Hooves’ first EP, Dear Nevada, is required listening for the edgier kids in high school. The ones whose younger siblings might overhear Hooves playing in the bedroom next door and dip-dye their Barbies in glitter glue along to it. If bands were people, Hooves would be Madonna and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ youngest sister.
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While it’s not totally out of sync with Patrick Geraghty’s other outfit, Role Mach, Gal Gracen feels like a bit of an anomaly on the local scene. Instrumentals alternate with songs on this seven track release, the common thread being shimmering guitars and simple beats very reminiscent of Vini Reilly‘s The Return of the Durutti Column.
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Death is a hard subject to prepare for, even when you know it’s a long way away. When Apollo Ghosts frontman Adrian Teacher announced in December that the band weren’t going to be around forever, it never really sunk in that the day when the band wouldn’t play sold-out shows for grinning pop junkies might come. And, even though their final show at the Rickshaw was more wake than funeral, it was still tough to see one of Vancouver’s brightest call it quits.
Diane | | photo by Steve Louie
Diane played a strong collection of post-punk goodness to start the night. Discordant guitar licks and some startlingly crunchy bass tones backed up alternating vocal duties. Drummer Ben Goldberg’s habit of reassuring his band mates between songs was endearing, and the trio found their confidence again towards the end of their set.
Watermelon | | photo by Steve Louie
Watermelon were a more cohesive ensemble than I remember, and a lot more fun as a result. Songs definitely leaned on the pop side of rock ‘n’ roll, but unique influences and interesting sound choices made for a surprise hit. A little bit shoegaze guitar waves, a little bit ’80s stadium rock, their songs clicked just right on the Rickshaw’s stage.
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Over the past eight months, the Kingfisher Bluez Recording Company has been releasing a delightful string of singles highlighting Vancouver’s D.I.Y. musical lifestyle. Just about everything they put out is a treasure; run by Tim Clapp a.k.a Tim the Mute, it’s one of those impossible dream projects that’s dedicated itself to releasing the weird, the experimental, the warm and the fuzzy.
This year Clapp started running a twelve part single collection bringing us a wealth of new material from the best like-minded D.I.Ys in Van. For February and March, respectively, we have the release of Capitol 6’s “No One Came” and two songs from the B-Lines, “Tell me” and “You Are Here.”
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Using a cello bow on a guitar isn’t a new concept. Creation‘s Eddie Phillips did it in 1966, and since then its uses have run the gamut from psych- to post-rock, but few artists have gotten away with using the technique exclusively. Interludes, then, is a fascinating examination of the instrument’s potential. Focusing on droning, sparse chord arrangements and soaring, cavernous melodies, Nam Shub member Caton Diab’s first solo record explores the sonic space behind empty shorelines and starless nights.
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“And In Truth” is one of the cheekiest opening tracks on any record in decades. There’s no better setup for the practical joke Colin Stetson plays on the legions of casual Arcade Fire and Bon Iver fans out there who have probably sought out his solo albums based on the bands he’s in. The bass saxophonist, whose remarkable jazz-inspired experimental composing borders on the insane, opens the conclusion to his New History Warfare trilogy: To See More Light, with a beautifully organic piece accompanied by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. While Vernon contributes vocals to a number of tracks on New History Warfare Vol. 3, “And In Truth” features his most recognizable, replete with the waves of multi-tracked harmonies that Bon Iver is so well known for. It’s a genuinely stunning track.
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illustration by Gina MacKay
Vancouver, it’s time to shed those toques, pack the Goretex away, and bust out the SPF 30. Summer is coming! What would this season be with out a butt-shakingly great soundtrack? Probably still quite lovely, but not as fun, so we’ve curated our favourite songs from now and then to share with you. Pack up the cooler and break out the frisbee, and we’ll see you at the beach.
Penny Clark, contributor
New: “Rock and Roll Night Club” by Mac DeMarco (Rock and Roll Nightclub, 2012)
Every time I enter within the beach vicinity with my music on shuffle, that song comes on.
Old: “1977” by The Clash (White Hot B-Side, 1977)
I can specifically remember listening to it in the early days of summer last year while stepping out the door into the sunshine, hearing the opening chords and being like, “Yeah!”
Sarah Cordingley, music director:
New: “Better” by Teen (In Limbo, 2012)
A shimmering sweet and softly sarcastic ray of light from one of the most underrated albums of last year.
Old: “Red Towel” by The Beakers (Red Towel, 1980)
Playful post-apocalyptic post-punk full of searing saxophone and images of a bleak, melted future. This song came to me in 2001 on a mix tape made by Nathan Howdeshell (of Fast Weapons and other famousnesses). It was promptly dubbed to a minidisc (the convenient digital music format of the time) and served as the soundtrack to at least one sweaty summer West Coast tour.
illustration by Tierney Milne
A UBC professor. A published author of fiction and non-fiction. The 1998 team captain for the Canadian high school world debate team. All of these are things comedian Charlie Demers is (or has been) when he’s not doing stand-up in Vancouver. I meet up with Demers for an early dinner at his chosen location, the Storm Crow Tavern, described online as “Vancouver’s Hottest Nerd Bar!” It’s a homey space with masses of signed Firefly posters and Doctor Who gadgetry coating the walls, as well as an abundance of obscure board games nestled in a corner. Demers seems to be a regular, shaking hands and spurting brief inside jokes with various patrons. He orders a beer, the beef stew, and we’re off.
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lettering and illustration by Moses Magee
Discorder: A lot of your reviews and press compare you to metal, but personally I would not consider it metal. How do you classify your music?
Ben Yardley: Rock! We play 70’s-inspired hard rock.
Discorder: Your album release was last Friday [April 19]. How did that go? Did people receive it the way you were expecting?
All: It was great! Went really well.
Carl Spackler: Yeah, it was awesome!
Yardley: It was the biggest room we ever had to play on our own, so I thought it was going to be pretty lonely, but we had a great turnout.
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Joyce Island
Joyce Island EP (Independent)
by Robert Catherall
On her debut, Joyce Island, songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Lisa Joyce assumes the confident swagger of Tom Petty-styled Americana before drenching it in blossoming female vocals that triumphantly stand their ground against a series of troubled experiences. Backed by the driving guitar of Mikey Manville (of the Manvils) and rhythmic confidence of Chris Jaggers and Flavio Cirillo, Joyce leads the quartet from heavy blues psychedelia to modern traditionals.
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