In Salient - Sept 2009
SFBH - 26 August 2009
Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry would make the coolest parents ever. Hailing from Montreal, the husband/wife duo make up electro punk act Handsome Furs, in Wellington at the SFBH for the first time as part of their tour for their latest album, ‘Face Control’. Gaining major respect before the gig had even started by setting up and soundchecking their own instruments, by the end of the show the Furs had the audience in the palm of their hand with their captivating mix of screeching guitars, hard-hitting beats, truly awesome stage presence and heartfelt performace.
With the majority of their set coming from ‘Face Control’, the Furs had no trouble finding backup vocals from an appreciative, fan-filled audience that eagerly joined in with Boeckner’s emotionally strained delivery of songs such as ‘I’m Confused’, ‘Evangeline’, ‘Legal Tender’ and ‘Radio Kaliningrad’. Equally appreciative of the enthusiastic support Boeckner and Perry repeatedly thanked the audience throughout the show, highlighting the colonial link between their home country and ours, where “we both have the Queen on our money, and nobody knows why”, while Boeckner endeared himself further to the audience with his boyhood tale of discovering New Zealand through Bailterspace and The Chills and dreaming of visiting here.
Handsome Furs’ music meshes together a number of opposites, mixing masculine and feminine, howling, emotive guitar licks with processed beats, and bare, tender verses that burst into loud, strong choruses, and their performance reflected this, managing to be equal parts cuteness and badassery. Boeckner’s guitar playing was violent at times, thrashing at his strings seemingly haphazardly but always finding the right notes, while Perry cued her beats and played her keys with an irrepressible energy, bouncing around the stage and dancing around her equipment in a way that transformed what could easily have been a boring task into something much more. Together they were an electrifying presence on the stage, putting on one of the least pretentious and most involved performances I’ve ever seen, with the only flaw being the set’s tantilisingly short length.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
In Salient - Sept 2009
Considering the ridiculous NME-driven hype surrounding the Arctic Monkeys you’d be forgiven for not realising that underneath it all they’re actually a rather brilliant band. Debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not burst out of an intense internet-fuelled bootleg fan culture, wowing critics and fans alike with its acerbic tales of youth , ingeniously simple hooks and irresistible catchiness. Follow-up Favourite Worst Nightmare deftly avoided the dreaded second-album syndrome that often catches promising debut acts out by showing the bands natural evolution and strengthening of their sound and song-writing abilities, which only increased the pressure for their third album and begged the question: could they do it again, or would they finally stumble?
The answer Humbug offers is a resounding yes, but not in the way you might expect, displaying a less frenetic and more mature, relaxed approach that richly rewards repeat listens. Many of the songs don’t provide the immediate satisfaction of their previous work but instead gently simmer in the ear, slowly warming the listener to the Arctic’s darker, more textured sound. That’s not to say that their traditional elements of jangling guitars, persistent rhythms and infectious vocals aren’t present, but rather that they’re worked into a deeper, more atmospheric overall sonic feel.
Opener ‘My Propeller’ showcases this change well, layering Alex Turner’s soothing delivery of his double-entendre rich vocals over an ominous riff and tom-filled beat before bursting into a chorus refrain backed by a woozy guitar line. Dreamy ballad ‘Secret Door’ perhaps shows best the influence Turner’s foray with side project The Last Shadow Puppets has had on his songwriting, while ‘Potion Approaching’ creates a brilliant concoction of rolling toms and snares, sliding guitars and gnarled vocals which develops into a sludgy, pulsing breakdown that oozes awesomeness. Turner’s lyrics are as clever and poignant as ever, and while the endearing stories of teenage larks are largely gone, his words can still be incredibly affecting, evidenced on ‘Cornerstone’, a tale of obsessive love lost drenched with feeling. ‘Dance Little Liar’ and ‘The Jeweller’s Hands’ close the album on a layered note, displaying their increased ear for effects and subtle atmospheric touches no doubt influenced by Josh Homme’s production work and serve as examples of the Arctic’s most fully-formed, perfect songs to date, all the while sandwiching ‘Pretty Visitors’, the heaviest and most energetic song of the album, cleverly intertwining the bands origins with their new directions. While perhaps not as instantly accessible as their previous albums, Humbug shows this group of Monkeys fully matured at the height of their song-crafting powers, showing no sign of relinquishing them but rather a broadening of the musical palette with which they create them.
Considering the ridiculous NME-driven hype surrounding the Arctic Monkeys you’d be forgiven for not realising that underneath it all they’re actually a rather brilliant band. Debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not burst out of an intense internet-fuelled bootleg fan culture, wowing critics and fans alike with its acerbic tales of youth , ingeniously simple hooks and irresistible catchiness. Follow-up Favourite Worst Nightmare deftly avoided the dreaded second-album syndrome that often catches promising debut acts out by showing the bands natural evolution and strengthening of their sound and song-writing abilities, which only increased the pressure for their third album and begged the question: could they do it again, or would they finally stumble?
The answer Humbug offers is a resounding yes, but not in the way you might expect, displaying a less frenetic and more mature, relaxed approach that richly rewards repeat listens. Many of the songs don’t provide the immediate satisfaction of their previous work but instead gently simmer in the ear, slowly warming the listener to the Arctic’s darker, more textured sound. That’s not to say that their traditional elements of jangling guitars, persistent rhythms and infectious vocals aren’t present, but rather that they’re worked into a deeper, more atmospheric overall sonic feel.
Opener ‘My Propeller’ showcases this change well, layering Alex Turner’s soothing delivery of his double-entendre rich vocals over an ominous riff and tom-filled beat before bursting into a chorus refrain backed by a woozy guitar line. Dreamy ballad ‘Secret Door’ perhaps shows best the influence Turner’s foray with side project The Last Shadow Puppets has had on his songwriting, while ‘Potion Approaching’ creates a brilliant concoction of rolling toms and snares, sliding guitars and gnarled vocals which develops into a sludgy, pulsing breakdown that oozes awesomeness. Turner’s lyrics are as clever and poignant as ever, and while the endearing stories of teenage larks are largely gone, his words can still be incredibly affecting, evidenced on ‘Cornerstone’, a tale of obsessive love lost drenched with feeling. ‘Dance Little Liar’ and ‘The Jeweller’s Hands’ close the album on a layered note, displaying their increased ear for effects and subtle atmospheric touches no doubt influenced by Josh Homme’s production work and serve as examples of the Arctic’s most fully-formed, perfect songs to date, all the while sandwiching ‘Pretty Visitors’, the heaviest and most energetic song of the album, cleverly intertwining the bands origins with their new directions. While perhaps not as instantly accessible as their previous albums, Humbug shows this group of Monkeys fully matured at the height of their song-crafting powers, showing no sign of relinquishing them but rather a broadening of the musical palette with which they create them.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Vorn - Modern Classics
In Salient - Aug 2009
Its immediately clear on Modern Classics, local musician Vorn Colgans fifth album in 10 years, that he isn’t afraid to express his kiwi roots. Weaving resonate tales of Wellington life in songs such as ‘That Night on Courtenay Place’ and ‘Upper Hutt Symphony’, Vorn’s lyrics are reflective of his surroundings but also touch on common themes of loneliness, alienation, frustration, love and freedom. While the album examines these serious concepts in depth Vorn also makes it clear the listener should not take things too seriously, mixing wry humour with more obvious skits such as the droll monotone that announces that one has arrived at the middle of the record, and “what a piece of work it is”, showcasing that essentially Kiwi ability of self-deprecation.
Accordingly, the overall sound reflects this up-and-down approach, switching between a range of styles, tempos and instruments, giving the album a sense of diversity that helps keep it interesting. ‘They Don’t Know You’ mixes ska/funk instrumentation before dissolving into multi part vocal harmonies, while ‘Inflation’ mixes scratchy guitars with droning vocals and an arresting solo to create something that mixes well with the songs subject matter of consumerism gone wrong. ‘I Wanna Rock’ bounces and rolls with a plodding intensity and is immediately followed by the straight pop and lilting synths of ‘Employee Assistance Program’ while ‘Small Worlds’ adopts a spoken word/ hip hop vocal approach over jangly guitars and a tom-filled beat.
Despite this seemingly attractive mix, Modern Classics somehow manages to be a slightly boring listen, perhaps due to the over-saturation of drawn out vocal harmonies that appear on almost every track, which gives them a samey feel that clashes with the instrumental experimentation. While Vorn’s lyrics are arguably the highlight of the album the delivery of them is also its greatest weakness, with Colgan often pushing his voice far past its boundaries without the range to back it up. This often has grating results that along with some gimmicky instrumental cameos dispel the desire for many repeat listens. Modern Classics is an ambitious record that produces some entertaining moments, most notably the final three track run of ‘Small World’, ‘Becoming Some Body’ and the fully formed closer ‘Small Things’, but tries to cover too much musical ground, and as a result much of the genre amalgamations quickly descend into novelty, which ultimately gives the album limited long-term appeal.
Its immediately clear on Modern Classics, local musician Vorn Colgans fifth album in 10 years, that he isn’t afraid to express his kiwi roots. Weaving resonate tales of Wellington life in songs such as ‘That Night on Courtenay Place’ and ‘Upper Hutt Symphony’, Vorn’s lyrics are reflective of his surroundings but also touch on common themes of loneliness, alienation, frustration, love and freedom. While the album examines these serious concepts in depth Vorn also makes it clear the listener should not take things too seriously, mixing wry humour with more obvious skits such as the droll monotone that announces that one has arrived at the middle of the record, and “what a piece of work it is”, showcasing that essentially Kiwi ability of self-deprecation.
Accordingly, the overall sound reflects this up-and-down approach, switching between a range of styles, tempos and instruments, giving the album a sense of diversity that helps keep it interesting. ‘They Don’t Know You’ mixes ska/funk instrumentation before dissolving into multi part vocal harmonies, while ‘Inflation’ mixes scratchy guitars with droning vocals and an arresting solo to create something that mixes well with the songs subject matter of consumerism gone wrong. ‘I Wanna Rock’ bounces and rolls with a plodding intensity and is immediately followed by the straight pop and lilting synths of ‘Employee Assistance Program’ while ‘Small Worlds’ adopts a spoken word/ hip hop vocal approach over jangly guitars and a tom-filled beat.
Despite this seemingly attractive mix, Modern Classics somehow manages to be a slightly boring listen, perhaps due to the over-saturation of drawn out vocal harmonies that appear on almost every track, which gives them a samey feel that clashes with the instrumental experimentation. While Vorn’s lyrics are arguably the highlight of the album the delivery of them is also its greatest weakness, with Colgan often pushing his voice far past its boundaries without the range to back it up. This often has grating results that along with some gimmicky instrumental cameos dispel the desire for many repeat listens. Modern Classics is an ambitious record that produces some entertaining moments, most notably the final three track run of ‘Small World’, ‘Becoming Some Body’ and the fully formed closer ‘Small Things’, but tries to cover too much musical ground, and as a result much of the genre amalgamations quickly descend into novelty, which ultimately gives the album limited long-term appeal.
Live Review - Dimmer w/ The Family Cactus
In Salient - Aug 2009
For me, gigs are almost impossible to go into without any preconceived ideas of what is going to happen, or how I will experience them, based on either a familiarity with the artist’s music or knowledge gleaned from other sources, such as others recollections or the artists reputation. So even though I’d never heard much of Dimmer’s music, I’d definitely heard of Shayne Carter, the Kiwi rock veteran behind both the band in question and Flying Nun stalwart Straightjacket Fits (recently inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame), and knew to expect an intense, emotionally charged set. And boy, did he deliver.
First up though were Welly-based up-and-comers The Family Cactus, a band quickly building a following as a great live band, and who have just released their debut album, Come Howling. Coming on they seemed a little nervous, but as the crowd quickly warmed to them they gained confidence, most notably singer Adam Ladley, whose voice seeed to grow stronger and more assured with each song in their set. As a seven-piece they created a dense, textured sound that served as a great background to Ladley’s crooning, soaring voice and blended well with the harmonised melodies created between Ladley and backup vocalist Nina Siegler. While their song structure became a little predictable after a while, what they stuck to they did very well, creating solid blues-tinged indie rock that the crowd definitely appreciated.
Opening with the eponymous lead single from their latest album (which the show served as the release for), Degrees of Existence, Dimmer opened with an intensity that lasted throughout their set. Touching upon multiple genres of rock, metal, shoegaze/post rock, blues and industrial, often within the context of a single song, they held the crowd transfixed throughout, with Carter’s haunting delivery cutting through dark, ominous guitars and recently returned drummer Gary Sullivan’s primal, driving beats. The tone of the songs changed often from quiet, atmospheric lulls to heavy cathartic highs, wrenched with emotion and grit, reflecting Carter’s seemingly sadomasochistic relationship with his guitar, at one moment delicately plucking soft notes and the next strangling it for every possible distorted, sinister, or strange sound he could conjure out of it.
Showcasing 20+ years of experience, Carter and his band put in a compelling performance, and as I left Bodega, ears still ringing from the pure noise that was final encore song ‘Crystalator’, I felt a little shell-shocked, but definitely content, happy in the knowledge that I’d seen a legend in his element.
For me, gigs are almost impossible to go into without any preconceived ideas of what is going to happen, or how I will experience them, based on either a familiarity with the artist’s music or knowledge gleaned from other sources, such as others recollections or the artists reputation. So even though I’d never heard much of Dimmer’s music, I’d definitely heard of Shayne Carter, the Kiwi rock veteran behind both the band in question and Flying Nun stalwart Straightjacket Fits (recently inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame), and knew to expect an intense, emotionally charged set. And boy, did he deliver.
First up though were Welly-based up-and-comers The Family Cactus, a band quickly building a following as a great live band, and who have just released their debut album, Come Howling. Coming on they seemed a little nervous, but as the crowd quickly warmed to them they gained confidence, most notably singer Adam Ladley, whose voice seeed to grow stronger and more assured with each song in their set. As a seven-piece they created a dense, textured sound that served as a great background to Ladley’s crooning, soaring voice and blended well with the harmonised melodies created between Ladley and backup vocalist Nina Siegler. While their song structure became a little predictable after a while, what they stuck to they did very well, creating solid blues-tinged indie rock that the crowd definitely appreciated.
Opening with the eponymous lead single from their latest album (which the show served as the release for), Degrees of Existence, Dimmer opened with an intensity that lasted throughout their set. Touching upon multiple genres of rock, metal, shoegaze/post rock, blues and industrial, often within the context of a single song, they held the crowd transfixed throughout, with Carter’s haunting delivery cutting through dark, ominous guitars and recently returned drummer Gary Sullivan’s primal, driving beats. The tone of the songs changed often from quiet, atmospheric lulls to heavy cathartic highs, wrenched with emotion and grit, reflecting Carter’s seemingly sadomasochistic relationship with his guitar, at one moment delicately plucking soft notes and the next strangling it for every possible distorted, sinister, or strange sound he could conjure out of it.
Showcasing 20+ years of experience, Carter and his band put in a compelling performance, and as I left Bodega, ears still ringing from the pure noise that was final encore song ‘Crystalator’, I felt a little shell-shocked, but definitely content, happy in the knowledge that I’d seen a legend in his element.
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