It seems like the main reason the Pop With Brains showcase happens only once every two months is because there is often so much awesomeness packed into one bill that it would be impossible to replicate on a more frequent basis. So it was that I found myself at the Rivoli last night for a bill full of all kinds of fun.

Mikey Maybe

It started in a very thrillingly unexpected way with the beats and rhymes of Mikey Maybe. Having known nothing about him previously, I was not expecting a hip-hop act, but that’s exactly what he was. There was a great irreverence to his rhymes (he has a song called “Mazda, Mazda” which invites a woman into the car in the title, similar to the “Voulez-vous venir dans mon jacuzzi” line from Radio Radio’s “Jacuzzi”), which always made his song interesting. And he also hilariously almost started what was apparently a Ludacris track before he actually began each of his songs.

The audience responded quite enthusiastically to the Edmonton artist; it sounded like there were plenty of Edmontonians (is that the right word?) in the crowd, but he easily won the whole crowd over rather quickly. At one point he got the crowd to sing a part of his song “Bra Straps” which features the line “Ice, hair, personality.”

Christian Hansen and Molly Flood

Up next was a fellow Edmonton group, but now based in Tortonto, Christian Hansen. I feel like I might be running out of words to say how much I love the duo of Christian Hansen and Molly Flood, but it’s worth repeating. The two put on one of the most genuinely energetic performances I’ve ever seen. Neither Hansen nor Flood are ever still for more than a moment except for dramatic effect. Hansen continues to be able to make the craziest facial expressions I have ever seen.

The set was a nice bit of mostly uptempo numbers, starting out with “C’Mon Arizona” and ending with the timely-named (if you’re keeping up with the Toronto media circus) “Cocaine Trade.” They did slow down for one song, the slow jam “Please Don’t Do That” that Flood said is her favourite song.

The Leslie Spits

In stark contrast to the happy, danceable tunes of Christian Hansen came a set by a trio called The Leslie Spits. They got what was left of the crowd worked up in a totally different way, with super-loud and energetic rock music. They made a lot of noise, and I was surprised that no mosh pits broke out. Perhaps it just wasn’t that kind of crowd. Either way, the audience did seem to like it, and at the end of their set a few people could be heard yelling “One more song!”

Coronado

The last band I saw for the night was Coronado, who continue to bring good vibes and dancing to every set they play. They have a great setup going, with two female keys player and a male vocalist and guitarist in Carlos Coronado. The three all contribute vocals to some degree, and together they contributed to probably the most dancing that was had all night. I particularly liked how no two songs seemed to feature the same combination of vocals or even instruments.

I did unfortunately miss the final act of the night, The Buddy System, but I can only imagine it ended well another night of awesome bands and a ton of fun.

reviewed by Elena Gritzan

It took over a year for Marble Lion to return with their second EP, but it is immediately apparent that they must have spent a large portion of that timeframe refining their drawn-out atmospheric songscapes. Clothing spans four songs and twenty-two minutes, yet feels like one enveloping experience. The trio combine analog instruments and electronic sounds to create highly textured songs perfect for soundtracking mind wandering and personal discovery.

The lyrics are often indecipherable in their filtered lightness, but that is a strength in the context of the EP; the human voice becomes just another instrument, weaving around the sustained notes and echo-y percussion that characterizes the release. Marble Lion like to play with the dynamics, building up to a crescendo or withering the volume away to almost nothing at different points for dramatic effect.

“To the Midway” especially sounds like a journey. It begins with the sound of wind and a subtle melody, and climbs to playful synths and cries of “I’m flying” before ending eight minutes later right back where it started. It’s easy to feel satisfied at the end of the song: you’ve been presented with beauty, interesting musical ideas, and a sonic feeling that evokes a sense of peace.

You can currently find Clothing for PWYC on Bandcamp, though a cassette will be available from Clocks and Daggers in June.

Top Tracks: “To the Midway”, “Old Man”

Rating: Strong hoot (Good)

Their new track is called “When She Smiles At Me” and it’s surprisingly straightforward. Some nice vocal harmonies, a fairly steady bit of guitar and drumming. It’s very reminiscent of the sixties and that sure as hell isn’t as a bad thing.

Stream the track below, and look out for the track on a future split 7″ release.

reviewed by Eleni Armenakis 

Orbit Over Luna, is the working name for Torontonian Shannon Penner—a musician, animator, composer, sound designer, and multi-instrumentalist. Self-described as an “ambient post-rock” artist, Penner is crafting a series of EPs influence by his journey through Japan.

Hiroshima/Miyajima is the latest release from this set. It’s a collection of five instrumental pieces, each named after a destination in Japan. Ambient post-rock doesn’t do the sound Penner creates justice as he weaves in touches of Asian and world music. While the influences are there, Hiroshima/Miyajima is far from a so-called world music genre. Instead, he mixes together a form of delicate rock with hints of different types of music and different places. The EP may not transport you to another part of the world, but it will take you to a different place within yourself—it has an almost meditative effect on the listener.

“Genbaku Dome” quietly opens the EP with the soft strumming of a guitar layered over chimes and ambient sound. While the guitar slowly gains strength and the chimes become more pronounced, the pace of the song remains the same, easing you into the album.

Things transition seamlessly into “Miyajima Water Fireworks” with a gentle tapping on the chimes and a steady, soft rhythm on the guitar. Again, the ambient background creates a flow in the song, bringing out the sense of the water mentioned in the title.

“Miyajima Water Fireworks” fades out and “Hiroden Hope” begins with a static hum and string plucking that fuses rock and Asian sounds. This is broken up with sections of more chimes and a background that sounds like windpipes carrying their own version of the guitar piece.

“Misen Yama” flows from “Hiroden Hope” with steady, soft strumming with the focus on the chimes. “Hiroshima: City of Peace” ends the EP with seven restful minutes that build up slowly. The guitar picks up without taking away from the peace of the intro. The slow build begins to see accents on the notes halfway through. In the final minute and a half the song begins to fade out, the guitar slows and then stops, and ambient noise transitions you out of the EP and back into the real world.

It’s with reluctance that I leave the feeling of calm Hiroshima/Miyajima imparts, especially with “Hiroshima: City of Peace”. By the end of the first track I find myself unwinding and letting go, getting carried away by the chimes and soothing ambient music. Towards the end of the album, I’ve forgotten about everything except the music, and it’s good that the EP ends the way it does, with no abruptness. After a chaotic day, Hiroshima/Miyajima is the remedy for finding peace.

Top Tracks: “Hiroshima: City of Peace”; “Miyajima Water Fireworks”

Rating: Hunting Call (Excellent) + *swoop* 

reviewed by Michael Thomas

The cover art for Jont’s latest album features him with his eyes closed and arms spread. The image seems to suggest he’s ready to take something on, or perhaps he’s surrendering to something. Whatever it may mean, the album cover seems quite apt to describe the album’s contents.

Hello Halifax is more or less the sound of catharsis. It’s as though Jont is unloading pent-up feelings, whether those are anxieties or passions. But the arrangements are never grandiose or loud; in fact they’re more or less the opposite. Rather than hit high notes, Jont sometimes goes down to a vocal whisper (particularly evident in the seven-minute-long “Teardrops and Pennies”).

Some may recognize Jont as the British guy who had a song featured in Wedding Crashers and a few songs in Grey’s Anatomy. We’re happy to call Jont an honourary Canadian for the time being, though, as he moved to Halifax last year when he found out that he had an eight-year-old daughter living there.

The mood of the album might be described most accurately as “delicate.” It fits that a song like “Church on Sunday” (possibly also one of the best songs on the album) with its gentle and prominent upright bass line and Jont’s guitar. Oh yes, there’s also the lovely Jennah Barry, who contributes backing vocals throughout the album but also harmonizes with Jont on every word of this first song. Just an image of going to church on a Sunday brings images of tranquility and peace, as does the accompanying lyrics (“Oh the gods/Oh the gods have blessed me/They have”) and melody.

It ends on an equally tranquil note with “Same Record Again,” a tune that reminisces about good times, like “watchin’ all those Bowie vids on YouTube.”

There’s also plenty of real feel-good moments to the album. While many of these songs could be called love songs, it doesn’t all have to be about longing for a lover. “Lucky Leaf Falls” excels thanks to its melancholy melody mixed with a sharp hook: “We’ve got each other/Sister and brother/I don’t need no other love to ease my soul.” There’s also “Failed Again,” a nice little upbeat song about, as the title might imply, repeated failure, but seemingly looking on the bright side of it.

Jont also experiments in his vocal delivery with tracks like “The Best Things” and “Holdin’ A Real Hand,” which are delivered more like spoken-word. The former song in particular also takes on a more ominous tone with the ever-present bass line.

Hello Halifax is a great record to play on a quiet morning. It’s poignant without being pushy and it may just make you feel a little better about yourself.

Top Tracks: “Church on Sunday”; “Two Days In”; “Same Record Again”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good)

reviewed by J. Francis

To my knowledge (ie. YouTube’s) there are a total of two clips of live Psyche Tongues footage on the internet. One is thirty seconds of them playing in what appears to be the kitchen of a small apartment. Seeing as how there are five members in Psyche Tongues, it is incredibly cramped. The band is gleefully cranking out something that sounds a lot like The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray”, the few visible people that I guess you could call “the crowd” are super into it, and it’s the most fun footage of a band I’ve seen in a long time. The other clip features them playing “Pulsar // Halo” – the leadoff track of their new EP Flavour Canyon – in a venue not much bigger than that kitchen, and they have that same energy plus an ecstatic tambourine player who is having a better time than you or I will ever know.

Besides making me really want to catch the next Psyche Tongues show, it tells you something about them that the music on Flavour Canyon re-affirms: this is a group with a genuinely infectious sense of wide-eyed discovery to them. And seeing as how this is a group of guys that actually go so far as to call themselves a “psychedelic rock band” – a pretty boldly goofy thing to go telling people in the year 2013 – that’s important.

So many indie rock bands chase the neo-psychedelic Nuggets garage-rock template, and so few of them do anything with it besides aim to trigger that exact recognitory response in whatever nerd happens to have stumbled upon their shitty tape. Like any highly stylized and accessibly timeless aesthetic, it’s very easy to superficially duplicate, and thusly, when a band lands in that kind of sonic ballpark, I imagine it’s fairly easy to think that what you’ve made is good because it feels and sounds enough like something else that is good. And obviously, those are pretty different accomplishments. However, this is exactly why Flavour Canyon succeeds where so many like-minded bands go limp. They’re clearly enamored with late-sixties freak-rock, but they don’t allow it to be a limitation.

Songs like “Eat Yer Maker” and “Pulsar // Halo” have an ambitious immediacy to them that is truer in spirit to Psyche Tongues’ forefathers than most of their peers while simultaneously managing to avoid sounding like they’re trying that hard to sound like anybody but themselves. It’s easy to forget how rare it is to come across music that conveys a genuine sense of sincere enthusiasm, but Psyche Tongues are the kind of band that reminds you. Roll on down to Flavour Canyon, it’s a trip worth taking, man.

Flavour Canyon is available on Bandcamp.

Top Tracks: “Pulsar // Halo”, “Eat Yer Maker”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good)

reviewed by Michael Thomas

From the ashes of Dora Alexander comes ev ree wuhn. Sonically, it’s as though the guys have transitioned from OK Computer-era Radiohead to King of Limbs-era Radiohead. Neither descriptor is an insult.

What is clearly striking about the band’s debut EP is how easily it gets into a rhythm, and how easily that rhythm will fill the listener of the EP. The EP’s six songs can get musically dense, but the songs always build from the ground up, and any transitions from one dominant sound to another feels wholly natural.

Synthesizers play a large part in the creation of the ev ree wuhn sound, but so too does the percussion, the bass and the occasional bit of piano (the latter of which is heavily involved in “Control”). If you’re someone who likes to clap or snap along to songs, you’ll be doing a whole lot of that. I don’t think I’ve ever snapped along as much to a record as I have to this one. To be fair, songs like “Paper Tokyo” feature what sounds like snapping figures, so the urge to snap long is somewhat understandable.

In terms of influence on their sound, one could point to a whole bunch of places. Songs like “Turquoise” (which somewhat fittingly features the heavenly vocals of Bravestation’s Devin Wilson) sound right at home with hip-hop or R&B, whereas “Soon Enough” is a thoroughly experimental affair built up around rotating sounds and Alex Grant’s vocals, much of which is just him drawing out an “ah” sound.

Grant’s vocals, meanwhile, are something to take note of. While not present in every song (and “Paper Tokyo,” a purely instrumental song, doesn’t suffer for lack of vocals), they add an additionally eerie element to the already hypnotic soundtrack.

One might certainly get the sense that ev ree wuhn are experimenting to see what they’re capable, but rarely does experimentation come across so masterfully. It’s hard to accurately grasp exactly what it is that makes this EP so special, but maybe the lack of grasp is exactly it. Listening to this EP is very much a personal experience- follow along with the band and let the music take you places.

The EP is available for the unbeatable price of free from the band’s website.

Top Track: “Colours”

Rating: Hunting Call (Excellent) +*swoop*

Aaron Grain (left) and Chris Duncombe (right) of The Washboard Union//Photo: Michael Thomas

by Michael Thomas

For some bands, even dealing with playing one Canadian Music Week showcase can be daunting. The Washboard Union played four.

When I met up with Chris Duncombe and Aaron Grain of the Vancouver-based band in March during CMW madness, the two guys seemed the epitome of calm. Probably some of that calm came from the fact that despite only releasing their debut album last year, the Washboard Union has built up quite a buzz.

Grain and Duncombe call their band a band of brothers, all of whom were attracted to the same type of music growing up. The guys were all attracted to musicians like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.

“Storytelling became a big part of what we do in our music,” Grain said.

“I think that’s the thing we were most attracted to—the storytelling songs,” Duncombe added. “That stuff is timeless, it doesn’t go away. That’s what probably drew us to it.”

With the band boasting four songwriters (though the majority are written by Duncombe and Grain) there’s a lot of great voices to be heard in their music. Their self-titled debut album features on the same disc the irreverent song “Hillbilly Bullshit” and also a country lament in “Billy the Kid.”

The fact that they’re a large band with four songwriters surprisingly doesn’t make things more complicated, though. “The sound is the sum of its parts,” Duncombe said. “Typical country acts have a lead singer or a lead singer and a co-singer, and the band just follows along. This is built of a bunch of pieces that were built together that way and we really focus on that.” He also added that every band member sees the build-up method as the most important means of creating their songs.

However one might define their songwriting process, it’s certainly building up a lot of buzz. When I asked them what they think is the reason for it, Grain’s immediate first answer was “We have a great publicist.” But he later added that there aren’t too many bands doing three-/four-part harmonies (and boy do I love harmonies) and that their energy is one best experienced at a live show.

“When you see a live show, you feel the live show,” Grain said. “If you can walk away from that live show with goosebumps, you witnessed it with everybody else in the room, you can talk about that. That’s an experience.”

Being part of a rising band still comes with its surprises, of course. Grain and Duncombe recounted a show they played at Rifflandia last year.

“We walked on stage and the club was maybe a quarter full, if that,” Grain started. “And we got into our first song, and halfway through the first song the club became jam-packed. And there’s these people right around the front door. Then this buzz came in the room; there was a lineup down the stairs, out the door, down the block and around the block to get into the show. So not only was it packed within five minutes, there’s a lineup. We never had that before.”

“It scared the shit out of us when we got on stage!” Duncombe said.

“The fact that we were a destination felt great,” Grain finished.

The two guys certainly made clear their love of festivals, both in terms of all of the ones they played last year and the numerous others they’ll be playing this summer. They’re also now in the process of recording a second album.

“It’s gonna be a busy summer and busy fall for us,” Duncombe said.

By the end of the interview I got the feeling that Duncombe and Grain really enjoy being busy. And that’s always a good work ethic for a band to have.

The Washboard Union will be on tour at various summer festivals this summer, dates below:
June 21st – Calgary, AB - Sled Island
June 22nd - Gravelbourg, SK - Summer Solstice Festival
June 29th - Port Renfrew, BC - Tall Tree Music Festival
July 5th - Kelowna, BC - Keloha Music Festival
July 10th - Vancouver, BC – VENUE
July 25th – Victoria, BC - Victoria Live & Unsigned Showcase

reviewed by Elena Gritzan

The other day I thought there was a ghost in my room. I was minding my own business, reading a magazine, when I heard a deep, chanting voice sounding like it was coming through the walls. At first I thought it was just my downstairs neighbour’s music, but it sounded closer than that. I stood up and pressed my ear to the wall. A bass chant came through. Atmospheric, ominous. Then I realized it was just the headphones sitting on my desk accidentally blaring the final song of the new Prince Nifty album. It’s otherworldly, indeed.

I have remarked before that you never get the same thing twice with a Prince Nifty live performance, and his huge range is apparent on the album as well. Beginning with a folk/beat hybrid, the album moves through instrumental synth tones, a cappella campfire chants, some intense dancey bass punctuation, and a Gregorian chant-inspired vocal line mixed with nature sounds.

Pity Slash Love is a conglomeration of a lot of different elements; besides the disparate genre influences, it walks a delicate line between experimental and intellectually challenging on one side, and visceral pop music on the other. This can be seen even in single songs: “Body Irony” begins with hollow percussion taps to introduce a thumping bass line and incredible synth hook, but deteriorates into quick saxophone cacophony by the end.

It is that slightly ghostly final song “O Sluggard”, that is the most striking. The sound of ducks, birds, and dogs crying out keep the song grounded in reality, while the chant transports it to another mental headspace entirely. It is the kind of song to listen to in complete concentration, eyes closed, while letting it transform you. In fact, the whole album might just allow you to achieve such transformation.

You can find the album for PWYC at the Prince Nifty bandcamp.

Top Tracks: “Pity Slash Love”, “Body Irony”, “O Sluggard”

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really good) + *swoop*

Bravestation//Photo: Michael Thomas

by Michael Thomas

Apparently Jack Daniels supports emerging talent. I was wondering what in the hell “J.D. Originals” was that was presenting Bravestation’s IV release show last night at the Drake Hotel. Turns out it’s none other than everyone’s favourite whisky (or maybe only some people’s favourite whisky; I don’t know my whisky very well).

Before the main act went on, though, there was an opening set by a hip-hop act called TFHOUSE. The almost complete disconnect between opening and headliner was a little jarring, to say the least, but the small crowd who showed up early seemed to like it.

I personally didn’t enjoy TFHOUSE all that much, mainly because I’m not much of a rap fan when it comes down to it. I didn’t really get anything from TFHOUSEs lyrics, particularly when he was singing or rapping over top of recorded vocals, although some of his stage banter was a little amusing, particularly before he started in on a song that Devin Wilson of Bravestation recorded vocals for. I was a little more interested in the DJ, I guess, but overall I wasn’t bowled over by the opening act.

After a Jack Daniels rep introduced the band and incorrectly identified IV as Bravestation’s second full-length album (it’s actually an EP, and their third EP at that) the band took the stage to a suddenly-crowded house.

It’s been literally years since I’ve seen Bravestation live- by my memory the last time I saw them was in October or November of 2010, and so seeing them simplified as a three-piece is interesting. Devin Wilson seemed particularly freed, sometimes going through whole songs occasionally tapping an electronic pad and providing his stellar vocals.

The band played a good mix of tunes from IV and Giants & Dreamers. It took seeing them live to realize that Devin Wilson’s vocal timbre is so smooth that if Bravestation were to decide to do an R & B tune, they probably could. He certainly had the audience entranced.

The trio’s best moment came toward the end of their set, when they got the audience really moving and grooving with a combination of “Fluorescent Scenes” and “All We Have is Us” from Giants & Dreamers and IV, respectively.

Wilson was quite respectful of the help the band had gotten- he acknowledged former member Andrew Hoeppner as well as their sound person, both of whom helped create the fairly unique sound that is Bravestation.

The set was fairly short, at around 45 minutes, and the crowd at least briefly wanted more. They probably would have loved to hear a little “White Wolves” or something from the 2010 EP although perhaps the band might be tired of that recording. Either way, their performance inspire equal parts dancing and cheering, so it was fun.