they zhoothor&y, don/tthey? the/vancowver nighty dandOwind/
eXiyabeth/ the/safety show hurnMxle/ neM) yeary resolution/fanlOO
thre& inchesof blood/ the/paeh Japandroidy greeribelt c<yUectlye/
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the/ mohawk/ lodge/ hotloiny orcfiwx/traXV mcuow myproje^hwue/
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clover honey traXbvy rassia th&petroleAAwi^byprodAAetfr fan&haM)
black/rices witne^proteet^on/program/ death/se^rdte^x/ce/ the/syriy
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the/parlour steps 42 better friendstharvlovery vwotorcyde/wian
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ihe/ organ yow say party! we/say die/l j
SWNcKs
Over 500 bands can't be wrong. Don't miss the fun.
Submission deadline Jtagasib 8, 2008.
Send 3 original songs to shindig.086gmail.com
Or, mail CO/cassette/mlnidisc to:
SHiNDiG"08, 233-6138 SOB Blvd, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1
WEBSITE/INPO/SPONSORS: http;//shindig.citr.ca
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2 Julaugust 2008 edibr's noteH
n Editor
| Melissa Smith
| Editorial Advisor
; Duncan McHugh
; ArtDirector
i Cole Johnston
I Production Manager
\ Kristin Warkentin
" Copy Editors
I Duncan McHugh
i Melissa Smith
j Catherine Rana
1 Under Review Editor
! Melissa Smith
I Datebook Editor
j Kristin Warkentin
j RLA Editor
] Brock Thiessen
j Layout + Design
| Cole Johnston
i Duncan McHugh
I Contributors
| Chris Brandt
] Bryce Duns
| DanFumano
j. Mark Hewitt
j Alex Hudson
| Marielle Kho
! Benjamin Luk
j Katie Nanton
i Duncan McHugh
| Christopher Olson
j Mark Richardson
| Mine Salkin
I Terris Schneider
I Adam Simpkins
j Melissa Smith
' Brock Theissen
; Photo & Illustration
| Cole Johnston
j Dave Gowans
| Justin Kellam
I Marielle Kho
| Benjamin Luk
| Mark Maryanovich
! Jon Pesochin
' Adam P.W. Smith
! Charts
I Luke Meat
; CiTR Station Manager
| Brenda Grunau
| Publisher
I Student Radio Society
j of UBC
ttocwktxa
FEMURHt
Mention summer and thoughts turn toward.... endings? Perhaps this makes
sense, as although the summer equinox is the longest day of the year, it also signifies
that light has reached its apex and is slowly winding down. Without any deliberate
orchestration, many of the pieces in this issue touch on demise in one form or another:
the Pack A.D.'s new release, Alkaline Trio's musings on the afterlife, and reviews of
Kurt Cobairis Journals and a film about Ian Curtis, Control.
Tne voyage into the winter realms does not always have to be an exercise in despair.
One would have to look no further than the jovial crowd, some in tuxedos and others
in Hawaiian shirts, who relinquished the fleeting Vancouver sunshine to gather at
the Railway Club on the afternoon of June 14th. People laughed, told jokes and
celebrated the life of Dave Watson, the Georgia Straight columnist who got his start
in journalism by writing for Discorder. It is a testament to a remarkable individual
when the occasion of their death unites a room in the shared bonds of laughter, as
well as serving as a great reminder of the power of the written word to forge bonds
and create a sense of community.
Tne generosity of spirit within the writing community was very much alive for
this issue of Discorder. Jumping into the job of interim editor after one month as
Under Review editor was definitely an act of faith, as the magazine is built upon the
generosity of time and spirit of the staff, all volunteers. Many people, some whom I
had never met, others I barely knew, offered their assistance. Departing editor Nat
Jay generously donated a few hours of her time for handover, even though she was
about to go on tour. Brenda Grunau, CiTR's new station manager, provided support
even while adjusting to her own new role. Duncan M. McHugh, a former Discorder
interim editor himself, gave me free reign with conceptualization and organization of
the magazine, but was kind enough to act as editorial advisor and jumped in to lend
a hand whenever anything^lse needed doing. i^^^wP
Gestures don't have to be grandiose or exemplify perfection to make a difference
in the lives of others. Often it is the simplest actions which are truly the most helpful
and meaningful. I would like to dedicate this issue to the experiences and people
whose simple acts of kindness have made us who we are, and whose energy lives
through us and our interactions with others. Tnis one's foT you.
Melissa Smith, Interim Editor
©DiSCORDER 2008 by the Student Radio Society of the University of
British Columbia. All rights reserved. Circulation 8,000. Subscriptions,
payable in advance, to Canadian residents are $15 for one year, to
residents of the USA are $15 US; $24 CDN elsewhere. Single copies are
$2 (to cover postage). Please make cheques or money orders payable
to Discorder Magazine. DEADLINES: Copy deadline for the July issue is
March June 20. Ad space is available until August 15 and can be booked
by calling 604.822.3017 ext 3 or emailing discorder.advertising@
gmail.com. Our rates are available upon request. Discorder does not
accept unsolicited material, but welcomes new writers. For more info,
contact editor.discorder@gmail.com. Discorder is not responsible for
loss, damage, or any other injury to any submitted materials, solicited
or unsolicited, including but not limited to manuscripts, artwork,
photographs, compact discs, review materials, or any other submitted
materials. From UBC to Langley and Squamish to Bellingham, CiTR
can be heard at 101.9 FM as well as through all major cable systems
in the Lower Mainland, except Shaw in White Rock. Call the CiTR DJ
line at 822.2487, our office at 822.3017, or our news and sports lines at
822.3017 ext. 2. Fax us at 822.9364, e-mail us at: citrmgr@mail.ams.
ubc.ca or just pick up a pen and write #233-6138 SUB Blvd., Vancouver,
BC, V6T 1Z1, CANADA. If you would like Discorder Magazine in
your business, email distro.discorder@gmail.com to be added to our
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**
ANNIVERSAlfY
SALE
Saturday July 1 9th and Sunday July 20th 11 am to 7pm
20% OFF NEW 40% OFF USED
VN—4^|fr>Y^|teT. pool g£r
UgH^UDlOPILE.COM^faBJP^D'S & RECORDS^. Greetings record hounds! More than your usual batch this
time out as we have to cram as much filling into this overstuffed Oreo of a column as possible.
To begin, hot off the press and into my hands, the Zip Guns
burst forth, dual guitars a-blazin' on their debut EP, which
includes four songs that mix the punk with the rock. This
music doesn't just sit there waiting for you to listen, it grabs
you by the scruff of your neck and shakes you 'til your ears
bleed. "Dirty Pictures" starts out vicious and quick, with some
crackin' drum work and sturdy bass riffage, then barrels headlong into the Saints-inspired "Lookin For Love." Following
on the flip side is "Speedway," which takes the opening chords -
of the Dictators' "Stay With Me" and puts the hammer down,
finally screeching to a halt with a decent cover of the Lurkers'
"I'm On Heat." This EPis a perfect complement to the feeling
you get when you've been run over by a souped-up roadster
occupied by these five fanatics-of stripped-down, street-level
rock 'n' roll. Spray the champagne boys, you've a got a winner
here. (Meaty Beaty Records, www.longshotmusic.com/mbr
or, hell, just contact the band for a copy).
Another local release from the opposite side of the strip is
the dark-wave stylings of Twin Crystals and their Two Girls
EP. Featuring the prolific talents of Jesse Taylor (Terrorbird,
Channels 3X4, Cheerleader Camp, Reflektions, should I
go on?), this trio invokes the spirit of pseudo-industrial and
synth-punk acts of the past like Alien Sex Fiend and Skinny
Puppy, but would not be out-of-place nestled next to contemporaries the Lost Sounds or the Vanishing, or past Vancouver
bands like A Luna Red or Primes if push came to shove. The
title track showcases some creepy keyboard flourishes with
skittish drums and subtle guitar picking, while "Trinity"
and "Safety* raise the Reznor radar a few notches with their
screamy vocals and punctuated blasts of synth for maximum
mopeyness. I dig it. (Summer Lovers Unlimited, check it on
myspace, kids.)
Next, we have a cruel joke etched on wax, and by that I mean
how the hell did Chris Appelgren get to appear on a split
seven inch with both of his past bands? Sure, you may think
you're listening to the Old Haunts from Olympia on one
side, with their garage pop tune "Out Of Sight," but instead
it's the Peechees (circa Games People Play) doing their thing
in the same vein, I kid you not. It msiy SAY Tobi Vail (yes
THAT Tobi Vail) plays drums, but c'mon, it's really Molly
Neuman: I'd recognize that swing-style drumbeat anywhere.
You turn it over and you get Red Eyed Legends, a Chicago
group who—let's face it-Hire the Pattern (Appelgren's neo-
garage outfit with recordings on label Alternative Tentacles)
in disguise, with their art-punk damaged track "Monsters."
Same punk-rock-paced staccato guitar breaks, same off-kilter
whiny vocals—^-don't try to tell me different. (Nodak Records,
www.myspace.com/nodakrecords).
Two bands on the same label, and from the same city, are
Vivian Girls, and the Royal Chains. The former are currently
stealing hearts and crushing them under their heels with a
recent single of fuzzy pop jangle, "Wild Eyes" is a barely two-
minute twee delight, bringing to mind the Shop Assistants or
Tiger Trap, if they weren't so straight-laced and their mascara
was a little blotchier. "My Baby Wants Me Dead" recalls like-
minded New Yorkers the Rogers Sisters, with its galloping
garage stomp morphing into a spaced out mid-section, where
shimmering vocal harmonies just barely break the haze.
Word on the street is that hipper-than-thou label, In the Red
Records will release a full-length Vivian Girls album in the
fall. The Royal Chains penchant for pop hooks is apparent
on the all syrupy A-side "No Love In Your Punches" with
its Zombies-like guitar tones and near-falsetto vocal delivery.
The flipside is decidedly more Brit-pop in execution—double
hi-hat and danceable. Fans of Franz will undoubtedly "get it."
You should, too. (Plays With Dolls Records, 226 Knickerbocker Ave #38 Brooklyn N.Y. USA 11237).
A special shout-out goes to our next group the River City
Tanlines. Who else but these brilliant minds from Memphis
(mostly Alicja Trout, but kudos to her band too) would
change the lyrics of the Painted Ship's classic "And She
Said Yes" to "He Said Yes" and still retain the gritty garage
pound of the original? Not only were we impressed, but so
too was the writer of that tune, William Hay of the Painted
Ship himself, who donated a copy to the station! Not to be
outdone, "Modern Friction" is a curious blend of mid-tempo
glam rock riffs and brooding new wave undertones, but an
interesting listen if one takes the time. There's a little something special going on with every RCT release, and this is one
is no exception. Check it! (Savage Records, www.myspace.
com/savagemag).
Finally, fresh from geostationary orbit around the earth, the
. Laundronauts jettisoned their debut platter in a tube sock
wrapped pod, smelling of roses. After listening to their three-
song EP, similarities began to surface with Supernova, who
crash-landed on our planet a few years ago and who successfully made it back into space thanks to our generous offerings
of tinfoil. Their quirky garage punk songs covered such illustrious topics as the rigours of math, their love for vitamins
and the wonder of elevators. The Laundronauts keep it simple
with their fascination of the household chore everyone loves
to hate, but musically speaking, they share a lot in common
with their space brothers before them. "Hard Water" brims
with a Sonics-style energy and deals with washing (or a relationship, I'm still not sure which) to great effect, while "That
Kind Of Laundry" has more of a country-boppin' vibe to it.
"Outta My Head!" has the band studying the songbook of
the Mummies for a lo-fi take on the girl who got away and
took the soap with her. Until such time as everyone on Planet
Earth learns the difference between "delicates" and "unmentionables," the Laundronauts will continue their assault on
our ears and we will obey. (Spincycle Records, www.myspace.
com/thelaundronauts). «.
That should be enough to tide you over—see you in September!
4 Julaugust 2008 UILL TCRR VDU RPRRT
Control is the 2007 feature film debut by Anton
Corbijn, the Dutch photographer-turned video
director-turned film director. Anyone who
remembers Corbijn-directed videos for Nirvana's
"Heart-Shaped Box," U2's "One," or Depeche Mode's
"Personal Jesus" knows that he has a knack for
memorable, intense imagery, and the most immediate
element of Control'is the stark and stunning look of the
film; presented in crisp, beautiful black and white, each
shot looks amazing. But Corbijn also shows himself
to be a masterful storyteller, crafting an excellent
film and eliciting brilliant performances from every
member of the cast.
. Control follows Joy Division, the seminal and iconic
post-punk band that formed in Manchester in 1976 and
became New Order after the death of their lead singer and
songwriter, Ian Curtis, in 1980, weeks before the release
of their second album. For a detailed look at the music
and career of Joy Division the band, viewers would be
better served by Grant Gee's 2007 documentary, simply
titled Joy Division, but Control is ultimately the story of
Ian Curtis, and it is a brilliant, engrossing and tragic
tale. For the central role of Curtis, Corbijn wisely chose
an unknown actor in the form of Sam Riley, frontman
of Leeds-based band 10,000 Things, who—in addition
to his Northern English heritage—also bears a stunning
physical resemblance to Curtis.
The other three members of Joy Division (Peter Hook,
Bernard Sumner, and Stephen Morris) are played by a
trio of talented' young actors (Joe Anderson, James
Anthony Pearson, and Harry Treadaway, respectively),
who rehearsed with Riley for two weeks and became so
tight playing together, the director chose to use their**
performances in the film. Riley's musical channeling
of Ian Curtis is amazing, right down to his bizarre,
frantic dancing. A key scene in the film has Joy Division
making their first televised appearance, performing
"Transmission," and when Riley lets out, "And we could
DA-A-A-A-ANCE," it is truly goosebump-inducing.
But Riley does more than mere impersonation.
Portraying Ian from his school days until his suicide at
age 23, Riley's performance is incredibly affecting and
impressive. Samantha Morton is equally captivating as
Deborah, Ian's high school sweetheart, young bride,
long-suffering wife, and eventual widow.
Control'is partially based on Deborah Curtis's memoir
about her life with Ian, Touching From a Distance, and
this lends an air of authenticity to the film. Corbijn
knew (and acted as photographer to) Joy Division, as did
Control producer Tony Wilson, the record label owner
who "discovered" the band. The crew actually filmed
in the house in which Deborah and Ian lived, which
was also where Ian hanged himself on the eve of Joy
Division's first US tour.
This is an- impressive and promising debut for both
Riley and Corbijn. In many ways, Control is Uke the
music of its subject: stark, jarring, painful, depressing,
yet strangely beautiful. And totally unforgettable, il
:»u I
^IEk '^*" f^lliy^M^i^* H album release party:
i3P£ Saturday August 16, Richard's on Richards
||lf i { CD/LP out August 12
*§i-/ , www.thepackafterdeath.com • www.myspace.com/thepackad
MINT RECORDS RELEASES ARE AT FINE RETAILERS UKE THESE!
mm
Discorder Kurt Cobain Journals
[Riverhead Books, 2002]
Textually
Active
6 Julaugust 200S
Perhaps it is a bit unusual to be seeing an impassioned review of Kurt Cobairisjourna/s these days,
but the lingering pain, and sadness of Nirvana's
frontman resonates strongly still. Written in the author's
childish, chicken-scratch hand, Cobain's honesty shines
through in his writing. He narrates the course of the
band's history and their rise to fame, with side discussions of love and sex, and other deeply personal avenues
of introspection. Spiritual and sprawling, Journals is an
intimate posthumous look into the complicated balance
between rock 'n' roll, the personal alienation of fame,
and the dark world of drug addiction.
The everlasting image of Cobain is that of a man
tortured by the conflicted personaUties he could not
reconcile; the depressed, social outcast and the rockstar,
dawning in the age of the grunge.
Aside from reading his first-hand accounts of Uving
the Ufe of a terminaUy-depressed heroin addict, Journals
shows Kurt's struggle between the massive dichotomies
he sets up in his own mind. Caught between right and
wrong, fleeting happiness and self-induced torture, the
rock star and the junkie, Cobain struggles to identify
himself through these polar opposites. This theme is
even prefaced on the first page of the diary as he writes:
"Don't read my diary when I'm gone OK, I'm
going to work now, when you wake up this morning,
please read my diary. Look through my things, and
figure me out."
It's conceivable that most musicians become somewhat
troubled by the cost of fame, but Kurt's radical spUt
makes the whole of Journals so incredibly fascinating as
it samples from the extremes of his psychological states.
Cobain's need to be validated in a different way seems
unclear even to himself, and is worthy of an Aronofsky
film; bafflingly contradictory and amazing, too.
It's not hard to imagine how the lower-middle class
Aberdeen, WA youth, who grew up in a rural logging
community, could become the beacon for tormented
American youth of the early '90s. Dancing between a
nihiUstic and a utopic, Buddhist vision of the world,
Kurt writes openly about other, more personal matters
in a way that simultaneously repulses and attracts. In one
particularly gruesome entry he writes about a girl that
attempts to have intercourse with him in junior high.
When he asks.if she's done it before she replies, "Many
times, mainly with my cousin." This incident causes
die frightened, yet sexuaUy curious adolescent boy to
develop an unusual obsession with the female reproductive system and images of fetuses. Upon returning
to school, his classmates caU him the "retard Pcker,"
and Cobain's persona of social reject is quickly adopted.
This honesty pervades the entirety of Journals; Cobain's
poetic sensitivity is but a glimmer amongst a backdrop of
the corporate American music industry, .accompanied by
scribbles of recipes for fried chicken and french toast.
Journals creates the overaU impression of a neglected,
insecure musician becoming increasingly uneasy with
his fame. The tattered journal entries parallel the conflict
and confusion voiced by a scrawny yet soulful individual,
who represented the impotence of his generation through
the strained throaty textures of his music, t. I'b a writer and writers is what my label is about Ralph JUf
W=
J^jJCwiLiJ^
; first—the devil or the egg? In the
proverbial dark aUeys of the music industry,
there is one shadowy figure that has always
scared a major label executive walking unescorted at
night—commercial radio.
"Radio is the devil" is a common retort to the assertion that major labels are solely responsible for any
perceived decUne in the quaUty of music on the radio. For
the purposes of our discussion here, let's leave coUege/
independent/satelUte/etc. out of the debate and let "radio"
refer to mainstream commercial radio.
Let's start with the cloning of superstar artists. Who
is to blame for musical genres (grunge, boy bands,
ska, teenage pop princesses) that fish too deep and too
exhaustively in a limited talent pool? Keep in mind that
major labels are pubUcly traded companies that must turn
a profit every quarter. If commercial radio is only playing
Britney Spears, it is counterintuitive from a business point
of view to sign an artist Uke Ron Sexsmith. It does not
matter how brflUant the artist is, or how much marketing money is dedicated to promotion. If radio is playing
platinum blonde teen-pop, then you have to invest in
that model. This is why new genres in pop music rise so
quickly and are so aU encompassing of the airwaves—every label is perpetuaUy searching for a carbon copy of the
current big thing. To take advantage of the momentum
of a genre, they can rarely afford to wait for their artist to
be the next big thing.
Radio is fuU of sheep. The majority of stations wiU
not add a song regardless of how good it is, until stations
with simUar formats in LA, NYC, etc. have made the
leap. Music Directors who actuaUy add (not feature) local
music to their playlsists should be canonized. Canadian
radio didn't always foUow the US. When Canadian radio
mimicked the UK, we benefited from a more varied
musical appetite, where a new album was at number one
on the sales charts every week. Now, the same album (or
worse, a soundtrack) can remain on top of the US charts
for weeks, or even months. Keep in mind that radio is not
about music—it is about selUng advertising. Advertisers
pushing to have their commercials placed next to the
established hits add to this glacial pace of change.
Bemoan it aU you want, there is genius in the harnessing of the momentum of the herd. Nickelback do aU they
can to promote bands that sound just Uke them. These
bands are not competition, but rather placeholders—
there to ensure that radio charts don't change too much
while Nickelback is out of the picture recording a new
album. They learned this lesson from Kiss, who donate
costumes and props to Kiss tribute bands. These tribute
bands keep the Kiss Army salivating between tours, as
they often go on tour just before the real act announces a
show, just to get the masses primed. Just because it hurts
your ears, doesn't mean that it isn't brilUant.
Commercial radio wiU never be brilliant; it can't afford
to take risks. That is why classic rock stations, that play
NO new music, have popped up into almost every major
radio market. Vancouver is going to be getting its first
"adult album alternative" (AAA) radio station, as the
insanity of going head to head in the same format finally
subsides and a new station brings in a radio format that
doesn't exist here instead. Consistently in Vancouver,
radio stations would rather fight for a piece of an estab-
Ushed pie than open a brand new bakery. There simply are
not enough wolves to make a dent in this many sheep. V
ALSO AVAILABLE HOW:
MERYN CADELL pop/spoken word
FRAZE GANG rock/metal
C.R. AVERY blues harmonica beatbox
DAVE RAVE & MARK McCARRON jazz
LOLA DUTRONIC electronic/dance
KEVIN KANE (Grapes of Wrath)
ARI SHINE los angeles power pop
RALPH beatnik jazz garage rock
LAND OF GIANTS SOs electronic
Thank You and Goodbye,
Vancouver.
After 17 years, we are
going back home to
Montreal.
Thank You for the
support, the love and
the inspiration.
As of Aug 1, we are at:
Bongo Beat Records
2049 Melrose Ave,
Montreal, Quebec,
H4A2R6.
Ralph Alfonso
ralph@bongobeat.com
BONGO BEAT
(IIP
hot bands with h_w& UU
m
I hat happens when the vocalist (Eden Fineday) of four-piece Vancou-
, gar goes on her honeymoon just before the release of the band's latest
album Canadian Tuxedo} The other ladies get nostalgic and ruminate
on the path that brought them to their own true love, music!
-«f^^PWhnM)QOs
My interest in music started with my dad. He plays guitar, and before I started school,
he spent time touring Canada, sending me postcards from places like Head-Smashed-In
Buffalo Jump, Alberta. I dreamt of the day I could get on a tour bus and travel crosscountry, although I had no idea how I'd get there. I took piano lessons, but I never
considered how that could help me join a band. Sol carried on playing with Jem and the
Holograms doUs and shrieking >along to Cyndi Lauper records, creating a vivid fantasy
of my grown-up life ahead. J?%lis|
In grade two, I decided to make up a dance routine for the school talent show. I remember doing handsprings in front of my music class, making it up as I went along. After the
. audition, my teacher took me aside. "Megan," he said, "I think your dance was alright,
but we can't accept you into the talent show, because 'Like A Virgin' is not an appropriate
song." I didn't even know what a virgin was at that point, but I suppose he was right. I
continued with piano lessons until practicing and playing recitals stopped being fun. As
a last-ditch attempt to keep me interested, my teacher promised to assign me a pop song.
She chose Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of AU." I quit within a few weeks.
My mom said I'd never play again, and for years she was right. It wasn't until I moved to
Vancouver and went to my first D.I.Y: show that I realized that those piano lessons had an
application outside of a recital theatre. Now, when I think about the grown-up version of
myself I'd pictured as a kid, it makes me happy I wasn't too far off.
8 Julaugust 2008
In the summer of 1988,1 was a thirteen-year-old tomboy nerd, just about to enter the
gates of heU some people refer to as high school. Lucky for me, the album that was about
to change my life for good had just come out, and thanks to a hopeless crush on a cute
drummer in my class, I discovered Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction, a.k.a. the
Most Beloved Rock Sleaze Album Ever. Being the young, impressionable and obsessive
girl that I was, I immediately waU-papered my waUs with glossies of Axl, Slash, Duff,
Izzy and Steve in a myriad of drunken, sloppy poses.Their bandanas, ripped jeans and
leather jackets became my wardrobe. Their bottles of Jack became my drink of choice.
Most importantly, their music became the soundtrack to my teenage life.
Now I'U be the first to agree that Axl Rose is a world-class asshole. We've all heard
about the wife abuse and the racist and homophobic remarks and the megalomania. But
back then, he was my world. How I managed to survive as a strong, independent woman
I'U never know. What I do know is that for about three years I listened to that album
at least once a day. I stiU have the original cassette tape that I bought at the mall that
summer with my allowance. The ink has rubbed off, but the tape still plays flawles|ly.
Say what you will about the offensive lyrics, rip-off guitar licks and out-of-date hair
metal images, that debut album is one of the most solid, focused and potent punches in
the face the music industry has ever received. There were many moments in my life that
influenced me to listen to and appreciate music or to pick up an instrument and maybe
take a lesson or two. But that album made me want to master the drums, hop in a van
with the boys (or girls, as it turned out to be) and sweat my face off every night on stage.
I would probably be a doctor or lawyer or something else inteUectually stimulating and
financiaUy lucrative, wearing khakis and feeding little Timmy his last spoonful of mashed
carrots, but instead, I have tattoos, drive a work van and play rock 'n' roU music. Sometime during my teens I reaUy got into '90s "mod," with Fred Perry shirts and Brit
Pop music. I dyed my hair black and wore only vintage clothes from the '60s and heavy,
black Uquid eyeUner. My best friend Karin and I spent countless hours in North Van
getting dressed up, taking pictures and planning for aU the cool shit we were going to do
once we moved away from our parents. She was the best artist in our high school and had
an obvious future in photography. She already had a thing that made her cool and interesting at parties. I thought I was boring next to her. I felt Uke I needed a "thing."
I started saving money for a Vespa. I thought I could join an Italian scooter gang. Not a
gang of Italian people who ride scooters; a bunch of reaUy, stylish people who ride Italian
scooters. Maybe some of them could also be Italian. Anyways, that part doesn't matter.
The important thing is that we would all look amazing and '60s. My dad didn't find the
idea quite so romantic. He was convinced that the combination of me and a motorized
vehicle equalled certain death (in his defence, he was probably right). After some dramatic
arguing and graphic descriptions of motorcycle accidents, he forbade me.
Since I had already saved some money from my job at Fanny's Fabrics, I decided to buy
a bass guitar. Karin's dad was a guitar player and he had recently been trying to teach us
some riffs. He gave me some key advice about guitar brands and models. The guy at the
music store gave me my first lesson. I learned "Alright" by Supergrass and "WonderwaU"
by Oasis. My parents have always been very supportive of this endeavour because I haven't
died. True story. V
With a nod to synchronicity, Canadian Tuxedo hits the streets July 8th.
Vancougar's CD release party is on Friday, July 11th at the. Biltmore Cabaret.
Fetish vendors / decorations / visuals / photo booth
2 rooms of DJs & dancing plus the play dungeon
AJI parties hosted by Mr. Dark with resident Dis
Pandemonium, Betti Forde, R-Lex, Pyxis, Rhiannon,
Craig Allan & guestsi 23 West Cordova / 9pm-3am
^rszr&Bsa,
__mmmmm_m_vm
Sim Qy celebrates men loving won*
men lowng men and womenlaving
©EWEftRLENOER
GosSr-oressng h*ghiy encouraged - ptum> for best" costenesi!
RICT FETISH DRESS CODE;
AT ALL PARTIES. NO EFFORT = NO ENTRY!
Dresis code suggestions, online ticket purchasing,
photo galleries and outrageous videos from
1^^ **" previous parties at : §1
WWW.SINCITYFEriSHIII0HT.COM
Discorder 9
i -3L
PACKING IT IN
it
The Pack A.D, on touring, toilets,
dhd the concept behind their
sophomore release
*
MEUSSA SMITH
anovich Listening to the recording of my interview
with the Pack A.D., I am amazed at the
amount of laughter I heard. Here are two
women with reputations as hard-living, drink-
swfHing, hell-raisers, and yet the playback
sounds more like a chat amongst friends.
Singer and guitarist Becky Black, who is initially
~4fao^ghv8*membaBLjpfthe duDrplJ^3uS^e^4Prl?g
a bit more raucous than band/best mate
Maya Miller, drummer and chief organizer for
the group. While I suspect there is some truth
to those rumours of their hard-living ways, like
true professionals they underplay theiroffstage
antics and choose to discuss their new album
and recently completed UKtour-their first.
It is an exciting time for the Pack A.D. They
have a new website and are releasing their
second album Funeral Mixtape, on August
12th. Their first effort, Tintype, has been lavishly
praised by both fans-chef reviewers alike, and
their live sho^filways promise a good time.
Worryindp,^^^6mmon occurrence for the
Pack A?lyp©th here and stateside are the
backhanGled compliments they receive for
^^r^^^i such a great ^rTO^~desprte«feeing
female. They hear, "I thoughfcyou were going
Oto suck because you're both girls but you were
actually really good," frequently enough that
flfilsp^e no longer surprised that this senti-
|ptj|nt is mean! *& ar) acc°lade. When4T<i£k;
fpt||trif the band em^fejtered the same;©?**
ijjpilpjpngratulations on their recent UK tou|^he:
|||i|)firms my suspicions that this tsMrideed a
jlfpa^Ameiican experienced^
^^^^^Jnight expe^^^tiSce»\,wg®^Q.
^^^^ptSund chattihg*over afternoon coffee,
talk^oon turns to excrement. While staying^-
a friena3=fhd fellow musician's flat fin Brighton,
the only toilet in the place got blocked. It was
a full hej&le and there wasn't a plunger to be
found. What to do? Well if you're BeckyBtock,
my hands in and fixed it." When confronted by
^^incredulous stare, Maya^te*$$^t"e toilet
|||p®&'f worklr^oind I was hoping, and H§§j8>ty*
|fffil^&n^y that soonej&safifctfer Becky "wbujd
fix it because she likes a. challenge."
^pR^lopIc" "^ntihuesOwtfn convers^^&K-
a^gompasgjr^y^^^Eg" Vancou^F"',^^^s>
«^pfeh^"std^S^^^^itte pooi^^fe^ky
fffiiagLon tour NA^^^^g^which artists trg^^^
|gb®J centres, decorating ^d tt>£|i§9p||§
Ogjipphing offerings of the#feca^^^^^^
notable mention: poo with,s^^^e^^^^K^
^h^glphones and—the undisputed i^^^^^m.
^§ftangers orvxtTrain," whicfyleatu^^^e^
standing in for a train caLgspgit of a re^^^-
set. Now that's definitely one thing you v^ln%
%iJ^lke ^ftftfr^bands who bemoan the
, b^Sdom of tour|ng, the Pack A.D. are very
^p^^^^andi'>i3s^tenot perusing scatologi-
J ^^^^teratuceidgJt^^ir travel downtime to
Ǥap&~ use. I^^^l^tjust -finished a horror/
comedy screeM^^^ut killer squirrels that
will contain g^l^fe in which the band plays,
should the film reach the production stage.
Becky draws and composes haikus, the
following composed at 4 am., after a show
in Nottingham: "If y^jjBse your mind/And it's
lljipWhere to be foun^Su<jqri'borrow mine."
l^S#*en I commenWhat their sophomore
effort seems a bit mellower, Maya explains.
r.o
"The luxury of c^fep^i^lbwro'iS-.if^i^^^?^
able to put pna few mellower-|or{gs. whtesn-'
we probably wj^ferv't pla^jfi^,J~?^e?|pe£pie
come out they^^Ktj^anf^h^^thg^/ %
This sentimeiO^evideQced by fhefr reC&&-
show at the Aspi Qub,,^.§>mptele'witih5:8t^^'
divers and rn^ffip^wrji^^a bit une^Se^^
for a blues ba^id,* even .age ctH^vspnrafSs
elements of garage jpck Buttry,e to their
image, the Pack A D played an, 'looking cool
as can be while chaos surrc^r^^o^n^^^^
was, at times, literally inches away.
The band is still touring Tintype but is looking
release-atrRtchard's on Richards on August I
„,Tj&thr Becky states, "Some of the old material I
is starting to feel a bit stale. We can't wait to 1
play our new songs but we have been saving 1
them for the release party. Most of our new 1
songs ft^^^^ferbeen played live before." I
%to^a^ke£tTO^Caricept albums »of the '60s I
and VO^f^^era/ Mixtape is built around a |
thematic centre, which arose from a convert 1
- satlon be$s£e®rr the- tVseoofriends aj^^what I
sort of mtlslethey would want playe5f"^f^^^^
;"i^i\June^te. "What they fe^^agreed on is 1
^ftdtr*they wanted--their transition to be "Joyful, I
rather than* a sad affair.
The interview comes to a conclusion when a I
honey-vo*6ed, dreadlocked musician sets up '?r^__\
Leonarg^phen's "Hallelujah." This unexpected I
event (j^qulte fitting, as it«|^rsonifies the 1
Pack A.D. and their approach to music; th%i§l
tisstfOfking of an*o0 favorite,jtb@. cdiscongruity I
between expectations and appearance, and I
ito"iact that you go through life feeling a bit jnj
.^ett^Just for having heard it. «K.
TRIIfBS 70U MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT TBf PACE A.D.
'--TfePack A.D, derived-from a 4 pfece with 2.
ri|gs§e members-^hal^lj^^
.gS^fifBer.. "JJ
Becky and Maya are collaborating On a comic
.- book whidh features some of their foerfes^asO
^SifF' Mixtape will be released on black vinyl
asjj^^^iljnot a fan of coloured vinyl.
M^y^ra^currentiy obsessed with the word
rjpuilpp^qs in a hgj^ p;f gold, not broth)
^^JjfP^^^^ri^he word into conversatjpbs,.-
^^I^ever possible. 1
The Pack A.D. once played a show at a
.bowling alley in Kamloops. At the end of the
night, their bar.tab was higher than what they
were paid, j
Becky and Maya fantasized about mailing-
one critic poo (minus the sprinkles I'm sure). It was my attempt at having a RZA, Wu-Tang
moment," says Nick Krgovich. "But it's more Sade
and-Mary J. BUge than Wu-Tang."
Nick's referring to "Bluster in the Air." It's one of
the highlights of Come Into My House, the first album
by No Kids, has new band with keyboardist JuUa
Chirka and drummer Justin Kellam. Not that the
band members are new to each other.
Julia, Justin and Nick were three quarters of local
pop darlings P:ano. When the fourth member, Larissa
Loyva left the band (she now performs as KeUarissa),
the remaining members decided to change directions.
"Larissa and I started [Piaoejwhen I was in high
school," says Nick, "and the idea of being in the band
you started in high school for the rest of your Ufe was
such a hum out that I reaUy needed to take a minute
and think about what we wanted to do. It felt Uke it
was time to start again."
Nick took the name No Kids from a dormant band
he had formed with Stefan UdeU (ex-Beans). "Sitting
around thinking up band names is one of the worst
things on earth," he says, "I thought this one was
good, and it was just sitting there."
With a grant from the Canada CouncU, No Kids
recorded the album at Vancouver's Hive Studio, For
those famiUar with the baroque pop melodies of P:ano,
the Wu-Tang comparisons may come as a surprise.
WhUe some of Come Into My House's songs would
be at home on a P:ano album, the band has pushed
themselves to new places. This includes using sequencers, electronic-sounding drums (which, Justin is
quick to point out, is actuaUy "heavUy-treatedacQUS'-
tic drums... wry gated, Cindy Lauper-esque") and an
embrace of R&B, particularly on "Bluster" and the
incredible "Tne Beaches AU Closed."
"['Beaches'] was the last song that we recorded for
therecord and it was me being, 'Okay, we have to fully
look head-on at aU of the R&B inclinations we've had
and not dance around it, just do it,'" says Nick, an
avowed fan of Sade and early Janet Jackson. "And we
wouldn't have been able to make that song had we not
made the 11 songs that preceded.it. We wouldn't have
known how to arrive thereO
Come Into A_fy House was released this past February
by the formidable German label Tomlab. When asked
why they chose a label in Europe, the band was unanimous: Jan Lankisch, Tomlab's co-owner and its head of
art direction.
"When P:ano was looking for a label for Brigadoon,
I think we sent them a copy," says Nick "Jan reaUy liked
them. We became friends." Of Tomlab, Nick says: They're
totally amazing people. They put out really good records,
and they put a lot of care and attention into the packaging."
Tnis is evident with a look at Come Into My House.
Nick's "perfect cajWK^ fer the album was an Alex Katz
painting from the 1960s. Through a stroke of luck, the
Jablonka Galerie in Cologne—-Tomlab's hometown—
held the rights to the painting and the label was able to
Ucense "Ives Field #1 (1964)." ,
"Tne fee wasn't outrageous. To me, it's my favourite
thing about the album, the cover," says Nick.
Tne album has garnered a lot of attention, as has No
Kids' Uve show. "Unlike with P:ano," says Justin, "for the
first time people have been coming to us and saying, 'Do
you want to go do this [show or tour]?"
No Kids recently returned from a successful European
tour with Mt. Eerie and, earlier this year, they toured with
"one of the best band in the universe,^ the Dirty Projectors.
"It was quite eye-opening" says Justin. "We did [our
first] three or four shows at SXSW, and it was Uke watching three cats with broken legs try to catch a mouse...
Within two shows of playing with the Dirty Projectors
everything got super tight."
They've even started to dance onstage.. "Jan from
Tomlab says Julia has rasta moves," Nick says. "I do,"
admits JuUa with a laugh. "It's so natural though. It's just
what I do."
No Kids wiU be in Vancouver for the summer, working
their non-musical jobs. Tney plan to play some shows in
town in the early faU (a planned show this spring was
canceUed) and then head back out on tour, j)
N«KI»S
The members of No Kids have
other bands to look after, too.
Justin's band Duplex is header*
It
(
»cora a Duncn
5igi, a Vancou
or new
ver '60s,
songs
Wall-
of
1
-Sound
hey all
-style si
play in
ipergroup tha
will have an
("Says Axl Rose," jokes Justin).
On top of that, Julia and Nick's
To Bad Catholics, who were
on tour with Casiotone for the
Painfully Alone last fall, have an
album in the can that Scratch
Records will distribute as soon
as Nick gives them copies.
li
13 Julaugust 2008 Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
PACFIG PICKIN'
BBC
BBC
BBC
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SUBURBAN JUNGLE
END OF THE WORLD NEWS
.FILL-IN
THE SATURDAY EDGE
GIVE 'EM THE BOOT
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FILLIN
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SKA-T'S SCENIC DRIVE
ANOIZE
MORNING AFTER SHOW
DUNCAN'S DONUTS
THESE ARE THE BREAKS ■
GENERATION'ANNIHILATION J
RUIN
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WE ALL FALL DOWN
THE BROADCAST
POWERCHORD-
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DEMOCRACY NOW
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PROJE<33?&5
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LIVE FROM THUNDERBIRD:
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CAUGHT IN THE RED
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1 LIKE THE SCRIBBLES
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CITR RE-BROADCAST
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Experimental, radio-art,-sound ci
field recordings, etc.
Recommended for the insane.
UVE FROM THUNDERBIRD
RADIO HELL
(Live Music) 9-11pm
Featuring live band(s) every week
performing in the comfort of the CiTR
' Lounge. Most are from Vancouver,'
but sometimes bands from across the
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BBC11:30pm-1:30am
■H^H FRIDAY
FILL-IN (Eclectic) 8-9am
S¥NCHRONICITY9-10pm
Join host Marie B and discuss spirituality, health and feeling good. Tune in
and tap in to good vibrations that help
you remember why you're here: to have
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SKA-TS SCENIC DRIVE (Ska)
10am-12pm
Canada's longest running Ska radio
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THESE ARE THE BREAKS (Hip Hop)
12-1pm
Top notch crate digger DJ Avi Shack
mixes underground hip hop, old
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beatstreet@telus.net
THE BROADCAST 1-2pm
Betti Forde has been a pro DJ for over
• a decade. She's deejayed throughout
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Broadcast, showcasing women in
RADIO ZERO (Eclectic) 2-3:30pm
We play an international mix, pf
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Join Nardwuar the Human Serviette for an
hour and a half of Clam Chowder flavoured
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NEWS 101 (Talk) 5-6pm
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RAINBOW GROOVE (Dance/Electronic)
9-1u:30pm
Getting you in the mood for the weekend,
DJ BFAD presents a kaleidoscope of funky-
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SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER
(Soul/R'n'B) 10:30-12am
The finest in classic soul and rhythm & blues
from the late '50s to the early 70s, including
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12-2am
Beats mixed with audio from old films and clips from
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__________ SATURDAY
THE SATURDAY EDGE (Roots)
8am-12pm
Now in its 22nd year on CiTR, the Saturday edge is a personal guide to world
& roots music—with African, Latin
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followed by Celtic, blues, songwriters,
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steveedge3@mac.com •• -f*
GENERATION ANNIHILATION
(Punk) 12-1 pm
A fine mix of streetpunk and old scjiool
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POWER CHORD (Metal) 1-3pm
Vancouver's longest running metal show
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then you'll like Power Chord. Sonic as
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CODE BLUE (Roots) 3-5pm
From backwoods delta tow-down slide to
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with your hosts Jim, Andy and Paul.
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THE LEO RAMIREZ SHOW (World)
5-6pm
The best of mix of Latin American music.
NASHAVOLNA (World) 6-7pm
News, arts, entertainment and music for
the Russian community, local and abroad.
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SHADOW JUGGLERS
(Dance/Electronic) 7-9pm
This edectic show welcomes you to
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SYNAPTIC SANDWICH
(Dance/Electronic/Eclectic)
9-11pm
Every show is full of electro bleeps,
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you lite everything from electro/techno/
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show for you!
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BEATS FROM THE BASEMENT
(HipHop)11pm-1am '
Hosted by J-Boogie and Joelboy,
promising listeners the latest tracks,
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current events, and the special features
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importantly listeners can expect to be
entertained... church.
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SU
6
Harrison Festival of the Arts © Harrison, BC
Parlor Mob © The Media Club
7
Kode9 © Richard's on Ric
13
Sarah Evans © MMMF
14
Newton Faulkner @ The f
20
Hayley Sales ©VFMF
Jully Black @ Surrey Fusion Festival
21
The Modelos w/ Jim Ma2
Club
27
Nicole Atkins ©The Plaza
Erica Mah w/ Shera Kelly @ The Backstage
Lounge
28
Open Mic Night© The &
Rapture Resurrection © The Commodore
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Gypsy Kings @ River Rock Show Theatre
Richard's oh Richards
Open Mic Night ©The A
Crue Fest ©GM Place
Joshua, Radin w/ Erin Mr.
© The Biltmore Cabaret
Summer Slaughter Tour < rt
£QQa
St/l«
toMtaf w^m^m ttw#&fjmm wMti^m
Bill Weeds Sextet w/ Joanni Taylor © The
Cellar Jazz Club
Sarah McLaughlin w/ Cindy Lauper © Deer
Lake Park
Ashes Divide © Richard's on Richards
George Michael @ GM Place
Mystery Point © Big Star Cabaret
Vancougar w/ DJ Bryce Dunn @ The
Biltmore
Bacchus w/ Floating Goat © Funhouse,
Seattle
My Dearest Friends w/ Matthew Mei ©
The Media Club
10
Merritt Mountain Music Festival © Merritt,
TiC
Eric's Trip © The Plaza
Vancouver Island Musicfest @ Courtney, B
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12
Stevie WondeY © GM Place
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tjl Scarlett © The Cornwall
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Sylvie ©The Media Club .
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The Cadaver Dgos © Tha BiltnweO"''
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lira
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Welcome to St Tropez! Playing underrated
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Rhythmsindia features a wide range of
music from India, including popular music
from the 1930s to the present Ghazals
and Bhajans, Qawwalis, pop, and regional
language numbers.
ALL AWESOME IN YOUR EARS8-9pm
. MONDO TRASHO (Eclectic)
9-10pm
The one and the only Mondo Trasho with
Maxwell Maxwell—don't miss it!
TRANCENDANCE (Dance)
10pm-12am
Join us in practicing the ancient art of
rising above common ideas as your host
DJ Smiley Mike lays down the latest
trance cuts.
trancendance@hotmail.com
SUNDIAL FLOODLIGHT (Eclectic) 12-2am
Dedicated to all things drone.
SOME SOUND (Indie Rock) 6-7:30pm
RADIO FREE GAK (Indie rock)
7:30-9pm
THE JAZZ SHOW (Jazz) 9pm-12am
Vancouver's longest running prime-time
Jazz program. Hosted by the ever-suave
Gavin Walker.
Features at 11pm.
July 7: 'Social Call' is the title track from
a latter-day classic with Monk's ex-tenor
saxophonist Charlie Rouse and ex-Charlie
■ MONDAY
BREAKFAST WITH THE BROWNS
(Eclectic) 8-11am
Your favourite Brown-sters, James and
Peter, offer a savoury blend of the familiar
and exotic in a blend of aural delights!
hreakfastwitiithebrowns@hotmail.com
GROUND CONTROL (Eclectic)
11-12pm
Fun and independent music supported by
a conversational monologue of information, opinion and anecdote focusing on
the here, the now, and the next week.
ALTERNATIVE RADIO (Talk) 12-1pm
Hosted by David Barsamian.
PARTS UNKNOWN (Pop) 1-3pm
Parts Unknown, an indie pop show that
has been on CiTR since 1999, is like a
marshmallow sandwich: soft and sweet
and best enjoyed when poked with a
stick and held close to a fire.
LETS GET BAKED (Talk) 34pm
Vegan baking with "rock stars" like Laura
Peek, The Food Jammers, Knock Knock
Ginger, The Superfantastics and more.
THE RIB (ECLECTIC) 4-5pm
Explore tha avant garde world of
music with host Robyn Jacob on
Tha Rib. From now electronic and
experimental music to improvised
jazz and now classical! So weird it
could blow your mind!
NEWS 101 (News/talk) 5-5:30pm
Vancouver's only live, volunteer-produced student and community newscast
Every week, we take a look back at the
week's local, national and international
news, as seen from a fully independent
media perspective.
CAREER FAST TRACK (Talk) 5:30-6-
July 14: 'Dizzy Gillespie and The
Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra under
the direction of Gil Fuller' explains it all.
July 21: Tonight we present "Pilgrimage" in tribute to the passing of one of
the great voices of the tenor saxophone,
Michael Breaker.
July 28: 'Pianist Ahmad Jamal is in
.tonights spotlight with his 'classic' trig
recorded live at the Pershing Lounge in
Chicago in January 1958.
August 4: Tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan posesses one of the most distinctive
sounds of any of his peers. "Bearcat" is
a very personal statement -
August 11: Pepper Adams makes this
live date from 'Pat Tuesday's" in New
Yoric special. "Conjuration" is another
latter-day Jazz masterpiece.
August 18:The issuance of trumpeter
Louis Smith's two Blue Note albums
makes one realize what a giant this man
August 25: Composer/pianist Cada
Bley's music is always fresh, funny and
' original.
■■■■ TUESDAY
VENGEANCE IS MINE (Punk)12-2am
Going on 8 years strong, this is your
home for all the best the world of punk
rock has to offer.
PACIFIC PICKIN' (Roots) 6-8am
Bluegrass, old-time music, and its derivatives with Arthur and the lovely Andrea
Berman.
pacificpickin@yahco.com
GIVE 'EM THE BOOT (World) 8-9:30am
Sample the various flavours of Italian
folk music. Una programma bilingue
che esplora il mondo della musica folk
italiana.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM (Rock)
9:30-11:30am
Open your ears and prepare for a shock!
A harmless note may make you a fan!
Deadlier than the most dangerous criminal!
borninsixtynine@hotmall.com
MORNING AFTER SHOW
(Eclectic) 11:30am-1 pm
An eclectic mix of indie with rock, experimental, world, reggae, ounk and ska
from Canada, Latin America and Europe.
Local bands play live on the Morning After Sessions.
LAUGH TRACKS (Talk) 1 2pm
Laugh Tracks is a show about comedy.
Kliph Nesteroff from the'zine Generation Exploitation, hosts.
generationexploit@yahoo.com
musicalboot@yahoo.ca
REEL TO REAL (Talk) 2:30-3pm
Movie reviews and criticism.
NATIVE SOLIDARITY NEWS (Talk) 3-4pm
A national radio service and part of an -
international network of information and
action in support of indigenous peoples'
survival and dignity.
WINGS (Talk) 4-4:30pm
WENER'S BARBEQUE (Sports)
4:30-6pm
Tune in each week to hear Daryl Wener
talk about tiie worid of sports. Ill discuss
everything from the Vancouver Canucks
to the World Rock Paper Scissors Championship. ethanwener@hotmail.com
FLEX YOUR HEAD (Hardcore) 6-8pm
Punk rock and hardcore since 1989. Bands
and guests from around the world.
SALARIO MINIMO (World) 8-1 Opm
The best rock in Spanish show in Canada since 2000. None of that tropical
stuff here. No aceptes imitacionesl
salariominimo@yahoo.com
CAUGHT IN THE RED (Rock)
10pm-12am
Trawling the trash heap of over SO years'
worth of rock n' roll debris. Dig it!
AURAL TENTACLES (Eclectic) 12-6am
It could be, global, trance, spoken word,
rock, tha unusual and the weird, or it
could be something different Hosted by
DJ Pierre.
auraltentacles@hotmail.com
CiTR
101.9FM
*>_
CD
5
3
S
.co
CiTR
101.9FM
6am
Sunder
/ Monda
V
BBC
7am
Sam
9am
10am
11am
12^m
lpm
2pm
Spm
4pm
5pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
9pm
10pm
11pm
12am
lam
2am
Sam
4am
5am
BBC
BREAKFAST
WITH
THE BROWNS
TANA RADD
SHOOKSHOOKTA
KOLNODEDi
GROUND CONTROL
THE ROCKERS
1 SHOW-
ALTERNATIVE RADIO
PARTS UNKNOWN
BLOOD ON
THE SADDLE
SHAMELESS
LET'S GET BAKED
THE RIB
—
- CHIPS WITH
EVERYYTHINO
SAINT TROPEZ
NEWS 101
CAREER FAST TRACK
QUEERfM ■
SOME SOUND
RADIO RADIO
RADIO FREE GAK
RHYTHMSINDA
All AWESOME
■ MONDO TRASHO
THE JAZZ SHOW
. TRANCENDANCE
VENGEANCE IS MINE
SUNDIAL FLOODLIGHT
CITR RE-BROADCAST
CITR RE-BROADCAST
I WEDNESDAY
SUBURBAN JUNGLE (Eclectic)
8-1 Oam
Live from the Jungle Room in his Top
Secret Eco-Pod complex high in the
Cascade Mountains, join radio host
Jack Velvet for an eclectic mix of music,
sound bites, information and inanity.
Not to be missed!
dj@jackvelvet.net
POP ROCKS 10-11:30am
ANOIZE (Noise) 11:30am-1 pm
An hour arid a half of avant rock, noize,
plunderphonic, psychedelic, and outsider aspects of audio. An experience
for those who want to be educated and
EARitated.
lukemeat@hotmail.com
THE GREEN MAJORITY (Talk) 1-2pm
DEMOCRACY NOW (Talk) 2 3pm
RUMBLETONE RADIO A GO GO
(Rock)3-5pm
Primitive, funed-out garage mayhem I
CANADIAN VOICES (Talk) 5:30-6:30pm
ANO SOMETIMES WHY (Pop/Eclectic) 6:30-8pm
First Wednesday of every month.
Alternates with:
SAMSQUANTCHS HIDEAWAY
(Eclectic) 6:30-8pm
All-Canadian music with a focus on
indie-rock/pop.
_anitabindei@hotmail.com
FOLK OASIS (Roots) 8-1 Opm
Two hours of eclectic folk/roots music,
with a big emphasis on our local scene.
C'mon in! A kumbaya-free zone since
JUICEBOX (Talk) 10-11PM
Developing sexual health,, expressing
diversity, celebrating queemess, and encouraging pleasure at all stages.
www.juiceboxradio.com
HANSKLOSS-llpm-lam
This is pretty much the best thing on radio.
__________ THURSDAY
END OFTHE WORLD NEWS (Talk)
8-10am .
SWEET AND HOT (Jazz) 10-12pm
Sweet dance music and hot jazz from the
1920s, 30s and 40s.
DUNCAN'S DONUTS (Eclectic)
12-1 pm
Sweet treats from the pop underground,
Hosted by Duncan, sponsored by donuts.
http://duncansdonutelwoFdpress.com
WE Ali FALL DOWN (Eclectic) 1 -2pm
Punk rock, indie pop, and whatever else I
deem worthy. Hosted by a closet nerd.
www.weallfalldowncitr.blogspot.ca -
INK STUDS (Talk) 2-3pm
Ink Studs focusses on underground and
' indie comix from publishers like Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, Drawn and Quarterly
and more. Each week, we interview a
different creator to get their unique perspective on comix and discuss their own
interesting and upcoming works..
CRIMES & TREASONS (Hip Hop)
3-5pm
crimesandtreasons@gmail.com
MY SCIENCE PROJECT (Talk) 5-6pm
Zoom a little zoom on the My Science
Project rocket ship, piloted by your host,
Julia, as we navigate eccentric, underexposed, always relevant and plainly
cool scientific research, technology, and
poetry (submissions welcome), myscien-
ceprojectradio@yahoo.ca
Alternates with:
PEDAL REVOLUTIONARY (Talk)
5-6pm
pedalrevolutionary@gmail.com
STEREOSCOPIC REDOUBT (Rock)
6-7:30pm
Psychadelic, acid punk, freakbeat, prog
and other grotesque and socially relevant artifacts from 1965 to today, with
a particular emphasis on Vancouver's
freak flag with pride.
EXQUISITE CORPSE (Experimental)
7J0-9pm .-JJUJ.
Dusty" DougSmith, 43-year-old Vancouverite and
bass player for Cadaver Dogs, is more than happy
to wax breathlessly about the endless string of
bands that have changed his life over the years, and to
reflect on the ironic, demented, offspring of punk—a
loose underground of which his own band is a bona
fide member. But aren't they a country band?
"We are like the redhead bastard step-children of
the roots band," Smith quips, only partially joking. .
Indeed, the Cadaver Dogs' brand of country music
is far from pure. Chi^f songwriter Mike Q is a keen
fan of early punk, as is Smith, who remembers the
very first wave of the movement (he opened for the
Dead Kennedys and saw Bad Brains live—all before
many readers were even born). With a drummer that
loves prog-rock and metal to boot, the band's sound
is intrinsically hard-edged, more reminiscent of the
Replacements or the Ramones than Hank Williams.
"We can kind of do both," clarifies Smith, using
their new album, Pariah Social, as a case in point.
"Dirty Jokes" is a nice little waltz. "Touch Me Behind
the Liquor Store" is a bossa nova.
"But then, on the other hand," says Smith, "we've
got songs like 'O Waitress'—knuckle-dragging,
Neanderthal-like, two chords, solo, solo, solo... There
are 13 guitar tracks on that song."
Tne genre-jumping, cow-punk flavour also stems
from the polar opposite tastes within the band, whose
line-up has undergone several mutations since its birth
in 2001. Tne band has now settled on something that
is eclectic, yet works well.
"Tne cool thing about the Cadaver Dogs—and
I think this is what makes us the kind of band we
are—is that it's four completely different musical tastes.
There are a few crossovers. It's funnj^ we all probably
Uke the Wb% Ac Ramones, Devo..." The addition of
a "pounding" drummer and a highly studious second
guitarist has also helped to take things to a "different
level," as Smith puts it.
"It can evolve into anything. We can play 'Pistol
Packin' Mama,' we can play 'Teenage Head' by the
Flamin' Groovies, or we tan play the Jesus and Mary
Chain. Are we gonna pky it exactly like the Jesus and
Mary Chain? No, we're probably gonna play it Uke the
Stooges."
In terms of their own material, "We write from what
we Uve and what we have lived," Smith points onfe
"We're a little bit older, we've been around." Despite
their punk immediacy and boozy connotations, underneath their open chords and Mike O's sincere croon,
there's an eccentricity—a dry, playful defeatism that
keeps the wheels turning.
"Our music is good-time music," Smith admits. "W«
don't take ourselves very seriously, right? It's over the
top, Uke, pastiche; we're making fun of everything. We
know that everything's been done."
There is one thing that hadn't quite been done before.
InitiaUy a spontaneous studio moment, it now serves
as conclusive testimony to the band's warped sense of
humour and to its love of music, too.
"There's a hidden song, the last song. It's Devo's
'Mongoloid,' but it's done like Neil Young and Crazy
Horse- Devo approved it and sent me a shirt and stickers and said they loved it... They fucking loved it."
Cadaver Dogs play the Biltmore Cabaret (395 Kingsway)
on Friday, July 25. t.
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+ THE NATIONAL
Deer Lake Park
May 23
While sprawled out on the lawn in the lush
surroundings of Deer Lake Park, mindlessly enjoying
an overpriced strawberry ice cream cone and with one
arm draped around my better-half, it suddenly dawned
on me: this has to be the least rock 'n' roU that I've been
in a long, long time. It wasn't reaUy my fault, though, as
there wasn't anything remotely rock n' roll about this late
spring concert, boasting its Uneup of adult-oriented rock
bands with sights set on aging hipsters, soccer moms,
young families and greying boomers.
Starting out the proceedings was the National, those
perennially duU (and oddly over-hyped) Brooklynites.
Tne band flaunted their wares to a few dedicated fans
at the front,, but ultimately served as a muffled soundtrack to arriving concertgoersTand those waiting in Une
for beer tickets. Modest Mouse foUowed by delivering
a set heavy on the last two albums, only once making
a brief foray into their back-catalogue with Lonesome
Crowded West's "Trucker's Atlas." The crowd gave a big "I
recognize that riff" cheer for "Float On," though most of
the grownups probably only know it from their offspring s
Kidz Bop Kids album.
As for R.E.M., let's just say that those in attendance
tonight hoping for a hit parade would have been left
fuming under their Tilly hats. However, for fans who
can't get enough of the band's latest album, Accelerate, they
would have had little to complain about since the band
played the entire record (warts and au) over the course
of the band's two-hour set. Michael Stipe seemed a little
stiff, but cordial, and gave us a coUective blush with his
glowing praise of Vancouver's beauty and hospitaUty. In
turn, he threw a few favourite oldies our way Uke "Losing
My ReUgion," "Get Up" and some surprises, such as the
20 Julaugust 2008
rarely if ever played "Ignoreland" and "Gardening at
Night" from their debut 1982 EP.
And whole it was a very controUed and reserved
evening (how could it not be with a 5:30 p.m. start?),
it couldn't have been more pleasant, which is about as
suitable as an adjective as you can find for this show.
There were no arrests, the first aid tent remained empty
and most couples probably made it home in time to catch
The National'(on CBC, that is).
Adam Simpkins
M83
Richard's on Richards
April 29
In a w$y, M83 succeeding in a live setting seems
downright impossible. Most often the group has only one
member. Their sound hinges more on production than
actual playing. The sonic output is so unbelievably huge
that Uve translation seems a challenge, to say the least.
Yet here they are, M83 on stage, in person and out to
show why Saturdays equal youth. '%i'l&g
With a sizable crowd in attendance, the French act's
clean-cut and enviably youthful Anthony Gonzalez
takes the stage, making a beeUne to a Ut-up glass box
of electronics affixed above a synthesizer. He begins
pressing down on its multitude of buttons, sending harsh,
digital sound waves over the crowd. Soon a trio of
backing players appears from the sidelines, dividing
up behind another console of synths, a guitar and a
ridiculously large drum kit surrounded by six-foot plastic
panels (presumably there for sound purposes). Then aU
four break into the song that kick-started the career of
this electronically inclined shoegaze act some five years
ago: "Run Into Flowers."
It aU makes for a wonderful start to a show, with the
band foUowing it up with a choice selection of rockers,
ravers and chiU-outs mainly from their latest effort, the
'80s/John Hughes-inspired Saturdays = Youth, and its
2005 predecessor, Before the Dawn Heals Us. And while
there are few complaints about the song selection (which
covered everything from "Graveyard Girl" to "Don't
Save Us From the Flames" to "Gone"), as expected, Uve
many of the tracks lost, rather than gained, sonic oomph.
The mix was definitely loud enough and the metal-styled
drums hit with the same kick as on record, but the aU the
blaring keyboards, electronics and guitars often merged
into one indistinguishable mess, losing many of the songs'
subtleties.
Also, Gonzalez's arsenal of Uve antics—which included
frequent use of the thumbs-up, double thumbs-up and
the peace sign—left something to be desired, to put it
poUtely. On the other hand, the band's newest addition,
vocalist/keyboard player Morgan Kibby, added a lot to
the evening, with her Kate Bush-styled voice coming
across beautifuUy and her energy seeming less awkward
and better placed than Gonzalez's. Yet by the show's
electro-fueUed close, few in the crowd seemed to mind
the obvious flaws, giving M83 an enthusiastic response
that, funnily enough, seemed to take the band a bit by
surprise.
So did M83 succeed in a Uve setting? Let's say,
for the most part, yes, but there is definite room for
improvement. j^-V ■
Brock Thiessen '^^^M
JAMIE LIDELL
Richard's on Richards
May 25
The turnout was surprisingly high for a Sunday night,
and the entire room was itching to dance. Knowing
this, soul singer Jamie LideU, criticaUy lauded as the
most recent musician responsible for bringing funk
back to the white man, adroitly bunt up anticipation by
allowing his four-piece band (guitar, drums, keyboard
and sax) to casuaUy saunter onstage before him. When
he finaUy appeared, it was Uke a landmine going off. The room erupted in cheers and UdeU went right into P fess up: In true rock critic fashion, I showed up
-"Another Day." LideU swung and swayed Uke a Motown_late and missed local openers Victoria Victoria and half
"Elvis with Buddy HoUy looks. Erdisting the crowd to™of Frog Eyes' set. Irresponsible? Fine. Reliable sources"
sing falsetto backup for "Out ofcMy System" and armed informed me that, despite a smaU but loyal contingent
■with what appeared to be a modified radar gun thatBup front, Frog Eyes' brand of sinister and ramshackle^
worked Uke a shotgun mic, he recorded beats, chants drama didn't win over most punters. What I did see
gfrom the crowd and saxophone arpeggios, and warped«did not disappoint, however: demonic doo-wop from
them into ambient PowerBook techno-pop before us. An r
improvised scat session slowly took shape, but went on for
about five minutes longer than it should have. Coming
back in on "The City" (from" the 2005 album Multiply)
didn't quite save the groove, but "Little Bit of Feel Good"
did, bringing LideU's saxophonist to centre stage playing
two saxophones at once, whUe looking uncannily Uke a
love chUd between Jesus Christ and Al Borland.
Sounding as though Marvin Gaye were 20 years
younger (and aUve, for that matter), LideU's magnetic
presence onstage had every woman in the place ogling
him with bedroom eyes, especiaUy when he took a
moment to teU some tales of dreams he'd had or how
much he loved his kid nephew. Continuing on the theme
of Gaye pride, "Green Light" may as weU have been written by Marvin himself, and the explosive finale of "Wait
for Me" ended with LideU thrashing around and losing
his glasses in one last bout of foot-stomping mania.
This was LideU's first show on his North American
tour and it can only multiply from here.
Benjamin Luk
DESTROYER
+ FROG EYES
+ VICTORIA VICTORIA
Commodore Ballroom
May31
Destroyer was my soundtrack to art school. Dan Bejar's
astute turns of phrase and candour—some say pretentious,
I say acerbic and witty—provided running commentary
on the fine art of sidestepping personas and deaUng with
the egos and affectations that an art institute can foster.
Given the looser and louder approach for Trouble in
Dreams and his pubUc persona—aloof, disdainful and a
prickly interview—I headed to the Commodore curious
to see how it would aU translate Uve.
creepy basement free of affectation and fuU of soul. Casey*
Mercer'—man, he's got a set of pipes. That is aU.
Part of the beauty of Destroyer is that Bejar's work
is a combined homage and mid-finger salute to the
artifice that is the rock spectacle: the fantasy rawk figure
is just gUtter and greasepaint or, in East Van terms, plaid
and beards. It was fitting, then, that amidst the overpriced draft, fancy Ughts, security goons and the crowd
yeUing requests, Bejar and co. eschewed note-perfect
repUcation and went Dylanesque. Think 1965, Manchester
Free Trade HaU—rock it out, crank up the nuance, trade
the delicate phrasing and croon for a caterwaul. InitiaUy
captivating (especiaUy "Rubies" and "Dark Leaves form
a'Thread"), the songs mushed into each other after a
while. Commodore shows are Uke that, though: if not at
capacity, the band competes with the large space, the
energy fizzles and you spend half the evening wishing it
were in a smaUer venue.
There were epic moments, however fleeting,
reaching Last Waltz, proportions by the end, where
Destroyer self-reflexivefy jammed the rock idiom's
pomposity to its absurd, yet logical, conclusion: some
guys on a stage playing loud. Nothing more.
Christopher Olson
Wolf Eyes
+ SICK BUILDINGS
+ THE RITA
Pat's Pub
June 11
Opening the night was local noise purveyor Sick
Buildings, who brought an innovative set of harsh
shifting electronics. Before he began, rape whistles
and alarms were distributed throughout the crowd
with accompanying instructions. Halfway through
the 10-minute set, there was a short pause foUowed
by an assault of high-pitched whistles from the
crowd. Sick BuUdings then hurtled at least a dozen
pre-sampled high-pitched whistles back at the audience
for an intense, disorientating effect, and quite possibly
marking the first time a rape whistle was used to assault
rather than protect.
Worldwide and local noise legend the Rita continued
the night's assault with a short blast of his harsh brand
of volcanic electric-crackle. For those who have not seen
the Rita in action, it's an earthshaking experience you
won't soon forget. He started off with an explosive roar
that would be akin to standing behind a fighter jet as
it revs its engines. After several brain-rattling minutes,
he reared back and slammed around a black metal box
filled with contact mics and shards of metal, emitting
an incredibly jarring and ear-damaging sound that was
as powerful as it was painful.
Ann Arbor's Wolf Eyes ended off an already intense
night with a two-part set. The first part was a 20-
minute crawl through a foggy funhouse from heU.
Droning electronics, squealing saxophone, feedback-
drenched guitar and snarled incantations cast an
ominous cloud over the speUbound audience. The
second half showed the aggressive side of Wolf Eyes,
which, unsurprisingly, got the biggest reaction from
the crowd. Arrhythmic beats that would have fit on an
Autechre album laid the backbone for most of the tracks,
meanwhile the band screamed, skronked and shredded
the crowd to bits. One fan got so excited he stage dived
into an unwUling audience and knocked himself out in
the process. But not even that could top the insanity
that dominated Pat's for almost two hours.
Mark Richardson UNDeR
Ndidi Onukwulu
THE CONTRADICTOR
(Jericho Beach Music)
Powerful and engaging, Ndidi Onukwulu's The
Contradictor is a mesmerizing record that wiU entrance
her Usteners. Her voice sounds Uke a bluesy female
version of Devendra Banhart, while stiU remaining
strangely unique and unforgettable. In 2007, Onukwulu
was the recipient of the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award,
and after Ustening to her latest album, it is obvious that
she is weU-deserving of this prize. The Contradictoropens
with the stunner, "SK Final," where Onukwulu laments,
"I'm not going to hurt over you again." Her impressive
voice further conveys her emotions, causing the music
to be that much more compelUng. The rest of the tracks
on the album are just as consistent and strong, especiaUy
"Forever SZ." AU of the songs not only showcase her
amazing talent, but also flow together to create a very
hip and contemporary blues album that wiU appeal to
both a younger and broader audience than a traditional
blues record.
Terris Schneider
The Notwist
THE DEVIL, YOU + ME llfel
(Domino Records)
Despite their woodland Bavarian roots, the Notwist's
new album, The Devil, You + Me, encompasses a huge
range of warm euphoric tones. The opening track,
"Good Lies" discusses the good Ufe in a style that
bridges the gap between the sounds of Death Cab and
Interpol, but with less hesitation and insecurity. Smooth
and deUcately crafted, the album weaves soulful string
arrangements together throughout the work, showing a
progressive movement from their original sonic metal
experimentations in the late 1980s. As the album moves
along, electronic rhythms and loops are explored, adding
tremendous musical textures and varieties, ranging from
the rhythmicaUy-charged to the famiUar and melan-
chofic. The track "Where in This World" brings Thom
Tforke's haunting voice to mind, as Markus Archer's
strained crooning gives an eerie touch to the more
introspective songs. The lyrical themes of the album are
equally profound in complexity and density, as notions
of spiritual restlessness, the decay of the material world
and other compelling existential questions are raised.
The Notwist's droning themes and dark lyrics suggest
that the band is plagued by a Prufrockian 21st century
paralysis, but the polarity of their sound provides an
optimistic edge that is countered again and again.
On the whole, The Devil, You + Me is a microcosm of
unending spiritual disparity that renews itself upon each
Ustening.
Mine Salkin
STYROFOAM
A THOUSAND WORDS
(Nettwerk)
What does this disc promise? Sounds reminiscent
of the Postal Service, a guest vocaUst from Jimmy
Eat World and the L.A. production team behind the
Backstreet Boys and Jessica Simpson. What does this
disc deUver? You know when you eat a piece of pizza and
think, "this tastes Uke styrofoam." Yeah. That.
Arne Van Petegem (who goes by the pseudonym
Styrofoam) is a self-described, "shy electronic guy afraid
of singing," who traverses his personal boundaries and
sings on aU eleven tracks of A Thousand Words. Tnis fidls
flat not because the Belgian-based performer can't carry
a tune or write compelUng lyrics (he can sort of do both),
but because every single track sounds like a variation
on the last. With inventive acts—think Hot Chip—
ingeniously mixing programmed beats and the use
of software, Van Petegem's use of bleeps and beeps
are far from original and, nine times out of ten,
downright boring. In his own words, he set out to make
"an up-tempo pop album with big choruses to sing along
to... [having] made enough sulky mid-tempo music for
' fhe rest of my Ufe." Interesting analysis, because there are
maybe two songs that don't sound sulky (ironicaUy, one
is caUed "No Happy Ending") and a dearth of up-tempo
choruses. Advice? Leave your electro playUst on Cut
Copy for the next Utde whue and wait for the next Postal
Service album.
Katie Nanton
Carpenter
LAW OF THE LAND
(Smallman Records)
Carpenter make no attempt to disguise their
influences; look no further than the "JohnCougarlsGod"
portion of the band's Myspace URL for evidence of
that. Certainly, MeUencamp's influence on the group is
undeniable, as witnessed on tracks such as "Off the
Road," with its driving guitars and anthemic "whoa-oh"
bridge. But on Law of the Land, punk and '90s indie rock
bear an equal influence on the Vancouver quartet. Singer
Dan Sioui is a veteran of the alt rock outfit AU State
Champion, and his hoUering vocals and poUtical angst
wouldn't sound out of place on aThermals album.
LyricaUy, Sioui speaks out on behalf of the land
rights of farmers and concerns himself with Utde else.
He rages against the proverbial "they" on "Six Shots,"
beUowing, "They'U buUd towers up on our home/Take
the land and then steal its soul." On "A Different Life,"
he ttYearn[s] for days/Of much simpler ways." (Fittingly,
MeUencamp shares Sioui's poUtical agenda—the
classic rocker co-founded Farm Aid with WiUie Nelson
and Neil Young in 1985.) It's an impassioned tirade
to be sure, but the narrow lyrical focus grows a Utde
wearisome over the course of the album.
Nevertheless, the musical accompaniment to Sioui's
poUtical soap-boxing is accompUshed, and Law of the
Land is an enjoyable Usten, despite its limited thematic
scope.
Alex Hudson
GHOSTKEEPER
CHILDREN OF THE GREAT
NORTHERN MUSKEG
(Saved by Radio)
Blues rock is one of the easiest musical genres to
play, and consequently, perhaps the most difficult to
play truly weU. With coundess bands churning out
indistinguishable auto-pflot blues-riffage in countless bars across the continent, it's difficult for anyone
to separate themselves from the masses. At their finest
moments, however, Calgary's Ghostkeeper manage to
do just that. The band's best songs are those in which
they push the blues rock envelope into new terrain, as
they do on "Mr. No Show," the relentlessly melodic, '60sr
infused opening track to their debut album, Children of
the GreatNorthern Muskeg. Elsewhere, "Cruisinthe Chev"
sets distorted vocals against a jarring guitar rhythm to
pleasing effect.
Unfortunately, the band doesn't sustain this level of
inventiveness throughout the entire album. Ghostkeeper
plays it safe for much of the album's middle sectionals
on "SoUd Gold," which rides a repetitive guitar Une for
almost five minutes before petering out long past its
expiration date. "The Introduction" sinularly reUes upon
predictable, ZeppeUn-pilfering sUde riffs for its too-long
instrumental passages. ThankfuUy, the group redeems
these missteps on the closing track, "The Boxes and the
Botdes," which features vocaUst Shane Ghostkeeper's
emotive voice on top of a nimble acoustic guitar Une. The
song concludes with a brief outro of unexpected vocal
cUcking, a reminder of the potential of Ghostkeeper at
their innovative best.
Alex Hudson ^»
Azeda booth
IN FLESH TONES
(Absolutely Kosher)
Being a six-piece, you'd expect a group doing crunchy,
ambient-electronic stuff Uke this to be some annoying
cacophony of digital percussion. ThankfuUy, Calgary's
Azeda Booth are austere enough not to faU into the
trap of too many cooks in the kitchen. In Flesh Tones,
the band's debut fuU-length, is fiUed with songs that sad,
going nowhere in particular, but so enchanting that you
won't even care.
There's a strange warmth to their sound,
reminiscent of Autechre's analogue dog EP7
(actuaUy, "Lobster QuadriUe" sounds Uke a trip through
the EngUsh duo's back catalogue). Acoustic instruments,
Uke guitars, stick-dicks and floor toms are used here and
there ("In Red" and "Numberguts"), but In Flesh Tones
is more synth-driven than percussive. This album is too
dreamy to be thrown under the hideous IDM banner,
yet cerebral and structured enough to be thoroughly
gripping. It has the kind of ambience that beeUnes
through your skuU, straight to the part of the brain that
makes you want to curl up and bask in the cinema in
your own head. Yeah, it's the same feeUng that Boards of
Canada gave us, but isn't it great? Listen to it once and
reaUze there's not a trace of pretense in the band's own
description of "visual/pop/ambient." It's visual without
the visuals. So if you've had enough of waking up mid-
nightmare in a cold sweat, headphone cord around your
neck, because you feU asleep to Godspeed You Black
Emperor!, look no further.
Mark Hewitt
Julaugust 2008 SAVANNAH LEIGH BAND
CITY OF GREY
(Independent)
Vancouver's Savannah Leigh Band plays a
sUghdy bluesy kind of folk rock—very smooth and
unassuming—and City of Grey is a fitting tide for this
album. On a musical level, things are straight-ahead, as
excitement'occurs rarely with hooks few and far between.
This, of course, could be part of the concept—to channel,
both lyricaUy and musicaUy, the bland loneliness that can
take hold during winter in the Pacific Northwest. The
tide song certainly succeeds in this: "I've got a broken
umbreUa and ten bucks to my name / My shoes are
second-hand and my shirt is the same /1 think I've lost
my social graces / And I have a funny way of forgetting
faces / 'Cause when the clouds roU in, you know that
they're here to stay." Leigh's not basking in depression,
just trying, as she informs us.directiy, to "discover a way
to stay sane."
Via a series of soft choruses, softer harmonies,
shakers and twists of old-school country (as weU as a
Feist-esque number, vocals Ughdy distorted and aU),
Leigh's contemplative, matter-of-fact tone reaches its
apex in 'Polygraph': "Your heart won't admit what your
cheeks cannot hide / Why continue to Ue?" Underneath
the almost too-perfect instrumentation and angeUc vocal
deUvery, it's a scathing song;—a needle in the hay of an
otherwise introspective, inoffensive record.
Mark Hewitt
PRISCILLAAHN
A Good day
(Blue Note Records) jj
PrisciUa Ahn opened her mouth and angels wept.
Some wept for joy, whue others wept in bittersweet
gratitude; happy that such melodicaUy beautiful
resonance could exist, yet saddened that they themselves
could not match the sweet stirring sounds emanating
from a mere mortal. Multi-instrumentaUst Ahn's fuU-
length debut, A Good Day, is an enchantingly naive
and hopeful record that manages to channel the spirit
of Jewel's Pieces of You, whue sounding completely like
itself. "Dream," the stand-out first track, stays with you
well after the initial Usten. With lyrics such as, "I asked
God who I'm supposed to be/The stars snuled down on
me/ God answered in silent revelry," this is a record that
sounds syrupy and saccharine in description, but upon
Ustening is engaging and sincere. Even when mining
darker subject matter, such as on "Red Cape," which
begins by recalling a plane crash, Ahn (who invokes
the sound of early Cranberries-era Delores O'Riordan
without sounding Uke a pale imitation) manages to make
her message upUfting. Her reworking of WiUie Nelson's
"Opportunity to Cry"is such a departure from the original
that it does not seem correct to refer to it as a cover,
but rather.as a reinterpretation. WhUe A Good Day may
sound Uke a record weU-suited to dreamers, it should be
required Ustening for aU of the cynics out there.
MeUssa Smith
Hank Pine & Lily Fawn
NORTH AMERICA
(Independent)
To say this band is as cool as Pck, is to remark that
BrangeUna are hoping their chUdren wiU repair their
relationship. It is so obvious it doesn't need saying, but it
is so true it can't help but be said. HaiUng from Victoria,
this is the duo's third fuU-length offering, each one
accompanied by a comic book starring their rock 'n'
roU alter-egos. Tide track "North America" is a sUghdy
more demented take on the Arcade Fire sound, whue
"Xanadu" sounds Uke Dublin's the Chalets, if they were
fronted by Andrew Eldritch of Sisters of Mercy. The
duo describe themselves as vaudeviUe rock, and their Uve
shows are highly creative and conceptual events complete
with costumes and saw playing. WhUe the imagery
serves as a complement to their theatrical sound, the
music can definitely stand on its own merit. If you
were to imagine Ustening to Boss Hogg jamming with
Polyphonic Spree while drinking Absinthe and
watching a Maya Deren film, you might come sUghdy
close to describing the exceptional, warped beauty of this
album.
MeUssa Smith
Discorder Magazine is seeking an Art Director
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
The Discorder Art Director is responsible for overseeing the layout of Discorder
on a monthly basis. This includes typesetting for the copy, commissioning all art
and photography, designing the spreads and laying out the pagination. The Art
Director will work closely with the Production Manager on all of these tasks, and
will direct volunteers to help with layout and typesetting jobs as needed. The Art
Director is required to attend Discorder meetings, and be available the last
weekend of each month for production. The Art Director is in charge of the
placement, design, and overall look of the magazine.
QUALIFICATION:
The Successful candidate will have a background in art and design, and
will be competent using Adobe Indesign CS3. Knowledge of independent
and local music, art and culture is an asset.
This is a volunteer position with a monthly honorarium of $100 per issue.
To apply, send a resume and cover letter to Brenda Grunau, CiTR Station
Manager, at citrmgr@ams.ubc.ca by August 1st, 2008.
Discorder 23 L
K^ tra
m
trapped for time and cash? Unsure whether to spend
your hard-earned paper route money and decidedly un-European vacation entidement on a quick
hoUday or kang about recovering from a series of fantastic gigs? Why not combine the two and head to a festival? Being the decidedly deUghtful bunch that we are at
Discorder, we have compUed a selection of festivals to assist
you in your escape, if only for a day or two .
&juk Ma cdldkdl^
20
Sub Pop, the label synonymous with the early-'90s
Seattle music scene, turns 20 this year, and to celebrate
20 years of seUing out, they're'haying a party.
When "Grunge" broke, it was a staffer at Sub Pop who
famously fed the New York Times a bunch of nonsense
grunge words she had made up (See: "lamestain" and
"harsh realm"). Sub Pop was the early home to Nirvana,
Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Eric's Trip. More recently,
the label has found success with the Postal Service (who
finally broke Sub Pop's sales record by moving more
albums than Nirvana's Bleach) and the BiUboard-chart-
toppin' Shins. Sub Pop was even Discorder's "Label of
the Year" in 2003.
Today, Sub Pop stiU brings the noisy (No Age, Pissed
, Jeans), but it also has bands as varied as BrazU's CSS,
Montreal's Wolf Parade and England's Go! Team. As
well, Sub Pop has become a home for comedians: Patton
Oswalt, David Cross, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry and
New Zealand's Flight of the Conchords.
AU of this history wiU be celebrated at Sub Pop's 20th
Anniversary party, happening next weekend (July 11-13)
near Seatde. Friday night's comedy showcase features
Oswalt, Cross, Mirman and Barry, and wiU be hosted by
Kristen Schaal, who co-stars on the Conchords' TV show.
Saturday and Sunday, the festivities move to
Marymoor Park in Redmond, reputedly quite lovely
and accessible via bus from downtown Seattle. Saturday's schedule includes Eric's Trip, Pissed Jeans, Fleet
Foxes, Low, Mudhoney, Scottish legends the Vaselines
(on their first North American tour!), Iron and Wine
and the Conchords;
Sunday's lineup features Kinski, France's Les Thugs,
No Age, Red Red Meat, Comets on Fire, Beachwood
Sparks and the re-united Green River. Wolf Parade wiU
finish the weekend off.
Happy birthday, Sub Pop. For more info, visit http://
www.subpop.com/sp20,
Duncan M McHugh
Julaugust 2008 Jm^JberuJnuJbkja.
jblJSH.
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If you're in the mood for a road trip, the Second
Annual Deep Blues Rim & Music Festival takes place
in Minnesota, from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20.
According to online route planner, freetrip.com, the
journey to Washington County Fairgrounds—just
east of Lake Elmo, MN—takes 25 and a half hours
of straight driving to cover the roughly 2900 km. You
could consider that time a personal chaUenge or book a
flight to MinneapoUs-Saint Paul, which is about a half
hour drive from the fairground.
Music starts at 11am each morning and finishes
at 9:30pm, after which there wiU be a screening of a
music-related film or additional performances in nearby
venues. Not content to merely offer 46 bands (including Vancouver's Pack A.D. on Sunday) over the course
of three days, Deep Blues wiU also be screening 20
music-related films in Hooley HaU, which is on the
fairgrounds but located outside of the concert area. The
last film starts at 10pm.
Attendees may bring their own meals and coolers (no
glass!) but food and beverages are also avaUable on site.
AU revenue generated from pop and water sales wiU be
donated to the Three Day Breast Cancer walk. This is a
fantastic event for anyone who loves the blues or mixed
genre bands that meld the blues with punk/garage/rock,
etc. For the film buff or music historian, it is also an
opportunity to view blues-related films and documentaries that rarely screen pubUcly. Visit deepbluesfestival.
com to view their comprehensive listing.
Advance three day passes are $75 and advance single
day tickets are $30. If avaUable, tickets can be purchased
on the day for $90 and $35 respectively.
MeUssa Smith
>*
The Green Mountain Music Festival is a one-day
festival occurring July 19, and all 12 of the featured
acts perform in an absolutely breathtaking setting at the
base of Mount Benson, on the outskirts of Nanaimo.
AU proceeds from the festival wUl go to the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Fund, and each of the bands wUl perform
out of the goodness of their own gosh-darn hearts to
benefit this worthy cause. This is the second year for
the festival, which was started and organized by James
Wood, lead singer of local rockers the Hotel Lobbyists.
James was inspired to start the festival by his fiancee
Kim Black, who was born with the disease.
Along with the Lobbyists, who wiU bring their
guaranteed-every-time brand of party-starting, mojo-
rising rock 'n' roU, the festival lineup boasts an impressively solid and exceptionaUy diverse selection of talent
from Vancouver and Vancouver Island. East Van
thrash-metal stalwarts Bison wiU deliver punishing,
powerful riffage, whue Young & Sexy wiU bring their
lovely pop melodies and layered harmonies, hot off the
recent release of their criticaUy-rimmed second album,
The Arc. Thee Manipulators wiU absolutely make your
ass shake, with a blend of R&B, punk and garage rock
that is absolutely dirty (in the best possible way). Valerie
Graham and ShUoh I^jndsey wiU each bring their
beautiful voices and honest country-folk baUads. The
island wiU be represented by Victoria's Run Chico Run
and Nanaimo's Chasing SateUites and Jon McKiel wiU
be there, aU the way from Halifax. The biU is rounded
out by a trio of Vancouver's best live acts: the Smokes,
No Horses and the Stumbler's Inn.
Tickets are only $15 in advance ($20 at the site),
and avaUable at Red Cat Records in Vancouver (4307
Main Street) and Fascinating Rhythm in Nanaimo
(51 Commercial Street). For directions to the festival,
accommodation info and to hear the bands, go to the
website: greenmountainmusicfestival.com
Dan Fumano
Camp-out music festivals have long been a staple of
the British summer: Glastonbury, Reading, et al. In its
inaugural year, the Pemberton Festival—taking place -
July 25 to 27—is part of a recent spate of North American festivals intended to re-popularize the concept this
side of the Atlantic. And if the lineup is any indication
of success, Pemberton is bound to be a bigger hit than
last year's wash-out Virgin Festival.
It's no wonder that Pemberton has designated a special
famUy campground, as the festival promises to have
something for everyone. Day one gets things underway
with Nine Inch Nails, Interpol and Metric. Day two
features monster act Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
and festival-staples My Morning Jacket. That day also
joins Canadian acts the TragicaUy Hip, Sam Roberts,
Buck 65 and locals Black Mountain. The weekend
culminates on day three with Jay-Z and Coldplay
headlining the main stage, whue Death Cab for Cutie,
2008's indie-sensation Vampire Weekend and legendary spinner DJ Shadow also add to the festivities.
Bring a tent and'nothing else (weU, maybe some
clothes), as the festival promises to be equipped with wash
stations, a general store, and a wide array of food and
drink vendors (alcohoUc and otherwise). Weekend passes
for the event are steep at $259.50, and single-day tickets ■
are proportionaUy even worse at $149.50. StiU, it might
be worth it to pawn some, valuable fanuly heirlooms; if
you're on the lookout for this year's must-see super-concert, there's no better option than Pemberton. 9
Alex Hudson
Discorder 25 CiTR's charts reflect what has been spun on
the air for 2008. Artists with stars alongside their
names (*) are from this great land o' ours. Most
of these platters can be found at finer (read:
independent) music stores across Vancouver. If
you can't find them there, give our Music Director
a shout at 604-822-8733. His name is Luke. If you
ask nicely, he'll tell you how to get them. To find
other great campus/community radio charts
check out www.earshot-online.com.
26 Julaugust 2008
Hpg«"
Title
Label
1 Vancougar*
SVarious*
Canadian Tuxedo
Mint
Emergency Room Volume One
Nomma^^
I Andy Dixon*
The Mice ofMt Career
Ache
1 Hank Pina Ani Lily Fawn
North America
TndTpendent
1 Women*
Women
RemishEye
pJote^**
"Hauie/Voftage
Independent
1 CPC Gangbangs*
Hawaiian Bibles*
CPC Gangbangs Swami
There's Good People In The C'rty
Independent
Lo
[ No Kids*
pVolf Parade*
Welcemne To My House
aiMtfZobmer
■*|i|W0O
Sub Pop
)
1 Fuad And The Feztones*
Beeramid
Ricochet Sound
Tdntana
Q
^Spiritualized
Songs In A WE
1 Pete Samples*
The Jumper Cables
Independent
■Steinski
^^v^tT^T^ZnTw^mT^^
Illegal Art
m
a The Green Hoar Band*
Hf light Of Tn| Conchords "
The Green Hour Band
Kingdom
F^glnWThe CoSSaf^
lubPoT""'
^
Q Winning*
Could We Believe In Magic?
l*y
^Kid**,sw"
Do We Earthquake
Nominal
Q Jason Anderson
The Hopeful And The Unafraid
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Mpfitatators*
Tiger Wnmj^uai/^^^
Tie Broadway
■j 1 Japandroids*
Lullabye Death Jams
Independent
)
3 1 Cancer Bats
HMDestroyier
3 I Young And Sexy*
The Arc
| Ronnie Prince Billy
Tie Down In The Light
"Crag C'rty
] 1 Mates of State
Re-Arrange Us
Barsuk
JflfDrjve ByTraclters1'^^
BfigliiWThlitiffieaffon's Dark'
TKw^rVest
M TheB-52s
Funplex
W ,|il WWII,, .i,j|—wi
Astralwerks
Arts & Crafts
jyphe Constantines*
" Kensington Heights
M The Death Set
Worldwide
Counter
"'5^T|i8ntTJirir'""'"'
Q Boris
[ 1 No Age
SubPop
Inaependi^t^
] Kwis^ilic*"~™"
[ Matmos
Matador
KSnolS*^
1 Mattress
{JJjFleet Foxes"
Reluctant
SubPop
Q||tticeman/Sun City Girls Mister Lonely Drag C'rty
BK Chico Run*
Reluctant
M Urban Surf Kings*
Independent
^SniicUnyon
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' 'Half Hurn^n^Mfjwm
H Islands*
Arms Way ^^m
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M Teenage Head With Mirl^ Ramone*
teenage Head With Marky Ramona^ •
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1 Hate
3 Carpenter*
LtJ|Univers Zero "
Law Of The Land
-StSSHman
9'ttash
Wolves And Vm^^ *
Antlcian
Mental Monkey
Jwixel Pixel
wmmmmmmmmm®mmm>m!>>iwmiH «> P." mmmww.uj*
Lefs Be Friends
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Words and photo
by Marielle Kho
Over the past 11 years, Alkaline Trio have witnessed themselves grow from their humble
beginnings as a D.I.Y. punk group into a widely received band with many more opportunities on the horizon. Discorder speaks with Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano about metaphysics
and their new record.
Ot^COfOCt?: Do you want to bilk about your new album, Agony & Irony? Who produced it?
Where did you guys record it.
~Matt: It's all done; Josh Abraham produced it, and we recorded it in a studio in the
beautiful neighborhood of Silver Lake, just outside of HoUywood. We wrote the album over
a couple years' time, but recorded it in six weeks, which, for us, was pretty quick. We're really
excited about it, and I know that bands always say that their new record is their best record,
but I think that this is our best record. We had a reaUy good time making the record. It was
a very fun and natural process. I listened to The Con by Tegan and Sara a lot, and we. did not
want to repUcate it, but I wanted for us to make a record that was just as tight and full of
character and feeUng.
As far as production goes, do you guys feel that you've expanded your sound, as far as instrumentation goes? I've noticed that as your recordings have progressed your drum sounds are getting bigger,
and guitar tracks are becoming more layered Is this new album following suit?
Dan: No, I don't think so. From awriter's standpoint, it has grown, but from a production
standpoint, we didn't go crazy with anything. We just decided that we didn't need to. We
felt Uke we had these songs that stood on their own fairly strongly. In a sense, they're almost
stripped back a bit. I think the album itself does sound bigger and more produced, though.
Heaven and hell. Do they exist? '^^^__tW
Matt: They exist right here on earth, for people. Some of us have hard lives, and we're hot
given the choice, but heaven and hell are right here, right in front of us.
Dan: I don't know how I fed about that anymore. I used to feel like I was very certain
that, when you died, your body went into the ground and that was it. But now there's a big
part of me that doesn't want to believe that that's true.
Do you find that, as you get older, you start to question thatmore?
Dan: Absolutely. But I don't think that it's because I'm getting older, I think it's because
of the things that are happening around me. You start to feel differendy about the people you
know; people that you don't want to see for the rest of eternity. It makes you'want to believe
something like that, and you start to question science, which is something that I never reaUy
did before.
Alkaline Trio's new album, Agony & Irony, was released on July 1st. The rest of this interview
was aired on the CiTR show, We AU FaU Down, and can be downloaded from www.citr.ca.
WOMEN
VOLUNTEERS
needed for our 24 Hour
Rape Crisis Line and Transition
House for battered women
For an interview, please call
604-872-8212
Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter
www.rapereliefshelterbc.ca
t
Discorder 27 RETOOL YOUR MUSICAL SELF
Zulu throws a wrench in the outsider chic.
SIGUR ROS
Me>su>i
wspilum
endalaustCD
Casting fate to the wind like
so many outworn garments, Sigur Res have hopped the fence of past expectations and sprinted headlong and heedless into the
sunkissed meadow of liberated possibilities. Inspired by
the acoustic sessions of their last album. Hehna, you
might «ay they've stripped down, and they're letting fans
see a part of Sigur Bos that was never before visible.
And I'm not Just talking about the nude bums on the
cover. For one thing, Me> su> I eyrum vi> solium
endalaust (With A Burring In Our Ears We Play
Endlessly) features the first-ever Sigur Ros song to be
sung in English. Ifs also the first album of the band's
career to be recorded outside of Iceland. Sessions)took
place in New York, London, and Havana, Cuba, and moving out of their comfort zone has helped our favourite
moody Icelanders break out of what was—admit it —
a bit of a rut. Immediate and thrilling as they've never
been before, this is perhaps Sigur Ros, finest hour.
12.98 CD
RATATAT
LP3CD
Did you know that
Ratatat's last album,
Classics, scanned over
50,000 copies in US sales
alone? Not bad for an all-
instrumental indie band. But
of course, Ratatat aren't your average instrumental
combo, and with the success of Classics, their sound is
radically expanding, like a star being bom in the heart of
a nebula. Their drum-machine-and-guitar duo format is
enriched on tn with the liberal application of warm
Wurlteer and gooey, outer-space mellotron" washes. As
their Transformers-referencing logo suggests, they've
always been into that particular species of retro kitsch
that revels in archaic visions of the future. Like
Swatched-On Bach for the 22nd century, their frothy keyboard flourishes are a classical gas, lounge music for
space-age bachelor pads. But they've got teeth, too, with
riffs as anthemic as any from the heyday of '80s pop-
metal (though I'll bet you never heard a Van Halm song
with the slide guitar and sleigh bells that Ratatat mix in).
If this is wallpaper music, think of it as an Escher-esque
pattern of interlocking devil horns held aloft. Imagine Air
meeting the Fucking Champs at an indie-dance party.
Imagine yourself getting down. AVAILABLE JULY 6™
THE ORB
Tlie Dream CD
THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE:
The Dream couldn*
more appropriate title for
what can only be called Tha
Orb's return to form after their
last album, Okie Dokey Ifs The
Orb On Kompakt, proved that
the veteran g roup can succeed on the minimal-techno
terms of today's electronic avant-garde. Tha Orb are back
. on their own terms for their new album, though, and The
Dream is exactly that a trippy, spacey, dubbed-out journey
through classic chillout, a post-rave fantasy of posittvity,
empowerment, and oddball humour that hearkens back to
the heyday of albums like UFOrb. Notably, the floating duo
has been shorn of Thomas Fehhnann; replaced by old-
time collaborator, producer and bass maverick, Martin
'Youth" Glover. And with other old shipmates like System 7
guitar wrangler, Stave Milage, on board it's no surprise
that The Dream is a return to the sample-heavy playfulness
of the band's earlier triumphs. .Yet it comes with a lighter
more danceable touch than recent offerings. Ifs undeniably nostalgic — Petersen is 48 and Youth is (ho ho) 47,
after all — but those who've taken the cosmic tour with
The Orb for the last 15 years will be more than happy to
climb aboard again.
CD 14.98
VARIOUS
YOU DONT
KNOW: NINJA
CUTS3CD
14.98 CD
WOLF PARADE
At ML Zoomer
CQ/LP
"\/ou said it was Impossi-
T ble to follow up
Marv. Obviously it is not. Any
■ great band doesn't give a shit about what they've already
done." "Who wants to make the same record twice, not
I." "This is definitely better, because ft is definitely differ;
ent and staying stagnant is the worst possible thing to
do." "Don't listen to it with those ears." "Arcade Fire did
the same thing, which was the best thing for them to
do." "Krug sounds tike Breekner, and Broekner tears a
page from Spencer "Sounds nothing like Modest
Mouse." "Their Show sold out in two seconds!!" "So, fhe
record was originally called something else, and then
they might have gotten sued... everyonesues everyone."
"This sounds noodley, is that a word?" "Have' you heard
the new Beck?" "Shut upkwe are talking aboutWMf
Parade, baby" "I don't care what the unofficial fan site
says." "Honestly, this is the best record in Canada going
— the fact that they don't have a Juno or a Polaris or a
Canadian Academy Award proves it." "I am moving to
Montreal, no wait I am not."
CD 14.98 IP 14.98 CD 14.98
You know'Ninja Tune and
everything about them and
exactly the type of music they put out and why arid ifs,
y'know, cool and everything but... Werl, you4on't. The latest Ninja Cuts is number five in a series of classic compilations which have studded Ninja's 18 years of existence.
And, like its predecessors. You Don't Know serves as a
signpost of both where the label has come from and where
ifs heading. Although there are tracks on this three CD
package dating back as far as 1998 (Mike Ladd's rare classic "Blah Blah") there are also 9 unreleased tracks (from
some of Ninja Tune's biggest acts like Mr Scruff,
Cinematic Orchestra, Coldcut and others); some from
albums which won't be released until later in the year
(John Matthias' fragile, ethereal Evermore leaps to
mind, or Pop Levi's superb, princely "Dfta Dimone"). Ifs
fair to say most of this compilation contains rare, alternate
and brand new tracks. More than anything else, what You
Don't Know shows is the breadth of Ninja's releases, the
sheer ambition and diversity of the music being put out
through the imprints of Ninja Tune, Big Dada and Counter.
3CD 18.98
THE NOTWIST
The Devil, You +
Me CD
A fter making a tremendous
/Hsplash in 2002 with their
North American breakthrough
album, toon Golden, German
band The Notwist more or less disappeared for the next six
years, aside from a brief dalliance with Themselves as
13&God. Returning with The Devil, You + Me, however,
reminds us that much of the charm of The Notwists
moody, atmospheric glitch-pop lies in their ability to conjure ttiat specific sound of absence, a dreamtight netherworld of ambiguous gestures and overcast colours. Often
compared to the Postal Service in their fusion of the familiar sounds of beart-on-sleeve indie guitar-pop with electronic elements, The Notwist s Markus Acher doesn't
share Ben Gibbard's penchant for gushing emotion or
heavy-hitting dance choruses. More subtle and muted in
his delivery and more elliptical in his lyrics, Achef s use of
dance elements also skews towards a. broken-machine aesthetic that's closer to Radiohead s fascination with the
melancholy lives of the ghosts that live in our technology,
ifs been a dark summer so fan let The Notwist be your
umbrella.
RODNEY GRAHAM
Why Look For Good Times?
CO/IP
"The man that the New York Times called "the nutty
I professor of contemporary art" has always been in
the business of asking tough questions you probably
wouldn't have asked yourself. So, why look for good
times? Maybe we should ask the mayor, tn most cities
ifs not such a hard question. Know what l,'m savin,?
Anyway, Graham's sharp wit and inquiring mind might
have ted him to pursue art full-time and rock on the side
rather than vice versa, but the man writes a fine tune.
Lyrics-minded listeners and fans of country-tinged storytellers like lee Hazlewood and the Silver Jews, take
note.
CD 12.98 LP 14.98
V/A
EMERGENCY
R00MV0L1
LP+BOOK
Vancouver's noise-punk
scene is climbing out o
the carpark and the loading dock and into your
with the release of this book and compilation—a No
New York for here-and-now Vanshitty. A joint release
between local labels Nominal Records and Grotesque
Modem (who aptly describe themselves as "a record
label devoted to releasing violent puke into the universe"), the LP features bands such as Mutators,
Defektors, Petroleum By-Products, White Lung, Vapid,
Twin Crystals, Nu Sensae, and Sick Buildings, and it
comes with a 20-page photography and art book featuring contributions from loeatartists. An historic docu-
LP+BOOK $16.98
VANCOUGAR
Canadian
Tuxedo CD
Half indie rock, half garage
rock, all girl! Vancougar
have just finished recording
their Mint debut afbuirv
Canadian Tuxedo, which starts shaking the speakers
just in time for Summer! Expect 10 catchy, riff-testic
songs to sing along to recorded at the legendary JC/DC
shack—Vancouver's oldest garage rocking console.
Megan Johnson's pulsing keyboards, Becca Stewart's
driving bass and CC Rose's urgent drumming explode
from the speakers, harkening back to the burgeoning
mid 80s scene of Venice Beach, California. Eden
Fineday belts out melodic lyrics which reflect upon the
fragility of life itself, the struggle of relationships and
remembering to live each day to the fullest. Jf this is up
your alley — cruise down our alley as the real scene is
out back! Recommended.
CD14.98
STREETLIGHT
Strange Spells CD
Qtreetlight might be Vancouver's bestrew undiscov-
Oered pop band. Mixing a variety of classic guitar jan-
glers (The Smiths, The Cure, The (Oaks, Unrest) with
the introspective but dance-friendly sensibility of New
Order, Streetlight's undeniable modernity and crisp precision earns them comparisons with hot-shit international sensations like Cut Copy and the Whitest Boy Alive
Singer/guitarist Basil Waugh has a big, romantic voice
after the fashion of Bryan Ferry or Bowie in his blue-
eyed soul phase, and the band has great range, ably
handling moody disco, heart-pounding make-out ballads, windmill-chorded rockers, and bouncy sing-alongs.
Keep your eye on these lads.
CD 12.98
TUNNEL CANARY
•JIHAD' LTD. EDITION 2LP/IIP
Formed nearly 30 years ago at the height of Vancouver BC's
early bunk scene, amidst Canadian hardcore progenitors
like O.O.A. and Sahhamans, Tunnel Canary emerged wtth a
sound more in common with fhe then still incubating UK
power electronics scene and a militant attitude/lifestyle more
in-line wit straight edge hardcore or East-Asian asceticism.
Influenced by avant-garde guitarists Fred Frith and Keith
Rowe, contempory electronic composers like Mar,
Stockhausen, and Cage, and no-wave bands like Mars and
DNA, Tunnel Canary produced a volatile and often violent mix
of pure noise, synthesizer music, free improv, and confrontational performance art. This 2LP set representsjhe definitive
Tunnel Canary document
LTD. EDITION 2LP $20.98
1LP $16.96
month and hope to buy one'of these you will be drinking your
tea out of your shoe. The lord works in strange ways and so
does July Fourth Toilet who snuck into the store and told us
about their latest biker boogie meets hogwash acid record!
The sonic technicolour adventure of Sir Robert Dayton and it
kicks ass, like old school noise. One third hard driving biker
boogie, one third faux Eastern but 10,000 miles up exploratory instros, one third wonky ballads, one hundred percent je
ne sais quoi, and zero bullshit. Balis Boogie!
LP 14.98
DIXIE'S DEATH
POOL
Scarlet Lake CD
t's project from 1991
until 2000, when he moved to
Vancouver and the dispersal of his
collaborators led him to put the band name to bed. Recording
under his own name since then, he's made his name as an
experimentalist of the subtlest and most affecting variety.
l Working with fragile scraps of pop melody and the circum-
Ijpmbient sounds of local things and spaces, he creates miniature studio epics packed with aleatoric detail and scrambled
by the technology of their production — accidents transformed into miracles. Currently a member of such electroacoustic and improvisational groups as CoUapsing Lung,
Attn: Diamond Shoppers, Spectrum Interview,
Heartwarmongering, Hi Bozo, Action Vacuum, Tbe Vertical
Narrative, and infinity Mattress, Lee has resurrected the
Dixie's Death Peel moniker for Scarlet lake, a combination
of new, old, and reconstructed tunes that offers a retrospective and a great introduction to his varied career.
CD 12.98
OTHER STWF WE LOVE OUR
itttRltwTTO:^
WHE-Object 47 CD
VARIOUS-Eccentric Soul: TheTragar& Notes Labels CO
VARIOUS- Life Beyond Mars "Bowie Covers CD
TULY AND THE WALL-060
THE BLACK ANGELS - Directions to See A Ghost LP Now!!
THE 8RUES0MES-Tyrants of Teen Trash CD
COMeCTCUT-TheyShowed Me the Secret Beaches UP
THE JOUS-Haute Voltage CD
FAUN HiBlES-A Table Forgotten" COEP M prices
STRATEGY - Music for Lamping CB m effect until
SNMUIOu^-LiesOnThePrizeCD July31,2008
ZULU ART NEWS: JULY 3-31
Savage Wall
Drawings by BitSy KJIOX
Discorder
Discorder CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) Aug 1, 2008
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