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Live Tracks: Gifts

Keith Little — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:54 +0000

In this new series, Live Tracks, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite live performances.

When I first heard of John K. Sampson it was as a member of the Canadian punk ensemble Propagandhi—a Winnipeg-based, liberal-minded, politically-charged group of young musicians looking to express their angst while making a difference in the world. To put it lightly. As a kid of, I guess, fourteen themes were largely lost on me but I loved the fast-paced, high-energy sound that the band managed and despite not really grasping what they were singing about a song that sounded like someone reading a textbook at an extremely rapid rate was nothing short of awesome.

Sampson ended up leaving Propagandhi, mellowing out, and putting together The Weakerthans— a Winnipeg-based, liberal-minded, poetically-poignant group of slightly older musicians looking to make good music and tell interesting stories. Occasionally, in concert, Sampson will revisit some of his old Propagandhi material and make it sound great. In this case, Sampson takes a high-tempo song and makes it sound awesome as a simple guitar and voice combination. In its stripped-down form, its the simplistic melody and the lyrics that really stand out. It’s Sampson’s overwhelming talent as a musician, I think, that really shows. Check it out, and enjoy.

Gifts

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Best New Music: Rose Garden

Keith Little — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:04 +0000

Shad is a Toronto-based, Kenyan-born rapper who I have become absolutely obsessed with. Why? Because he is absolutely dripping in talent, and positivity. His lyrics are insightful, intelligent, and awesome.

His latest single, which samples from the Lynn Anderson song Rose Garden, is nothing short of incredible and I applaud the raw wisdom that he seems unashamed of sharing in his music. And, he’s hilarious as evidenced by some of his earlier material (which you should also have a look at).

Is that not enough for you? Should be.

PS: I’m buying a pair of those shoes, Maria!

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Guest Track: 10,000 Words

Keith Little — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:00:21 +0000

This Guest Track is courtesy of A. Mantle, a sojourner, a scholar and a string band enthusiast. If you’d like to contribute to the Guest Track series, send an e-mail to guesttrack@thecorch.com.

One doesn’t always think to search for truth in a small wooden shack amidst the company of two shaggy white men and a black panting dog. Yet The Avett Brothers’ acoustic take on their song 10,000 Words proves that this isn’t a hopeless pursuit.

I first started listening to The Avett Brothers during my initial fascination with string bands last year. As an eMusic article explained to me, “A string band isn’t exactly cut-and-dried… generally speaking, it [refers to] groups whose foundations are in the old-time music of the ’20s and ’30s, before the early heyday of commercial country music and the subsequent rise of rock & roll.” In my experience, this usually means at least three things: acoustic instrumentation, vocal harmonization, and lots of twang.

And so we have the musical backdrop for the timeless wisdom of 10,000 Words:

Ain’t it like most people? I’m no different. We love to talk about things we don’t know about.

How often I feel the need to pontificate about how others choose to live their lives and to act as if I had a privileged perspective that they were not privy to. When I act this way, I know I play the fool and talk on things I don’t know about.

The Epistle of James, written nearly 2,000 years ago also dealt with similar concerns when the author reminded his recipients that they should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19b). Because The Avett Brothers remind me that in the age of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, musicians might still have something intelligent to say, 10,000 Words is one of my favourite tracks.

10,000 Words

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Favourite Tracks: Us

Keith Little — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:00:12 +0000

Rarely do I agree with the kind of people who comment on YouTube videos but in this case user slipismm has put it quite poignantly,

“[To] those 83 people that missed the like button… may God have mercy on your soul.”

He was referring, of course, to Regina Spektor’s music video for the song Us. And his sentiment is spot on.

There are so many things that make this song a favourite track that I don’t know where to begin. It’s infectious, to start. It’s frenzied pace, coupled with Spektor’s absolutely acrobatic vocals results in a down right stunning sound. She sings, “it’s contagious” and she’s right—and do you think she knows it?

I get the feeling that Spektor’s pop sensibilities are so finely attuned that she can manage to do nothing more than bang a bunch of keys and make it sound like a beautiful work of art. But that’s the beauty of a song like Us, I think. It’s really uncomplicated, perhaps even unmusical at times, but it sounds great and it works so well. It’s lyrics, a kind of end-of-the-world love theme, fit perfectly with the collapsing and expanding sound of the piano and her voice. I love it and anyone that doesn’t, I’m certain, must be already dead on the inside.

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Guest Track: Leave

Keith Little — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:05 +0000

This Guest Track is courtesy of A. Mantle, a friend, a scholar and a music enthusiast. If you’d like to contribute to the Guest Track series, send an e-mail to guesttrack@thecorch.com.

I envy Glen Hansard’s voice. Listening to his voice is often a cathartic experience for me, so I imagine that it’s pretty amazing to actually sing with it. It must also be useful to have his voice when you’ve had a bad day, or when you wonder about the point of life.

I can just see it; a long line at the grocery store, Glen’s running late and he’s not happy; Glen get’s into his car, throws back his head and howls: I had to waaaaiiiitttttt REAL LONG, I had to waaaaaiiiiittttttt REEEAAAALLLLLL LONG……..to get my food…..to get my foooooood, and just like that, he’s feeling better.

Seriously though, the almost over the top emotionalism in Glen’s music is what thrills me. Everything is a big deal to him. Since I tend to live my own life in that fashion, I’m thankful that someone else can appreciate this view of reality.

Leave is one of Hansard’s masterpieces. This song is a temper tantrum set to music. I’m amazed to think that so much passion and energy are possible with only an acoustic guitar. I think that you will be too.

Leave

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Favourite Tracks: House of Gold

Keith Little — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:04:00 +0000

When I first heard Andy Stochansky I was studying at the University of Waterloo. I can’t remember how I first heard about him, but I can remember where I first heard him live. It was in the great big atrium in the Student Life Centre. Billed as a much less important and well-known act than he really was, he somehow got slotted to play an acoustic solo show in the middle of one of the most highly-trafficked buildings on campus—the hub of student life. In the middle of the steady flow of cafeteria goers, bored students, and those taking a shortcut to class was Andy on a small riser stage, playing his heart out.

Andy Stochansky is a great musician and has a lot going for him. I’m never sure why he isn’t more popular in Canada alongside acts like Joel Plaskett or Jason Collett but he’s certainly just as talented. Here’s my pick for today’s Favourite Track.

House of Gold

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The 90’s: Bad as It Seems

Keith Little — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 11:00:48 +0000

1995 was a pretty good year. Still reeling from the death of Kurt Cobain we found some sweet solace in the likes of Hayden, a Canadian musician who hasn’t only survived the 90’s but did pretty well then too. With his debut album, Hayden introduced us to his super-slowed-down folk style and his super-low-down voice. We liked it, and continue to. Since then Hayden has gone on to record a whole bunch of really good music; his song-writing has steadily improved. I especially like his the story-telling style of his music and the fact that, as demonstrated on his famous live album, he can really do a lot with just a guitar and his voice.

Bad as it Seems (1995)

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The 90’s: Used to Be Alright

Keith Little — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:25:19 +0000

So I grew up in the 90’s, I couldn’t help it. In this new series I’d like to explore some great music from the 90’s. It does exist, of this I’m sure. Somewhere in my parent’s basement exists a CD titled “Absolute 90’s” and while the bands on that album, acts like Elastica and White Zombie, are exactly the kind of talent that I have in mind there was some good music to be had amongst all the, well, other stuff.

I Mother Earth, remember them? Remember the think metallic-beaded necklaces and the spiky, bleached blond hair? That certain way of holding the microphone that Fred Durst later made popular. These were the 90’s and it was all fair game. But I Mother Earth did some things right. Hailing straight out of the grunge movement, and trying to look the part, they mixed in just a touch bit of World Music and interesting percussion into their compositions to make them stand out. Not necessarily their singles, but certainly their b-sides, were often very cleverly composed and interesting-sounded pieces full of heavy toms and light bongo drums and if you can get past the machismo vocals they’re not so bad to listen to.

And so I present to you, readers, I Mother Earth. Love children of the 1990’s, born of the grunge movement and firmly planted in the memories of adults just about my age all over this great country. They’re not so bad.

Used to be Alright (1996)

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Favourite Tracks: Save it for a Rainy Day

Keith Little — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:31:25 +0000

I don’t know a lot about The Jayhawks but I do know a few things. First of all, they seem to have just arrived, to the present, from the past. Seriously. Their music, their sound and their appearance is that of a band somewhere in the early 70’s, don’t you think? Their vocal styling, the way they’re recorded and captured lived, and even their harmonies are reminiscent of something much farther back in musical history. But this track is from 2006. It’s hard to believe.

The other thing I know about The Jayhawks is that this song is killer. On top of all the aged beauty of The Jayhawks style it’s simply a really good song. It’s simple and yet interesting. It lulls and soars and seems to be exactly the right length. Those harmonies do sound so good and the guitars, especially in this live version, are so crisp and clean and give the entire song a twangy kind of feel that I really dig.

Finally, I know that this song is perfect for a rainy, stormy day like today.

Save it for a Rainy Day

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Favourite Tracks: That Pair of Old Jeans

Keith Little — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:00:04 +0000

Yes, I like Fatboy Slim. He was pretty much all I listened to that one summer when I worked at Costco. Remember that summer? It was the last time the World Cup was on, in Germany. What a summer that was!

Besides being a fun, well-written and catchy song the video, like many Fatboy Slim videos, is really interesting. Oh, and I absolutely love the juxtaposition between the vocal acrobatics and the physical acrobatics on screen. Wonderful. Just you go ahead and try not to dance.

That Pair of Old Jeans

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