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Music, Music Reviews,

Seether Live Concert Review

Date: May 26, 2011

City: Toronto,ON

Venue: Opera House

Rating: 4/5

 

If you like your rock n’ roll immersed in grimy filth, the Opera House was the place to be Thursday night. Devoid of pretentiousness, South African rockers Seether skillfully adhered to a back-to-basics sort of rock. Loud and ferociously abrasive, the jam-packed audience was sonically assaulted from the very first guitar riff.

 

Though the set was a mere 13 songs with no encore, Seether accomplished what they set out to do; entertain a crowd foaming with rabid intensity. From the opener “Gasoline” to closer “Remedy”, the raucous crowd passionately embraced the essence of what a rock n’ roll gathering should be. With total disregard for personal safety, multitudes of bodies were repeatedly propelled above the outstretched hands of the frenzied audience with careless abandon.

 

Feeding off this energy was a band who simply wanted to rock. Talk is cheap, and Seether barely said more than ten words throughout the entire evening. But who desires words when a guitar, a bass and a drum kit have the ability to express so much more.

 

Crisp-sounding and tight throughout every song, Seether performed many of their hits including “Broken” (acoustically), “Fine Again” and new single, “Country Song”. Having also been largely inspired by Nirvana over their career, the band even covered the grunge-rockers “Heart-Shaped Box” with staggering success. Not too many singers can match Cobain’s intensely emotional vocalization, but Shaun Morgan’s unbelievable voice (as powerful as it can get) paid homage with booming ferocity.

 

But not everything was pristine. Though Seether has been known to play very short sets over their career, the concert seemed to conclude rather prematurely. Just as the energy in the building was gaining in intensity, the show was suddenly over. Many were left surprised and looking abandoned without any intuition as to what to do. There were futile attempts to await the return of the band but to no avail. Without an encore, the congregation filed out ontoQueen St.impressed, but secretly sulking for more.

 

Apart from this and, of course, the obligatory drum solo that was conducted during the performance (which has grown tiresome over time- no matter how talented the solo may be), the show entertained. Simple and straightforward-the way a rock concert should be.

 

a99k
Music, Music Reviews,

The Airborne Toxic Event Live Review

Date: May 13, 2011

City: Toronto,ON

Venue: Opera House

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Audience indifference can have quite an effect on the energy of a performance. No matter how talented a band may be, a weak spectatorship has the ability to undermine even the most entertaining show. Friday night’s performance by the Airborne Toxic Event at the Opera House was threatened, at times, by this very act.

 

As I walked into the sold-out venue prior to start time, I instantly became aware of a feverish anticipation possessing the room. There is no denying that sort of sensation. The concertgoers were laughing and yelling with an unbridled enthusiasm, keenly aware of impending bliss. I realized that this show was going to be fully charged.

 

But then something enigmatic occurred. As soon as the show commenced, the audience immediately mutated into a congregation of listless observers who were seemingly content with simply staring back at a band striving to entertain (they were sporadically jolted awake by the opening two tracks “Numb” and “Wishing Well”, but it quickly subsided).

 

The heavily intoxicated gentleman next to me even noticed this abnormality. Observing me jotting down some notes, he staggered over, put his arm around me, and began to speak with the echoing presence of an infant, “What are wrong…with the people? Where’s the dancing? They does not move…they just standing…doing nothing. Th…is band rocks!” Though I was distracted from two songs as a result of this marble-mouthed individual, I did wholeheartedly agree with his hazy assessment.

 

However, around the midway point of the performance, the audience resurged with a vengeance. As the band broke into some of their more popular songs like “Happiness is Overrated”, “Changing”, “Welcome to Your Wedding Day” and “Sometime Around Midnight”, the audience morphed into energetic cheerleaders. Raising their hands to the sky and bounding around with reckless abandon, the show was instantaneously transformed into the event I had prematurely believed it would be throughout its duration.

 

Even the band was influenced by the sudden alteration in atmosphere. Earlier in the show while talking to the crowd, singer Mikel Jolleet had to stop what he was saying and confront a portion of the audience who seemed preoccupied with conversing loudly with one another. Humorously, he noted, “There’s a single’s bar next door if you guys are interested”.

 

From that moment on, the audience belonged to the band. As if spurred on by a new found zeal, Jolleet twice leapt into the crowd to sing amongst them (during “Something New”, he even ascended atop one of the bar’s and sang a duet with fellow band member, Anna Bullbrook, who remained on stage). Apparently influenced by Jolleet’s gallantry, Bullbrook herself dove into the crowd and proceeded to play the viola while moshing. It’s safe to say I have never witnessed an act quite like it before.

 

Though there were a few sonic irregularities that occurred throughout the night (Jollett’s guitar wouldn’t work on “Papillon” and had to be replaced mid-song), the band’s passionate display of their talents compensated for the few lackluster moments. Even when the show concluded, the band members didn’t immediately vacate the stage. They took the time to take pictures and chat with their fans, who they constantly thanked throughout the evening. It was a highly admirable act that redeemed a night initially jeopardized by apathy.

a99j
Music, Music Reviews,

Chris Cornell – Live Concert Review

Date: April 20, 2011

City: Toronto, ON

Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Rating:  4.5/5

 

It’s highly surreal when one comes face-to-face with their past. I had one such encounter late Wednesday night.  As a child of the 90s, I have always held tight to the belief that the music existent during your teenage years will always remain an important aspect of your life. As you transition into adulthood, the music of the era becomes your own personal soundtrack. It comes to define you. As it stands, nothing connects to a moment quite like music.

As a solo Chris Cornell walked out onto stage to wild and feverish applause, I became instantly struck with the realization that I was remaining perfectly silent. In no way was this meant as a form of disrespect, but rather it was a sign that my thoughts were overcoming me. One of the voices that helped to define my youth was now standing just 50 feet away. From here on out, I knew this night was going to be special.

Stricken with a fever that caused him to cancel his previous concert the night before, Cornell courageously battled his body to present the sold out crowd with a (mostly) acoustic show that encompassed his entire career as a musician.

Playing 25 songs over the course of two hours, Cornell, whose live vocals truly astounded me, passionately belted out songs with emphatic intensity. Though not as personally intimate as I initially expected (his sickness might have had something to do with it), it was still exhilarating to watch as he incorporated some rarely performed tracks like “Seasons” and “Like Suicide” into his setlist.

For the rest of the show, Cornell transitioned from his days in Audioslave (“Be Yourself”, “I Am the Highway”“Like a Stone”), Soundgarden (“Black Hole Sun”, “Fell on Black Days”, “Mind Riot”), Temple of the Dog (“Call Me a Dog”, “Hunger Strike”, Say Hello 2 Heaven”), and his solo career. He also took time to cover Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper”, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (he briefly transitioned into this song during his cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Man of Golden Words”), and then poignantly ended the night with his beautiful rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine”.

To say that he is musically diverse would be a grave understatement.

But musical creativity aside, the one aspect that truly stood out Wednesday night was his commanding presence as a performer. Simply sitting on a stool with a guitar in hand, Cornell hypnotically connected with his audience through sheer emotional fortitude. Captivated by every vocal note and guitar chord, the audience revelled with tranquil delight as Cornell mesmerized them song after song.

Though, the crowd would instantaneously be transformed into passionately rejoicing cheerleaders whenever Cornell would highlight key moments of his musical past. In fact, each time he would hit one of his trademark high notes, the crowd would whoop and exclaim with exaggerated jubilation (except for the gentleman sitting next to me who could barely keep his eyes open as a result of his intense preoccupation with 4/20).

At the commencement of the show, one of these moments of exuberant appreciation caused Cornell to express, “I can’t live up to this applause, so I may as well leave now”. How wrong he was.

a3333
Music Reviews,

The Go! Team- Live Concert Review

Date: April 10, 2011

City: Toronto, ON

Venue: The Opera House

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Never in my concert attending history have I ever witnessed a show containing such joyful exuberance as the one I witnessed Sunday night. Bouncing and gyrating around as if they were children in the midst of a sugar rush, The Go! Team energetically blasted through seventeen songs with dynamic and sonic precision. For a band that was meant to be jet lagged (this was the first stop on their North American Tour), it wasn’t readily apparent.

It was definitely a much needed boost to an evening that was, at first, bordering on audience indifference. Prior to the band’s arrival, the crowd appeared to be a restless bunch. Not really buying into what the opening acts were selling, the spectators were simply listless observers for the first little bit. But that all changed when Team took the stage. With a whirlwind of ferocious velocity, the band opened up with the highly energetic “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.”, and immediately won the crowd over.

Playing nine songs off their latest record, the band also performed such past hits as “Huddle Formation”, “Flashlight Fight” and “The Power is On” (perhaps the best sounding song of the evening) which further adjusted the crowd’s demeanours. When they proceeded to introduce the older songs, the audience cried out with jubilant enthusiasm, and proceeded to dance with passionate delight.

Possibly adding to their excitement was an environment that contained unlimited musical instrumentation.  The Opera House is not a large venue by any means, but the stage still contained two side-by-side drum sets, numerous styles of guitars (including a banjo), a xylophone, a keyboard, a Jamaican steel drum, and even a typewriter that was put to interesting use.

By exhibiting their musical creativity, the sextet made it apparent that they were committed to entertaining by any means necessary. In fact, the moments in between songs were as interesting as the songs themselves. During some of the interludes, the band would have to alter their physical positioning onstage with other members and change up their instruments to best fit their particular musical abilities. For instance, guitarist Sam Dook would deviate his time between bass, banjo, drums and tambourine, while keyboardist Kaori Tsuchida would transition from vocals to tambourine to bass and electric guitar. It was actually quite intriguing to watch them manoeuvre amongst the stage and around one another as if it were a game of touch football.

Without slighting any of the other members (they were all passionate performers), the true attention grabber of the night was definitely lead vocalist Ninja. Flavoured with a raw musical talent that radiated power, sexiness and charisma, her very presence on stage hypnotically transcended the audience. Though, whether she was performing scissor kicks, jumping jacks or skipping over the wire of her microphone (she executed all of these feats during the show), she was always mindful never to overshadow the rest of the band. Her performance was an exhilarating centre-piece but it was always in keeping with what was important for the show. This is the true mark of a lead singer.

As impressed as I always have been with The Go! Team’s albums, their live performance far exceeded my expectations, and allowed me to appreciate them on an entirely new level.

A93
Music Reviews,

Graham Wright- Shirts vs. Skins

Album: Shirts vs. Skins

Label: File Under: Music

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Graham Wright’s Shirts vs. Skins is power-pop at its most casual. Driven by an effortless, free-flowing vibe, Wright’s debut LP (In 2008, he released his first EP entitled The Lakes of Alberta) is a curiosity-piece reveling in simplistic bliss.

As is the case with most side projects (Wright is the keyboardist in Tokyo Police Club), the sound and style differ greatly from the indie rock aesthetics of TPC. Here, Wright embraces a quirkiness buoyed by (adolescent) self-reflective lyricism and folk-infused poppiness.

Bordering a very thin line between annoyance and intrigue, Shirts vs. Skins focuses on sweet, sugary ensconced mini-ballads that proudly embrace a dopey, yet endearing, sentimentality (No better exemplified than on “Keys to the Kingdom”).

Heavens Just For Moviemakers” and “Soviet Race” are jovially eccentric tracks that rely heavily on catchy pop hooks that are shameless in their ability to superficially satisfy.

But superficiality has its limits, and though most of the tracks are light-hearted, honest and momentarily gratifying, its candy-coated structure tends to wear off quite quickly.

In the end, Shirts vs. Skins is ultimately undone by a lack of meaningful substance. Though it is grounded by a sincere innocence, it’s nonetheless an album that is undermined by sophomoric pop expressions of the heart.

a94
Music Reviews,

The Head and the Heart- (Self-Titled)

 

Album: The Head and the Heart

Label: Sub Pop

Rating: 3.5/5

 

It was bound to happen. What with all of the recent mainstream success of folk-rock acts like Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons, it was only a matter of time before other similar sounding groups began to emerge from musical obscurity. Enter Seattle, Washington’s The Head and the Heart, an indie-folk rock band with a pop and country twist.

Originally released independently in 2010, the re-released self-titled LP follows the folk blueprint to a tee. But that’s not to say that it isn’t brimming with quaint, heartfelt tranquility.

In fact, The Head and the Heart’s debut album is actually quite enjoyable. Though it’s not overly challenging, the LP is quirky and endearing.

Buoyed by a simplistic minimalism, the album invokes contrarian themes of loneliness and connection. Sharing vocal duties, Jon Russell and Josiah Johnson communicate an innocence sparked by tenderness but punctuated with fragility. There is unease at the heart of this album, and the LP’s sorrowful nature is consistently at odds with the optimism striving to endure.

“Ghosts” is bouncy and spirited with a Ben Folds Five vibe, while “Down in the Valley” transitions from a weeping, melancholic ballad into an exuberant exploration of hope.

Sadly, the primary drawback of the LP really has nothing to do with the album itself. Instead, it seems to have more to do with folk music’s recent mainstream oversaturation. Jeopardizing originality and talent, this issue always tends to undermine honest intentions by bands like The Head and the Heart in their struggle to achieve success through sheer perseverance.