Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Yukon Blonde – 8pm @ The Danforth Music Hall
Vancouver’s Yukon Blonde opened the night. Situated in the midst of a mass of synths and cords set up for the headliners, Jeffrey Innes (vocals, guitar), Brandon Scott (guitar, vocals), and Graham Jones (drums) were joined by Jason Haberman of The Paint Movement who has been touring as the band’s bassist lately. Much of the crowd having arrived early in anticipation of Stars, the band introduced much of them to their album Tiger Talk for the very first time.
They got things going with “My Girl,” quickly following with singles “Radio,” and “Six Dead Tigers.” It was slightly difficult to watch such an entertaining band be met with less than the response they deserved at first. Their mounds of energy were able to carry them through though, winning the ever-growing audience over by the end. Because no one can resist the sunny feeling of the jangly guitars, breezy “oh-oh’s” and effortless pop melodies that make their 70’s rock-inspired jams so catchy. Ending with an epic prog-rock distorted intro into “Nico Canmore” from their EP Everything In Everyway, set the mood for the band of the hour soon to come.
Stars – 9pm @ The Danforth Music Hall
The stage adorned with a multitude of disco balls, Toronto sweethearts Stars entered to a soundtrack of 80s rock that fed right into the synths of “Theory of Relativity.” There was such amazing chemistry between Torquil Campbell (vocals, synths) and Amy Millan (vocals, guitar), feeding off one another’s energy through their back-and-forth vocals. Knocking off a couple of newer tracks, it was old favourite “Ageless Beauty” that really held everyone in rapturous attention. Youthfully bouncing around and pumping her arms, Millan was a perfect depiction of the song title.
The lighthearted energy of the band continued throughout the set. Saying a “fuck you” to the return of winter, the band launched into the title track from their most recent album The North. With Campbell taking up the melodica, there were soon bursts of snow falling to the floor. Unlike the dreadful misery associated with the frightful weather outside, the gentle beauty of the moment was purely magical. You almost wanted to reach out and catch the flakes on your tongue like a child.
While new material like “Backlines” and “Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It” were entrancing, older material – especially tracks like “What I’m Trying To Say” and “One More Night” off Set Yourself On Fire drew the greatest response. Not forgetting where they – and the songs – came from and that this was a hometown show, Campbell and Millan continually expressed that they sincerely wanted to give this audience the best show possible. This included the introduction of a new song, one about losing your virginity in a local park.
Campbell asked for the lights to be dimmed as the set neared its inevitable end. Each band member waved their individual goodbyes, leaving the stage one by one throughout their last song. Not leaving the stage empty for too long however, Millan soon returned with the guitarist for a soulful rendition of “Your Favourite Book.” The band joined them for “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead,” and in that moment it was impossible not to be reminded of the exact moment you first heard and fell in love with this band all those years ago. And to fondly realize that they still possess that same hold on you.
Apparat Organ Quartet – 12am @ The Garrison (Crunchy Frog Showcase)
A four-piece all the way from Reykjavik, Iceland, the massive electronic setup for Apparat Organ Quartet completely overtook the small stage. Barely able to handle it all, technical difficulties delayed their set by over 20 minutes. When they finally began, the pulsating beats produced from three-quarters of the band pushing buttons on synths combined with energetic drums to encourage the audience to move their feet. The limited vocals were almost Daft Punk-like thanks to voice modulators, which further lended to the feeling of being transported to an intergalactic, space-age rave.
While some songs were quite melodic, unfortunately as someone who prefers lyrics and guitars over electronica, a lot of the technical intricacies involved in the creation of their sound was likely lost on me. The language barrier meant they weren’t able to communicate very much, but they did what they could through gestures, such as the triangle sign they continually made with their hands. They even re-named their last song “Quebec” for the night in honour of CMW and being in Canada. They ended their set with a delightfully endearing bow and had people approaching them for autographs afterwards.
If you didn’t get a chance to see for yourself what all the buzz around this group is about, you can listen to some songs from their album Pólýfónía on their website.
Rococode – 1am @ The Garrison (Crunchy Frog Showcase)
Vancouver’s Rococode closed out the night at The Garrison. Led by vocalists Andrew Braun and Laura Smith, the four-piece is an explosion of synth-rock that is matched only by the interplay between their shared vocals. Highlights of their set included the enigmatic “Weapon,” which somehow manages to be both heavily dark yet fiery at the same time, matching its lyrics “the world’s on fire” quite well.
Similarly, the sweetly sung “Empire” grabs you by the hand and pushes you on to the dancefloor and “Blood” holds a distinctive Mother Mother quality to it that makes it impossible not to move to. These qualities made them a great band to see at this late hour, it was a shame that the venue had all but cleared out by the time they took the stage. They ended with “Ghost II.” A slowed down pace from the majority of their set, the spooky feel evoked from Smith’s trembling voice was positively haunting. In addition to tracks off Guns, Sex and Glory, they added a new song to their set-list from their just released two-song album; as a bonus, it is available for free download over on Bandcamp!
The Washboard Union – 2am @ The Dakota Tavern
Dubbed “Canada’s only 7-piece Outlaw Bluegrass Band” it was only appropriate that we saw Vancouver’s The Washboard Union at The Dakota Tavern for a late night set. The drunken hoedown was already in full force when we arrived, stepping nimbly through the sticky floor and gingerly avoiding the broken glass scattered in front of the stage. Playing some of the most lively country-folk I’ve experienced, the buoyant four-part vocals were rounded out with banjo, fiddle and none other than an actual washboard.
Despite being tired and sober, it was impossible not to get caught up in the crowd’s avid excitement, toe-tapping along as they kicked up their heels and swung their partner round and round to songs like “Midnight Train” and “Half Cree.“ I kind of wish I’d been able to make it out to another one of their sets later in the week to experience it all again.
You can download a couple of tracks from their self-titled album for free on their Bandcamp. | CD
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