Best Music Discoveries 2009 – Pink Moth - The Wild

As most music lovers will attest, there is some very practical magic at work when it comes to the discovery of new music. That is one of its beguiling charms and most likely why it manages to touch my soul every so often. Like discovering a great painting or a wonderful piece of literature the effect is both highly rewarding and hopefully enduring.

Ten days ago, the offer to preview and listen to a band that I was only vaguely familiar with arrived in my inbox. A quick email exchange followed and a few days later a carefully packaged CD arrived in my mailbox. I opened it that night and I was pleasantly surprised, first by the artwork, (always a good sign and so often the gateway to me picking up a disc in the first place); But it was the second revelation, the discovery of the most remarkable music that virtually floored me as I listened on an evening walk.

The CD that I was listening to (then and now actually as I write) was the latest release by Toronto band Pink Moth called The Wild. Just from the opening seconds of the CD, I knew it would be something special. I was immediately drawn to its innocent charms and little fragilities because it took me to a different place immediately. Listening to this disc was like discovering your grandparent’s dusty attic. All muted tones, elegance, dusty records and displaced photographs. It felt like a different time and place. Each song a little smile inducing treasure. At times familiar, others times distant.

When some bands use pure sound volume to imbibe power to their songcraft, Pink Moth go the opposite route with a sparse fragility that is equally powerful. The band’s Myspace page features a host of influences from Neutral Milk Hotel to Alan Lomax to Guided by Voices and goes a long way in explaining their appeal to me. This is the kind of disc that forces you to listen to it in its entirety and not one song at a time. You want to keep the story going- To bring that sunlit attic to new life. (You can go to the band’s site to hear some of these songs for yourself, but I recommend tracking down this most wonderful disc.)

Pink Moth is a relatively new project centered on its main creative force, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ray Cammaert. Originally from London, Ontario, Cammaert was previously a member of Maps of the Night Sky with whom he recorded and toured extensively. Pink Moth followed with Cammaert at the helm for the Wild. Recorded at the band's own Tinshop Studios and mixed by Londoner Andy Magoffin (Two Minute Miracles, Great Lake Swimmers and Constantines) at the House of Miracles studio. Cammaert and longtime partner, illustrator Willow Dawson, were the primary musicians on the album, while Michael McGuffin, Mika Posen (Forest City Lovers), and Joan Watson all helped shape its unique sound. Pink Moth's debut full-length, The Wild, was released September 8th, 2009.

Pink Moth Lineup

Ray Cammaert Vocal, Guitar, Piano, Organ
Willow Dawson Saw, Vocal, Synth
Michael McGuffin Keyboards, Violin
Adrian Ellis Bass, Guitar
Andy Magoffin Drums

Your Weekly Download Lowdown

While many people know Brian Borcherdt for his work in the Polaris Prize nominated group Holy Fuck, he also has an entirely different artistic side that is equally stunning. Introspective and so very beautiful, his solo work is stuff to be treasured.

Lucky for us, Borcherdt has recently made available a number of solo recordings and at-home demos, entitled Torches (The Ward Colorado Demos). These intimate recordings have recently been released by Borcherdt and are available via the Hand Drawn Dracula label as a free digital download.

Brian Borcherdt - Torches (the Ward Colorado demos) (HDD004)
(Digital Release Date: November 17th 2009)

Side 2004/05

01. Crime Scenes
02. Worn Thin
03. Further
04. Connected/Disconnected
05. Follows
06. Vanishing Act
07. Lowhills
08. Tides
09. Torches

Side 2006

01. Preserver
02. Cold Wind Blowin'
03. Furnaces
04. Oh Oh Oh
05. Working For The Weakened
06. Steady Hands
07. Detention
08. Guide Home

Recorded in Toronto, coastal Yarmouth of Nova Scotia, and in the mountains near Ward, Colorado, Torches includes home demos and unfinished album attempts from 2004-2006. Personal and compelling material these recordings are very much worth your listening time. Highly recommended

Newcomers and fans can download the 17 tunes, written and recorded between 2004 and 2006, for free from handdrawndracula.com. Get them here.


Brian Borcherdt - While I Was Asleep from Hand Drawn Dracula on Vimeo.

Band Recommendation of the Week - Ume

Isn’t it a great thing when a band comes along that just seems to hit on all the cylinders?

Let’s see - Original sound. Check. Refreshing image. Check. Songs that will take your freaking head off? CHECK! Austin , TX band Ume (pronounced oomay) is one of those rare groups that rise above the musical plethora and really stand out. Since hearing them earlier this year they have consistently reappeared on my musical radar. I recall a band from Aberdeen Washington about twenty years ago that caught my ear in exactly the same way Great music has a way of rising to the surface. It only makes sense then, that I share them with you.

Their press release is a curious one that name checks a worthy progenitor but really what band worth their salt doesn’t incorporate Sonic Youth into their music?

Ume incoporate bits of Sonic Youth noise, blissful/breathy harmony, and big riffs all on one short but sweet EP, Sunshower. Check out two tracks from that EP above and a video for "The Conductor" below. Besides that EP, Ume have already have built up a considerable amount of buzz due to their raucous SXSW show:

Quite honestly though Ume is one of those bands that will be exploding all over the place in a few months. Of that I am entirely confident. But don’t just take my word for it. Have a look and a listen for yourself.

Download the Conductor here.

Look for them on tour near you. (Dates Below) Their 'Sunshower EP' will be available in Canada on October 27th.

10/19: Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
10/20: Washington DC @ The Red and Black
10/21: New York, NY @ Ace of Clubs
10/22: New York, NY @ Public Assembly
10/23: Bushwick, NY @ Lake Johnson
10/24: Montreal, Quebec @ Casa Del Popolo
10/27: St. Catherine's, Ontario @ Level 3
10/28: Waterloo, Ontario @ The Starlight
10/29: Hamilton, Ontario @ The Casbah
10/30: Sarnia, Ontario @ Adam’s Apple
11/3: Toronto, Ontario @ The Horseshoe Tavern
11/4: Detroit, MI @ PJ's Lager House
11/5: Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge
11/6: Springfield, MO @ The Outland Black Box Revue

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business

Thom Yorke to Release "The Hollow Earth" Next Month

Radiohead frontman and red pants wearer Thom Yorke recently hinted that the band is not currently planning to release another album conventionally.

He went on to elaborate that he still had a lot of time for the album as an “artform”, but explained that to release another batch of songs in that format would "kill" Radiohead.

"None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off," he told The Believer magazine.

"I mean, it's just become a real drag. It worked with [2007 album] 'In Rainbows' because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going. But we've all said that we can't possibly dive into that again. It'll kill us."

Yorke added that Radiohead "need to get away" from releasing albums in the traditional format. (Observant readers will note two brand new Radiohead songs have recently surfaced and prove Thom to be a man of his word.)

And now information about another actual physical release, a solo, next month has been uncovered. Exclaim Magazine’s Brock Thiessen made contact with a source at beloved Sonic Unyon distributors who confirmed a limited 12-inch of two new Thom Yorke songs, “Apart By Horses” and “The Hollow Earth,” to be released on September 22nd. The release, by ATO’s TBD Records, is limited to only 4,000 copies in North America, 4,000 in Europe, and 300 in Canada. That in mind, you may want to get pre-order in now.

Presently, insider speculatation is that one or both of these new Yorke songs are his contribution to the forthcoming New Moon soundtrack.

Great news indeed from an artist who continues to break new ground with every step he takes.

“Some pursue happiness - others create it.”

I have sometimes wondered if the day will ever come when I will simply tire of music. Will those melodies that fill my head (and heart) start to annoy me and cravings for solitude and quiet win the battle for my attentions? Not likely… at least not in this lifetime. I have, after all never yearned for said seclusion but I have certainly longed for song. It’s funny but on those days when I forget to charge my iPod or a teleconference runs too long I begin to hear the music of the world around me. I fill in the musical gap with the sounds that surround me. Things like the staccato hiccup of my laptop’s cooling fan, or the cardinals in my apple trees. Even the urgent pleas of my son to stay up just ten more minutes, has a very certain musicality. I often make these correlations and like to think of them as music of the moment.

I guess I have a musical brain. Lucky thing too, since I don’t play a musical instrument proper I make my own music when I need it.

I was reminded of this last night as I walked around my neighbourhood WITH actual musical accompaniment. This recording was different though- Different, wonderful and so profound I have to tell you about it today. In fairness this is not a review per se but rather a wholehearted recommendation. The CD is called the Happiness Project (Arts & Crafts) by Charles Spearin. (He a founding member of Toronto band Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene.) This one literally stopped me in my tracks three times last night. I even walked twice the distance I normally do just so I could hear it again.

I wrestled though with how I would describe this experience because the discovery of this recording is intrinsically tied to its appeal. The sound of Spearin's project is somewhere between Ornette Coleman jazz and the spoken word of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Familiar voices looped to create an odd symphony through the interplay of storytelling and music. The results are riveting, heartwarming and profoundly original.

Trust me when I say this is a case of the less said the better. Quite simply, if you love music you need to hear this. The Happiness Project is brilliant and entirely unique. I can guarantee that is will move you in just about every way imaginable- Perfect food for the musical brain if you will.

PPPPP



http://www.happiness-project.ca/index.php

Tortoise vs. Eagle

A Couple Notable Forthcoming Releases

It's been five years since Tortoise's last full-length studio recording, It’s All Around You hit store shelves. Good things do however come to those who wait and a brand new release from Chicago’s finest is just around the corner. Beacons of Ancestorship , Tortoise's sixth LP, is set to be released June 23rd via Thrill Jockey. And as a small taste of things to come, the first track off the album will be released as part of Thrill Jockey's Records Toreism comp on Record Store Day, April 18th.

Track Listing: Beacons of Ancestorship

01. High Class Slim Came Floatin' In
02. Prepare Your Coffin
03. Northern Something
04. Gigantes
05. Penumbra
06. Yinxianghechengqi
07. The Fall Of Seven Diamonds Plus One
08. Minors
09. Monument Six One Thousand
10. de Chelly
11. Charteroak Foundation

What’s up next is the new wistfully titled release from Bill Callahan (indeed he is the Smog guy) called Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle. Definitely one of the finest singer songwriters of this era, the pre-release songs I have heard so far are outstanding. Each possesses a real emotive beauty that further underscores Callahan’s singular talent. There is no doubt in my mind the longer song cycle will be making my best of list at the end of the year. This is definitely one to make room for in the collection. Break out the hankies, the album is set to be released on April 14th, 2009 on Drag City.

Download "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" here.

Track Listing: Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle

1. Jim Cain
2. Eid Ma Clack Shaw
3. The Wind and The Dove
4. Rococo Zephyr
5. Too Many Birds
6. My Friend
7. All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast
8. Invocation of Ratiocination
9. Faith/Void

Discovering the Best New Music 2009

Proggy Mountain Breakdown

When I was growing up, my family often travelled north for short vacations and family visits. Roughly three hours from London, the geographical terrain is markedly different from the flat farmland that characterizes my present locale. That particular part of Southwestern Ontario, the Bruce Peninsula, is a beautiful area borne out of prehistoric glaciers and formidable natural forces. Last Friday night Bruce Peninsula, a band that takes its name from the aforementioned landmass visited me. This time in the form of an in-store appearance at my favourite independent record store, Grooves right here in lovely London. (They were in town to play that night at Call the Office with the Tom Fun Orchestra).

Like their namesake, Bruce Peninsula (the band) is a force of nature as well. I’ll say it now. This will be the band that at the end of the year when we’re all compiling our favourite music, will be sitting at the top of the list. Their short, mostly acoustic set that late afternoon was a revelation. And despite the fact that the number of band members may have exceeded the number of audience members it really felt like a special exchange. Like a turn of the century revivalist preacher, Neil Haverty led the multi-member Toronto collective through a number of songs from their brand new A Mountain is a Mouth LP; His voice, a rough amalgam of Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel and Andre Ethier. But it’s the ragged rootsy instrumentalism and accompanying female vocalists that truly adds the colour to their glorious sound.

I was fortunate to pick up the new A Mountain is a Mouth CD as I left the show and it literally has not left my Walkman since. With elements as diverse as the Carter Family to the progressive art rock sounds of King Crimson to the dynamic fervor of Arcade Fire, the music almost defies genre specifics. And that is exactly what I love about it. It leaves me wordless because it is so unlike anything I’ve really heard before. Or more correctly, I have heard elements of this before just not this particular amalgam of sounds. Gospel, folk, soul, progressive, choral- It's all there. Best of all it make complete sense too.

I’ll refrain from any more descriptions to leave it to you to discover this wonderful band. They really are such breath of fresh air. Put the A Mountain is a Mouth LP on your list of music to own. It is glorious. Click here for a sample via Pitchfork.

PPPPP

Another great musical discovery to share with you this evening is Chicago band, Company of Thieves. This Windy City trio- Genevieve Schatz (vocals), Marc Walloch (guitars), and Mike Ortiz (drums) has been generating a fair bit of music industry buzz of late and deservedly so. This is a band head and shoulders above the ordinary (and frankly somewhat tired) indie formula that does so little to inspire listeners in 2009. Rather this is a band that will engage and energize you. Vocalist Genevieve beguiles and charms with uncompromising vocals and lyrical twists; the band laying down a natural jazzy groove that brings a palpable vibrancy to the whole package.

Sometimes the “up and coming” tag can be the kiss of death for some bands. This one though is very deserving of that mark. Company of Thieves might just steal your musical heart. Download and have a listen to their song Oscar Wilde and you'll see what I mean. (Thanks Meg!)




Their new release Ordinary Riches is available on iTunes now with the hard copy arriving in stores on February 24th.

So for those keeping score we’re barely two months in and 2009 is promising to be musically exciting and relevant. With bands like Bruce Peninsula and Company of Thieves its kind of nice to be excited again.

"Mining For Light in the Dark Wells"

On March 31st The Great Lake Swimmers are set to release their fourth full length album called Lost Channels. The record finds them reprising their penchant for recording at historic locations. You may recall their previous effort was partially recorded at the historic Aeolian Hall here in London. This time out the band recorded in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario and New York State:

From the band’s website.

“…telling tales of hidden histories, still "mining for light in the dark wells," still "tuned to an instrument of greater and unknown design." The instrument in question is the singular voice of Tony Dekker, a voice that summons ghosts from times past. It’s a voice that is capable of conveying heartache and comfort all in the space of a single phrase. Though his supporting cast has changed over the years—with the exception of longtime right-hand man Erik Arnesen—Dekker has always encircled him self with sympathetic players who value spacious arrangements that frame his vocals. Over time, the band has evolved from a sparse, delicate and hushed unit into a well-rounded folk rock band, sacrificing none of their original intimacy while upping both the volume and tempos when necessary. Dekker chooses to record in old churches, community halls, abandoned grain silos and rural locations. It's easy to hear why. His voice doesn't need any studio embellishment, standing at its strongest when bathed in natural reverb and enriched by the historical context surrounding it.”

To record Lost Channels, Dekker and company went upstream on the St. Lawrence River to the Thousand Islands, halfway between Toronto and Montreal, a historic and picturesque area that straddles the Canadian/American border, and has been designated a World Biosphere Region. Great Lake Swimmers arrived at the invitation of fan and Thousand Islands photographer/regional historian Ian Coristine (http://www.1000islandsphotoart.com/).
Coristine was able to arrange for the band to record in a number of acoustically unique spaces within the region, including one of the area's most storied landmarks, Singer Castle on Dark Island, near Hammond, NY (http://www.singercastle.com/); as well as the historical Brockville Arts Centre (http://www.brockvilleartscentre.com/); and at St. Brendan’s Church in Rockport, ON.
Additional recording took place at Halla and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto and the album was woven into a cohesive whole at the House Of Miracles, in London, ON, with long-time Great Lake Swimmers collaborator, Andy Magoffin.

That the album was created in both rural splendour and urban Ontario makes perfect sense for a band that has always navigated the parallels between natural and urban rhythms. River imagery recurs throughout Lost Channels; the title of the album is a reference to a certain passage of the St. Lawrence, close to the recording locale, where a reconnaissance boat from a British warship went mysteriously missing in 1760. There’s no specific reference to the incident in the lyrics, though there are plenty of night skies, howling winds and raging rivers in almost every song which captures an elusive sense of mystery. As the album closes, Dekker sings the final lyrics—“Like the unstoppable river… Your beauty is gentle/ but forceful, and fast”—before the band ends on a suspended note. There is no resolution there, only eternity, a continuum, an endless river.

A full review will follow once I have the CD in my hands. I strongly urge you to check out the music of Tony Dekker and the Great Lake Swimmers. Their recordings are sublimely beautiful, their live performances awe inspiring.

Live dates here under shows.