Music Video of the Day, another 100! (And all from the start!)

Yet another 100 Music Video of the Day videos! The first year, and the next 100. In a few months, year two will be complete!

I have added all the videos prior as well (click at the end of this post), mostly for my benefit, as it makes searching easier. I have accidentally had a couple of duplicates, but fixed them shortly thereafter.

Click the video number to get the original tweet of the video in question. I noticed Snapcase, #353, is now private, that is because since I featured it, VEVO has uploaded numerous Snapcase videos. I definitely have not checked them all, however it is interesting to see their fate. Hopefully if gone, they will have been uploaded by someone else, the record label, or VEVO.

Also, I started a Blogger blog to feature every video individually (starting at #575), the aptly titled Music Video of the Day or the full name to avoid confusion (and to plug my Twitter/blog): Music Video of the Day (via @tmmblog – toomuchmusic.wordpress.com)

#MVOD is now up to #617 as of this posting. To view 566 to 617, of course visit my Twitter, @tmmblog, and for quicker access, just click on ‘favorites.’

On with the list!

#565 Jenn Grant – How I Met You
#564 Grimes – Oblivion
#563 Adele – Chasing Pavements
#562 The Jam – Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
#561 Sheryl Crow – Steve McQueen
#560 Joan Osborne – Right Hand Man
#559 Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket
#558 Leona Lewis – Better In Time
#557 Robin Thicke – Magic
#556 Dido – Hunter
#555 St. Vincent – Cheerleader
#554 Pink Floyd – High Hopes
#553 PJ Harvey – Good Fortune
#552 Faith No More – A Small Victory
#551 Goldfrapp – Yellow Halo
#550 Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars – Safe & Sound
#549 The Balconies – Kill Count
#548 The Cure – Just Like Heaven
#547 A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick it?
#546 De La Soul – Eye Know
#545 Enya – Only Time
#544 The Police – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
#543 No Doubt – Bathwater
#542 Whitney Houston – Greatest Love of All
#541 Art of Noise – Close (To The Edit)
#540 Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For? (Director’s Cut)
#539 Our Lady Peace – Superman’s Dead
#538 Sarah McLachlan – Into the Fire
#537 Kathleen Edwards – In State
#536 Kathleen Edwards – Six O’Clock News
#535 Foo Fighters – These Days
#534 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With The Night
#533 House Of Pain – Shamrocks And Shenanigans
#532 The Presidents of the United States of America – Peaches
#531 Ignite – Bleeding
#530 Imogen Heap – Headlock
#529 Garbage – Breaking Up The Girl
#528 Tina Dico – On The Run
#527 Katy B – Louder
#526 OK Go – Here It Goes Again
#525 Alice In Chains – Man In The Box
#524 Regina Spektor – Samson
#523 Melanie C – Goin’ Down
#522 Descendents – I’m the One
#521 Emeli Sandé – Next To Me
#520 Spice Girls – Say You’ll Be There
#519 K-OS (ft. Saukrates) – I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman
#518 Lilly Wood and The Prick – This is a Love Song
#517 Sloan – Unkind
#516 Royal Wood – Do You Recall
#515 The Black Keys – Lonely Boy
#514 Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Drug
#513 Social Distortion – I Was Wrong
#512 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Can’t Stop
#511 Marina and the Diamonds – Oh No!
#510 Gravediggaz – Diary of a Madman
#509 Sarah Brightman – Captain Nemo
#508 Rise Against – Make It Stop (September’s Children)
#507 Chiddy Bang – Ray Charles
#506 Le Tigre – TKO
#505 Bad Religion – Infected
#504 Crash Test Dummies – Keep a Lid on Things
#503 Eric B. & Rakim – Follow The Leader
#502 LL Cool J – I’m Bad
#501 Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name
#500 Mastodon – Blood and Thunder
#499 The Offspring – All I Want
#498 Lupe Fiasco – The Show Goes On
#497 Dire Straits – Tunnel of Love
#496 Geggy Tah – Whoever You Are
#495 Ariane Moffatt – Montréal
#494 Catatonia – Road Rage
#493 Bing Crosby & David Bowie – The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth
#492 Kathleen Edwards – Change The Sheets
#491 The Be Good Tanyas – It’s Not Happening
#490 Melanie Doane – Happy Homemaker
#489 The Go-Go’s – We Got The Beat
#488 U2 – Get on Your Boots
#487 Rancid – Crane Fist
#486 Jully Black – DJ Play My Song
#485 Caracol – Certitudes
#484 Rihanna – Cheers (Drink To That)
#483 The Cardigans – For What It’s Worth
#482 Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way
#481 Beck – Where It’s At
#480 Kenna – Freetime
#479 Noisettes – Scratch Your Name
#478 Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (That Thing)
#477 RUN-DMC – Rock Box
#476 The Ramones – Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)
#475 The Donnas – Skintight
#474 The Smiths – Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before
#473 Charlotte Cornfield – All of the Pretty Mistakes
#472 Sarah Slean – Sweet Ones
#471 t.A.T.u. – All About Us
#470 Raised Fist – Breaking Me Up
#469 Rancid – Red Hot Moon
#468 Sheryl Crow – Leaving Las Vegas
#467 The Cranberries – When You’re Gone
#466 Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why

Click to view all the rest from the beginning (unless you are reading from the direct link to this post!)

Spring cleaning: Best synthline of 2011

Spring cleaning!

I have numerous posts that I started, and ended up as drafts, never to be published, so, with this spring cleaning feature, some of them will get to see the light of day! And by that I mean get read by a few people on the internet!

This post was one I meant to post a few weeks into this year, as I did not do a best of 2011 list (as I mention in the post), but I never really finished it properly.

I am writing this presently not knowing exactly how many drafts I have that were posts in progress that I stopped working on, or gave up on (or forgot!), but surely I have a few others. I may polish them off a little, but for the most part, I will leave them closer to draft than a post ready to be published. This one I pretty much finished as it was almost done (music geek alert on this one!). So, without further ado, spring cleaning post one:

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Okay, this could be my post about selling out, as it features only very much commercial music. However there are some good aspects to some, and some talented people behind them, producers, and the like, but still far from quality singer-songwriter stuff, or music made by a mere handful or less of people. Regardless, a lot of people like this, that is why it is commercial, and sells (why, that could be another post!).

I did not do a post about the best music of 2011, as I did not feel I had a chance to listen to enough, so this post was in my head, over a month late though, oh well!

I also do listen to electronic music, however not enough to have any specific synth line/part stick out (and we generally hear the commercial stuff played way too many times!).

#1

Without a doubt, the best for me is Lady Gaga’s “Judas”. Commencing 22 (or at :56 in the music video) seconds in mixed with kick drum takes it, hands down. The hard kick definitely helps! I will avoid going too much in-depth, but the sheer amount of synth in this, and differentiating synths and effects is impressive. There is even some retro 80s sounding synth buried in there! I’d definitely love to hear the isolated tracks of this one! “Judas” is either 124 or 130 BPM.

#2

I am a little biased, so I give the number two spot to Britney Spears’ “Till the World Ends” (take note, it is till, not ’til, how it should be!). Pre-chorus starting at :39 is pretty good, as it is just Britney singing (with some auto-tune) over the synth. The chorus, if it can be called that (Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, etc), is good too, starting at :54. All in all a good one, with a standard song structure, just a bit messed up with the aforementioned chorus, and the song title is not sung until the end. As per the sheet music, “moderately fast with solid backbeat”, 132 BPM. Ke$ha was one of the songwriters on this one.

#3

I say I am biased, as I gave Britney number two, when it should have been Jennifer Lopez’s “On the Floor”. Starting at :44 (based on the music video) is cool, and then the kick drum. I could do without Pitbull’s rapping, that’s where the instrumental version comes in! The main slow synth, 1:47 and other instances is not so bad, ambient if anything. “On the Floor” is 130 BPM.

“Judas” and “On the Floor” were both produced by RedOne (Lady Gaga co-produced her track). While “Till the World Ends” was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Billboard (who is apparently from Montreal! I need to bug him to show me the ropes of electronic music, again, another story!).

#4

Number four is Dev’s “In the Dark”. This one is good throughout, however, at 1:13 – 1:24 (based on the single, also 2:11 – 2:25, or when she sings the verse starting with “On my waist, through my hair”) is a cool bass synth bit (It is actually used at the start of the song too, but the latter two either are slightly different, an effect added or removed, I cannot say for sure!). Oh, and 2:47 – 3:05 is good too, with some analog sounds in there too! The horn track heard in the track is reminiscent of “Calabria 2007″ by Enur feat. Natasja. And this is another good one for the instrumental (that is how I picked up the specific parts I liked)! The main bassline during the verses MAY even be a REAL bass guitar! BPM here is 120.

Honourable mention to Rihanna’s “We Found Love” ft. Calvin Harris, for the ascending synth right after the chorus (or “We found love in a hopeless place x 4) the first time. And also one more time towards the end. I am guessing his name was attached to sell records. Aside from writing and producing, he is not singing on the track to my knowledge! “We Found Love” clocks in at 120 BPM.

Music Video of the Day, the next 100

The next 100 Music Video of the Day videos, as seen on my Twitter daily! Of course, next 100 after the first year’s worth, which I posted back on August 20, 2011, as that was one year after I started the feature.

As of this writing I am up to number 509, but it is easier to update a little more than once per year! I used to do weekly updates, however I did not want to clutter up my blog too much (that and I got lazy). That aside, I could easily add additional commentary in the form of a blog post. Also this time I added links, so click (the #MVOD #) to follow to the specific Twitter tweet, and then click for the music video. And see all the archives in an easier format via my Twitter ‘favourites‘ (Canadian spelling!).

#465 Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
#464 Audioslave – Show Me How To Live
#463 Lindsay Lohan – Rumors
#462 UNKLE – Rabbit in your Headlight
#461 Lamb – B-Line
#460 Dixie Chicks – I Can Love You Better
#459 U2 – One (Anton Corbjin Version)
#458 En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love)
#457 Robyn – Handle Me
#456 The Cardigans – Sick & Tired
#455 R.E.M. – Leaving New York (R.E.M. theme week #7)
#454 R.E.M. – Bad Day (R.E.M. theme week #6)
#453 R.E.M. – Nightswimming (British Version) (R.E.M. theme week #5)
#452 R.E.M. – Get Up (R.E.M. theme week #4)
#451 R.E.M. – The One I Love (R.E.M. theme week #3)
#450 R.E.M. – Driver 8 (R.E.M. theme week #2)
#449 R.E.M. – Radio Free Europe (R.E.M. theme week #1)
#448 Sarah Harmer – Captive
#447 Alanis Morissette – So Pure
#446 Queens Of The Stone Age – Go With The Flow
#445 MGMT – Kids
#444 R.E.M. – Stand
#443 Papa Roach – Getting Away With Murder
#442 Serena Ryder – Little Bit Of Red
#441 Lana Del Rey – Video Games
#440 Wyclef Jean – Gone Till November
#439 The Presidents of the United States of America – Lump
#438 Misfits – American Psycho
#437 Sinclair – À la ronde
#436 Keren Ann – My Name is Trouble
#435 Youth Brigade – I Hate My Life
#434 Moby – Go
#433 Duffy – Warwick Avenue
#432 Coldplay – Paradise
#431 Basia Bulat – The Pilgriming Vine
#430 Blur – M.O.R.
#429 Queen – One Vision
#428 Method Man, Redman – A-YO ft. Saukrates
#427 Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
#426 The Hundred In The Hands – Pigeons
#425 A Camp – Stronger Than Jesus
#424 Feist – I Feel It All
#423 Coldplay – Shiver
#422 No Doubt – Sunday Morning
#421 Florence + The Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)
#420 Kelly Clarkson – Mr. Know It All (Brand new theme week #7)
#419 Anna Calvi – Suzanne and I (Brand new theme week #6)
#418 LIGHTS – Toes (Brand new theme week #5)
#417 Icona Pop – Nights Like This (Brand new theme week #4)
#416 Hafdís Huld – Pop Song (Brand new theme week #3)
#415 Beyoncé – Countdown (Brand new theme week #2)
#414 Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out (Brand new theme week #1)
#413 Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch
#412 Lauren Pritchard – Not The Drinking
#411 St. Vincent – Cruel
#410 Blur – Tender
#409 Amanda Marshall – Birmingham
#408 Kraftwerk – Musique Non-Stop
#407 The Pharcyde – Drop
#406 Fucked Up – The Other Shoe (Pop Montreal theme week #7)
#405 By Divine Right – Come For A Ride (Pop Montreal theme week #6)
#404 Ohbijou – New Years (Pop Montreal theme week #5)
#403 tUnE-yArDs – Gangsta (Pop Montreal theme week #4)
#402 Grass Widow – Fried Egg (Pop Montreal theme week #3)
#401 Laura Marling – Sophia (Pop Montreal theme week #2)
#400 Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi (Pop Montreal theme week #1)
#399 Kid Koala – Fender Bender
#398 Megan Bonnell – South Korea
#397 Lindi Ortega – Little Lie
#396 De La Soul – Shopping Bags (She Got from You)
#395 The Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love?
#394 The Cranberries – Salvation
#393 No Fun At All – Master Celebrator
#392 Garbage – Bleed Like Me
#391 Tracy Bonham – The One
#390 Fine Young Cannibals – Good Thing
#389 The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
#388 TV on the Radio – Staring at the Sun
#387 The Saturdays – Up
#386 Gretchen Wilson – Redneck Woman
#385 Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You
#384 Jenny Owen Youngs – Fuck Was I
#383 The Police – Message In A Bottle
#382 The Cranberries – Dreams
#381 Malcolm McLaren – Buffalo Gals
#380 Horrorpops – Miss Take
#379 Roni Size & Reprazent – Dirty Beats
#378 Beck – Deadweight
#377 System Of A Down – Toxicity
#376 Bad Religion – Incomplete
#375 Guru’s Jazzmatazz Feat. Angie Stone – Keep Your Worries
#374 Lilly Wood & The Prick – Down the Drain
#373 Marit Larsen – If A Song Could Get Me You
#372 Mudvayne – Determined
#371 Common – Drivin’ Me Wild ft. Lily Allen
#370 Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go – Cinema
#369 Amy Winehouse – In My Bed
#368 Portugal. The Man – Sleep Forever
#367 tUnE-yArDs – Bizness
#366 Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer

Supergroups that do not exist, yet #1

Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
Jason Newsted – bass
Jeff Lynne – guitar
Brad Wilk – drums

Led by Anthony Kiedis, rounded out with modern rock veterans Jason Newsted on bass, Brad Wilk on drums, and all-around veteran Jeff Lynne on guitar, the ‘young’ guys keep the sound relevant to today, while Lynne brings some intelligence, and all-around musical know how to the group.

The final result yields a likely timeless rock record that defies description from the best rock critic. Where even the recorded material that did not make the final cut would be gems to any other music act.

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From all of us at the Too Much Music offices (one guy, and no office), a very happy and prosperous 2012. Lots (and lots) to come in 2012 and beyond!

Only 100 years till we can celebrate Canadian rock greats Rush all-year round!

Corinna Rose and Elgin Skye, December 10, Yellow Door (Local show preview)

Third in an ongoing series of posts! This time for local (Montreal — also where the show will take place) folk/pop outfit Corinna Rose, and Elgin Skye.

Corinna Rose

I have seen Corinna Rose live two times now, and both times were sets that were too short! The first time was earlier this summer, and most recently a few weeks before Hallowe’en or so. The first was a proper show, although in a bar, so maybe not so ‘proper’. The second was a more intimate show, so it was much more minimal (cannot recall the exact setup, but it was at the Centre St-Ambroise, which only holds 50 people!).

I purchased her EP at the summer show (I have to post a review soon, along with Torontonian turned Montreal Ainsley McNeaney’s disc for that matter!) and it is quite good, a mix of mellow folk/pop would be my best genre description. Give it a listen over at her Bandcamp page, and buy it too (or better yet, pickup a copy at the show this Saturday!)

Speaking of this Saturday’s show, as per her website, it will be another intimate show, however featuring new material! Perhaps for a future debut full length?

Elgin-Skye

Elgin Skye opens, and after listening to her on the CBC Radio 3 site, I would have to say she reminds me quite a bit of Basia Bulat. And according to the bio on that page, “her sets may include, but are not limited to: clapping, whistling, cooing, singing, stomping.”

Show is 8PM, and here are some additional details.

30 (plus) Bad Religion quotes for 30 years

As promised on my final post in my series of posts from last year, 30 Bad Religion Quotes for 30 Years, a mega-post of all the quotes.

Many of which are two or more, as there are so many great Bad Religion quotes, when there are, they are from the same song. Click the quote number for the original post, which contains my take on the quote, the song the quote(s) are from, and additional information, such as full lyrics, or relevant links.

It has now been just over 13 months since The Dissent of Man was released, therefore they have now been a band for 31 years, and counting.

On with the quotes…

1

See my body it’s nothing to get hung about
I’m nobody except genetic runaround
Spiritual era is gone and it ain’t coming back

2

There’s people out there that say I’m no good
Because I don’t believe in things that I should

Countries manufacture bombs and guns
To kill your brother for something that he hasn’t even done

Smog is ruining my lungs, but aren’t sorry they’ve done wrong
They hide behind their lies that they’re helping everyone

3

Millions and millions chase the wild goose tonight.
To conquer loneliness they’ll chase it all their lives,
And when they find it they can just lay down and die.
It seems the game is mostly pointless in the presence of the prize.

4

I’m tired of this city, all this toil and strife.
Trying to cross the boulevard, playing Frogger with my life.

5

It’s superficial progress, they call it liberation
With opiates of silicon, big brother schemes to rule the nation

We’re one nation under God, we stand above the rest
With mighty high technology, we’re never second best

6

Big bang, big crunch, you know there’s no free lunch.
Kneel down and pray, here comes your judgment day.
Big crunch, you know, it’s gonna be quite a show.
What goes around always comes around, yeah.

There’s no vestige of a beginning no prospect of an end.

7

I’ve got nothing to say,
I’ve got nothing to do, all of my neurons are functioning smoothly yet still
I’m a cyborg just like you

8

Remote control
Three cars for every family
Corruption at the expense of the simple majority

9

I don’t need to be a global citizen
because I’m blessed by nationality

I was born on planet earth
The rotating ball where man comes first
Its been around for a long long time
But now its time to watch it die

10

I want to bask in your golden light
Submerge in electric waves
I need my connection to the world outside

Your life is historically meaningful
And spans a significant time

11

10 million dollars on a losing campaign
20 million starving and writhing in pain

12

Raise Your Voice!

13

You’ve got a chance to confront the world today

I’m tired of all this Shakespearean misinformation

14

Disjointed politics founded on petrochemical plunder and we’re its hostages

15

No progress ever came from war – only a false sense of increase

16

I know I’m part of something greater than myself
We’re all engaging in a game of attrition
Maybe god is just a chemical fiction
I’m a monkey with a madding affliction

17

Ignorance is the root of fear, and fear is the kindling of anger.

18

Among the commuters, dwarfed by the skyscrapers
I watch the countless millions fighting for space
See hateful petty acts, disjointed images
And can’t believe that I’m one of the same race

19

The stigma of industrial progress killing us over and over again

20

I had a dream of unity
Where we would walk side by side
But today I see that it’s only me
Just trying to get by

21

No Bad Religion song can make your life complete.

22

Here inside this quiet room there’s direction

Someone proclaimed creation, people listened

So many walk in parallel and pull their blinders tight
So few offer apology and accept others rights

23

Everyone’s vying for patronage
This is the way of the modern world
And something’s gotta give

Everyone’s fighting for dominance
This is the way of the modern world
And something’s gotta give

Now I believe in unity
And I am willing to compromise
But I’m not gonna lie or sell my soul

24

I want to conquer the world

25

I’m going for a walk
Not the after dinner kind
I’m gonna use my hands
And I’m gonna use my mind

26

It’s never really what you own but what you threw away
And how much did you pay?

We can’t do nothing and think someone else will make it right

In your dreams you saw a steady state, a bounty for eternity

We need a fresh and new religion to run our lives

The arid torpor of inaction will be our demise

But the way it is cannot persist for long. A brutal sun is rising on a sick horizon

27

Don’t be a henchman,
Stand on your laurels,
Do what no one else does and praise the good of other men
For good man’s sake.

28

Now we all see, religion’s just synthetic frippery
Unnecessary in our expanding global cultural unefficiency

29

Faith alone won’t sustain us anymore

30

I refuse to abuse what is kind to the muse
But it’s there and it’s happening to me along the way
As we go through the snow we cannot forget our foes
But the dinner’s always waiting at the table ‘long the way, yeah

Have a favourite Bad Religion quote?

Pop Montreal 2011 review + pictures!

Pop Montreal 2011 began two weeks ago tonight, so it is about time I am finally writing my review!

Part of the reason I am so slow in writing my review is that it was very hectic, being out to shows late every night, and working a day job, so I took some time to recover if you will. Okay, and there was procrastination in there too.

Rebekah Higgs at Pop Montreal 2011

This year marked the tenth anniversary of Pop Montreal, what started as a few friends putting on some shows. And it really culminated with the free Arcade Fire show where the free festival shows are held annually (recent years saw Stevie Wonder, Ben Harper, and just this past summer, The B-52s. Somewhere between 80 000 and 100 000 showed up for the Arcade Fire show. Of course many had to watch from surrounding screens, myself included, although I watched Kid Koala from the side of the giant stage. I did not pay too much attention to Karkwa, as I really do not know them, and only watched about 20 minutes of Arcade Fire on the screens, as I took off to see Rebekah Higgs, along with openers Dinah Thorpe and Mussaver at Cagibi.

Presently I am listening to Grass Widow‘s latest album, Past Time. Grass Widow being a great example of a pleasant discovery. I did not know them before the night before the show. They were the final opening band for The Raincoats. And the highlight of that show for me. The Raincoats were good, but I am not too into them, and not to be age-ist, but they are showing their age a bit. I of course do like a lot of aging musicians!

Ben Caplan at Pop Montreal 2011

My festival really started off with Charlotte Cornfield, a local indie/folk singer who I knew by name, but had never seen her perform. She played at the Ukranian Federation, a sit-down venue, kind of as it sounds, a theatre, but not a really old one with nice architecture, but instead kind of a dull church feel/meets hall space. Not bad for a mellow show though, although, seeing tUnE-yArDs there was not the best. Charlotte put on a nice set, she was happy to play there, as she said she saw Arcade Fire there a few years earlier at Pop Montreal! Next was Lindi Ortega, a bit more country/bluegrass, although a bit more of a commercial feel (oh, and not at all bad looking!) Not bad though!

After Charlotte and Lindi, I ended up at an industrial loft space, that someone actually lives in! Ah, Pop Montreal! Good spot for the particular show! In this case it seems like it was Charlotte Cornfield who organised it with a few of her favourite bands, including Ben Caplan, and Donlands and Mortimer.

Dinah Thorpe at Pop Montreal 2011

The aforementioned Rebekah Higgs show was very nice, save for the curfew, which had Rebekah only doing a few songs lasting 20 minutes at the most! Dinah Thorpe from Toronto who played prior was very good, and another nice Pop find. As per her MySpace, she is “acoustic / alternative / electro.” Indeed a nice mix, and one song, from her latest album, 12, called “Song for Dolly.” Of course for Dolly Parton. Her album is called 12, as she created a song every month for 12 months, a 12 song cycle as she puts it. Montreal’s own Mussaver opened the show, think Joanna Newsom, however with an accordion!

What I liked about this year’s Pop was how there was no huge acts (aside from Arcade Fire, they have proved themselves musically, but they are more big in the underground circles), for example, last year Macy Gray played Pop Montreal. Although, that was a co-presentation with the big concert promoters here. Many small acts I knew, and many I did not. I saw many I knew, and many I did not, yet I still missed some I knew, and some I did not. For example, I missed Emma-Lee, who I knew somewhat, but had never seen her perform, and I missed Dominique Young Unique, who I read about checking out artists playing Pop. Think Lil Mama meets Nicki Minaj for a not so accurate comparison!

Kid Sister at Pop Montreal 2011!

Friday night I saw Kid Sister, it was a club set, so way too short, and she played at least a couple mixtape tracks, which were good, but I did not know too well. After a few songs she disappeared, leaving her DJ to entertain the crowd. She returned with the very crowd pleasing “Right Hand Hi!” I was happy to catch that one live. The club it was at was apparently voted #1 in Montreal in several categories by readers of the free weekly entertainment publication the Mirror. I also vote it well in not starting on time! Kid Sister started well over an hour late (as Pop publishes the set times for benefit of those Pop hopping from show to show). Before she went on I was able to catch about 20 minutes of Ohbijou, and missed Azealia Banks in the process.

Allie Hughes played O Patro Vys Saturday night as the last openers for the all-girl Weezer cover band Sheezer! She is presently working on her debut album. And I say it is one to look forward to, as she has a nice vocal range, hitting some high operatic like notes!

Before seeing Allie Hughes, and catching most of By Divine Right, I saw Laura Marling. I am not a huge fan, but she definitely impressed! Her voice definitely had the audience getting their socks blown off (as opener Alessi’s Ark put it!), despite her mellow folk!

The closing party was nice, with Think About Life playing their last show ever, a very energetic party-like show!

Merrill Garbus, tUnE-yArDs symposium at Pop Montreal 2011

The tUnE-yArDs set was of course nice, especially after having seen Merrill Garbus doing a symposium that afternoon, talking about her influences, that include being obsessed with singing styles from around the world (Korean Pansori for one), and applying them to her music. And looking to the future how she would like to evolve away from the looping pedal.

Pop Montreal 2011 teaser/CD haul

This is just a warm up post. As the title suggests, a teaser of what I have yet to write, and of the CD’s I picked up during Pop Montreal 2011. I had been posting plenty of updates on my Twitter during the festival, and took some notes, so, a full review will come shortly! (Mostly unrelated, but of note, this WordPress.com blog post: Prepare for National Novel Writing Month with the Post a Day Challenge. I am all about quality over quantity, however, with NaNoWriMo, it is all about writing writing writing, and editing later, as the writer is bound to have some quality within, or good stuff that can be edited later, versus sitting around thinking and generating very little content while (over?)thinking. Anyway…)

Pop Montreal 2011 CDs

All the discs I picked up (from top left clockwise), Lindi Ortega – Little Red Boots, Rebekah Higgs – Odd Fellowship, Ohbijou – Beacons, Dinah Thorpe – 12, Grass Widow – Past Time)

All the shows/artists I saw (bold denotes Canadian artists):

Charlotte Cornfield
Lindi Ortega
Donlands and Mortimer (most)
Ben Caplan
Charlotte Cornfield
Kid Koala
Karkwa (mostly indirectly)
Arcade Fire (about the first 30 minutes, indirectly on screens)
Mussaver (most)
Dinah Thorpe
Rebekah Higgs
Pat Jordache (most)
Tune-Yards
Ohbijou (first 30 minutes)
Kid Sister
Alessi’s Ark
Laura Marling
By Divine Right (last 15 minutes)
Allie Hughes
Sheezer
Hannis Brown
Mensch
Grass Widow
The Raincoats
Think About Life

So, in the coming days, once I finish writing it, my Pop Montreal 2011 post will be a review and thoughts…

Pop Montreal 2011 preview (September 21 – 25)

I am not too great at previews, Sean over at Said the Gramophone is, but I will try.

Slowly but surely as I heard more and more bands announced, this years Pop Montreal has quite a diverse lineup with plenty of well known, and lesser known acts. Apologies on the formatting, as I do not have enough text, and I wanted to get the pics in!

After reading this blog post, head on over to Pop Montreal for official times and information regarding the concerts. And for Montrealers, the latest Montreal Mirror has a handy pull out day by day schedule of music listings. Or view it online. And on the official Pop Montreal users can build their own personalised schedule.

(Bold in the next two signifies Canadian acts.)

A few of the shows I am personally really looking forward to include tUnE-yArDs, Rebekah Higgs, Ohbijou (new album, Metal Meets hits stores September 27, I might get to buy it before the official release!), Kid Sister, Laura Marling, and Q-Bert. I am also very much looking forward to local Montrealer Charlotte Cornfield (who has two sets on opening Wednesday, one opening for Philémon Chante, and later that evening as part of the Let Your Hair Down Showcase!), Kid Koala (opening for the giant free Arcade Fire show), the giant free Arcade Fire show(!), Krista Muir, Samiam (who I just saw were playing a few minutes ago!), Real McKenzies (Awesome Scottish influenced Celtic punk!), and The Planet Smashers. Oh, and in the course of writing this blog post I see in the official Pop Montreal program Maylee Todd is playing Saturday night set as L’Esco (basically a small semi-basement bar/venue). No word online, so I will not hold my breath! She rules by the way! And I got to know her from Pop Montreal last year! I also see that the Sarah Blackwood (from psychobilly act The Creepshow) set for the Stomp Records BBQ is at 4PM, before local rockabilly act The Hellbound Hepcats! And although I really do not know his solo work, Liam Finn is playing the fest too.

Also a few acts I know little to nothing about, and in many cases am just going by their pictures (press photos are indeed important!), that I would like to see include Lindi Ortega, Cherry Chapstick (another Montreal act!), Megan Bonnell, Marques Toliver, Vilify (Montreal again!), Natale (from Paris, booming pop vocals and insect-like acrobatic dancing apparently!), UN (514 represent!), D-sisive, Molly Sweeney (Montreal!), Dinah Thorpe, Emma-Lee, Caroline Keating (Montreal), Old n’ Weird, Shaydakiss (Montreal) and Azelia Banks (both opening for Kid Sister), Frankie Rose, Dominique Young Unique, Anna Rose, Yuck, Gianna Lauren, Alessi’s Ark (London, according to Pop, folk songs that make you want to cycle down an English country road!), Allie Hughes, Sheezer, and The Raincoats.

There is no way I will be able to catch them all, but I will try and catch a fair bit, all of what I really want to see, and hopefully some of the ones I would like to see barring any personal scheduling conflicts, and definitely catch some artists that are new to me.

tUnE-yArDs

So knowing what I know, a few I would recommend include tUnE-yArDs. I have only heard some of her stuff, and I saw her performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but she, Merrill Garbus et. al., definitely have an innovative sound.

Laura Marling

Laura Marling and her blend of UK folk should prove to be awesome, her third record, A Creature I Don’t Know, came out on Monday. Hopefully I can pick it up at the show!

DJ Qbert

Q-Bert is a legendary DJ, thus making him big in hip hop, since hip hop, that is to say rapping, emerged from the DJ, the disc jockey. His turntablism skills are crazy good! I see quite a fair amount of shows, but I do not get to see proper DJ/scratching shows often at all.

A few locals I can highly recommend include Charlotte Cornfield (folk/rock), Krista Muir (multi-talented, ukelele playing and then some!), Kid Koala (speaking of turntablism!), and the ever impressive some 15 plus years on, The Planet Smashers (ska extraordinaire!).

I have not heard them yet, but hope to check out Montreal’s own electro dur UN. Just by Pop Montreals description: “Toronto’s weirdo pop princess”, Allie Hughes sounds like a great bet! Frankie Rose of Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and the Vivian Girls fame, enough said!

Another artists I just listened to, Dominique Young Unique, is a young female MC from Florida. Upon hearing and watching “Show My Ass“, I was reminded of Rye Rye, although no doubt they differ quite a bit, Rye Rye coming from the Baltimore scene and being a M.I.A. protégée.

Cannot say as I know them, but given their history, having formed in the U.K. in 1977, I might just have to check out The Raincoats.

Of course Pop Montreal is far from just music, it is Film Pop, Art Pop, and more! Last year Feist’s film Look at What the Light Did Now had a screening, and this year PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake will have a screening. Also there is Bloodied But Unbowed: The Birth of Vancouver Punk Rock 1977-82.

And among the symposiums, there is Voices on Voices, which, to steal Pop Montreal’s description, is “a workshop/discussion on writing and arrangement with Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-YaRds.” Very nice. And The Raincoats – Adventures, which as you may have guessed, is about The Raincoats!

Allie Hughes

Charlotte Cornfield

Dominique Young Unique

Bookmark this page, and come back, as I will continue adding links to the artists’ official websites while I check them out.

Who or what are you looking forward to at Pop Montreal? Do not be shy, comment, and plug your blog (if you have one), it may just end up on my blogroll! It might also influence me to go see a certain show! Les commentaires en français sont également les bienvenus. Heck, since this is the digital age, any language will do, even binary or hex code (okay, perhaps a tad too geeky).

Osheaga Saturday (day 2) review (July 30, 2011)

I started off my Warped Tour review saying how I am a Warped Tour veteran, well, I can start this off saying I am an Osheaga newbie. This was my first time going.

Osheaga 2011 early on with The 222s starting the day on one of the main stages.

Similar to Warped Tour, there are always bands/artists to see at any given time, although not nearly as many as at Warped Tour. That is okay in this case, where quality over quantity rings true.

My friend and I entered a little late, but not late, as we were able to catch a fair amount of The 222s, veteran Montreal glam punks. I cannot say as I know them well, at all! However they sounded good, perhaps not as good as their heyday (since I do not know them that well).

Quite a number of people do enter late, since the schedule is made before hand. At Warped Tour one has to enter the grounds to see when bands are playing (the schedule is made early the day of the event). Toronto’s The Midway State played next to a decent crowd, many of whom were from Toronto!

The Midway State at Osheaga July 30, 2011

[Edit: It would seem I Forgot to hit update (had a duplicate of the first pic for a little shy of a day!)]

Next was Oh Land, the Danish chanteuse, now on her second release (Oh Land), also her North American breakthrough. We watched her entire set. She provided quite the stage presence with what she was wearing!

Oh Land at Osheaga July 30, 2011

And for the most part the show was quite enjoyable, although it felt lacking a little. I noticed during her rendition of “Son of a Gun”, it did not quite feel like it had the zest of the recorded version. I did like how it started, with the percussionist playing the electronic drum, slowly raising either the volume or pitch, till it was obvious as to the song about to be performed! Do not get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed her, as I have listened to her debut a few times, and it makes for a good listen. I think her career can certainly be a promising one. “White Nights” and “Voodoo” were a couple of other songs that were very enjoyable live! On a sidenote, prior to the set starting, as they were still finishing soundcheck (there is only so much time between acts on each stage), they really tested the woofers, we were close by, and it literally shaked our insides! Luckily they were not on full during the set, as more than earplugs would have been necessary!

The day could not have been any nicer, sunny, with the sun hiding behind the clouds briefly now and then providing some well needed respite from the excess heat. And for those not familiar with Osheaga, one of the side stages is the “Tree Stage”, so literally it is among the trees, which provided a nice shaded venue to see performances!

Three Canadian acts were playing at almost the exact time slot, Montreal’s Braids, Newmarket’s Tokyo Police Club, and Vancouver’s Mother Mother. We saw a decent chunk of Braids, and then moved over to the Tree Stage to see Mother Mother.

Montreal's Braids at Osheaga July 30, 2011

Braids’ performance was very good, knowing them beforehand helps, otherwise their style is quite a switch from typical rock band music. They are labelled as art rock, or experimental rock on Wikipedia for the primary two genres. They seemed to be having a little technical difficulties with a monitor, and kept playing, or extending the song. At that moment we headed to see Mother Mother. They performed their big hit “O My Heart”, and ended with a nice song primarily featuring the two girl singers (Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin) harmonising most of the song, with Ryan Guldemond jumping in here and there, quite nice!

Aside from hanging out, which I am sure many people do for most of the day, we saw the John Butler Trio before watching the entire Sia set, which was very impressive in every way! Musically very great, playing numerous songs from her latest, We Are Born, and other good ones, including “Breathe Me”, and “Soon We’ll Be Found”. The latter even had Sia doing hand mimicking similarly to the excellent music video (see picture below). Sia took the time to allow the crowd time to heckle her, of course it was good-natured, but very entertaining!

The awesome Sia at Osheaga July 30, 2011

Shirtless Lupe Fiasco way in the distance at Osheaga July 30, 2011!

On the main stage a nice long set (just shy of an hour) from Lupe Fiasco made way for Death From Above 1979. One of DFA1979′s reunion shows this year, and it did not disappoint! I did leave before the set was over to go see UK up and comer Anna Calvi.

Anna Calvi’s set started late due to a late running sound check, and a technical issue. The crowd was a bit sparse for her set. It was on the tree stage, and likely not too many people know her around here yet. And she ended her set a little early. Being that it was the first time I saw her, I cannot draw comparisons, yet I enjoyed what I heard. She plays fairly dark indie rock. She did not seem too thrilled, maybe because of the smaller crowd.

Anna Calvi and her band at Osheaga July 30, 2011

Yet, for acts like her, Osheaga is a good venue to introduce lesser known acts. On the other hand, I think Janelle Monae, who played Friday should have played a proper headlining show, as she does have a big cult fanbase. I cannot say as I know the numbers around here, but likely they are up there (when I first tried to purchase her debut disc it was sold out!).

My (Osheaga) day came to a close checking out Ratatat, Bright Eyes, and then Elvis Costello and the Imposters. Ratatat of course have collaborated with Kid Cudi, most notably on “Pursuit of Happiness”. Kid Cudi having cancelled his Friday Osheaga set with illness, apparently due to overworking. What I saw of Elvis Costello impressed. I was fairly tired by that point, but did enjoy him, despite now knowing his work too well.

I then headed over to La Ronde, Montreal’s amusement park, to see the last day of the fireworks, which were a Beatles tribute. It was a good display, featuring audio montages from each member’s song book, and a nice brief grand finale!

And for the first ever Too Much Music top tip (Top Gear ripoff), avoid the metro on a Saturday night post Osheaga! Likely true any day after Osheaga, however Saturday La Ronde and Osheaga leaving at the same time, equalled masses of people trying to leave the island on the metro! I took the shuttle bus back to La Ronde and took the pedestrian path on the Jacque Cartier bridge to get back to the city!