Ingrid Gatin may be based in Winnipeg, but her life is one that morphs constantly. Whether physically or mentally, the young singer seems to be in constant flux, searching for new instruments and inspiration to fine tune her sound.
Although she first started writing songs on the piano, it seems that her weapon of choice is the accordion. When I was first sent her record, I was a bit leery. When I hear “sounds like Beirut” or “gypsy inspired melodies”, I kind of tune out. It’s like hearing Charlie Brown’s teacher talk. The thing is, while Ingrid has discovered the beautiful sounds an accordion can produce, it’s the soul of the songs that makes Broken Tambourine so enjoyable. Ingrid’s unique blends of pop, jazz and soul, and her willingness to dance between slow burning and quick hitting staccato melodies result in a surprisingly diverse record.
Ingrid’s obviously a talented song writer, but really it’s the charisma that her voice exudes that make you start thinking of people like Emily Haines (“The Moon” could be a b-side from Haines’ solo record) or even Chan Marshall. She’s comfortable on the piano, playing off horn laced slinky numbers or more adventurous Gypsy inspired melodies, but no matter where the melodies go, it’s her sexy, confident vocals that keep you listening.
So, what’s the deal? This record is a year old, so why’s it only getting posted on herohill now? Well, Gatin’s coming to the end of a cross-country tour and is going to take the stage at the Company House tomorrow night. We have two tix and a copy of Broken Tambourine for one lucky winner. Let’s make it easy, and just say that the first person to email us their details – herohill AT gmail DOT COM – wins.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it’s Friday Fun you’re after, then you can’t go wrong with a good free mixtape. Well, the two kind gentlemen that makeup the electronic behemoth known as Woodhands have made just such a mixtape available to you via Paper Bag Records.
The No Feelings Mixtape features the vocals from various hip hop songs paired with the beats from a number of songs off of Woodhands’ last release, Remorsecapade. Always wanted to hear Weezy’s A Milli mixed with Woodhands When The Party Is Over? How about the Biz’s legendary lady trouble anthem mixed with Coolchazine, or a Dre & Em classic mixed with Dissembler? Well your ship has come in. I’ve only been through these songs a couple times, but I have to say I’m a little surprised at how well Woodhands have been able to mesh these songs with their instrumentals. In fact, I think the B.O.B. song that radio has played into the ground is much improved thanks to the Woodhands treatment. If you’re at all into electronic-tinged hip hop, then you’ll likely be mighty pleased with this mixtape, so kudos to Woodhands for giving it away.
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We don’t usually post news on herohill; we know the deal. You want the free music, not the commentary but honestly, when I heard that Sari and Romi were recording new music – under the new moniker Tasseomancy – with production and backing band support from Taylor Kirk and Timber Timbre I had to tell someone.
The combination of Ghost Bees and Timber Timbre is enough to make Rob Zombie or Wes Craven shudder in fear, but honestly the new textures and ambient sounds the girls are experimenting with are nothing short of breathtaking. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still dark and the girls’ falsetto voices still swirl around the tracks, but there is a distinct folky/blues stomp to the percussion that makes the songs more powerful and possessed than fractured and eerily fragile.
Granted, I’ve only heard two songs – both of which are available on the ole myspace for anyone interested or for purchase in 7″ format (note: one which features Taylor on vocals) – but Tasseomancy needed to augment their style to follow up their fantastic EP and with help from Taylor they have uncovered new emotions and textures that will – hopefully – make their upcoming full length a must hear.
While we wait, how about a video session from the girls, and one from Timber Timbre in playing in a Lighthouse in the Netherlands. Cool.
In case you didn’t hear, Shad didn’t win the Polaris. That recently announced honour went to Montreal’s Karkwa and since The Ack is the Polaris affiliated fellow here at the hill, I’m not even going to pretend I’ve heard Karkwa’s album, but I think it’s a shame Shad didn’t win because TSOL is excellent and has done pretty much everything you’d think a hip hop album should do in order to win such a prize.
Oh well, nothing we can do about that, but it is Thursday and that means videos here at the hill and we can console ourselves with the awesomeness of Shad’s video for We, Myself & I. It’s essentially a performance vid, with Shad doing the song in various computer-freaked locations, but it matches the song really well and is rather hypnotic. However, if you like a little more plot in your clips – specifically, a “girl meets werewolf” type of narrative – the new video from Regina’s Rah Rah for Henry should be right up your alley. A catchy tune and a werewolf tearing apart a heart-shaped pinata with his bear hands, errr claws. What more could you ask for? Well I might have asked for some Teenwolf-esque wolf-hoops to be worked in somehow, but that seems a little greedy really.
We’ll finish up with something a little more subdued, the video for Make Your Exit’s Leave This Town, which features a junkstrument version of the band playing the song before the actual band comes on to wrap things up – it’s a fun little video. More than anything though, it made me search for the band’s EP on the ole iTunes though, as I remembered enjoying this song a great deal. So there you go, three solid vids for your Thursday. Enjoy.
Shad – We, Myself & I
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Although I don’t know all that much about them, I have a rather high opinion of Toronto’s Meligrove Band. This is due, I think, to the fact that my first exposure to them was a very positive one. Two years ago we walked into their set at HPX, and although I knew the name, I hadn’t actually heard them before. After they finished the Ack and I shared one of those “huh, well that was pretty good” type looks, and I’ve been somewhat interested in the bands doings since then.
So what are they doing you ask? Well it just so happens their new album, Shimmering Lights came out yesterday on Nevado Records, and the band is about to embark on a rather large North-American tour where they will be playing alongside folks like Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, and Ruby Coast. Rather exciting stuff, and if you’re interested in seeing Meligrove unleash the big sound that they wrap ever so well around catchy melodies and hooks, then check the big list below for a show near you (they are hitting all corners of the US and Canada during the next 2.5 months, so there should indeed be a show near you). Local folks should note the Nov. 6th show at The Seahorse with Ruby Coast and The Superfantastics, which sounds like it would be a pretty solid evening.
09/24 Sault Ste. Marie, ON — Loplops
09/25 Thunder Bay, ON — Crocks *^
09/26 Winnipeg, MB — Garrick Centre *^
09/27 Saskatoon, SK — Louis’ Pub*^
09/28 Regina, SK — The Exchange ^
09/29 Calgary, AB — MacEwan Ballroom *^
10/02 Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom *^
10/03 Victoria, BC — Element *^
10/04 Cumberland, BC — Waverley Hotel *
10/05 Olympia, WA — TBA
10/10 Hot Springs, AR — The Exchange
10/11 Lafayette, LA — Artmosphere
10/12 Baton Rouge LA — Spanish Moon !
10/13 Houston, TX — Mango’s !
10/14 Austin, TX — Emo’s !
10/15 Denton, TX — Hailey’s !
10/16 Kansas, City, MO — Riot Room !
10/17 Denver, CO — Larimer Lounge !
10/18 Salt Lake City, UT — Urban Lounge !
10/19 Reno, NV — Tonic Bar !
10/20 La Jolla, CA — The Loft @ UC San Diego !
10/21 Los Angeles, CA — Troubadour !
10/22 San Francisco, CA — Slim’s !
10/23 Portland, OR — Doug Fir Lounge !
10/25 Seattle, WA — Chop Suey !
10/26 Missoula, MT — The Palace !
10/28 Minneapolis, MN — Triple Rock !
10/29 Chicago, IL — Empty Bottle !
10/30 Detroit, MI — The Majestic !
10/31 Brooklyn, NY — TBA &
11/1 New York City, NY –TBA
11/3 Portland, ME — TBA
11/4 Sackville, NB — Tantramarsh Club %#
11/5 Fredericton, NB — Capital Bar %#
11/6 Halifax, NS — Seahorse %#
11/7 Quebec City, QC – Le Cercle #
11/9 Montreal, QC – Jukebox
11/10 Ottawa, ON – Mavericks
11/11 Kingston, ON – Mansion #
11/12 Toronto, ON — The Great Hall (Record Release Show)
w/ DD/MM/YYYY@
w/ Tokyo Police Club*
w/ Arkells^
w/ Born Ruffians!
w/ Japanther&
w/ The Superfantastics%
w/ Ruby Coast #
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Disclaimer: I really like Falklands, even if you don’t. They are one of the few young bands that seem determined to make a name for themselves and find a signature sound that isn’t impacted by blog posts or critical buzz. That willingness to experiment led to a diverse collection of tracks. From their debut 7″ – a nice blend of Chisel-era Ted Leo and old Lookout surf punkers The Hi-Fives – to their more brash, sloppy rock EP – Bastille Day – energy and hooks were the only constants they held onto, as the band was willing to try almost anything on almost every song.
I wouldn’t call either effort fragmented, as both were surprisingly cohesive, but instead of simply moving from influence to influence, Think About It finds the band maturing and fine tuning their sound. The songs are still full of punch; cymbal crashes and heavy bass lines mix with power chords and surprising finger work to create a dense pocket, but for the first time Falklands tease moments of poppy bliss and nice tempo changes into the equation. The floating guitar of “Yellow Rose” is a perfect palette cleanser, one that lightens the darker chords that build the melody. The same can be said of the spirited “da-da-da-das” the band smiles through on the album closer, “Drunk & Thieves.”
I could try to pretty it up, but honestly, Falklands is are simply a rock and roll band, a concept that seems more and more obscure these days. This isn’t layer after layer of intricacies and intimacies; no, Think About It is just the result of young men plugging in and playing. Personally, I think it’s a great record and it’s also available for the low, low cost of nothing so you might want to go grab it.
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For those familiar with the Cormac McCarthy inspired tales Ben Rogers unleashed on his fantastic EP a few years ago, finding out he was a huge ATDI fan is probably pretty shocking on first glance. Obviously, nothing on that EP seems to match the intensity the post-hardcore band unleashed on the masses in the early 2000s or indicate it would be in Ben’s wheelhouse.
But “Invalid Litter Dept.” – an understated gem that challenged society to open their eyes to a very real problem – was a stark example of the changes the band was going through both emotionally and instrumentally and when you really listen to the powerful song, ATDI’s attempt to highlight the atrocities happening in Juarez Mexico (or as wikipedia puts it: “The Juárez murders, a series of rapes and murders in Cd. Juárez of young women who worked in factories called maquiladoras”), the parallels in subject matter and setting is fairly clear. Both focus on social issues and travel down the same dusty, poverty stricken paths, Ben simply prefers to views the same lands from the perspective of a man living hundreds of years earlier.
I’m not sure you can compare artists when one band puts their heart on record to bring attention to a horrible situation and the other was obviously deeply affected by the results, but Rogers picked guitar and group vocals sound great and even though he doesn’t explode sonically like ATDI did (and I miss the surprisingly delicate piano that pops up), he does execute a nice tempo change that energizes the track. It’s been forever since I thought of the original, Roger’s take doesn’t make me simply reach for Relationship of Command. Considering how many times I listened to that record and love that song, it’s a good sign that Ben did the original justice.
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It’s been pretty enjoyable to watch Andrew Sisk evolve as a song writer. The first time I remember seeing Sisk perform, he was holding his trusty uke at HPX backed by long time friends playing under the moniker Share, but it very much seemed like the songs and the sound were his singular vision. Over time, Share became a full fledged band affair and Slumping In Your Murals was probably the end point of their sound evolution. The songs were fleshed out; the arrangements meticulous, but to be honest, I missed some of Sisk’s lo-fi scrappiness.
That’s why I was so happy to see Sisk and his writing partner (Miranda Durka) move in new directions. It makes sense that a new city and exposure to a new set of cultural elements sparked a creative fire within Andrew, but I’m not sure anyone could have expected a simple three-song EP that used nylon strings, drum machine beats, french female vocals and exposed interest in 60′s French pop and bossanova. Coco et Co may have shocked long time Share fans, but the heart soul of the EP showed how a change reinvigorated Sisk and in my humble opinion, it was his most successful pit stop to date.
I kind of expected he and Durka to become an East Coast take on Josh Rouse and Paz Suay, but not surprisingly the upcoming release of St. Denis finds the duo augmenting their sound once again. The drum machine is more integral to the output and the duo explores slow moving atmospheric beats and relegates the guitars, melodicas, and synths to supporting roles. The biggest change however is that for the first time, Sisk’s words hold your attention and dominate the listen. Whether it’s turning the lens back onto someone in his intimate circle of friends (“State of Radio”) or simply putting his feelings of love and heartbreak to record, honesty drips from these songs.
I can’t verify his process, but the hours Andrew spent creating the electronic textures seem to have given him the time to reflect on the people around him, providing subject matter that triggers real emotion. There’s moments of sadness, beauty, whimsy; basically Sisk translates all of his most personal thoughts to tape with remarkable success and accessibility. The beats keep everything moving and exciting (“More Feelings”, “Super”), but it’s the personal feel each and every stanza offers that makes St. Denis such an understated gem. A simple statement hangs over the whole record – “you could be super if you wanted to” – a line Sisk delivers which such casual nonchalance that I’m not sure he realizes he’s challenging himself simply by challenging the world around him. Regardless of intention, there’s something about the solitude of St. Denis that pulls you close and given time the record will grow to be something much bigger than the minimal textures of which it’s comprised.
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Oh the internet. Just when you think you’ve seen every clip of a chick getting smoked in the face with a tiny watermelon, seen every potential rape auto-tuned into into a dance jam, and found every single old school hip hop album you hadn’t heard since you were in Hammer pants, the ole internet reveals something else to turn your head into some much watermelon mush. In my case, it was discovering the Rap Treats section of the hip hop blog nationofmillions.ca. I’d been on this site a few times over the last year or so, but I had no idea they had so many old school gems on offer.
Seriously, they have a ton of stuff over there. Rare stuff, classic 12 inches, mixtapes – you can easily sink a couple hours into perusing the site. I did exactly that, and so this week’s OSM is essentially a clip show of various things of interest that I found on nationofmillions. All credit is due to the dudes that run that site, go check it once you’re done here.
I think the first thing that caught my eye was an un-released D.O.C. song from the No One Can Do It Better sessions. We love the D.O.C. here at the hill, and so I’m certainly going to check out any of his unreleased material. Bridgette is a crass, sing-song effort that features pretty much the whole Ruthless posse on ab-libs at the start and end. Kind of funny, if nothing else. Big Daddy Kane is another hill favorite, in fact I often include him in the top 5 best MC’s ever lists that I’m never asked to prepare. So then, an unreleased Kane song from the Long Live the Kane, especially one that uses the much-beloved phrase “eye-jammie”, like For Your Own Concern is getting posted.
As I mentioned earlier, they’ve got a ton of amazing 12″‘s, including a couple songs I would have posted previously if I could find them. Ultramagnetic’s Poppa Large is a classic 90′s east coast jam, but the album version was a bit un-inspiring, and so when I posted on Funk Your Head Up, I only put up the video for this song. So here’s the version I mentioned in that post. Just last week I posted a baseball-themed OSM in which I wanted to post the original Crooklyn Dodgers track featuring Special Ed, Master Ace & Buckshot, but I couldn’t find it. Problem solved now, what a great song. And to finsh up, a Special Ed remix I’ve never heard before, because everyone should love Special Ed. I do. Enjoy.
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Matt Barber‘s latest record – True Believer – is another stellar addition to his catalog. Most artists these days are hoping to write some good songs, but I really feel like Matt looks at music as his life long passion, hoping his records stand the test of time and his name is one day mentioned in the same conversation as legends like Lightfoot, Young, and Petty. Remarkably, even with the talent that so smoothly oozes out of Barber’s voice and fingers, he’s so understated and humble that even if he is aiming for a legacy beyond the reach of almost any musician, you can’t hope but hope he gets there.
Anyway… Matt’s bringing his songs to The Seahorse and thanks to Sonic Concerts, we have two sets of tickets to give away. You can get all the details here, but basically the show’s on Wednesday, Sept 22nd and will set you back $15 dosh. It’s also a rare chance to see Matt play outside the cozy confines of The Carleton and with some accompaniment (I’m hoping/guessing).
To enter, just email us your details – herohill AT gmail DOT COM – or leave the info in the comments section. Good luck and here’s a great outdoor video of one of my favs off of Ghost Notes, “Settle My Accounts With You.”
