Pop Montreal 2011: Day 5 Picks ( September 25th )

Posted on | September 23, 2011 | No Comments

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Last day.

Knees are weak, feet hurting like a bitch from these last 4 days of standing up for
hours on end.

While you spend the first half of your lazy Sunday sleeping it off, you got all afternoon to do some record shopping @ the 3rd Annual Record Fair happening at the Ukrainian Federation.

Or hit up Puces Pop for all your craft-y needs @ the St-Michael Church (corner St-Viateur and St-Urbain).

In between those 2 fun filled activities, why not stop @ the Notman House and
get your free BBQ on. Nothing like having delicious flame broiled meats in you to make the rest of that final Pop day go down easy.

Here be my last remaining picks to close out this wonderful week.

Peter Hook & The Light @ Club Soda / 9pm

I won’t Lie.

I’m going to this purely out of morbid curiousity.

Peter Hook being of course one of the co-founders and bassist of seminal (twice in one week i’ve used that word) Post-Punk band Joy Division and later, went on to form New Order with fellow surviving JD member Bernard Sumner.

His new band The Lights, is in essence a glorified cover band with an actual member of the band they’re covering, on tour right now performing Joy Division’s debut album “Unknown Pleasures” in it’s entirety.

Some might say this amounts to blasphemy that Mr. Hook would dare take on the songs Ian Curtis performed brilliantly. Others might just enjoy the only chance to hear this music in a live setting with an original member who performed said songs back in the day and went through the crazy, fucked up ride that was Joy Division.

I’ll letcha know in which camp I reside after attending their performance. Gotta say though, pretty ballsy of Mr. Hook to even take this on in the first place so kudos to him for having the cojones. [ MySpace / Tickets ]

Girls @ Théâtre Corona / 9pm

If sitting through 90 minutes of dark, depressing Post-Punk dirges isnt your bag, might I suggest Girls and their brand of retro indie rock from San Francicso.

Led by Christopher Owens, a former member of the Children of God cult so you know he’s seen some shit go down. He keeps it real. They have an excellent new album out titled “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” which Pfork gave a 9.3 so you know … that’s something. [ MySpace / Tickets ]

DJ Q-Bert @ La Sala Rossa / *Cancelled*

The biography on Pop Montreal’s website says it best:

A true hip hop legend. Founding member of the Invisibl Skratch Pikls and a three-time world DMC champion, Q-Bert was also the DJ behind the utterly classic scratch routines on Kool Keith and Dan the Automator’s Dr. Octagon record.

An expert in the field of turntablism.

Come see the master at work as the final show of your 2011 Pop Montreal experience. [ MySpace ]

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Pop Montreal 2011: Day 4 Picks ( September 24th )

Posted on | September 22, 2011 | No Comments

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The Vandelles @ Cabaret Du Mile-End / 10:30pm

This Brooklyn foursome are the spawn, offspring, progeny of The Jesus And Mary Chain and Danish duo The Raveonettes if they made sweet, messy love to each other.

Shoegaze meets Surf Rock, for any lovers of crunchy guitars and walls of screeching feedback, bring a good pair of earplugs to this.
[ MySpace / Tickets ]

Redd Kross @ Rialto / 11:30pm

Legendary California band who came up around the same time as seminal bands like Black Flag and Circle Jerks. My love for them is solely based on their 1993 Power Pop release “Phaseshifter”, especially the song “Lady In The Front Row” which I would consider a standard of the genre. Hopefully, they’ll read this and play it just for me cause I’m that special.  [ MySpace / Tickets ]

Bloodgroup @ Club Lambi / 11:30pm

Every year, There’s always that one discovery I make thanks to the Pop folks and this time around, from the land of the Bjork, it’s Reykjavik Iceland’s Bloodgroup.

Those Icelanders are the masters of cold, pretty sounding electro-pop and Bloodgroup are the new kids on that icey block. It’s a family band, 3 siblings
and a DJ to complete the mix. Lovers of chirpy synths and minimal beats rejoice, this will be your go to band on that night. Good pair of dancing shoes required.
[ MySpace ]

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Pop Montreal 2011: Day 3 Picks ( September 23rd )

Posted on | September 21, 2011 | No Comments

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Tahiti 80 @ La Tulipe / 9pm

The forgotten sons of the french indie pop scene where sadly, all the media attention went to Phoenix, Tahiti 80 have soldiered on and have kept churning out quality albums year after year.

“The Past, The Present & the Possible” is the new LP out right now and you will find the same 60s inspired songs/ synth pop ditties you’ve enjoyed throughout their discography. [ MySpace / Tickets ]

Frankie Rose And The Outs @ Il Motore / 11pm

Sounding like fuzzed out, lo-fi 60’s inspired garage rock bands a la Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls and Crystal Stilts, all bands Frankie was part of at one time or another, this is her stab at immortality. This Brooklynite beats them all at their own game. 
[ Bandcamp / Tickets ]

Azealia Banks @ Le Belmont / 11:30pm

Straight out of Harlem, Rapper/singer of only 19 years of age, who’s been at it since she was a decade old so pretty much a veteran at this point. Azealia knows her shit and she’s about to blow up big. You get a chance to witness the greatness beforehand, before said blowing up. Her debut album will be out on XL Recordings in a not so distant future. [ MySpace / Tickets ]

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Pop Montreal 2011: Day 2 Picks ( September 22nd )

Posted on | September 20, 2011 | No Comments

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Day 2 of Pop Montreal is all about Arcade Fire and what comes after.

To celebrate and give a big thank you to this city we all know and love, Pop and the Arcade Fire crew decided to go all out and throw a shinding downtown @ la Place Des Festivals.

I’d say we’re getting a pretty good deal here.

3 local acts, 2 of which just won the Polaris Prize back-to-back (AF last night and last year’s winners Karkwa) and a world renowned DJ (Kid Koala) to ge the party started.

Here’s what you need to know:

Set times:

7:00 PM : Kid Koala
7:45 PM : Karkwa
9:00 PM : Arcade Fire

* The site opens up at noon. Show up early if you want a good spot.
* If you can’t make it, the show will be broadcast live by SiriusXM Canada.
* To know what you can and can’t bring on site, click here.
* Dubé Brothers will be busking for Kanpe and you can give donations to the AF    approved charity.

Arcade Fire / Karkwa / Kid Koala @ Place Des Festivals / 7pm

If somehow you still have some strength left after the show and you managed to get out quickly from this giant clusterfuck of people that will try to get back home from the site, here’s 2 more bands worth checking out:

Mood Rings @ Royal Phoenix / 10pm

Some sweet lo-fi shoegaze/psychedelic pop from this Atlanta foursome. If you dig bands like The Asteroid No. 4, The Morning After Girls and The Warlocks has much as I do, give these blokes a chance. You can download their EP “Sweater Weather Forever” right here. [ Bandcamp ] ( 5788 Saint-Laurent )

USA Out Of Vietnam @ Bain Mathieu / 12:30am

This is the new drone/doom and gloom rock project from local legend (yeah I said it) and
Mirror columnist Johnson Cummins. His 2 previous bands, Bionic who released a killer
album in their 1998 Self-Titled debut and of course guitarist in the recently reunited, 90s Grunge overlords Doughboys brings the heavyness and his luscious red beard to the
Pop masses. [ MySpace ]
( 2915 Ontario E )

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Pop Montreal 2011: Day 1 Picks ( September 21st )

Posted on | September 19, 2011 | No Comments

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Pop Montreal is a decade old.

I was there at the beginning back in 2002.

I have fond memories of seeing those black-clad New Yorkers Interpol playing their
first show in our fair city at the now closed Jupiter Room. The place was PACKED.
People standing on furniture just to get a glimpse of the post punkers right before
they hit it big.

Or being at a barely attended The Walkmen show @ Le Petit Campus. My have times
changed.

This week, I wanted to give you a rundown on each days with 3 of my picks, the ones I will most likely be attending.

While the lucky few will be attending the very sold out Arcade Fire show @ the Metropolis (looking for a ticket so hit a brotha up if you can help), Here’s 3 bands that would be equally worth your time:

Aim Low @ Il Motore / 8pm

Get hypnotized by local new kids on the fuzzy drone-ster block Aim Low before
Black Metal headliners Liturgy destroys what’s left of your hearing.
[ Bandcamp / Tickets ]

Stalley @ Mission Santa Cruz / 11pm

Get down with the get down with Ohio MC Stalley. Download his “Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music)” Mixtape for free right here to get a taste of his
Hip Hopian skillz. [ MySpace ]

Japandroids @ Divan Orange / 11:30pm

You loved their 2009 noise rock debut “Post-Nothing”.

Now, come to the Divan Orange to hear new songs from their upcoming, yet-to-be-titled sophomore album out early next year. Fellow Mississippi noise rockers Bass Drum Of Death are on the same bill. [ MySpace / Tickets ]

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