Danielage: Volume X [10/08/09-10/19/09]

The Antlers are a Brooklyn based three piece that grew out of what was initially a solo project of lead singer/guitarist Peter Silberman and I think they've released the best record of 2009. I know, pretty high praise from someone who listens to a stupid amount of records and only ever seems to talk about things he likes on his blog but I'm dead serious when I say that "Hospice", their album they put out on French Kiss earlier this year is one of the most emotinally engaging records that manages to be both heartbreaking and uplifting. A concept record about someone whose child is terminally ill and the thoughts and feelings going through the person during the tumultous period presented amongst a backdrop that varies from simply strummed guitar chords one minute and full on rock bombast the next complete with falsetto vocals. I tend to stay away from real life emotions in this blog so this will be a first but I think the reason that this record has started to blow me away (after merely 'liking it' after first listening to it) is that recently I've found myself in a similar situation, watching a loved one fade away before my very eyes and it's through that experience that the emotion in this record has begun to resonate within me and create such a powerful connection. All run-on sentences and sharing too much info aside, this is an amazing record that's bound to get overlooked by a wider audience which is downright criminal. I'm including a link to download the full record below, not because I condone stealing people's intellectual property (sampling is another story) but because I hope that people will love it as much as I do and be inspired to go out and buy their record or better yet, see these guys play live when the opportunity comes. Fantastic stuff... really.

The Antlers - "Hospice" (left click)

---

Unquestionably one of the biggest buzz bands of 2008 was New York's Vampire Weekend, who on the strength of their wicked debut full length truely conquered the world (both indie and beyond). It's been almost two years since that self-titled mix of afro pop inspired indie rock jams that recalls such classic artists as Graceland-era Paul Simon and Peter Garbiel was released and it's about time that this quartet of Columbia grads grace us with more. The new album is called "Contra" and it's due out January 12th but lucky for me and other like minded fans, they released the first single online for free download. It's called "Horchata" and somehow they find a *BUNCH* of words that rhyme with the title including but not limited to Aranciata (awesome drink) and Balaclava (awesome facial accessory). It's more of the same goodness I've come to expect from them, clever wordplay matched with a fun beat, some really pretty string accompaniment and even a dabble of electronic elements. Give it a listen and get a headstart on everyone else who's going to be talking about it come 01/10.

Vampire Weekend - "Horchata" (left click, download link courtest of vampireweekend.com)

---

Mono w/ Maserati (10/8/09 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC)

The first time I can remember being as giddy as a schoolgirl for a band, insisting that I was right up front leaning on the monitors so I could witness everything that was going on was the first time I saw Mono play at Richard on Richards back in the fall of 2007. I initially got into them upon hearing solid recommendations for their 2004 release "Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and The Sun Shined" and grew to have a really strong emotional attachment to them and their music thanks in part to songs off that record such as "Halcyon", "Mere You Pathetique Light" and "A Thousand Paper Cranes." They were fantastic that night even though they only played 30 minutes and they were even more fantastic on this night when they got to play a full 90 minute set that was based primarily on songs from their 2009 release "Hymn to the Immortal Wind" which is nothing short of epic, this coming from a band who practically wrote the book on epic instrumental post rock. A band that I truely find inspirational, beautiful and crushing at the same time in a similar vein to My Bloody Valentine, I find that these guys can provoke more emotion without any vocals than most frontman centric artists (which is 99% of all bands in popular music today). Athens, Georgia based opener Maserati were a fitting warm up act, playing their own brand of math-tinged instrumental rock that focussed a lot on dual guitar dynamics whilest backed by a solid drummer and steady basslines. An amazing show that I was looking forward to for months and was very satsfied with once it was all said and done.

---

-Ruiner w/ In Bear Country, Impeders of Progress (10/17/09 - The APC - Vancouver, BC)

Although not my favourite hardcore band going today, I have a great amount of respect for Baltimore's Ruiner who managed to stop by Vancouver this past weekend, thanks in part to No Sense Productions, run by my friend Shaun. Not only did they have the decency to make the trek across the border on their day off to play in front of 65 people at the APC (probably the last show I'll witness there as the tenants are being evicted), but they play a style of hardcore that's filled with passion and truth with a strong grasp of reality. I first saw these guys play 4 or 5 years ago when they were first starting to make a name for themselves and through years of touring they've found themselves breaking through to a larger audience, thanks in part to signing with well known Boston based hardcore label Bridge 9 and releasing such stellar LPs as their most recent one "Hell Is Empty." Both opening bands were new-ish groups from Vancouver who I had never seen before who drew a more diverse audience (including some sweet punk rockers who somehow knew all the lyrics to the Ruiner songs in the surprise of the evening), the standout of the two being In Bear Country which featured former members of Vancouver's standout pop-punker Daggermouth (who sadly disbanded a while back). Another $8 show that was more than well worth the money.

---

Records I Bought This Week:

This week's purchases came courtesy of a pre-order via Southern Lord as well as my favourite independent record store in Vancouver, Scratch Records. Good times to be had as per usual:


Boris - "Japanese Heavy Rocks Volume 1" 7" (Southern Lord, 2009)

Japan's masters of... practically everything are back with the first in a series of three 7" singles (four if you pre-ordered online like I did). Boris play hard rock that is inspired by so many sounds that even though they have their own 'sound', nothing is out of the ordinary when it comes to this Tokyo based trio. The A side, '8' starts with a series of chords that slowly mumble and feedback before a drumroll kicks this rocker into overdrive and gets the floor shaking. Whispered verses over the steady 4/4 beat leads to coo'ing "oohs" throughout the chorus which leads into a signature piercing solo from lead guitarist slash babe, Wata. The B side, 'Hey Everyone' is a party jam that follows along as a pretty similar pace to the other song and altogether makes for a wicked release from these guys, hopefully a sign of what's to come with the remaining 3 releases in this series (to be released over the course of the next few months).

Atlas Sound - "Logos" LP (Kranky, 2009)

Bradford Cox's second full length under the Atlas Sound moniker (as opposed to his other gig as lead singer/guitarist in Deerhunter) may be even better than last year's stellar "Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel." Starting as a bedroom project that has turned to a full on touring act (including an upcoming Vancouver date) albeit a solo one, Atlas Sound is a more low-key, introspective and personal project featuring all the instruments played by Cox himself. This record first came onto my radar when the song "Walkabout" featuring Noah Lenox (aka Panda Bear) was released on the internet and I absolutely loved it (so much so that I blogged about it). More songs were made available as weeks went by including another standout, "Shelia", so by the time I saw this available at Scratch, I had to pick it up. A beautiful record consisting of minimalist pop songs that draw inspiration from many eras gone by and one of my favourites of '09.