September 2009 Archives

Three years have passed since New Orleans alternative-rock/indie-rock band Mutemath made a big impression on fans and the public alike with their 2006 debut record.

Garnering some mainstream airplay for their single "Typical," the band were road-hogs, taking their explosive live show to their own audiences while also opening for Matchbox 20 and Alanis Morissette.

Mutemath's newest record Armistice finds the band exploring a more experimental side of making music. Or it could be their most commercially accessible record to date. It all depends on the listener's perception, according to Mutemath vocalist Paul Meany.

"For every person who says our new record is more experimental than our debut was, someone else will say they find it to be more commercial," Meany says from his home in New Orleans. "The only consistent feedback we are hearing is that people are hearing the record from a bunch of different perspectives and we think that's great.

"It took us a little while but I think we were able to finally get something recorded that we were all vibe-ing off of. Whether it is a more commercial or more experimental side of us, we try not thinking about it ... This record has uncovered the true soul of this band."

Helping to shape the future of the band and the 12 songs on Armistice was the endless road work the band did to promote their debut record.

"We assumed that we would be making another record so we had been writing during sound checks and on the tour bus and ended up having a collection of 15 to 16 songs. But we came off the road and wound up not liking any of those songs.

"We had to get off the road, get in a whole new headspace and hope the songs would just come to us. That's what this record became," Meany says.

Prior to heading into the recording studio, Meany admits that ambition amongst the band members was at an all-time high but when they actually reached the studio, things got a little more complex.

"It was noble to think that we could sit down and make a great record but when we got in the studio, things changed. Every one of us in the band was hearing song ideas from different places which lead to differing opinions on where the songs were going to end up," Meany notes. "We realized that we needed a producer to help mediate a lot of these ideas."

Dennis Herring, producer of bands such as Counting Crows, The Hives, Modest Mouse and Elvis Costello, would step in and fill the role of producer for Armistice.

"Dennis wound up being the right guy for the record," Meany admits. "He was of the mindset to forget about those 15 to 16 songs we had written on the road. And though it was hard to let go of those songs in a way, it really was the right decision to shelve those songs and start writing new ... When it came to making the record, he encouraged us not to worry about the recording and production aspects of the record. He insisted we write and perform and nothing more and it ended up working really well."

Having recently celebrated Armistice's release in their hometown of New Orleans, the next step for the band is getting prepped to ensure their new material translates into the live setting as they will spend time in rehearsal.

"We want to ensure that our new songs are road-prepared before we start full-on touring in the fall. When we were recording, we weren't thinking about how these songs would be taken live; we had immersed ourselves into making a record."

"And in the thick of recording," Meany continues, "I would often think 'how can we pull this off live?' But at the end of the day, we took the chances we needed to take for this record. What the band is dealing with now is uncharted waters in the sense that we are playing songs that are not road-tested ... We will be trusting the chemistry that we had in the studio to translate these songs live."

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Weirdo-rock. No, it's not a commonly known genre of music. In fact, I just made it up this very moment.

Truth is though, Moncton band Something Delicious aren't comprised of weirdos; they are very nice guys. But they do rock in an abstract sort of way.

Rather than being your typical four-on-the-floor band, these guys pepper their progressive songs with time signature changes and shift from aggressive heavy-metal styled vocals to pop and even funk music, all within the same damn song.

If you need to hear these guys for yourself, they've got an excellent new CD (No Fun Intended) available now and are playing an all-ages show at the Firehall on Assomption Boulevard, Moncton on Friday September 11.

Formed as a trio in 2006, the band has since expanded to quartet status although they have held firm to their musical style ­"" or lack thereof.

"We just wanted to try something different from the punk rock and rock and roll bands we were playing in because it wasn't so much what we were listening to anymore," affirms Something Delicious vocalist/guitarist Jonah Hache.

The band set about making No Fun Intended in 2008 at the home of one of their former guitarists. One listen to the complexity of some of the material on the record makes one wonder about how difficult the process of recording really was to the group.

"We made a map of the timing and time signature changes with a click track so it would change as the arrangement would," confirms Hache.

"I find that the record is fairly raw," he continues. "We didn't layer guitars and kept the vocal layer technique more sparse than most other heavy music styled bands would do. Knowing our sound was so bizarre, we didn't want to add things we couldn't pull off live."

One area that required a little finesse was pulling off the band's complex timing changes in concert. According to Something Delicious drummer Geoff Moss, getting the timing changes down took a little practice but once the band got them down, they became second nature to the group.

"The first dozen shows or so shows we played, there would always be a slight slip up. Like counting 13 bars instead of 11, playing two bars instead of three, etc. We would notice right away but anyone listening wouldn't have been able to tell," Moss says. "Having the album recorded to a click track really solidified all the parts where there was the least bit of confusion. But it also locked down on anyone making any mistakes because with the CD now released, people would pick up on the mistakes."

Hache and Moss admit reception to the CD within the region so far has been positive overall. But on the flip side, they have received what they consider to be "hilariously unimpressed" reviews as well.

"My favourite quote was something like 'If they were Japanese, they'd be massive. Unfortunately, they're Canadian,'" Hache says.

"We've received some absolutely amazing reviews chalk full of praise and spirit-warming mojo comparing us to Primus, Rancid, Horse the Band and a few other bands that we are akin to," Moss continues.

"Others though have expressed how they can only make it half-way through the album, reassuring us that 'this is a brilliant example that original does not always equal good.' All the same, it is great feedback for our debut record. The next album will be a blast."

Come on out and see the unbroken-spirited Something Delicious playing alongside Iron Giant, Prophets Of War and more on September 11. Admission to the show is $10 and is open to all-ages.

On the web:

www.myspace/com/somethingdeli

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Halifax-based folk singer Amelia Curran has a brand spanking new CD on store shelves and is playing a couple of shows in New Brunswick to help promote the fantastic roots-inspired record.

A multiple past East Coast Music Award nominee, Curran returned to her home province of Newfoundland to make Hunter Hunter, her fifth record. It was something she had been yearning to do for quite some time.

"In 10 years, I had never recorded in St. John's," Curran affirms down the line from her adopted home of Halifax. "I had made four records in Nova Scotia and really wanted to return home to Newfoundland and work with people I had known my whole life; work with my mentors."

Curran goes on to note that making her home in Halifax specifically was never truly in the cards, but that she was simply looking to leave Newfoundland and ended up in Nova Scotia.

"I flew the nest, so to speak. Getting out of Newfoundland was important to me," Curran says. "Funny enough when I was living in St. John's, I was telling people I was meeting someone in Halifax and we were going to make a record but it hadn't been the plan at all. Incidentally though, I did end up meeting up with that person I had told people I was going to meet up with and we did end up making a record together."

Curran admits that when it came to writing her newest record, the shadow of her previous album War Brides was hanging heavily over her.

"War Brides was definitely an intimidating record to follow up," Curran admits. "It is almost as though it was my first record where I had settled into my own skin as a song writer.

"It's like War Brides was the little album that could; it's my best selling record and when it came time to follow it up, I ended up doing a lot of rewrites and do-over's and ended up being really concerned about ensuring that every aspect of my new record was correct."

Curran is one of many artists featured on Warner Music Canada's compilation Atlantic Voices, which shines a light on the immense female talent hailing from the Atlantic Provinces. She sees her involvement in the project as a win for her as well as for her friends.

"Personally, I've discovered artists via compilations. Atlantic Voices is a great, regional 'Women and Songs' type of idea. I think compilations like this appeal to the public as people will always be looking for something they haven't heard of before," Curran says.

As we prepare for the fall season, Curran's tour schedule is quickly filling up with tour dates. She will be playing here at home in Canada as well as having shows in England, Ireland and Belgium on her slate.

Some of Curran's tour dates, including those shows in Saint John and Fredericton will feature Curran and her full band, while other markets like Western Canada will be Curran performing alongside bandmate Andrew Dale.

But before the first show even takes place, she admits that she has to find her second wind somewhere along the way.

"Summer has really worn me out," she confesses with a laugh. "I'm positively thrilled about my record but am also looking forward to painting my kitchen."

Catch Amelia Curran at the Blue Olive in Saint John on Thursday September 10 while fans in Fredericton can see her at Evergreen Theatre on Friday September 11.

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Band Of Skulls debut record is one of the most exciting and compelling discs to come across my desk as of late. The 12 tracks on Baby Darling Doll Face Honey show influences of Led Zeppelin and sludgy blues rock that would almost certainly appeal to fans of The White Stripes and The Black Keys. 

Think of Band Of Skulls as guitar-heavy indie rock with two vocalists (Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson) sharing singing duties. The trio of tracks that open the record ("Light Of The Morning", "Death By Diamonds and Pearls" and "I Know What I Am") are catchy in the deadliest sense of the word and sets the mood for what can be expected over the remainder of the album. Marsden's vocals can be as reminiscent of Robert Plant as they can of Jack White; Richardson's vocals waver between the delicate on tracks like "Honest" while also sounding very much like Chrissie Hynde at other times.

This record is a delightful slice of retro-inspired rock. Check this out!

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The newest record from jazz-folk-roots fusionist Bill Frisell sees the musician creating the perfect soundtrack to accompany photos taken by Disfarmer, a photographer during the era of the Great Depression. The music created by Frisell is as stark as the cover shot of the CD and proves to be the definitive soundtrack to such an important time in history. The album as a whole retains a musically minimalist feel to it but it was ultimately one I found to be rather enjoyable. Disfarmer is a hauntingly beautiful record and well worth hearing for yourself.

Highlights include "Lovesick Blues," "Farmer," "Exposed" and "Natural Light."

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Thee Requiems have been poking around the Moncton music scene for years now and on this latest CD, they craft irresistible pop anthems for the hopeful and the disaffected.

It's hard not to tap your foot along to jangly guitar-pop tracks like "Close Around," "Money and the Master Plan" and "Watch Out For The Fox." The band counters these upbeat numbers with fuzzed-out guitar rock on songs like "Eat Some Worms" and moodier moments like "Tell You What I Want."

Thee Requiems are the perfect example of the thriving talent we have within our own music scene. Help support your local talent and pick this up today.

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