So the new Big Boi album is absolutely unfuckingreal. Just when I thought Kendrick Lamar was the only guy this year in hip-hop capable of putting out a killer album the grizzled vet took him to school. Big Boi created a new sound for hip-hop that combines his OutKast era southern crunk rap with space age beats and indie rock group cameos. It's just so fucking good and I strongly recommend it to any fan of hip-hop music.
The entire album s full of instant classics but this astral-technologic banger stood out for me. First of all the beat is just insane. Make sure you have a good soundsystem to get the full sound of the bass womp and orbital excellence. This song features NYC indie-rock duo Phantogram (1 of 3 songs they're featured on on the album) as lead vocalist Sarah Barthel coos about online love and yearning. Big Boi spits rapid verses in his brilliant Southern drawl and even lets a computer version take a verse. The song then has a cool breakdown which highlights Barthel's soothing voice before the beat blasts back in for a full on intergalactic bass assault. Happy listening and trippin'!
Some thoughts...
- So tomorrow's the end of the world. Yeah fucking right... but I'm gonna get drunk just in case.
- Sheepdogs show tonight at The Commodore. Beyond stoked!
- I made the final of fantasy football. Holy Fuck! I've put up triple digits 3 straight weeks and plan on continuing the good play to bring home a chip!
- Went and got vaccinations for SE Asia today. My left arm sure hurts but not as much as my wallet... $535 to protect myself against a bunch of diseases and viruses that I've never heard of!
- Work is officially done for the calendar year! Super stoked for Christmas goodness, epic partying, and lotsa free time!
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Cave Singers - Clever Creatures
So last Saturday one of my favourite bands played a show at The Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, 2 days after my birthday. I decided it would be great to gather a bunch of friends (15 to be exact) and drink ourselves stupid at the concert and then a bar after. The majority of my group had not heard of The Cave Singers but, thanks to the $15 ticket price and the fact that it was for my bday, they all welcomed it with open minds. I talked the band up as I just love all 3 of their albums and have seen them live 4 times (twice at Sasquatch Music Festival, at The Biltmore and the now defunct Richards on Richards) in which they have been incredible each time and are getting even better. And, like I knew they would, they absolutely delivered!
The Rickshaw, which has a capacity of 1,000, was packed and bumpin' for the big show; a great crowd for a Vancouver show. We managed to make it to the middle of the stage, somewhat towards the back and all stayed together in a group (the pic above is where we were). This was by far the largest group that I have ever been to a concert with; every way I turned there was a new friend to talk to or dance with. Luckily the whole crew came ready to drink as well and 2 friends continued to trek to the bar, bringing back handfuls of beers. At one point I was triple fisting!
The Cave Singers opened with the gorgeous "Summer Light" and immediately captivated the crowd as everyone bumped along and pot smoke filled the air. They then picked it up with the rocker "At The Cut" before playing today's song, "Clever Creatures". Both songs were brilliant and my friends and I were really digging it. Some other highlights included the first time I had seen them play "Swim Club" (one of their most well-known songs and one that I have featured before on this blog), a pair of brand new songs, the excellent set-closing duo of the intense "No Prosecution If We Bail" and guitar-heavy "Black Leaf", and the encore of their best song, "Dancing On Our Graves" (another song that I've featured on this blog).
Throughout the night lead singer Pete Quirk sang haunting, eyes-closed verses on some tracks before switching to all-out bombastic growls on others. Lead guitarist Derek Fudesco played with his back to the audience for most of the night but was spot on with all the complex and groovy riffs. Then new member and bass player Morgan Henderson chugged along with drummer Marty Lund, ensuring that the beat never stopped rolling. The Cave Singers love Vancouver as they have recorded their albums here and, being from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle to be exact) they realize the greatness and commonalities shared among this region. These guys are getting bigger and better with every new album. I cannot wait for the day when they get to play The Commodore. I will certainly be there and I hope that you will be too!
A quick shout out to all my awesome fiends that came out! I had an absolute blast and was extremely hungover the next day lol. It was one of those nights where a friend and me wore each others coats home and had no idea til the following evening!
I simply couldn't leave this without sharing The Cave Singers' excellent, brand new track, "Have To Pretend" off their album to be released March 2013, Naomi. This song has an amazing R&B groove, accented by some lovely ooohhhsss and the simple, jarring riff. It's very breezy and I can't wait for the whole album!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Pack A.D. - Deer
The Pack A.D. put on a great show two Fridays ago at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. This was a homecoming gig for the duo of Becky Black and Maya Miller who are from East Vancouver. They are a lot like The Black Keys in terms of their bluesy garage duo vibe. But these chicks are way more badass and have a killer punk rock attitude.
The set kicked off with the thunderous, brand new track "The Water" and the crowd started to swell, getting closer and closer to the stage. By the third track, "Haunt You", a great song to chant and lose it to the crowd had gotten completely mental as a mosh pit formed up front and dozens of guys and gals made their way on stage only to dive back into the trenches. The rest of the show kept up with this frantic pace with the band only stopping briefly in between songs. Drummer Maya Miller is just hilarious with her stage banter saying things like "We'll play one more song" after the first song lol and "This is another song that is by us". Highlights included a booming "B.C. Is On Fire" which really got the local crowd going, a blistering "Sirens" which is their most popular song to date and has incredible riffage, and a bluesy "K Stomp". They came out for an encore of several old songs and rarities which was great for all of the hardcore fans that have been with them since the beginning. I am certainly not one of those people as I only got into them after I heard "Sirens" and the above track but really dug 'em nonetheless.
We got there kinda late and unfortunately missed the first band but caught the last 3 songs from second band, No Sinner. They are another local band that sports a female vocalist with a joplin-esque set of pipes and an excellent guitarist. This guy stole the show, especially during their wicked instrumental finale. I look forward to seeing this band again and hope they continue to get bigger.
"Deer" is my favourite song by The Pack A.D. It has a sick riff and I love Becky's vocal as she howls with with a demented shrill yet holds back at all the right moments. She nailed the vocal that night, even as she jumped all over the stage and up onto Maya's drum kit. The video for this is also awesome and shot locally.
The Pack A.D. are a great local band. I urge you to check out their two most recent albums, Unpersons and We Kill Computers, and better yet check them out live. I guarantee a fun time at a great rock show!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Paul McCartney & Wings - Mrs. Vandebilt
So this past Sunday night I had the utmost privilege of seeing a Knight, a Beatle, a Living Legend. I got to see Sir James Paul McCartney perform to over 50,000 hollering fans at BC Place. This show had "HUGE" written all over it. The entire city was talking about it and was completely pumped for it. From the rumour that even my dog had heard about Springsteen being a special guest to the lights at the stadium flashing the union jack all week long. It was the first show of this magnitude that I had been to (or even remember hearing about) since The Stones were last in town (also the only other show I've seen at BC Place and the only band on the planet worthy of that stage). A few months back I managed to score four lower bowl tickets ($186 bones each, yeesh!) within the first 4 minutes that it took to sell out the whole stadium. Now I could officially get excited! I saw several shows in between purchase time and the show itself but they were all pretty much warm up for the show of the year, and likely the decade, for BC and myself.
McCartney kicked off with "Magical Mystery Tour" at 8:45 pm and, oh boy, better buckle in cuz we were in for one helluva ride. Literally the second he started he had the entire crowd glued to his every move. Dressed in a cool blue jacket (pictured above) McCartney quickly kicked into "All My Loving" after saying to the crowd "It's been a long time, Vancouver. It can't have been 48 years... I'm not even 48!". This was one of many witty statements Paul made in his wonderful Liverpool drawl. A few Wings and solo classics later he removed the jacket for "the only wardrobe change of the evening". Then came the Help! track "The Night Before", a personal favourite and not very popular tune that I never thought he'd play in a million years. This night was gonna be really special! The bluesy Wings track, "Let Me Roll It", followed and featured top notch guitar work from McCartney and Rusty Anderson as they segued into a snippet of the Hendrix classic "Foxy Lady". Epic!
After a rockin' "Paperback Writer", Paul started to move off stage but it turned out he was only going to the piano in the back corner of the stage. He played the lovely ballad "The Long And Winding Road" before kicking it into another gear with "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five". He was especially at home playing the keys and this version was particularly groovy. Kudos to McCartney's and BC Place's sound teams for making the enormous arena sound as amazing and intimate as the Commodore Ballroom. Next came the newest track, "My Valentine" which featured cool images of Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman signing the song. Then his greatest solo song "Maybe I'm Amazed" which he dedicated to his late wife Linda and sang with a passionate fury. Despite his 70 years of age, McCartney's voice is still full of power and range which is truly incredible to see.
Sir Paul moved away from the piano to take centre stage for a solo acoustic set that featured the Beatles hits "Blackbird" and "And I Love Her" as well as a tribute to his old friend John, "Here Today". McCartney told a few stories about Hendrix and the Civil Rights movement in the 60's (to which he played "Blackbird"). He followed with another personal favourite that he played to my dismay, "Mrs. Vanderbilt". This was a real crowd pleaser that had everyone chanting "Ho, Hey-Ho". He and drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr. really hammed it up on this one, taking turns doing goofy dance moves. Then an excellent version of "Eleanor Rigby" before another great tribute, this time for George as he played "Something" on ukulele. This was a very touching moment in the show, especially as images of Paul with George appeared on the big screen.
Now the show had already been worth the ticket price and 48 years of waiting but, as the Stones did a few years ago, McCartney found a way to raise the bar even more. What followed were a slew of Beatles hits as well as his 2 most popular tracks with Wings. "Band On The Run" kicked it off then the rocker "Back In The U.S.S.R.", "A Day In The Life" (Holy shit he actually played it?!?!?!) and "Let It Be" among others. The show then hit its craziest, rockingest peak with the pyro-charged "Live And Let Die" followed by the greatest sing along of all time "Hey Jude" to close the set.
Cue the encores and even more Beatles classics. The great riffage of "Day Tripper" followed by "Get Back" and the most recorded single of all time, "Yesterday". McCartney then started the Wings track "Mull Of Kintyre" and right on cue the Delta Police Pipe Band joined him on stage. Quite a proud moment for British Columbian police and a special song for Vancouver as he has not performed this at any other stops on the tour so far. One final epic rocker, "Helter Skelter" lead into the last trilogy of Abbey Road classics "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight" and, fittingly, "The End". "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" were his final words as the crowd was showered with confetti after almost 3 hours of outstanding rock and roll. A fitting end to the greatest and most memorable concert that I have ever been to. No, the heavily rumoured appearance of Bruce Springsteen never did occur. But it did not matter as the night belonged to Paul McCartney and his trove of timeless classics that will live on as long as humans continue to record history. I feel so blessed to have seen them performed by a true living legend... one of the most famous people on planet erf. A once in a lifetime experience that I will never, ever forget!
The Beatles - The Night Before
Both of the songs I have chosen are personal favourites that I was genuinely shocked when Paul played them. The "Ho, Hey-Ho's" of Mrs. Vandebilt along with its brilliant sax solo and clanging guitars make this a great foot-stomper and sing-along. "The Night Before" features one of Paul's most ferocious lead vocals and this video is fucking sick.
On Saturday night I saw James Murphy perform a DJ set at Celebrities in Vancouver. Celebrities is Vancouver's most famous Gay club and, therefore, it gets all the best DJs. This was my first time at Celebrities so I was very curious as to how it would be. I had heard rumours about transvestite corner and was warned to always feel for the Adam's apple lol. Luckily James Murphy brought a very diverse crowd and everyone was there to dance and have a great time. However, this did not stop some guy from pinching my side and then ass a few times lol. I made sure to put my arms around the girls in front of me and he backed off. As awkward and uncomfortable as this was I had to be slightly flattered as, hey, I'm good enough looking for dudes too lol!
Now for the DJ set! Holy fuck was James good! Definitely my favourite DJ show ever! (Flying Lotus at Gossip during the Olympics is a close second tho...) He actually DJ'd, no laptop to just press play and sit back on. He used real turntables and was constantly making adjustments and, well, DJ-ing. He played an awesome mix of funk, disco and just great, danceable beats. The majority of the songs were very underground and unknown yet so fucking awesome. I looked into finding a setlist or a recording of one of his gigs but came up empty. I then learned that he simply does not want a radio version of his club show. He wants to keep them to what they are as a live performance. I definitely respect that but it sucks because the songs were so damn good! Luckily near the end of the show I had enough awareness to try to shazam some of the tracks. Most came up empty but I did manage to get his last 3. The above Diana Ross disco banger, the ridiculous Neil Young cover of "Harvest Moon" by Poolside and a Talking Heads song. James was super cool all night, only looking up occasionally and smiling rarely; just so into the music, as his little eyes-closed shimmy's displayed. We ended up getting right up front and my friends even got to shake his hand at the end of the show! Also, water bottle guy, an Asian guy in a wife beater balancing a water bottle on his head was maneuvering his way through the dance floor. Such a dope addition/dude for the night. I know that I've seen him at a show before but have no clue when or where.
For those who don't know James is the frontman and leader of the group LCD Soundsystem. They are a rock group with some electronic elements that had hit songs such as "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and "All My Friends". To the dismay of many fans, he dismantled them just as they were reaching their highest point of commercial success. They are completely different from his DJ set. I quite like both but would honestly prefer to see James DJ.
This Diana Ross track is an absolute disco banger as soon as you hit the 1:10 mark. But it sounded so much better live and mixed by Murphy. This song is great but unfortunately it's far from the best I heard that night. Sorry I couldn't find more and if I ever do I'll be sure to post them. The below tracks are from when I very briefly saw him DJ at Sasquatch. My friend and I stayed to watch the first two songs and had to force ourselves to leave to go see Bon Iver (great choice as it's in my top 3 shows of the year so far). I highly highly recommend seeing the dude DJ any chance you get!
Begin - Elate
Floorplan - We Magnify His Name
And here he is doing the same set that he played at Sasquatch, not the one I saw on the Weekend. Still Epic!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Pharcyde - Soul Flower (Remix)
So Saturday night I was heading out to a friends place in Vancouver when I got a message from another friend inviting me to go see The Pharcyde the following night. They were playing at Venue and would be performing their entire classic album Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Now I honestly had not listened to much Pharcyde at all but knew that I had heard them before several times from this same friend. I just felt that, even though I did not know them all that well, I should like them. Plus it was only $30 and Venue is dope so I figured it'd be a solid show. And boy was I right!
The 2012 version of The Pharcyde consisted of original members Fatlip and Slimkid3. Then they had a big guy, who I cannot seem to find anything about yet he was excellent and probably my favourite up there lol, and J-Swift, the albums producer, filling in for the other 2 former members Booty Brown and Imani. Then LA Jay was the DJ behind them spinning all the dope beats. Fatlip and Slimkid3 were both excellent, rapping and dancing like 1992 never left. The big guy was great, taking the high-pitched rap verses and performing them with great wit and charm. J-Swift was probably the weakest member of the group; he played the keyboards brilliantly but wasn't the best rapper and not a very good singer.
They performed the ENTIRE album. This included all skits and interludes which were acted out with excellent comedic timing. Highlights included a skit on 'Yo Mama' jokes and arguing over who was the 'Nigga in charge'. The stage setup was awesome with an awesome screen in the background showing videos of everything from colourful, psychedelic images to black and white 1920's cartoon scenes to marijuana leaves. Then the band had great costumes/props; from Slimkid3's epic angry birds hat to scream masks and huge afros. They were having an absolute blast and so was the crowd. They kept telling us that it was a great crowd and one of their best in a while. I know bands always say this but it felt quite legit as they continued to say it. Highlights included the excellent "Passing Me By", a very hazy "Pack the Pipe", crowd shout/sing-alongs "Oh Shit" and "Soul Flower (Remix)", and the triple-header encore after the album of an "Apache" cover, "She Said", and "Runnin'". I went in with modest expectations, just hoping there would be at least a few songs that I liked and came out a huge fan of The Pharcyde, loving every minute of the show! Kanye West called this his favourite album of all time in 2010 and I now know why!
The opening acts were both local rappers, Emotionz and KAi Sky Walker. Emotionz was kind of goofy but still a decent rapper. It was his beats that saved him as they were insane (a sesame street beat!?!?). KAi Sky Walker is actually a friend of 2 friends of mine. He's from Surrey and went to Earl Marriot Secondary. He's a great rapper but was lacking the beats of the first guy. If only they could be combined with Emotionz' beats and KAi's rapping...
"Soul Flower (Remix)" was my favourite song from the show that I had not heard before going to it. I absolutely love the beat; great 90's old school. The lyrics are ridiculous too. From the "Eee ah ooh ah ah"'s to the crazy closing line "If magic can admit he got aids, fuck it--I got herpes". On a side note I realized that there's a part in this song that K-OS samples in his song "4, 3, 2, 1"... Just a dope song. But I also had to include probably their most famous track, "Passing Me By", one that I definitely did know before the show (and that we timed our j to ;)) Also this was only the second time that I have seen the performance of an entire album, with the first being Roger Waters doing The Dark Side Of The Moon.
The Pharcyde - Passing Me By
"Passing Me By" has a trill beat that oozes the jazz influence on much of the hip-hop in the early 90's. But its highlight has to be the great chorus that is half sung, half screamed, to the point where you truly feel his agony. Brilliant. Listen to these songs and Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde now! An absolute masterpiece!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Big Boi - Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)
Brand spanking new music from Big Boi. In "Lines", Big Boi teams up with NYC swag-mixtape superstar A$AP Rocky and fellow NYC indie synth-pop band Phantogram. Now this combination with the Southern MC (and one half of Outkast) should make heads spin but, wow, they actually pull it off. Somehow the production by Organized Noise brilliantly meshes A$AP's deep dreamy bass, Phantogram's shimmering synths, and Big Boi's Southern drawl. This is where hip-hop has landed in 2012 and damn it sounds great. 10, hell even 5 years ago nobody could've ever dreamed up this crazy collaboration. Rappers working with others outside of their 'coast' (let's call the South the third coast) and outside of their genre. Spectacular!
Now sit back and enjoy this one. From A$AP's hot, bass heavy opening rhymes to Sarah Barthel's gorgeous hook this is a barn burner from start to finish. I especially love the magical, shimmering electronic breakdown near the end of the track that transports you into a wonderful, mythical world where brooks babble, birds of paradise chirp, and leprechauns frolic in rolling meadows. Go explore!
Some thoughts...
- The new Bond movie is fucking dope. Go see it now!
- 3 straight wins for The KEE to Winning and the playoffs are looking more and more like a reality in Fantasy Football. Shout out to the Broncos D/ST that I traded for earlier in the week and their 28 points! I probably had 28 points all year so far from the dreadful Eagles and overachieving Cardinals.
- Going to see James Murphy DJ at Celebrities (Vancouver's main gay bar) on Saturday. This'll be the first time I've been there and it should be interesting to say the least.
- Then I'm off to the West Final on Sunday to watch my BC Lions shit-kick the Calgary Stampeders who just lost their starting QB. Na-na-na-naa...
