Archive for January, 2010

30
Jan

Saturday Night Movies– Legion (2010)

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 0 Comments
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Categories: Film Review

legion01My friend and I had been waiting since September of oh nine to see this movie, and it was well worth the wait. Legion is among the most intense apocalyptic movies I’ve seen in a long time. I have very little complaints.

The story follows a group of people at a gas station diner in the middle of nowhere desert. Among them are the father and son team that run the place, a one handed chef, a pregnant waitress, and some travellers seeking car repairs and directions the hell out of there.

It seems like a pretty normal situation until an old lady shows up, and tells the pregnant woman that her baby is going to burn. Shit turns crazy when the old lady takes a bite out of one of the travellers necks and climbs the walls in a straight-out-of-the-exorcist style scene.

When she’s finally taken care of with a comically stereotypical shot fired from the token black guys concealed weapon, a stranger shows up. Michael. Now, Michael is a complete bad ass angel who’s chosen to go against God’s word.
Legion-2010
What I like most about Legion is the way it takes on the explanation of the situation. In other films when a character asks the main badass what’s going on, they take five or ten minutes and explain the whole ordeal. Michael does that, but he seems hurried the entire way through, which is the way it should be. Angels are coming to kill you, and you’re sitting around discussing it? Not on Michael’s watch.

However, little, to no explination has it’s downfalls as well. If you’re not familiar with Angelic lore at all, you’d have missed the point behind the Earth shaking sound that comes shortly before the appearance of Gabriel. In lore Gabriel is always pictured with a horn, I thought the horn blast was really well done. Very well done, you get the sense of impending doom when you hear it. But they skipped telling you what it was.

However, this is soon forgotten during the Angel fight.

I wont give away the ending, but I will say that it could have been a little less cheesy in my opinion, but it did the job. All in all a pretty entertaining end of the world scenario, I think it was worth the ten bucks just to see it on the big screen. I’m not sure if I would buy the DVD though, it feels more like a rental, or a download.

Either way, later.

29
Jan

Murder Fort Monument

By iamawildparty 0 Comments
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Categories: Uncategorized

Murder Ford Monument – Murder Ford Monument (Independent)

So, I’ve been listening to the Murder Ford Monument album off and on since I got it back in October. I’m not going to lie. I’ve had a hard time with it. Musically, this record is fantastic. It’s all willy-nilly, and it’s harsh and at times a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of things going on in here and there’s a lot to digest.

But then comes my pet peeve. The vocals. I don’t listen to a lot of music from the 80′s. And I wasn’t a big fan of the resurgence of that style in the early 2000′s. The vocal style of bands like Interpol, and The Stills never really did anything for me. It almost sounded effortless, and not in the way that Sinatra & Martin made it sound effortless.

Now, obviously some people disagree. I mean, Interpol puts out records for a living, and I sit here and make fun of them in my spare bedroom so apparently they’re doing something right. And what MFM does, they do well. Probably among the best of the ones I’ve heard. Just not my cup of tea.

Now, for those of you who DO like this cup of tea, Jesse from the band has graced us with a few extra copies of the cd. So leave us a comment on the page and I’ll do a random draw from one of my many hats on February 6th after my kids go to bed.

28
Jan

Music Review: COP SHADES

By iamawildparty 0 Comments
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Categories: Music Review

COP SHADES – COP SHADES (EP) (Superbob Records)

They say math is the universal language, a title it shares with music. I fuckin’ hate math, but I love music so I thought “hey, let’s bring together something I hate with something I love to describe COP SHADES. Here’s what I’ve got;

(Death From Above 1979 – MSTRKRFT) + Kyuss = COP SHADES

Heavy, groovy, fuzzy, screamy, and just a bit dancy. COP SHADES comes from the same stable of talent that brought us The Woods, The Millers, and The Peter Parkers so you know this shit is good.

Equally influenced by fuzzed out stoner rock a la Brant Bjork, noise rock a la Sonic Youth and dance punk a la Electric Six, COP SHADES will make you dance, and make you uncomfortable, like that uncle that keeps telling you how good you look.

myspace

25
Jan

Monotonix

Matt Carter
By Mattt 0 Comments
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Categories: Photo Post, Show Review and Uncategorized

Montonix and crowd
First of all, I’m too old for this shit. That being said, this was a fun show. Whether you take issue with rude/crass behaviour, or whether you take issue with hairy guys in really short Lacoste shorts, Monotonix put on an entertaining set that if you consider yourself a fan of music as a performance art you should really make every effort to see.

This night had a feeling about it from the get-go. Speaking with Uncle Dave, the doorman for the event, and a longtime member of the Moncton night-life scene, he said “This shit is going to get crazy” long before any of the nights three bands took the stage.

First up to start the night was a band whose live performance I’d been sleeping on for a long time. Something Delicious whose record No Fun Intended I reviewed a while back opened up the set with a robot singing, a hospital patient playing trumpet, a hockey player on bass, and an unfortunate closet mishap playing the drums. Their record translates well live, and they’re pretty much the tightest thing since the Tour de France wardrobe department.

Pervert was up next. These guys amaze me. They’re pro. 100%. They know their roles in the band, and it shows onstage. They’re each entertaining to watch in their own way, and it comes across really well. Probably one of my favourite bands to come out in town in a long while.
Monotonix Guitarist
Which brings us to the Israeli Gears known as Monotonix. Fucking. Ridiculous. Rumour has it they were at the bar earlier in the day signing waiver forms, and finding out where they could and could not go during the show. Which is normally not a big deal. Until you take into account they brought their whole stage set up, minus the guitar amp, with them. I’ve been to a lot of shows at the Manhattan over the years. I’ve only ever seen two other artists hop up on the island in the middle. One was a chick from some shitty rock-a-billy band, and the other was Mark Bragg. That night, I saw a kick drum, and two guys on that island. Then, I saw a full band sitting on a bar. On the bar. With all their gear.Monotonix on the bar
And just when I thought I was safe, and out of the way, they made their way back to the front of the bar and I was surrounded. People everywhere. Sitting, standing, yelling, screaming, spitting, smiling. It was quite a site. Pure chaos to the naked eye, but in the middle of it all, a hairy man of small stature controlling the whole mess. The only thing between him and the mob, the smallest Lacoste soccer shorts I’ve ever seen.

More pics on the flickr!
Review: Joe Doucet
Photos: Matt Carter

25
Jan

Monday Mornings– Rancid, Let the Dominoes Fall (acoustic).

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 0 Comments
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Categories: Music Review

B0026IUSZ6Rancid has always been one of the biggest band sin punk for me and my friends. After I bought Indestructible in 2003 I wanted to see what they would do next. Their next full length album, Let the Dominoes Fall showed just what they had in store.

Of course, when I found it in the store I had two options, the album, or the Deluxe Album with collectors edition guitar picks, posters, and the acoustic version of Let the Dominoes Fall. Obviously I got this one.

Rancid wanted to show their fans what it’s like when their first making their songs on acoustic guitars, before transferring them to the raw, album version. This album has acoustic versions of eleven songs from the finished album, as well as one b-side song, Outgunned, which I wish had made the final cut for the album.

It’s fun to listen to this album because the different sound almost makes it a new song. One line sung in a punk song can mean something completely different if it’s sung in a folk style song. I’m really glad the boys from Rancid decided to do this, it shows that they’re not afraid to do anything with their music. Rancid was good, but they can only get better from here.

Later.

18
Jan

Monday Morning Music– The Sidewalks, Better Late than Never.

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 0 Comments
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Categories: Uncategorized

CD-Panel-Front-lowresI like them. That should get the point across.

Now, if you haven’t heard of The Sidewalks, you have to hear them. If you’ve ever liked Ska music, feel good music, or anything with a horn, check these guys out.

The Sidewalks are ushering a new brand of ska music, and making sure that the Canadian east coast is right in the middle of it with their EP Better Late Than Never. This five piece from Charlottetown, PEI takes what ska is supposed to be, and adds their own flare to it, without losing roots. And like any good ska band, they’re not afraid to use the horn section!

They were kind enough to send me a digital copy of Better late than Never, but as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on a hard copy of it, it’s going straight into my library. Songs like Ready, Set, Go! and the title song, Better late than Never have that perfect ska sound that makes you want to throw your hands up, and move your feet. Hell, the whole album made me want to dance. They’re currently recording a new album, and once finished will take off on a tour spanning the Maritimes, Quebec, and Ontario. I’m going to the Capital to see them when they hit Fredericton in March. Where can you see them you ask? Why, these dates and locations will help with that.

22 Jan 2010 – 23:00 – Fishbones – Charlottetown, Prince Edward
23 Jan 2010 – 20:00 – Confederation Centre of the Arts – Charlottetown, Prince Edward
30 Jan 2010 – 20:00 – Hunter’s Alehouse – Charlottetown, Prince Edward
19 Feb 2010 – 23:00 – Baba’s Lounge – w/Andy Stevens – Charlottetown, Prince Edward
26 Feb 2010 – 23:00 – The Paramount – Moncton, New Brunswick
27 Feb 2010 – 20:00 – The Seahorse Tavern – Halifax, Nova Scotia
4 Mar 2010 – 20:00 – ECMA Week – Sydney, Nova Scotia
5 Mar 2010 - 23:00 – Smooth Herman’s – ECMA Rock Showcase – Sydney, Nova Scotia
6 Mar 2010 - 20:00 – ECMA Week – Sydney, Nova Scotia
7 Mar 2010 - 20:00 – ECMA Week – Sydney, Nova Scotia
10 Mar 2010 – 23:00 – Hunter’s Alehouse – Better Late Than Never Tour Kickoff – Charlottetown, Prince Edward
11 Mar 2010 – 23:00 – The Capital – Better Late Than Never Tour – Fredericton, New Brunswick
12 Mar 2010 – 21:00 – Hemisphere Gauche – Better Late Than Never Tour – Montreal, Quebec
13 Mar 2010 – 22:00 – TBA – Better Late Than Never Tour - St. Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec
14 Mar 2010 – 21:45 – Rainbow Bistro – Better Late Than Never Tour w/ City Sirens – Ottawa, Ontario
15 Mar 2010 – 22:00 – TBA – Better Late Than Never Tour – TBA, Ontario
16 Mar 2010 – 22:00 – TBA – Better Late Than Never Tour – TBA, Ontario
17 Mar 2010 – 9:00 – Rogers Daytime TV – Better Late Than Never Tour – Ottawa, Ontario
17 Mar 2010 – 21:45 – Rainbow Bistro – Better Late Than Never Tour – Ottawa, Ontario
18 Mar 2010 – 22:00 – Cafe L’Absynthe – Better Late Than Never Tour – Montreal, Quebec
19 Mar 2010 – 22:00- TBA – Better Late Than Never Tour Caledonia, Ontario
20 Mar 2010 – 22:00 – The Red Rooster – Better Late Than Never Tour Burlington, Ontario
16 Apr 2010 – 23:00 – Gus’s Pub – Halifax, Nova Scotia

16
Jan

Saturday Night Movies – Primer (2004)

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 0 Comments
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Categories: Uncategorized

PRIMER-posterSo I’d heard of Primer once or twice, but never actually knew what it was about. It starts off really slow, as a friend put it, it’s a couple of nerds arguing over a science project. Once the two main nerds figure out what they’ve created, then it starts to pick up.

After a few projects gone wrong, they stumble upon what they think at first is a perpetual energy machine. Soon they find that it’s so much more. When they put an item in the box (machine) it comes out with five years worth of mold on it, after only being in the box for five minutes. They try putting a watch in. Several watches to make sure. When they take it out of the box, significant time has passed on the watch, for only a few seconds that’s passed for them. The realize they’ve made a time machine.

It seems very interesting, and they do everything right when they build a bigger one to use on themselves. They spend the day far away in a hotel room until the evening, when they go to the machine, travel back to the morning, and spend the day in the city, playing the stoke markets like pros. Primer_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85

Things start going wrong when a cell phone rings. If there are two of you, one in a hotel room, and one in the city library, both with the same cell phone, who picks it up? From here it just gets confusing. Primer is one of those movies that isn’t very long, because you have to spend another hour and a half a week later to watch it again to understand it.

It does use a few good points though. Causality, making sure you, don’t end up at the same place at the same time as your future self, not being able to travel farther back in time than the existence of the machine itself. Paradoxes.

It’s a pretty low budget movie, and for a sci-fi, it’s pretty low action, but it’s a thinker, and definitely a good watch(s).

Either way, later.

11
Jan

Monday Morning Music– Olenka and the Autumn Lovers.

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 2 Comments
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Categories: Music Review

SELFTITLED_albumcoverSo the house that I used to live in was big into couch surfing. That’s where you join the website (www.couchsurfing.org), make a profile, and share your couch with travellers, or vice versa. At the time, Olenka and the Autumn lovers we playing in Fredericton, and ended up needing a place to stay. Of course the landlord offered them couches to sleep on. Since then they’ve played in Fredericton twice.

My point? I never got to meet them, and I was always too busy to see their shows, despite everyone telling me that I’d have liked them.

I do.

After receiving their albums through the mail I finally got to hear Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. There’s a lot of diversity, even on one album, in their music. And true as that may be, they pull it all together to make the album sound almost the same the whole way through. Not in a bad way either. The whole thing plays through like some awkward, mournful waltz, calming down for every other song to a slow, melody between Olenka and the guitar. Olenka’s voice in very nice in the most perculiar way, and makes for very interesting vocal tracks, and the musicians are all incredibly talented, and show it through out the entire album.

Another interesting fact is that the album cover, as you see in the picture, is all done by Olenka. The picture is a little hard to see, but when holding the album in you really see the detail going into it.

I hope that the next time they are through Fredericton I can get a chance to see them. It’s good music for sitting and watching the rain, though, I’ve never got to try that yet, I will make a point of it in the spring.

Either way, later.

06
Jan

An Open Letter to Jill Barber

By iamawildparty 1 Comment
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Categories: Uncategorized

Dear Jill Barber,

I have a crush on you. I have for a long time. Not a creepy “I love you and know where you live” kind of crush, but an “I have all your records and think you’re pretty” kind of crush. It started a long time ago here in Moncton. You’d play shows at the Paramount. Do you remember that? You would usually play with Wintersleep. One time I saw you, Two Hours Traffic, and Wintersleep all in one night for five bucks. That was pretty neat.

Every once in a while, you’d look at the wall behind me for a few seconds while you were singing, and me being 20 years old and smitten by the pretty girl on stage, I’d pretend you were looking at me. I know you weren’t, and that’s ok. Plus, that’s a bit creepy. Remind me to not tell you that part.

You were with somebody when I first saw you play, and then I got married before I found out you were single, so we don’t really have a chance now. I’m sure you’re terribly heart-broken. But I listen to your songs with my daughter, so that’s kinda cool. Your new record Chances is really good. We still go back to Oh Heart mostly, though. In Perfect Time is my favourite song. I’m not sure what my daughters favourite is, because she’s two years old and can’t speak very well. My son listens too, but he doesn’t have a favourite song. He likes Tegan & Sara though, so there’s still a chance for him yet. I’ll ask him later and let you know.

Anyhow Jill, I hope this didn’t seem too creepy or anything, but I wanted you to know that this late 20’s former hipster with kids thinks you’re very pretty and had a crush on you 7 or 8 years ago. Your shows have some great memories for me. Thank you, and keep doing what you’re doing. I’d like to take my daughter to see you someday.

Sincerely yours,

Joe Doucet

PS I may or may not have a burned copy of Oh Heart. I’m sorry.

04
Jan

Monday Morning Music– Mattzors Top 9 of oh 9.

Matthew Stewart
By Mattzors 0 Comments
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Categories: Random Music

So, here it is! These are the top nine albums I listened to this whole year. Note that the albums may not be from 2009, but rather this is the year I listened to them the most:

Against Me! – Searching for a Former Clarity
When I first listened to Against Me! I wasn’t quite sure what to think about it. I didn’t like it to be honest. But this album changed my mind. Songs like Don’t Lose Touch, and Miami kept me coming back to this album all summer long, and wanting to participate in some anarchy like I did in high school. The energy, and raw east coast punk sound are the reasons why this album is in my top 9.

NoFx – Coaster
I wanted to take 2009, and use it to start building my cd collection again. I hadn’t bought a cd in years, aside from one or two here or there. So one day at Futureshop I decided to give it a shot, and see if I still had what it takes to buy a cd. Coaster was one of them. I didn’t even know NoFx had a new album, so I grabbed it without a second thought. It’s straight up NoFx, no doubt about that. Its crazy riffs, fast drums, and Fat Mikes unmistakable vocals makes Coaster one of my favourite NoFx albums ever.

Rancid – Let the Dominos Fall
I’d been waiting for this for over a year. Ever since their last album, Indestructible, I wanted to know what Rancid would do next. And I’m not disappointed. Rancid has always been good to have that wicked, west coast punk/ska mix that makes you want to move your feet and bob your head. You can hear the age in Tim’s vocals, but it doesn’t take away from the album at all, and only adds to the overall Rancid experience. I was absolutely disappointed I could not see Rancid play while I was in Toronto during the summer.

Hilltop Hoods – The Hard Road Restrung
When I first started talking to a girl I would spend a lot of the summer with, she suggested I listen to this album. I looked them up first, and wasn’t quite big on the hip hop thing, but was intrigued that they were from Australia, so I grabbed the album. Since then I’ve listened to it countless times, and opened my play list to more hip hop. Not only is the album great, it made me actually like hip hop albums, instead of a few random songs here and there.

Playing for Change – Songs Across the World
I love this album. It is possibly the best idea for a musical project I’ve ever encountered. The album features some 75 musicians (including choirs), most of whom have never met in person. The album was recorded all over the world by taking a recorded track from an artist, say, in New Orleans, and recording another artist over it from, say, Amsterdam. It’s incredibly inspiring, and amazing music.

Flogging Molly – Float
At first I was nervous about getting a new Flogging Molly album. I was a little disappointed with Whiskey on a Sunday, and even though Flogging Molly doesn’t play traditional songs, some of them had grown to be traditional to me. Turns out, this album has a whole slew of “new traditional” songs. Soon after hearing Float I was obsessed. They toured across Canada, and I was lucky enough to go to their show in Moncton with Nitro. Potential highlight of the night: Drinking Flogging Molly’s Guinness. Closely followed by leading the crowd in a chant of FLOGGING. MOLLY.

Broken Social Scene – You Forgot it in People
Ok, so I listened to this album before 2009, but winamp is stupid, and didn’t tell me it was an album. ITunes is great for that. Anyway, I was at a coffee shop one day when I heard them playing this album, and thought “There are a lot of songs on this album that I like, I’ll listen to it when I get home.” And I did. And I didn’t stop for a week or more, and it’s still on my iPod, and still gets regular play. My favourite thing about this album is the fact that it’s almost, with few exceptions, one long track. It’s an older album, but it’s great.

Good Lovelies – Self titled
I already spoke about this album is recent business, but it’s on the list. Good Lovelies have a sound that I thought was long gone, never to return. I’m so glad I found these ladies, and that they invited me to come to their show. They’re entertainers, and damn good ones. I can’t wait to see the ladies again, and you can be sure that when I get the chance, I am going to.

Jay-Z – Blueprints 3
A lady, the same one who told me about the Hilltop Hoods, told me that Jay-Z’s album was leaked, and that it was good. I liked a couple of his songs, but I didn’t go out of my way to get it right away. My roommate was watching Much Music one day during the hour a day when they actually play music, his video for Run This Town was on. Rihanna’s chorus was what grabbed me at first, then it was Jay-Z’s clever lyrics. Kanye West is a dick, but he’s in there too. Once I got the album, it had a few good songs that quickly jumped up my iTunes top 25 tracks. Jay-Z does have some song writing skills, and I’ll hand it to anyone who can rhyme that fast, and make it sound good.

If you’d like to check out my top 8 of oh 8 you can follow this link http://m-tothe-at.livejournal.com/2008/12/18/

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