Rush – Moving Pictures

(note: I wrote this PRE seeing Rush Thursday.)
Here is the deal. I am going to see Rush this upcoming Thursday. I'm freaking out. I haven't seen them since 2004. They were awesome then. But they were on tour for the “Vapor Trails” album. Which doesn't suck. But yo, this is fucking “Moving Pictures.” And idk if its true or not, but i heard that they are playing this album IN ITS ENTIRETY on their present tour. That along with a lot of their hits from over the years. So yes, safe to say, I'm very excited. This album is a hit machine pretty much. The first 4 songs are fucking CLASSIC. “Tom Sawyer” is one of the quintessential Rush songs. I think most people would agree to that. And its what starts off this album. I don't honestly know if this is the best Rush album. It was the third in a string of awesome records. The other two being “Hemispheres” and “Permanent Waves.” Between those 3 albums are a shit ton of amazing material. So i usually sort of hold them as my trinity of great Rush albums. haha. I try not to pick. Yes I know. You are thinking,”What about 2112?” Yes, that album is great. Its just, well, that's a different Rush. haha. I know that sounds weird, but the 3 albums I mentioned are just a different Rush. Different from 2112 era. Like i said, its hard. I love all the shit they have done since Peart started playing drums for them. So yeah, that's a few records before they got to this point on a musical level. I love the band. I'm stoked. And this album and its songs rock. The end. Go listen to Rush, k?
Download The Album Here
Buy It If You Like It

Oh, Canada (Part 9): Damages - Scars

The situation leading up to this review was safe to say one of the more awesome things to happen to me since starting my own music blog. as i think a lot of you who read my blog know, i used to write for a blog called Listen To This Once. Well, one of the members of Damages must have been a follower of that blog because I got a message in my myspace inbox asking if i would like to review their latest 7inch for L.T.T.O. I was really excited. No one has ever asked me personally to review their album. Up until this point I’ve just written about bands and albums i just really love. But I was really excited at the possible opportunity. So I told Andrew, from Damages, that that blog no longer existed but that i would be more than happy to write about their EP on here. And they said that was fine. To quote Wayne Campbell, “Excellent!” Now as I said, I'd never heard Damages prior to their offer, but what is so rad is, they are definitely my type of band. Maybe that's why I was asked to review this in the first place. They knew from my track record that I’d love it. Damages hail from Vancouver, British Columbia. But what they sound like, they could easily be confused with something coming out of Ottawa. Maybe in the mid-nineties? Okay, what I’m getting at is that, to me, Damages sounds like a direct musical descendant from Okara, Shotmaker, and the like. And that is honestly a very great thing, because I love those bands. Quick rant. Alot of times really shit bands will list awesome bands as a influences. and you think to yourself the band “Fall Out Boy are a bunch of fucking liars.” Check out the list of influences Damages has listed on their myspace, and know that none of them are bullshit…“Shotmaker, The Jesus Lizard, Swiz, Black Flag, Yaphet Kotto, Unwound, Shellac, Fugazi, 400 Years, Brito, Portraits of Past, Render Useless, Still Life, Embrace, Dischord, SST, Ebullition, Touch and Go” I KNOW RIGHT?! Fucking awesome. The two song “Scars” 7inch is very energetic and heavy. Both of the songs are fast and driving. Side A’s “Gears” starts with screamed/yelled lyrics and fast/dissonant guitar chords. next thing you know the bass kicks in, and it continues from there. If I had to pick one element from this band that is most close to the Shotmaker/Okara comparison, it might be the bass work. The basslines on these two songs are totally awesome. All over the place doing crazy shit, straight forward and heavy when the guitar is doing more intricate lines. The guitar has that buzzsaw sound, and style that you could say was influenced from everything from Shellac to Drive Like Jehu to Fugazi. Like i said, their influences don't lie. “A Failing Cell” on Side B is kindred to the energy of “Gears” but as some more breakdown-y, head bobbing parts. (Hold your horses stupid money grabbing jock hardcore kid. I think the Hatebreed concert is down the street.) It also contains more riff’s, which usually coincide with the aforementioned “breakdowns.” The song soon builds and builds till it hits a point at the end where its like it keeps hitting you in the face repeatedly. This is a good thing. This band is a good band. This EP is a excellent EP. I recommend anyone who is a fan of the brand of canadian post hardcore/mathy emocore/ hardcore/etc. DEFINITELY check this band out. I really love what they are doing musically and hope they continue forward releasing more awesome music. Many thanks to Damages for letting me review their EP!

Listen To Scars Here

Buy The Scars 7inch Here

Oh, Canada (Part 8): Okara

I feel like it has been forever since I've posted a music recommendation on here. I guess I'm actually glad that life has been taking precedent over things like computer use. But anyways, I decided that as a return to the scene, if you will, I would FINALLY write about a band I've referenced numerous times in the ongoing "Oh, Canada" series I've been doing. Okara. Memory is such a strange thing. And I love that. I love that certain things tend to be connected to certain times and places in a person's life. I found Okara in a time in my life when I was continually searching for new music. And by new, I mean of course, new to me. For whatever reason, I got on a Canada kick. Honestly, it was probably because so many of the bands I was finding were truly spectacular. Independent record labels like Matlock Records and Blue Skies Turn Black turned me on to a lot of bands from Canada. Another label that helped me a great

deal in my search was Spectra Sonic Sound. I found the label in a completely backwards way. Matlock was probably the first of the Canadian labels I got really in depth with. Rockets Red Glare were one of the bands on that label that I really enjoyed. In reading, I found out that Gus and Evan of RRG used to play together in the band Blake. Blue Skies Turn Black was the label that put out the Blake full length LP, so that is what brought me to them. And then I heard about Spectra Sonic Sound because they were the label that put out a few Blake 7inch's as well as the Blake Discography CD. Whenever I found one of these labels, what I would do, is download tracks from all of their bands to see what I liked. Besides Blake, there were a lot of other great bands on SSS. There were the ex-Shotmaker bands Three Penny Opera & 30 Second Motion Picture. The sometimes post rock-y, sometimes straight indie rock, Kepler. And of course, Okara. The weird part about Okara was that they grew on me. I don't know if it was just me not getting them the first time through, or that I needed to hear more material, but I just remember that in my frame of mind at the time, I thought there was something very strange about the

band that I couldn't put my finger on. I remember sort of putting them to the side and checking out the other SSS roster before coming back to them. I'm so glad I did return to check them out more in depth. Okara is a band that as I heard more and more of their material, I fell harder and harder in love with them. The three piece hardcore/post hardcore band from Ottawa, Canada consisted of ex-members of the band Lockjaw. ( If anyone has a copy of ANYTHING Lockjaw recorded, could you for the love of god get it to me? I've been trying to get a hold of that stuff for years) Musically, Okara played a screamy, mathy brand of Canadian hardcore. Sort of like if Shotmaker got a little experimental with time signatures and guitar playing like Rodan. In a way, and this is apparent with my mentioning the band over and over again in this series, Okara set the standard for where Canadian post hardcore would go as a genre. As true as that is though, up until recently I had never heard of a band that sounded anything like them. The band Okara kind of sound similar to? Akarso. Okara existed in the mid 90's for what seems like a

short time. But in that time they inspired countless bands. In America, they are fairly unknown. Which is really sad because this is one of the best, most original bands I've heard from Canada.

Download Their Demo Here

Download Their First and Second EP's along with their split with Mothman here. (Note:included the Mothman portion of the split as well)

Download Their AMAZING album Months Like Years Here

If you like the Months Like Years album, please buy a copy for yourself from Spectra Sonic Sound. Go here and buy the vinyl!

Oh, Canada (Part 7): Blake

Its sort of strange how I attacked this "series" from the get go. Really, I should've attempted to go at it in a chronological order. I just had a really hard time doing that for whatever reason. But I'm going to attempt to at least right one wrong, if you will. I've made reference to this band over and over again in the past. And after each time I would make a reference, I would think "I really should've written about them already." Especially considering that Evan Clarke started in this band and he is sort of a personal musical hero of mine. Its also important to note that their drummer was one Gus Weinkauf, who went on to start Rockets Red Glare with Evan later in band life. I love the music Blake created. Its young. And like youth, sometimes its aggressive, and other times its mellow. They followed suit with the style of canadian hardcore that Shotmaker played, but expanded further taking influence from Okara (who I also still need to write about in this series). The band could be tagged with the "math" label I suppose. Its funny, I hate throwing that term around certain times, even when it fits. Lets just say, when I say math in reference to Blake, its not relating them to Tera Melos or Giraffes? Giraffes!, its relating them to the original trinity. Slint, Chavez and Polvo. Musically, they dont share much with any those bands. But their concept of mathy music fits much better with what those original bands created. Do you like canadian emo bands from the 90's? Well, if so, you may already know of Blake. If not, give them a listen. For fans of all good DC post hardcore and all Canadain & Virginia screamy hardcore-ish stuff.

Download Their Discography Here

Buy it here if you like it

Support Indepedent Record Labels!

Oh, Canada (Part 6): Place Hands

Years ago, I had become aware of Canadian musician Heidi Hazelton. She was (is?) label mates with two of my favorite Canadian bands, Rockets Red Glare and Burn Rome In A Dream, on DIE!venom Records. Oh Evan Clarke, you can do no wrong. Anyway, as was my way in the days of Canadian exploration and discovery, if i found a label with one band I liked, i would listen to all the artists that were on the label. Hazelton's songs I'd heard then, and since, were touching, heartwarming indie sample folk. i don't think that's a real genre but oh well. haha. Very sweet music that makes boys like me get crushes. FLASH FORWARD TO A WEEK AGO. I cant remember what i was doing, or where I was. I think I was on thebluehouse.org looking into the Rockets Red Glare LP they have on there when I came across Place Hands. I clicked the link for their album, Inscribed In Glass, and was immediately treated to a clip of one song off of the album. It was enough to be like "WTF?" and start my search for more of their songs. The brief bio on the site mentioned Heidi Hazelton was in the band. Which was a awesome surprise for me. Her vocal style is completely different from the majority of her solo songs I've heard. Idk. I can honestly admit I don't listen to many female fronted bands, and the majority of the ones i do listen to don't yell or scream. (Uzeda and Bellini being the exceptions) So my basis for vocal comparison might be massively off. I apologize in advance. The Fall On Deaf Ears was the band that I thought of when i heard how Heidi sings in Place Hands. Like I said, probably terrible. Fuck me, right? Vocal duties are shared by Lee Sheppard, who often reminds me of Okara (who i still need to do a "Oh, Canada" about, I know.  One of my favorite bands period) when he sings. Vocals go from switched off back and forth between the two to being shouted together, which I love. Musically this band is Canada all the way. They follow in the footsteps of Canadian bands like, Shotmaker, Rockets Red Glare, Blake, Three Penny Opera, blah blah blah. As you may know from reading past installments, i hate comparing bands. Mostly because I don't think I'm any good at it. Canadian post hardcore at its finest is a real easy way to put it. haha. I have no doubt that fans of the Dischord, Touch and Go and San Diego styles of Post Hardcore would enjoy this as well. So all you Fugazi fans take note. I love the lyrical usage on this record. There are lines that just pop out. I'm sure the authors would rather you look at the lyrics in whole, but some of these lines are just gold to me. "I dreamed my arms were tentacles. I dreamed my fingers were seaweed. You were the life preserver!" UGH. so fucking good! "Streets" might be my favorite song off of Inscribed In Glass. You can thank Heidi for that with her opening and closing sections of the song. GUH. its gets me man. I regret having accidentally bought this via Zune Marketplace (dont ask. guhh) because I want to own a real copy of it. Its that good man. Trust me. I hope they are still together. I cant believe I havent heard of them until now. Fingers crossed. Maybe I can book them in syracuse. :-D

Download The Album Here.

Support Independent Music!

Oh, Canada (Part 5): Weights & Measures

I've decided that since I do write in this blog fairly consistently, I would revive my old Listen To This Once series "Oh, Canada". What better way to make a comeback then with one of my faves.

I owe alot to Matlock Records. ALOT. It all started with me finding out about Rockets Red Glare, and went from there. North Of America, The Plan, Kepler, and of course Weights & Measures. Of all of those bands, Weights & Measures really stick out as being different. The Canadian underground sound was highly influenced by the emo/screamo sound of legends/grandfathers Shotmaker. Later bands like Okara and Blake would take that basic idea, and add mathematical elements making a sound similar, yet unique, to the Drive Like Jehu mathy screamy post hardcore sound. Alot of Canadian bands would continue following that sound and style for years after. What Weights & Measures seemed to do was to take the Mathy portion of the equation, without fully leaving the post hardcore sound. What you end up with is a unique math rock band. I cant honestly think of another band that really sounds like this band. They aren't prog influenced like The Cancer Conspiracy. They aren't spazzy like Hella. They aren't non coherent like Don Caballero could sometimes be. They play together well and they rock. And not in that dumb meatheaded "I'm going throw the horns up brah!" way. Their drummer now plays in The Arcade Fire. I don't know the conditions for which this band broke up, BUT, if it has anything to do with him leaving to be in that band, well, I think people know what I have to say to him. haha. If you like instrumental math rock bands, give a listen to these guys. They were fucking great and utterly unique. 

Download their discography album "Invest In The Death Of Weights & Measures"

Oh, Canada (Part 4): North Of America

North Of America is probably my favorite of all the Canadian bands I planned on covering in this "ongoing" series. And since this could very well be my last post for awhile, I figured, go out with a bang. North Of America went from originally sounding like Pavement and Polvo had a love child, to getting heavier and more technical. Eventually getting to a point where they sounded fairly similar to singer/guitarist Michael Catano's other band, The Plan. They broke up in 2003. But have reunited numerous times. In 05 they got back together to do a Canadian tour with Ted Leo. And they just recently played a couple shows at the end of this past December which marked their 10th anniversary as a band. I fucking hate myself for missing those shows because now I'll probably have to wait for some other anniversary or special occasion to see them. They will always have a special place in my heart. Fans of blah, blah and blah should definitely listen to them.

-matthew st.

their stuff I have in chronological order...

Elements Of An Incomplete Map 

These Songs Are Cursed 

The Sepultura 

This Is Dance Floor Numerology*

Brothers, Sisters

CJLO - SONiCs Session 10-2-05

Buy them from a independent record store if you like them

Or you can get them all from Rewika Records Online.

Oh, Canada (Part 3): Rockets Red Glare

What a band! I don’t know why more people haven’t heard of them. 2/3 were in the popular Canadian math/emocore band Blake (who I will no doubt be writing about in this blog at some point). Rockets Red Glare played mathy post hardcore with elements of heavier post rock. Their rhythm section destroys my life. Dissonant/angular guitar parts with shouting over top. If I haven’t established it yet, this kind of music is sort of my thing. Haha. They’ve been compared to bands like Slint, Shellac and Mission Of Burma. But they’ve also been compared to Neurosis. So yes, they were quite the treat. I personally don’t think they sound like any of those bands, but I guess I always need a point of reference. Just listen and see what you think.

-matthew st.

7 inch

Self Titled

Moonlight Desires

All of this stuff is quite hard to find. 

Oh, Canada (Part 2): Jakartah - In The Nervous Lights Of Coincidence

Even though this band is a recent find for me, they are from Canada, so I will include them in my ongoing “Oh, Canada!” series. Also, they are fucking great, so why not show people another awesome Canadian band?

After much pondering, I think I have come up with a short description of this band, and more specifically this album, that is at least mostly accurate. Jakartah sound like a more riffy Jawbox, or a heavier Burning Airlines, with a singer that sort of sounds like the singer of Young Widows. Weird right? Haha. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. I recommend it to any fans of Jawbox and other good post hardcore bands in that vein. And though I’m not sure if fans of Young Widows would like it, I still say at least give it a listen. Cause you never know. This is the Vancouver band’s first and only full length. They broke up. Which is bummer fo shaw. But it’s also kind of amazing, considering they released stuff of this caliber right off the bat.

-matthew st.

Personal Album Highlights:

-A Young Boy Forgets About Heaven

-Rosa Unida drinks Anxiety

-A Thousand Miles Connects You To Me

-Liaisons At The Woodward Building

Download The Album Here

If you like it, please purchase it from your local independent record store

Oh, Canada (Part 1): The Plan - Only These Movements Remain

There is something about Canada and me. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I have a French Canadian last name, with no actual Canadian ancestry. Maybe I’m searching through the music of the country to find out what the fuck that’s about? Haha. I don’t know. I’m just making an excuse for liking so many Canadian bands (The Plan is one of my favorites). Not alot of people know, but Canada has had an amazing music scene for quite some time. I know, its hard to believe. Most people think Rush or Bryan Adams when thinking of Canadian music. Maybe, if you're lucky you'll get someone that thinks of Godspeed You Black Emperor! But there is so much more to it then that and i hope with this new "series" I'll open some people's eyes to some of the amazing music that has been going on in the Canadian underground over the years.

I always felt that in America, Fugazi was sort of the standard of influence in starting a post hardcore band. It was either them, or a later band whose influence was undoubtedly them. I always sort of thought that in Canada, the same could be said for Shotmaker. Now I’m not saying that Fugazi hasn’t influenced bands in Canada but I feel like on an album like “Only These Movements Remain” you can hear Shotmaker all over the place. Now that is not to say that Fugazi can’t be heard as an influence on this album as well. I think there might even be a tinge of that “San Diego Sound” that people used to refer to when talking about Drive Like Jehu. Simply put, this album is energy. Yelling vocals with screams coming from behind. Duel guitars coming at you with angular and aggressive movements. The bass work on this album is really great. I would even go as far to say that some of it is noteworthy for the genre. The drums are powerful and tight. As they should be for this kind of music. There are elements of mathiness every now and then. There is even some slight experimentation in the way of cello, vibraphone and trumpet being added to a few songs. But nothing that would turn off the post hardcore purest to this record.

I am very bad at recommending albums to people. I usually don’t know what to say in a “for fans of…” statement. But I will say for this album that if you have listened to any of the above mentioned bands, and you liked them, you should really listen to this album.

-matthew st.

Download The Album Here

if you like the album , please try to buy it from your local independent record store

or you can get it from the record label's online store