Danielage: Volume IX [9/23/09-10/07/09]

The Gaslight Anthem w/ Murder By Death, The Loved Ones, Frank Turner (9/24/09 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC)

Kicking things off this week was another big show with a really stellar lineup from top to bottom. Opening things up was Frank Turner, an Australian singer-songwriter who *really* surprised me as I had non-existent expectations. I'm of the opinion that most singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen but what this guy brought to the table was the proverbial 'x' factor, something that made him stand out. With no previous knowledge of him, I found myself engaged, thuroughly entertained and even singing along at points. I guess he can best be described as a bit of a punk rock troubador, not content to just calmly strum on his guitar as he sang his simple yet engaging songs. Rather, he was up there belting it out with all his heart... you could tell this guy had spent some time in some punk bands, definitely worth checking out.

Up next were The Loved Ones, a Philadelphia punk band featuring former members of seminal mid 90s punk band Kid Dynamite (seriously check this band out if you like your music short, fast, melodic and with plenty of heart). The Loved Ones play punk in a similar vein, very upbeat although less influenced by the hardcore scene as some of their previous bands, the already mentioned Kid Dynamite as well as Paint it Black, another amazing Philadelphia based hardcore band. I had seen them previously in New Jersey years ago when they were first starting out and really wasn't all that engaged by them. Since then they've put out a few albums worth of material as well as having time to really gel as a group and even though they're not my favourite band out there, I found their set to be a lot of fun and definitely better than I had anticipated.

We're now at the point in the evening that I was anticipating the most when Indiana's own showdown in the wild west packaged in the form of indie rockers Murder By Death, a band that I've loved for years now but up until earlier this year I had never seen. Playing a set that mainly focused on their 2008 release, "Red of Tooth and Claw", these guys were more well received than I was anticipating as I found myself up front singing along with some other real fans of the band, both to the new songs as well as some of their classic numbers like "Masters in Reverse Psychology" and "Brother." These guys have a truely unique sound, incorporating a lot of piano and cello into their songs that give their brand of whisky soaked rock so much character and depth on top of them being total literary nerds who write full concept albums about the Devil getting his revenge on a town in the old west and the struggle that ensues (as they did on 2003's "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?"). One of my favourite bands of the last 5-6 years who are totally underrated.

Closing out the evening were the band that everyone came to see, The Boss' new best friends and New Jersey's current favourite sons, The Gaslight Anthem. I haven't seen the Commodore this packed in recent memory as it was on this night when these guys played their own brand of punk rock which has been described aptly as "if Bruce Springsteen made 'London Calling' by The Clash." The set was mostly filled with numbers from their breakthrough 2008 release "The '59 Sound" that at times had practically the entire building singing along and jumping around, having the time of their lives. They threw in a couple old songs as well as some covers, which all in all led to a really fun, passionate and energetic set that these guys seem to deliver every time out. Below is a clip of them in-studio at local rock station 99.3 The Fox playing an acoustic version of the truely amazing song "Great Expectations." (credit: cfox.com)

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Soul Control w/ Vacant State, Damages (10/1/09 - The APC - Vancouver, BC)

Even though I'm not crazy about their new album "Cycles", I knew that Providence, RI's Soul Control always put on a really passionate set and were worth supporting so I found myself heading to Vancouver's lower east side to check them out alongside some great Vancouver hardcore bands. I've previously spoken of the greatness of Damages' noise rock tinged hardcore (more on them later) and this night was no different. These guys continue to grow having recently released their debut 7", one of my favourite releases of the year as well as playing more and more shows here in Western Canada. Up next were Vacant State who play a more straight forward Deranged records style of thrashy hardcore and conveniently enough, they're signed to Deranged records. These two sets back to back got the crowd, a solid one for a Vancouver hardcore show on Thursday night (probably in the 75-100 range) going as people even found a way to go off during Vacant State's set, even in the rather tight confines of the APC which is not much more than a room the size of a above average living room.

Finally Soul Control finished off the night playing their own brand of hardcore that borrows just as much from a more 90s Alt-Rock sound as it does from mid 90s hardcore that these guys call inspiration (Burn, 108). Even though I found myself waiting around forever for this show to start, I still had a great time and would seriously encourage people to help support your local scene (be it hardcore or whatever) as DIY shows like this are super important to the development of young bands as well as where else can you watch 3 passionate bands in such an intimate venue for $8?

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Undertow w/ Unbroken, Converge, Strain, Balance of the World, The Helm, Marginal Way, Touche Amore (10/3/09 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA)

This past Saturday night was a lengthy one (6 hour shows much?) but a memorable one as 90s west cost hardcore legends Undertow and Unbroken were both playing one last show after having not played for close to 15 years (before a series of shows earlier this year in Chicago and San Diego), putting a fitting book end to their history of playing to passionate crowds. Joining them were other NW fixtures of the mid 90s who were also reuniting, Strain and Balance of the World as well as some local openers and even a surprise set by (in my opinion) the best active hardcore band going today, Converge. The highlights of this show were too many to name but could probably be best summed up fairly well. Even though I find myself not as emersed in hardcore as of late, this was the kind of show that made me really excited. Not just to see bands that I love like Unbroken and Converge (which included some stage dives and pile-ons during Converge's epic closer "The Saddest Day"), but see all the peoeple around me having such a great time seeing bands that meant so much to them, give it their all for one last time. To an outsider, the sheer amount of energy that exists within the walls at a hardcore show such as this would be completely bizarre but to anyone who knows it and loves it such as I do... it's a thing of beauty. If you're into hardcore or straight edge, you're going to want to do yourself a favour and further explore the recorded material of these two bands as their influence, especially here in the Northwest, is immense and deservedly so.

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Dethklok w/ Mastodon, Converge, High on Fire (10/4/09 - Orpheum Theatre - Vancouver, BC)

I first heard of this tour when I was in Manchester this past summer and I quickly pre-ordered tickets as the opportunity to see some of my favourite bands in metal and hardcore play alongside Metal's favourite animated band Dethklok was something I wasn't going to pass up. First up were San Fransisco's High on Fire, born out of the ashes of doom metal legends Sleep (see Danielage Vol VI) who had the unfortunate task of playing to a few hundred people (maybe) in a big empty theatre, but believe me they were up to the task. Whipping through a fast set consisting of songs from their most recent albums "Death Is This Communion" and "Blessed Black Wings." In addition, they debuted 2 new songs which sounded as awesome as the bulk of their catalog, and generally gave everyone who decided to actually show up on time a treat, the highlight of which for me was opener "Fury Whip", an epic head banger from their most recent album. Based on the new material, I'd assume a new full length is in the works from this power-trio and I for one can't wait.

Up next were the main reason that I came out for this show (as pricey as it was), Converge, the band that I had just seen the previous night in Seattle (as well as twice earlier this year in Chicago). That in itself must seem so weird to a lot of people out there, but I honestly think I could watch these guys play every night for the rest of my life as they have some deep catalog of material that they play from as well as the amount of passion and energy they put into every performance, which is especially obvious if you take 2 seconds to check out lead singer Jacob Bannon as he's constantly in motion, even on the larger than they're used to stage of this historic Vancouver venue. An amazing set that I enjoyed surrounded by people who were just as passionate about these guys as I was (much to my surprise) that featured songs from their new album "Axe to Fall" (see Danielage Vol IV) that sound just as killer live as they do recorded. I also found myself meeting guitarist/producer Kurt Ballou afterwards who was a really nice guy who took a second to talk to me about the current tour (and the general weirdness of playing in such large venues for these guys) as well as the new record. Great set.

Mastodon were up next and you could tell people were excited to see them. I didn't know what kind of set they were going to play as they were sharing the co-headliner position with Dethklok which meant a shorter set and maybe not as good of an opportunity to play their most recent release "Crack the Skye" from start to finish as they've been doing for the better part of this year. Well I was completely wrong as that's exactly what they did, complete with accompanying visuals designed by Josh Graham (who does similarly well put together work for Neurosis and Red Sparrowes). The new songs are good although definitely more prog and less metal than their past work but what was truely unfortunate was the horrible mic job of the band that occurred as duel lead vocalists Brent Hinds and Troy Saunders were barely audible for the better part of the set whereas the backing vocals/grunts supplied the rest of the band completely overpowered everything as they were comically louder than anything else in the mix something that really wasn't rectified all that well through the course of their hour long set consisting of the new album as well as three older songs (one from each of their three previous albums). Not technically a bad set but the shortened set in corrolation with the technical difficulties definitely placed it below the previous two times that I have seen these guys.

Finishing off the night was the band that metal and non-metal fans came to see, Dethklok, the cartoon band featured on Cartoon Network's show "Metalocalypse." I myself have never really watched the show and found myself operating on 2 hours of sleep (mainly in part from driving home from the previous night's show in Seattle) so for the 2nd straight week, this blog features tales of me leaving a show early without having watched the headliners set. We did happen to watch the opening, an intro from the show as well as the first two or three songs of the band, which I can only imagine would be loved by a fan of the group as they were accompanied by clips from the show of the various animated band members playing or finding themselves in various situations relevant to the song. Not necessarily my cup of tea but based on the really strong undercard and an entertaining headliner, I would still go as far as to highly recommend this tour for anyone with the slightest inclination to check it out.

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Records I Bought This Week:

A trip to Seattle or to a lot of shows usually means that I don't come empty handed, especially with the dollar being so favourable to us Canadians as of late and how ridiculously cheaper records are in the US. This past week was no different as I found myself picking up a ton of goodies from some of my favourite shops in Seattle, Easy Street Records as well as Singles Going Steady so check 'em out.


The Stone Roses - "The Stone Roses" 2xLP (re-issue) (Silvertone, 2009)

First up is the band that's the talk of the indie world this year, Manchester's seminal indie rock band and their seminal recording. Re-issued earlier this year in England, finally making it's way to our side of the Atlantic, "The Stone Roses" is a classic record made available in a variety of formats ranging from a simple CD re-issue to a boxset featuring a plethora of extras (vinyl, CD, booklets, a shit ton of B-sides). I found myself picking up the 2xLP after recently reacquainting myself with this classic band and their work that features the hit "She Bangs the Drum."


Times New Viking - "Born Again Revisited" LP (Matador, 2009)

I was looking forward to the LP by these Ohio trio who can be best described as punk rock meets art school recorded through a boombox. Simplistic yet effective drumwork matched with distorted guitars and keyboard hooks, these guys are known for their poor recording quality (and how much of a non-issue it is) however this, their second record on big-time indie lable Matador features a somewhat cleaner approach to their catchy blasts that have already taken the indie scene by storm.


Vivian Girls - "Everything Goes Wrong" LP (In The Red, 2009)

On the topic of lo-fi releases, I also picked up the sophmore release from this Brooklyn based all female punk rock trio which can best be described as the Ramones with really beautiful female harmonies and an exorbitant amount of reverb. It was their debut release last year that got the world talking with this album not garnering not nearly as much attention but I find myself more engaged by this collection short bursts punk goodness with a really nice pop sensibility to it. This is fastly becoming one of my favourite releases of 2009.


Built to Spill - "Keep It Like a Secret" 2xLP (Warner Bros, 1999)

A few blogs back I mentioned my newfound love for this band of Boise-based guitar rockers and this pickup was merely me expanding my collection of their work. This was their second release for Warner Bros following what many (myself included) consider their most heralded album, 1997's "Perfect From Now On" and lightning struck twice as this is nearly as perfect as that record and yet manages a different sound focussing more on shorter more hook based numbers as opposed to "Perfect..." which is built around beautiful guitar based soundscapes. Essential stuff.


Cave In - "Planets of Old" 12" EP (Hydrahead, 2009)

I spoke of the greatness of this EP before it was even released, all the way back in Danielage Vol II and now that I have my hands on a copy, I think I love it even more. Beautiful packaging designed by Aaron Turner which matches perfectly with this collection of 4 songs that give a taste of the Cave-In of old, a band that managed to mesh a plethora of styles so successfully. Opening number "Cayman Tongue" recalls a time where these guys wrote spaced out metalcore jams like really no one else on earth (think Slayer meets Radiohead) and is one of my favourite songs of the year.


Sunny Day Real Estate - "Diary" 2xLP (re-issue) (Sub Pop, 2009)

I touched on this a bit last week but I finally picked this up on my most recent trip to Seattle, these guys' hometown. Without going into much detail, I can safetly say that this is maybe the *best* emo record ever, matching beautiful guitar dynamics, the classic quiet-loud-quiet format that became a staple of this genre as well as the beautiful and tragic vocals of Jeremy Enigk. These guys somehow managed to be super underrated and influential at the same time and hopefully people will pick this up to experience such amazing songs as "Seven" and "In Circles" amongst others.


Sunny Day Real Estate - "Sunny Day Real Estate" 2xLP (re-issue) (Sub Pop, 2009)

The other re-issue from these guys which is often overlooked as it came out after the original line up disbanded but is honestly just a step behind their debut. The songs speak for themselves on both of these releases but what I was really most impressed by was the lengths that Sub Pop went to with the deluxe packaging featuring amazing artwork and really exquisite vinyl especially the opaque pink vinyl to go along with the famous album cover (or lack of cover) for what is commonly referred to as 'LP2.'


The Almighty Defenders - "The Almighty Defenders" (Vice, 2009)

I mentioned hearing a song that was released from this record, "Bow Down and Die" all the way back at the beginning of the summer. Now that I have the finish product, I'll have to admit that the record as a whole isn't as consistent from start to finish but there are still some real gems on this garage rock supergroup, specifically the punk rock gospel that is "Cone of Light." This one has already grown on me based on the few listens I've managed since picking it up last weekend and hopefully it will continue to do so... Man I'd love to see these guys live.


The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Higher Than Stars" 7" EP (Slumberland, 2009)

For those of you who are wondering, no I didn't buy the same record twice as this is the 7" single of the same name as the 12" I spoke of in my last post. Featuring the same A-side as it's 12" version, the B-side is a really groovy remix of the same song that's more greatness from this Brooklyn based indie shoe-gaze lovin' pop group that I have devoted a whole heck of a lot of time to singing the praises of. Love the harmonies on the chorus of this one as well as synth line that runs throughout... these guys do very little wrong in my books.


Damages - "Scars" 7" EP (Clue No 2, 2009)

My pre-order of this record came just before I caught these guys live twice in the span of a week (the previously spoken of show as well as a benefit for an animal shelter). Nothing has changed since I last spoke of the greatness of these guys so far limited output except for the fact that I love it even more than the first time around. Jarring guitar hooks that turn on a dime matched by steadyily heavy bass, drums that jump all over the place and yet manage to still anchor the heaviness of this record. Cap it off with the shouted vocals that are both harsh as well as captivating. Amazing 7"

Modern Life is War - "Witness" LP (Deathwish Inc, 2005)

I picked this up as it's one of the best hardcore records ever from a band who were around long enough to make a dramatic impression on the hardcore scene as well as myself. Great record from start to finish featuring great sing-a-long numbers as well as haunting slabs of emotionally fractured hardcore... seriously a life changing album that will resonate with anyone in their early 20s who's suffered loss, felt marginalized or simply like they didn't belong. I've owned this on CD for years now but when I saw it on vinyl I just knew that I *had* to own a copy for posterity sake.


Murray Head - "One Night in Bangkok" 12" EP (RCA, 1984)

For those not familiar with this song it's taken from the soundtrack to "Chess", the musical co-written by members of Abba in the early 80s. The song is cheesy and yet still awesome featuring a ton of awesome references to Chess and Bangkok... It's totally a (non) guilty pleasure of mine that I was lucky enough to find for $2 at a Value Village in Surrey in pretty decent condition. I don't really think I could do the song justice so do yourself a favour and watch the equally awesome, bordering on weird music video for this forgotten song below.