacularly loud, and fun to watch. Their song “Something In My Blood” is a new favorite, and they are one of many local acts I look forward to seeing again. Pure blooded rock n roll at it’s finest.

Next up was another local band, Fences. I love their debut self-titled album like water, and was looking forward to seeing them again after a year and half of blown opportunities. The one time I had seen Christopher Mansfield and gang was November 2009, opening for Vic Chestnutt.  The band seems to have matured since then, and each song they played hit the speakers like a massive pop hit. The crowd seemed ecstatic, and it was a great set. Singing along to the song “Sadie” with the “it’s really getting old, kid” refrain was a highlight of the weekend.

Then it was back to Neumos, and out of the heat for The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger’s solo set. Supporting her debut solo album Last Summer it was interesting to see her play alone. Most of the songs came from the solo album, which is great. It’s worth hearing, especially for Fiery Furnaces fans. Most FF albums are hard to get a grip on, and this one is no different. It’s strange, and cathartic, and full of great stories, some of which Freidberger told that afternoon.

Leaving Neumos, and walking to the Vera stage was an experience in itself.  It was wonderful to wade through the crowds. Block Party is hot and sticky, but there is joy to be found in every corner.

When I got to the Vera stage it was time for one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend, Portland’s Lovers, and they did not disappoint. They played blissed out electro-pop, songs about love and sadness. The guy standing next to me danced like a maniac, which encouraged me to do the same. Love poured through the crowd, and it filled me for the rest of the night.

Cold Cave’s set at Neumos later was dark and ambient in all the right ways. The band have an intense following that packed the room, and crowded the stage. Their mix of gothic electronic well fit well with the fog machines, and it seemed as if every single person in the crowd was dressed in black.

From Neumos, it was to the Main Stage for the show that everyone at Block Party seemed to be talking about, TV on the Radio. They owned the festival that night. The crowd packed the grounds, and TVOTR expressed the feeling of greatness is what Block Party is all about. Great people, great music. It was a fantastic, and I headed to the gates, I was sad to see the day go but I was also ecstatic for the next day.

Handsome Furs consistently manage to top themselves. Their last album, Face Control, was fantastic, but Sound Kapital improves upon it in nearly every way.  Face Control often felt lyrically dense, whereas Sound Kapital is a much more streamlined effort. It probably helps that the husband and wife duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexi Perry wrote the album entirely on keyboards.

The other problem Face Control had was that it occasionally seemed too obvious. It was full of massive choruses, and thumping bass, but after twenty or thirty listens the songwriting reveals itself to be relatively by the numbers. Sound Kapital doesn’t have this problem.

The album continues the Eastern European themes, but is more influenced by ‘80’s German Techno. It looks strange on paper, but the sounds work very well. The album opens with “When I Get Back,” a slightly claustrophobic fist pumper. The beats are fierce, and the lyrics let loose a sense of uncomfortable tension that runs through the rest of the album.

A few tracks later, “Memories of the Future” continues the themes of the past colliding with the present. The phrase “nostalgia never meant that much to me” is yelped almost like a battle cry. The song plays like a massive club hit in an alternate universe.

Track five, “Serve the People” begins slowly, with a discordant piano. The song gets thick about forty-five seconds in, with slow bleeps, before the chorus comes in, and turns the whole into an epic anthem. “’Til the cops said move along,” sings Boeckner, increasingly alienated by law enforcement.  He continues: “but they don’t serve the people.” It’s a tense, weighty song that improves with every listen. It feels like there’s a story behind the thing, but leaving it open this way, it builds a sense of intrigue, and makes it feel more human.

After three more songs (including first single “What About Us”), the album ends with the seven minute “No Feelings.” It’s a joyously nihilistic jam full of hand-claps, and sing-along lyrics.  It’s the perfect way to end a fantastic set of songs that is recommended unreservedly to anyone who enjoys indie rock. It’s also probably one of the best new albums that will come out this year.

Tracklisting:

1. When I Get Back
2. Damage
3. Bury Me Standing
4. Memories of the Future
5. Serve the People
6. What About Us
7. Repatriated
8. Cheap Music
9. No Feelings

Monday, while Canada’s indie rock band Wolf Parade was driving from Oxford, Mississippi, to Austin, TX, during its busy tour schedule, singer/guitarist Dan Boeckner was kind enough to answer some questions.

PopWreckoning talked about the band’s touring show, the upcoming performance in Lawrence, KS, and how he fits in his other act, Handsome Furs into his Wolf Parade life.

Reception wasn’t the greatest, while Dan was driving, so we kept this interview brief:

Bethany, PopWreckoning: You guys are coming to Lawrence, KS–the area our publication is based out of–you are coming here on Friday. For people who haven’t seen you live, what can they expect from this tour and this show?
Dan Boeckner, Wolf Parade: It’s louder than it is on the record. The music is louder than it is on the album. It’s a little faster and we just play that-live rock band sound. I don’t know. It’s just Wolf Parade playing loud versions of their songs.

PW: How have you adapted the songs meant for a 5-piece to being performed as a 4-piece?
DB: It was a little scary at first, but when we dropped from a 5-piece to a 4-piece, it was pretty short notice. We had to adapt on the road. It was trial by fire and basically decide which parts were keepers and which parts were either splittable or droppable. We had to figure out how to then split up the parts and fill in the sound that Hadji [Bakara] was playing and tried to replicate it as best we could.

PW: Has it affected the set list?
DB: No, we actually realized pretty early on that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t figure something out. It affected the writing process the most; it affected the writing process on the last record, definitely.

PW: With your writing process, since you and Spencer [Krug] are the primary lyrical writers, do you write more so individually then bring it to the whole band or is there more of a collaboration for the entire process?
DB: This record, in particular, was just pure collaboration. Spencer and I would come in with a riff or Dante [DeCaro] would come in with a riff or a little chunk of music, then we’d work it out in the practice space. We’d play around with it over and over until we had something good.

PW: When you’re writing, is there something that you kind of keep in the back of your mind that this is what I want Wolf Parade to sound like versus this is what I am writing for Handsome Furs?
DB: I think it comes to the whole collaboration thing. I generally know when I am writing for Wolf Parade to keep my ideas more open-ended because there are four people to work with and they all have their ideas, but with Handsome Furs there is Alexei [Perry]. It’s a huge factor that there are only two people for that. It’s a very different project writing for two. It definitely changes the songwriting. I don’t think I’ve ever had a song crossover when writing; I always know if I am writing something for one project or another.

PW: You guys just released two iTunes tracks about a week ago. Is that what is leftover from Expo 86 or are there any plans to put an EP of extra material from that record like you had previously talked about?
DB: We had those songs done and then we had one more song, which we didn’t have time to sit down and finish together, but it could be done. Maybe it will come out or maybe it will sit there and then 20 years from now, we’ll listen to it and be like, “Oh yeah, that song. Maybe we put lyrics on it.”

PW: Ok, I think our connection is starting to break up, so I’ll try to squeeze in just one more question for fear of losing you. It seems like all your album titles come from crazy past experiences/tour stories, so what is the wildest thing that’s ever happened to you on tour?
DB: I don’t know. We’ve had a  lot of crazy stuff like people going to jail or following some fans for a party 25 minutes out into the desert, which was maybe not the greatest idea. I’m not sure. I don’t know.

PW: Fair enough. Well, I’ll let you go and continue your drive. We look forward to seeing you perform in Lawrence Friday.
DB: Sure. We’re excited to play there.

Wolf Parade will play at the Granada in Lawrence, KS on Friday, November 19, with Ogre You Asshole. Tickets are available here. For more tour dates, go here.

So, here we are my musical playmates, at the tail end of 2009 with “Top Ten” lists jamming your inboxes, twitter feeds, and collective unconscious. I find myself overwhelmed when faced with the task of writing down that looming “Top Ten.” In an attempt to narrow down the scope of my list, as well as in taking full advantage of the opportunity to write about what is near and dear, I offer you my humble thoughts on the best music North of the border, 2009. That’s right folks, Canada: home to free health care, equality, and just about the best avant garde, trendsetting, F’d up music around.

10. MSTRKRFT

Hailing from Toronto, MSTRKRFT, pronounced Master Kraft, released their second EP in ‘09, Fist of God. Swooping synths, scratchy white noise, and chunky, electro dance beats landed these guys on my list. The duo has remixed songs by fellow Canadian crew members Metric and Wolfmother as well as The Kills and Bloc Party. In 2009, the boys signed to Dim Mak/Downtown and collaborated with hip-hop heavy weights Ghostface Killah and E-40. Boom! A fan of Crystal Castles? Daft Punk? Check these guys out and be prepared to break out your best robo-moves.

9. GENTLEMAN REG

I had the chance to catch Reg Vermue, a.k.a. Gentleman Reg at The Bowery Ballroom in New York this Fall. His stunning 2009 album, Jet Black, released on “It” Canadian label Arts &Crafts, home to big-ups like Broken Social Scene and Feist, blew me away. It’s not often you stumble upon music that has you aghast and asking, “Why isn’t everyone listening to this?!” Over the past year, Gentleman Reg’s eclectic genre-mashing musings have sort of been my little secret, my go-to album for everything from inky 80s inspired dance to tethered and bluesy, sly, indie chill. He won’t be staying under the radar for long, so I suggest you beat the crowds while you still can.

8. OHBIJOU

Ohbijou is a group of people from Canada who sing and play instruments together and make music, but don’t call them a band. OK? Preferring, “friends, a curatorial movement, familial unit, assembly of musicians, and philanthropic initiative” to the former, Ohbijou are my number eight reason to love Canada this year…and maybe next? I’m predicting an unbearably long line at their SXSW showcase this year. Another great big Canadian collective to fuss over, Ontario-based Ohbijou sound like pillowy exchanges during a late-night slumber party: nostalgic, delicate embroidering of the heart. There’s a certain intimate yet orchestral gleam to lead singer Casey Mecija’s sympathetic choiring. The critically acclaimed, Beacons, was released on Last Gang Records in 2009, and features some of the loudest, feverish rustling I’ve heard all year.

7. K’NAAN

A Somali-born rapper who landed in Toronto at the age of 13, inspired by Eric B and Rakim, and raps about everything from his war-torn homeland to learning ones “ABCs,” K’Naan’s heavily buzzed-about 2009 release, Troubadour, didn’t need much help but certainly picked up steam with guest spots from Damian Marley and Mos Def. On the top of almost every critic’s 2009 watch list, K’Naan offers some of the freshest, most intelligent beats around and boasts an authentic sense of self that challenges the tired, hip-hop stereotypes still being regurgitated in the mainstream.

6. JAPANDROIDS

They hit SXSW last year, rocked CMJ in October, played NYC’s Siren Festival this past summer, and are already slotted for SXSW 2010 return. Beyond buzz, you should be listening to Japandroids if you dig raw, mashed up, cymbal crashing, fuzzed out, beat up, rock with an infectious heart. The emo-steeped “coming of age” tale we know all too well is at the core of this duo, and honestly, it’s what really makes them so damn hard to resist. You know the yearning, bratty chorus by heart: “We used to dream/ Now we worry about dying/ I don’t want to worry about dying,” but this time it’s packaged in a rousing, busted up, pure punk-drunk adrenaline shot.

5. THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

I have to admit, I just sort of stumbled upon this trio not that long ago, but boy do they deserve to be on this list. Signed to Saddle Creek, in 2009 they released Hometowns, 13 indie rock love letters that pay homage to everything from the beauty of the Alberta wild rose flower to summers in the Rockies to rising towns and hometown honeys. The organic beauty and soil of the rural Canadian countryside is mirrored in this affectionate and nostalgic collection of songs. They are also playing SXSW 2010; stay tuned for my full report.

4. TIMBER TIMBRE

I caught Timber Timbre (a.k.a. Taylor Kirk) at his packed to capacity Arts & Crafts CMJ showcase in October at Union Pool in Brooklyn. It was worth being sardined in a tiny bat cave to witness this rising dark horse summon the souls of many to his hearth. Timber Timbre’s self-titled 2009 release is a chilling folk-blues foray into a strange world of soulful and haunted hymns, acoustic stillness, cloaked and rising choirs and gloomy, hollow pastoral visions…it’s what you would imagine it sounds like as your passing from this life to the next; vacant, washed out coolness punctuated with flashes of recognition—chirping sparrows, leaves rustling, and cinematic last glances. Kirk had produced one of the most original artistic visions I’ve come across in the past year.

3. HANDSOME FURS

There’s no denying that Sub Pop had a big 2009. Celebrating an anniversary and a kick-ass roster which includes Fleet Foxes and my #3 pick on this list, The Handsome Furs. Face Control, the band’s second release garnered a lot of enthusiasm and kept the two touring for the better part of ‘09. The album is punchy, electro boss with a Soviet slink-all the heart and rumble of Springsteen matched with some of the raunchiest keyboard clout I’ve ever heard. This Montreal match made in heaven, husband and wife duo, Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, are so damn sexy when they perform the music pretty much seeps from their pores. The sweaty kinetics between these two live trumps for best live show of 2009 in my book.

2. FUCKED UP

Whether you like hardcore or not, Fucked Up is a band that you need to know about. Winners of the elite 2009 Polaris prize for their album The Chemistry of Common Life, these Toronto-based breakneckers have pretty much owned top spots on almost every list over the past two years. Some critics have been bold enough to claim that the band’s second release has even “redefined hardcore.” With intelligent, provoking lyrics and melodic subterfuges this isn’t your mama’s hardcore. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re on Matador, played a twelve hour marathon album release show last year which featured drop-ins from Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Dinosaur Jr’s J. Mascis, or that they open the album with a wind instrument that has all the indie-kids perched, but one listen and you have to admit Fucked Up is bringing something different to the game. Now we could get all huge with how many overdubs there are on a particular track or the nerdiness and wonder of the atypical instrument choices they’re batting with or I could just tell you that it’s one of the most thrilling, charging, genre-bending, pioneering albums of the past ten years, never mind 2009.

1. TEGAN AND SARA

Tell me you’re not surprised that my favorite Canadians took top honors on my list of reasons to heart Canada 2009. Tegan and Sara are a PopWreckoning favorite and we’ve been all over coverage for the girls’ highly anticipated, stellar sixth album, Sainthood, released in October to wide critical praise. Fans of the twins have been pining for new music since wearing out 2007’s The Con. The new material is a creative push forward for the sisters, one that boasts a heart-wrenching, hyper-analytic, intellectual aplomb and is decidedly more experimental; marking the first time the sisters penned tracks together. I can’t deny my love for the twins’ addictive, power-pop, motives of love and I’m already anxious for new music…most anticipated album of 2012?