June 30, 2014

Chvrches at Field Trip 2014

I've liked Chvrches since I first heard "The Mother We Share". Their earnest pop music hit my ear just the right way and I became an instant fan. I've wanted to see Chvrches for a long time. I didn't go to see them the last time they were in Toronto and I've regretted it ever since.

Everything was made right when I saw the line-up for Field Trip and when I actually got to see this trio hit the stage. It would have been perfect without the rain, but none of us were going to let that (literally) dampen our spirits. Lauren Mayberry even commented that we didn't look too soggy.

The sound was certainly heavy on the bass. My ribcage vibrated in sympathy with the chord changes, but I loved every minute. It really looked like they did too. Hopefully, next time we'll get to hear Mayberry do some Alanis Morissette.

Here are some tunes from their hit-filled setlist.

They opened with "We Sink"

"Lies"

"Gun" Definitely one of my favourites

"Recover"

And they saved "The Mother We Share" until the end. I closed my eyes and let the beauty roll over me. No matter how many times I hear this song, I never tire of it.

As I tweeted during the show, Chvrches début album The Bones Of What You Believe features a greatest hits album worth of amazing pop tunes. Love it. Overall, I had a great time grooving to their tunes. Awesome. Can't wait to do it again.
I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 29, 2014

The Constantines at Field Trip 2014

I think that almost everyone at Field Trip was amped to dangerous levels to see The Constantines. They said "see you around" in 2010 and just started doing gigs again this year to coincide with the 11th anniversary reissue of Shine A Light. They were quite obviously missed.

The sound also led to the feelings of intensity of their set. Overall, it was a loud, massive wall of sound, with the bass frequencies cranked to 11 (only to be possibly surpassed by Chvrches a little later). Here are some tunes from their set. Really glad I got to see these guys live.

"Draw us Lines" from Tournament of Hearts was an awesome opener. A slow build of intensity.

"Nighttime/Anytime (It's Alright)" from Shine A Light.

"Shine A Light"

"On To You" from Shine A Light

"Young Lions" from Shine A Light

"Hard Feelings" from Kensington Heights

"Time Can Be Overcome" from Kensington Heights

"Tank Commander" from Shine A Light

And they closed with "Arizona" from their eponymous début

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 28, 2014

Hydra at Field Trip 2014

Hydra is two twosomes: AroarA from Montreal and Toronto's Snowblink, along with Feist. They said they were born last year and they provided beautiful sounds as the skies darkened and rain approached. I can't wait to hear more of their music.

And, sadly, my search skills have failed me when it comes to finding some of their music to post. If you can point me to some, please do. I will be in your debt and I will update this post accordingly.

In the meantime, just imagine these beautiful voices singing Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song".

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 27, 2014

Gord Downie, The Sadies, and the Conquering Sun at Field Trip 2014

Gord Downie has the stage presence of ten men. He is a Canadian musical legend, fronting one of Canada's most popular and influential bands, The Tragically Hip. I was lucky enough to see The Hip a number of times back in the day at such venues as the Ontario Place Forum revolving stage, Molson Park in Barrie for Canada Day and at the ACC. Now, I haven't kept up with The Hip's last few albums, but I liked what I heard from this new hybrid of Downie with local legends The Sadies and looked forward to the performance.
And I came away impressed. The band was just as tight as you'd expect a band as seasoned as The Sadies to be. And Gord was just as magnetic as I remembered him to be, whether he was belting out rockin' blues-country-punk melodies, microphone painting "water colour" art, or sailing across the stage under the power of his own wind.

"Crater"

"Budget Shoes"

You can check out more tunes at their site.
I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 26, 2014

BADBADNOTGOOD at Field Trip 2014

BADBADNOTGOOD were up next, over on the Fort York stage. They were a band whose name I had heard, but whose music was an unknown quantity. I got into another zone entirely for their set. It's so cool that we've got young talented musicians forging ahead in genres like jazz. And that they're playing at festivals in front of hundreds.

This is what festivals are all about; introducing music fans to great music. You may come out to see Interpol or Chvrches, but you end up going home loving BADBADNOTGOOD or The Darcys or Austra. I know it's a cool thing for me and at the end of the day, I'm just a music fan, too.

"Can't Leave the Night"
"Hedron"

"UWM"

"Rotten Decay"

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 25, 2014

Do Make Say Think at Field Trip 2014

The first band I saw on the main stage for Field Trip Day 2 was Do Make Say Think. I'd heard this band's name for years but had never really experienced their music. I'm not big on instrumental music, on account of my lack of patience and short attention span, but the festival environment is the perfect place to expand my horizons because I'm there and totally dedicated to absorbing the music.

As I stood back and let the music crash over me, I absorbed the horns, guitars, drums and bass. I definitely got into a zone. A good zone.

"Do"

"The Landlord is Dead"

"Horns of a Rabbit"

"The Universe!"

"In Mind"

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 24, 2014

River Tiber at Field Trip 2014

It was bright and overcast when I set out from home on my bike. The first drops of rain hit me within the first 500 metres. Day 2 of Field Trip was underway with another ride down to Fort York and the wonders of the Bike Valet.

River Tiber were the first band I saw on Day 2 of Field Trip. Their keyboard infused indie tunes filled the air with good vibes. Great guitar solos, too. Nice way to start the day.

Check out some tunes:

"Atlantis"


"The Star Falls"


"The City"


"What Are You Afraid Of"


I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 23, 2014

Interpol at Field Trip 2014

Interpol is an amazing band, and one of my favourites. I also got in to Paul Bank's solo album Banks and his Julian Plenti is Skyscraper album. "Games for Days" is one of the best songs, ever. They were one of the bands that made me most excited to go to Field Trip and they were a great closer for the beautiful first day.

However, they've suffered an affliction that many bands with incredibly revered first albums suffer from in that everything they ever release is compared to that brilliant first release. Don't get me wrong, Turn on the Bright Lights is an amazing album. But so is Antics. And so is, dare I say it, Our Love to Admire. Their 2010 eponymous album had growing potential but I didn't fertilize. So it goes. Hopefully, El Pintor will live up to fans' expectations when it comes out September 9.
The band seems to know this. Worshippers of Interpol's first two albums got a set was heavily weighted towards them. Fully 12 of the 16 songs they played were from Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics. Their show was tight and moderately blinding. Their monochrome light show took full advantage of the dark night but would have brought hell to the photographers in the pit. Since I was shooting with my iPhone, I wasn't to concerned about awesome looking pictures, so I'm not disappointed.

Here are my favourite tunes they played, following the set order:

"Evil" from 2004's Antics

"C'mere" from Antics

"NYC" from 2002's Turn On The Bright Lights

"Narc" from Antics

"PDA" from Turn On The Bright Lights

and set closer, the awesome "Slow Hands" from Antics

interspersed with new songs like "My Desire", "Anywhere" and "All the Rage Back Home" from the forthcoming album El Pintor.


The encore started off with "Lights" from 2010's Interpol

They closed down the night with the brilliant "Obstacle 1" from Turn On The Bright Lights

Now, I know that Our Love To Admire wasn't their most acclaimed album, but I really liked it, and I'm surprised it was completely shut out from this show. Oh well, maybe next time.
I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 20, 2014

The Kills at Field Trip 2014

I really like The Kills. And I was really excited when I saw that they were playing Field Trip. They're definitely one of the bands that made me want to attend. I've only ever written one post about them, way back in November of 2011.

And I know what you're wondering about now: how were they live? Well, true to their name, they killed. They had four drummers along with the core duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince. They pounded and wailed through a high energy setlist featuring tunes from Blood Pressures, Midnight Boom, No Wow and Keep On Your Mean Side. These guys know how to pull in the festival sized audience and hold each of us in rapt attention. Great show.

Alas, we didn't get any sneak previews on the new album they're reportedly working on.
Here are some of the show's personal highlights, in the order of the set.

"U.R.A. Fever" from their 2008 album Midnight Boom


"Future Starts Slow" from 2011's Blood Pressures


"Satellite" from Blood Pressures


"DNA" from Blood Pressures


"Baby Says" from Blood Pressures


"Tape Song" from Midnight Boom


"No Wow" from their 2005 album No Wow


"Black Balloon" from Midnight Boom


I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 19, 2014

Half Moon Run at Field Trip 2014

It seems to be a trend these days. So many bands have a drum up front. Or they bring one out to beat on during the big tune. It's becoming cliché at this point.

Half Moon Run took to a fog filled stage on the beautiful afternoon of Day 1 of Field trip, and they had the drum. But don't worry, they put on a great show anyway. It was an impressive and otherwise cliché-free set including many fun tunes.
Check out some Half Moon Run songs below. Their album Dark Eyes is out now.

"She Wants to Know"

"Full Circle"

"Judgement"

"Call Me In The Afternoon"

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 18, 2014

Reuben and the Dark at Field Trip 2014

I wrote a post about Reuben and the Dark last month and said I was looking forward to seeing them live at Field Trip. Well, their emotive sounds, beautiful harmonies and great tunes did not disappoint. Check out some tunes below and pick up their album Funeral Sky. It's out now.

"Rolling Stone"

"Black Water"


I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 17, 2014

The Darcys at Field Trip 2014

Second up for me on Day 1 of Field Trip 2014 was my first live experience of The Darcys. I meant to see them at Lee's a while back, but I snozed and lost, as the saying goes. They were every bit as engrossing and captivating as I had hoped. The only thing I could have hoped for would be a longer setlist.

Check out some tunes from their set below. These guys are definitely on my list of bands to see again.

"Hunting" Great tune to kick things off.

"Itchy Blood"

"Shaking Down The Old Bones"

"The River"

"Horses Fell"

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 16, 2014

Maylee Todd at Field Trip 2014

Maylee Todd and her band were the first act I saw on Day 1 on Field Trip 2014. I had a great time biking across the city to Fort York and leaving my bike in the trusty hands of the Cycle Toronto Bike Valet. It was a glorious sunny day and Maylee Todd's funky and disco-drenched tunes were the perfect accompaniment.

Check out a few tunes below:

"Baby's Got It" from her latest album Escapology

"Hieroglyphics" from Escapology

"Aerobics in Space" from her 2010 début Choose Your Own Adventure. I loved those books when I was a kid.

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

June 15, 2014

New J. Mascis

The legend that is J. Mascis keeps making amazing music. He's got a new solo album coming out on August 26. It's called Tied to a Star and the first single is "Every Morning". No, not the Sugar Ray song.

Check out the laid back, melodic and lo-fi tune.


Pic from Facebook.

June 14, 2014

New Spoon!

A while back, Spoon put a countdown timer on their site with the ominous initials R.I.P. Many speculated that it was the title of their new album or perhaps a new song. No one suggested that it was a countdown to the dissolution of the band.

Fortunately, it wasn't the latter. It was a countdown to the song "Rent I Pay" and the announcement of the new album They Want My Soul. Now we get to hear it and watch an unofficial video at the same time. The album comes out August 5.

And the song? Well, obviously hit "play" and check it out for yourself, but it's a song that's worth the four year wait since Transference. Great beat, cool guitars, classic Spoon. I'm really looking forward to the new album.


Go see Spoon live at NXNE at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 21.

Pic from Facebook.

June 13, 2014

Radkey introduce themselves to Canada at The Garrison

Don't forget to enter One in Ten Words' Riot Fest contest. Win a pair of weekend passes to see Radkey and all the other amazing artists appearing at Riot Fest Toronto September 6-7. Contest details here.

I caught Radkey's aggressive, energy-packed show when they opened for the incredible Blood Red Shoes at The Garrison in Toronto. They're a fast, punky power trio from Missouri that feature crunchy power chords, relentless bass and drums, and attitude-filled vocals, all delivered at a high tempo.  This show was their first Canadian show.
I think that Radkey suffer from what a lot of lesser known bands face when they're opening a show. They were expecting to be largely ignored. They weren't expecting us to stand up. They weren't expecting us to approach the stage. Well, Toronto audiences may have a rep for being laid back and sometimes too cool and for talking through shows, but Radkey got a welcome surprise when the audience approached the stage and grooved to their punky tunes.
They played a solid set that didn't let up on the energy. Check out their tunes below. The next time these guys play Toronto there will be a pit of mayhem in front of them. Mark my words.
They even did a cover of The Misfits "Last Caress". Cool.

They've got two EPs out if you dig what you hear here:

"Romance Dawn"

"Start Freaking Out"

"Feed My Brain"


"Pretty Things"


"Cat and Mouse"


"Overwhelmed"

They're in Toronto again for Riot Fest on September 6-7. Don't forget to enter my Riot Fest ticket giveaway.

June 12, 2014

New video from Bob Mould: I Don't Know You Anymore

Bob Mould has a new album out now called Beauty & Ruin. As usual, it's an amazing power pop masterpiece. I'm a bit of a fan.

In an interview I heard recently he talked about the theme of the dark lyric and the happy melody. That's something I can get behind!

Here's the first video from Beauty & Ruin. It's for the tune "I Don't Know You Anymore". Very cool clip with cool cameos and light-hearted commentary on the state of the modern music industry and social media. Fun!

June 11, 2014

New New Pornographers

When I saw The New Pornographers live at the CNE last summer, I thought they would maybe play a new tune or two and announce that there was a new album on the way. But no. And I could swear that I heard that Neko Case said she finished recording with The New Pornographers last summer. But no.

Well, the news came down the wire last night - there's new New Pornographers music on the way! The new album's called Brill Bruisers and it will be out August 26. Here's the title track. It sounds great! Classic power pop to bring a smile to the face of any fan.


They also announced a bunch of tour dates, including a Toronto stop at Riot Fest in September. 

Don't forget to enter my Riot Fest ticket giveaway.

Pic from Facebook.

June 10, 2014

More music from Baby Strange

I posted the tune "Pure Evil" from Baby Strange way back in April of last year. Since then, they've released "Friend" and "Distance Yourself" as singles. I like their straight-up, punky, alt-rock tunes.



Pic from Facebook.

June 9, 2014

Fear of Men release video for Descent

I saw Fear of Men share their jangly and fun tunes with The Horseshoe audience as they opened for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. They've just released a video for "Descent" from their album Loom.

Give it a listen...

June 8, 2014

Owen Pallett's latest: The Riverbed

Owen Pallett's latest album In Conflict just came out on May 27. I just heard "The Riverbed" and I like the mood of the song and how it blends with the video accompaniment. Give it a listen...


Pic from Facebook.

June 7, 2014

Contest / Giveaway: Win a pair of passes to Riot Fest in Toronto!

Wanna go to Riot Fest? Tickets are on sale now for the two-day fest on September 6 and 7 at Downsview Park in Toronto. They're doing a cool "ticket layaway" thing for those of you who want to go but don't have all the funds today. You can buy now and pay for the tickets over the months between now and the show. Details are at riotfest.org. Cool idea.

I've got a pair of weekend passes to give away courtesy of Riot Fest. Here's how to enter:

  • Send an email to contests AT oneintenwords.com OR 
  • Follow me on Twitter and retweet one of my tweets about the contest and you'll be entered. 
I'll pick one random winner next Sunday, June 15. Contest closes Saturday, June 14 at 11:59pm Eastern time. Include your name and contact number in the body of the email and "I wanna Riot!" in the subject line. Winners will be contacted through email or Twitter and must provide full name and contact number to win. If you don't provide the required info, another winner will be picked.

Check out just 10 of my favourite bands out of the many, many amazing acts who are going to be rockin' Riot Fest. I know I'm looking forward to it!

The Cure

The National

Death From Above 1979

Stars


The New Pornographers


Bob Mould


Mounties

Pup

Radkey

Say Yes

June 6, 2014

New Temples clip for Mesmerise

It was all the way back in frigid February when I put up the audio for Temples' "Mesmerise". Now that their album Sun Structures has been out for a while, the sun is shining through the trees and they've released a video for the tune, I thought I'd give it another listen.

Still a psychedelic wonder. Cool!


They're appearing here in Toronto at Lee's Palace on August 2.

Pic from Facebook.

June 5, 2014

Video for The Districts' Rocking Chair

I saw the brilliantly energetic and soulful band The Districts at The Horseshoe a while back. They've recently released a video for the tune "Rocking Chair". Check it out and see them live if you get the chance.

June 4, 2014

Fun new Bishop Allen song

Bishop Allen's "Rain" is one of my all time favourite songs. They've got a new album called Lights Out coming out August 19. While you're waiting, enjoy the fact that summer weather has finally arrived and listen to "Start Again".

Fun tune!



Pic from Facebook.

June 3, 2014

New Wolf Gang: Black River EP

I rather enjoyed Wolf Gang's pop gem "The King and All of His Men" from their 2011 début Suego Faults. They were in Toronto last Sunday at The Drake Underground supporting the release of their new EP Black River. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the show, but I can bring you their latest powerful pop tunes.

Here's the title track "Black River" and

"Last Bayou".

June 2, 2014

Lykke Li on KEXP

A while back I used a bunch of cool KEXP episodes as quick daily blog posts during a busy time at work. The cool thing is that Lykke Li has done a KEXP concert. The not so cool thing is that my day job schedule is still a lot busier than I'd like. Oh well, at least there's cool music in my life.

In the clip, Lykke and her band play "I Never Learn", "No Rest For The Wicked", "Never Gonna Love Again" and "GunShot", and talk about the process of creating the magnificence that is Lykke's latest album I Never Learn.


Picture from Facebook.

June 1, 2014

The Subways are Pumping to a Brand New Beat

The Subways have their first single in 18 months coming out on June 23. It's called "My Heart Is Pumping To A Brand New Beat" and it's got a great riff, a driving beat and you know it'll get everyone jumping.



Pic from Facebook.