The holiday named for Saint Valentine, the patron saint of overpriced lingerie.
It is a day couples revel in. A chance to atone for 364 days of sexless bickering. Fellas, time to purchase a $17.99 box of mass-produced chocolates at the pharmacy, and whichever three-pack of condoms offers the best comfort-to-price ratio. Ladies, appreciate the B-effort your lad is giving and wear that sexy nurse outfit your friend bought you as a joke four years ago and enjoy Side A.
Single people, I know this day hasn’t been too kind to you ever since that boy/girl you liked in third grade didn’t put a card in that wondrously decorated paper bag on your desk, but don’t let that get you down! Think of all the discount chocolate you can eat tomorrow! Until then, enjoy listening to Side B while eating a microwavable burrito alone in the bathtub.
Side A – Tied down
1. “Sunshine” – Lupe Fiasco – Food and Liquor
2. “Girlfriend” – Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. “S&M” – Rihanna – Loud
4. “Lovelier Than You” – B.o.B – B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
5. “Right Thru Me” – Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday
6. “Feel Good Inc.” – Gorillaz – Demon Days
7. “Stadium Love” – Metric – Fantasies
8. “Angel” – Shaggy – Hot Shot
9. “Downtime” – The Gandharvas – Sold for a Smile
10. “Sexual Healing” – Marvin Gaye – Midnight Love
Side B – Ridin’ solo
11. “Us Remains Impossible” – Matthew Good – Vancouver
12. “Black” – Pearl Jam – Ten
13. “Amsterdam” – Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
14. “Heartless” – Kanye West – 808s and Heartbreak
15. “Like Spinning Plates” – Radiohead – Amnesiac
16. “The Passenger” – Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
17. “Wonderwall” – Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
18. “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers – Hot Fuss
19. “Friend of the Night” – Mogwai – Mr. Beast
20. “Under the Bridge” – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Fránçois & The Atlas Mountains – E Volo Love (Domino; 2012)
The charming complexity of this album is a reflection of the complexity of the circumstances that brought together Fránçois & The Atlas Mountains. Having sworn off music in 2008, Fránçois was planning a life behind his canvases and brushes instead of behind his guitar, but after an intervention by friends, he re-emerged with a new zest for his craft. And thank goodness he did. E Volo Love is a bilingual love story, speckled with melodic guitar, sweet and soft lyrics, delayed vocals and African influences in rhythm and instrumentation. “Muddy Heart” perfectly synthesizes this evolution, mixing catchy pop melodies with romantic—albeit borderline desperate—lyrics. Its rhythm creeps into your bones, leaving you with an overwhelming sense of relaxation spiked with utopia. Their sound is distinctly French pop, with Fránçois’ airy vocals perfectly complementing every note and beat. Think the French version of the Sea and Cake, but with a few more obscure musical instruments.
Trial track: “Edge of Town”
Rating: 8.9/10
– Allie Mason
Nada Surf – The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (Barsuk Records; 2012)
Nada Surf named their seventh offering after a favourite saying of guitarist/vocalist Matthew Caws’ father, a philosophy professor. It refers to the fact that though humans name and study stars, nothing we do truly affects them. But the main theme that emerges on this album is more about maturity than philosophy. The opening track “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” boasts lyrics such as, “All I feel is transition / when do we get home,” and with the next two tracks named “Waiting For Something” and “When I Was Young,” Caws spends a lot of time reminiscing, almost to the point of melancholy. On “Teenage Dreams,” he reassures the listener, and maybe even himself, that “It’s never too late for teenage dreams / It’s never too late.” The songs, however, are mostly upbeat, which prevents Stars from sounding like a 38-minute pity party. All in all, it’s a solid offering by the New York-based band.
Trial track: “Clear Eye Clouded Mind”
Rating: 7.0/10
– Kamila Hinkson
Putumayo Presents – Brazilian Beat (Putumayo World Music; 2012)
Brazilian Beat might inspire a caipirinha cocktail or two, but listeners won’t feel compelled to squeeze their hibernating thighs into Speedos anytime soon. Putumayo World Music released the album in an attempt to expand their brand and introduce modern world music to the web-obsessed, multimedia-absorbing masses. The label has been releasing global music compilations since 1975, but waited until 2011 to issue a digital album. Brazilian Beat, Putumayo’s third digital release, features songs that hold true to the traditional style of bossa nova—the jazz-infused samba dance roots of Rio de Janeiro’s artistic beach and nightclub culture of the 1950s.
The album’s only “modern” twist is a little electronic mixing, synthesizer and some catchy songs that could pass for pop. It’s redundant and hardly innovative, most of the songs featured were released individually by the artists over five years ago. You might find yourself swaying along to it after a few too many.
Trial track: “Feriado Pessoal” – Bruna Caram
Rating: 5/10
– Elizabeth Mackay
Queen – A Night at the Opera (EMI Brigadiers; 1975)
Taking its name from a Marx Brothers’ film from the ‘30s, the album’s stereophonic imagery is lush and rich. A Night at the Opera is just over 43 minutes of groundbreaking operatic rock.
One of the things that makes the album so remarkable is the clever use of layering with vocals and guitars. Tracks are diverse in narration, with one song acting as a hate letter, another a love letter and rock anthems split in between.
This classic rock album rewards listeners with a symphony of instruments, ranging from piano to over-driven guitars—even a harp appears on the song “Love of My Life”—but really, it’s the remarkable voice of Freddie Mercury that speaks to listeners, with an almost Broadway-style theatricality.
The album, produced by the platinum and gold album slinger Roy Thomas Baker (The Cars, Journey, Motley Crüe), boasts one of the most iconic rock songs of all-time, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (à la Wayne’s World).
Find a copy, slip your headphones on, and enjoy the musical adventure that Queen has given to rock fans to enjoy.
Spring is peeking over the horizon and Montréal en lumière has come to rattle winter’s hermits out of hibernation and remind them of all that the city has to offer.
Time to get out of bed, put your pants back on and quit staring at that stalled stream of Battlestar Galactica. The persecution of Internet pirates is in full swing and access to gratuitous new music may be waning, but Montreal’s got you covered.
Now in its 13th year, Montréal en lumière has become one of the largest winter festivals on the planet, tempting over 900,000 to indulge in cultural fusion.
This year, the festival introduces the RBC Dome, a free outdoor site that transforms the Quartier des spectacles into an urban playground. The site features light displays, food and wine tastings, an illuminated Ferris wheel, performances by Bran Van 3000, Miracle Fortress, Stefie Shock, and DJs spinning nightly—all complimentary.
Impressed? It doesn’t end there. As one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, Montreal is difficult to take by surprise. The festival’s organizers have scoured the Earth to bring the city something new.
“We pick a different country every year and invite some of its artists to perform at Montréal en lumière,” explained Laurent Saulnier, the festival’s vice-president of planning and production. “This year we invited Belgium.”
Performing at Metropolis is Stromae, whose club hit “Alors on danse” has been remixed by Kanye West and clung to number one on European charts for weeks. The Experimental Tropic Blues Band will crank up the punk rock blues and My Little Cheap Dictaphone will bring alternative rock in the vein of Arcade Fire and Radiohead.
“We are always looking for new things, not for exclusivity, but for premieres,” said Saulnier, explaining how artists are selected. “We ask for special projects, something different.” Six beloved Québécois artists chose to wait to debut their latest material at homecoming shows throughout the ten days of the festival. Diane Tell, France D’Amour, Marie-Denise Pelletier, Antoine Gratton, Catherine Major and Brigitte Boisjoli will headline and perform songs from their new albums. Cœur de pirate and The Barr Brothers will also step off their cross-country tours to return to the city where they got their start.
“Theophilus London, for me, is one of the best new artists from the U.S.,” said Saulnier. Checking out his show is an absolute must.”
Nuit blanche, the “all-night” highlight of Montréal en lumière, is so jam-packed with events all over the city that it’s an entirely different festival of its own. Nuit blanche, originating in Paris in 2002, is a city’s nocturnal celebration of its culture through the allowance of public space for performances, art installations, social gatherings and more.
“All other versions of Nuit blanche all over the world are more focused on contemporary art, but the specialty of the Nuit blanche in Montreal is it’s a real party here in town,” said Saulnier. “It’s about music, dance, theatre and even sports.”
On Feb. 25, Nuit blanche will take over the streets of Plateau Mont-Royal, Mile End, Old Montreal, Place des Arts and the Olympic Park. With over 175 events, it is the busiest night of Montréal en lumière, and it gets more frenetic every year. Conveniently, the metro will be open all night long, a free shuttle bus will circulate between venues, and there will be plenty of Porta-Potties. Plus, there’s a smartphone app to help you digest the slew of times, locations and events.
At Nuit blanche, events are usually free of charge, so prepare for line-ups. “The best parties in town will be at Club Soda and Metropolis,” hinted Saulnier. “It’s cool because the venues are very close, so you can walk from one place to another.”
Save the midterm sweat for Karnival, an annual Nuit blanche party hosted by Poirier and his guest DJs at Club Soda. If you’re hankering for a thrashin’, Fucked Up is playing its Polaris Prize-shortlisted album, David Comes to Life, in full after a surprise guest at Metropolis and Bran Van 3000 will be “Drinking in L.A.” on the RBC Dome stage while DJ Mini will be spinning on the side.
It’s reading week; you aren’t searing on a beach somewhere, you’re praying for your tax return, and your sink is crammed full of dirty People’s Potato tupperware.
Escape…to Montreal!
Kevin Moquin plays electric guitar the same way that he dresses—in homage to another time.
The Concordia student and Virginia native performed his original compositions with Mat Lobraico on upright bass and Brandon Goodwin on drums under the band name Kevin Moquin and the Bad Ideas at Cagibi on Jan. 22.
Moquin’s freshly-pressed suit, black thick-rimmed specs, polite stage banter and the twang of his guitar echoed a rockabilly country western star of the 1950s. As the sound pouring out of the speakers amplified and the guitar playing got angrier, the Bad Ideas no longer seemed agreeable enough to be simply branded “country.”
Moquin’s arrangements reflect his punk rock youth, classical jazz studies, and a growing penchant for old-fashioned country rock.
Local music fiends may recognize Moquin as the guitar player for The Jimmyriggers. He has toured with the band through Ontario and the Maritimes, on top of opening for CCR and well known Québécois musician Michel Pagliaro last year. He also plays steel guitar for the Custom Outfit, a Montreal punk-bluegrass-country band.
“I started right off in the country scene when I moved here over two years ago,” said Moquin, “but it just got bigger when I started playing with other bands.”
Growing up just outside Washington, D.C., Moquin claims having almost no exposure to country. His father played guitar and bass around the house, but Moquin didn’t pick up the guitar until he broke his leg skateboarding.
“The only thing I had to do was play guitar, so that was when I first got into it, and progressively got more serious about it,” he said.
He played in punk rock bands throughout high school, studied guitar privately after graduation, and was eventually hired as a full-time guitar instructor for three years at the same school he once took lessons at.
It wasn’t until he heard the 2006 self-titled release by The Little Willies, an alternative country band featuring Norah Jones on vocals and piano and Jim Campilongo on guitar, that his music taste changed.
“Their record changed my life and my view of country,” he admitted. “It was just so country, but in a different direction. It wasn’t from the pop side, but instead very sophisticated, and at the same time very gutsy and bluesy. I didn’t know what Campilongo played was possible, it showed me how musical the guitar can be.”
Moquin is confident that the original defining elements of rock ’n’ roll—country western and rhythm and blues—are making their way back into popular music.
“To me, the older style of country, or underground country, is becoming the new style of rock ’n’ roll. It’s what people are turning towards to try and escape,” Moquin explained. “I feel like the definition of mainstream rock ’n’ roll is changing.”
Find Kevin Moquin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-Moquin-Music/222031507880505
The audience was electric; people were dancing and jerking about as if they were alone in their bedrooms with the radio blasting, doors closed and curtains drawn, not at La Société des arts technologiques.
The venue certainly isn’t small, its warehouse-like rafters and cement floor provides ample dancing room. Rich Aucoin didn’t take advantage of its vastness. Instead he sucked the crowd in, glued people together as if the need to stand side by side was contagious.
About 350 people were grooving in sequence under a rainbow parachute. Their arms, politely flailing above their heads, were covered in confetti. No scratched elbows, tears, or beer spills on new blouses.
Those who fled to rescue their thirst or a leaky bladder were reeled back in, not shunned or given ‘the shoulder.’ This crowd was not your typical concert audience, but more like a gathering of newly initiated best friends on the path to nirvana.
The singer leaped offstage to join the beautiful mess. He swam past the super-fans, clinging to the stage, and sandwiched himself right in the middle of the crowd.
The photographer weaving through the crowd surely caught boys and girls whipping their hair around and snarling like Keenan Cahill to a Katy Perry track.
Rich Aucoin coated SAT in neon Saturday night in honour of his November release, We’re All Dying to Live. Aucoin’s first official release, Dying to Live, boasts the participation of over 500 musicians across Canada and the influence of the Beach Boys and Arcade Fire.
It brims with instrumental build-ups, electronic dance numbers, inspirational lyrics, hundreds of voices, and years of careful editing.
Listening to the album is one thing, but the music doesn’t come to life until you see Aucoin live.
Bringing new definition to ‘adult entertainer,’ he stripped down to a tank top, sampled audio of viral videos live, pumped out bubbles, confetti, a parachute, and a new years countdown, and coached the audience through dance and lyric tutorials before each number.
The music became your personal soundtrack, and the video clips running on Aucoin’s three LCD screens slipped into your mind and ran in sync with your carefree thoughts.
Those with thimble-sized bladders, grumbling stomachs, or hands cemented in their pockets forgot their woes and let loose.
While this night might not have necessarily been unique for Aucoin, he brought music fans the best experience they may have all year, and will continue to do so several times a week.
He does this all with just a synthesizer, microphone and drummer, no sweat.
Rich Aucoin doesn’t perform for a crowd of adoring fans, music snobs, or stiff hipsters. He breeds a new species of concert goers and performs alongside every single one of them.
The Con Chord Singers clenched their stomachs to control their breathing, tapped their vocal chords and bounced one note through their throats until it erupted from their lips to produce a harmony that swallowed every corner of Oscar Peterson Concert Hall. They swayed and stomped to the beat of a drum, pulled their microphones away from their stands and clutched the loose cable, under their directors instruction, ‘the way a cowboy prepares a lasso.’
The nine members of Concordia’s jazz choir, many of whom are not registered music students, crawled out of their shells and into character at their fall concert on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
“The whole spirit of singing is contagious,” said Concordia professor Jeri Brown, who was inspired by the popularity of television’s Glee, sing-offs like American Idol, and the music department’s new downtown home to make this choir open to all university students.
Brown is the director of vocal studies and has directed the jazz choir since its creation. In earlier years, it was available only to qualifying registered members of the music department.
“There are some fabulously talented singers out there who have already chosen other majors but for a release would love to be in a choir,” said Brown. “That’s why I worked so hard to make this available to all students.”
“I relish the individual who wants to join the jazz choir, who thinks they can sing and trusts in the direction we can provide,” she continued. “It’s coming of age. Music happens all over the place and that is what this course is all about.”
Shira Amar, a third-year finance student, registered in the jazz choir class for fun, but said that it requires participants who believe they can sing, have musical capabilities, and “show a want and need to do this.”
Brown said that it was a challenge and blessing to make the choir open to all students; it welcomed soloists and big personalities into an environment that aimed to blend many voices into one.
According to first-year biology student, Cynthia Othieno, they’ve succeeded. “We have become a nice little unit of singers,” she said.
“We perform spiritual work songs, pop and everything in between. All with jazz chord arrangements,” added Christian Brun Del Re, the choir’s percussionist, and a first-year drum performance major.
“Jazz was the popular music of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Pop is currently the jazz of today. Not to include pop music in this choir would be a mistake,” said Brown.
The choir performs songs with familiar lyrics but in new arrangements, accompanied by a pianist, percussionist, and bass player.
“This is what the school offers, even if you’re in a different program, it’s important to know what other students are doing,” said Amelia McFall, a first-year English literature student. “You never know what might tickle your fancy, you might even want to join the choir next semester.”
