The summer lives forever

Listening to the latest effort from Winnipeg hip-hop duo The Happy Unfortunate, I can't help but think of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders. I know that comparing THU to one of the giants of the rap game in ATCQ may seem overblown or like a reach, but bear with me.

When ATCQ debuted with People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm in 1990, they came out of the gate swinging and between Ali Shaheed Muhammad's inventive, crisp production and some tight rhymes on cuts like "Bonita Applebum" and "Can I Kick It?" helped birth the daisy age. At it's root, Instinctive Travels... was just a fun record. They quickly followed their debut with 1991's darker The Low End Theory, an album that mined some of the same jazzy production but which also found the group exploring darker themes (date rape, the ills of the music industry) lyrically. Two years down the line, Midnight Marauders found ATCQ striking a deft balance between 'fun' songs and lyrical complexity - in other words, fully-realized maturity.

The Happy Unfortunate are now three albums into creating their own catalog (I'm not counting the beat-tapes they've released sporadically) and they appear to be following the same trajectory, just reversing the gaps between albums. 2009 saw their debut Stand Up Or Fall Down and two years later came No Time To Sleep.

Now with July Never Dies, the talented pair demonstrate a similar maturity in both their content (failed relationships, patience and perseverance, long-distance love) and their production. Soulful vocal and horn samples float around for the first few seconds before the boom-bap snap of the hi-hat and snare kick in on "Yesterday's Fool."

I don't think the yesterday they're talking about in the lead-off track is '89 (particularly considering the ages of The Happy Unfortunate), but a lot of the beats will take you back to the daisy age with the jazzy, gentle beats found on this baker's dozen of cuts. A harmonica that feels like a Stevie Wonder sample on "Mistakes To Be Made," the floating synths on "Long Shot," and the rolling piano line on "Through The Day" all have that old-school vibe without sounding copycat and in service of laid-back beats, they're perfectly paired with Wilson & Caneda's relaxed delivery.

 The title is also perfectly paired with the collection of tracks - it feels like summer has been caught on record in a way that few albums or songs have since DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince dropped "Summertime" back in '91. The Happy Unfortunate will officially drop July Never Dies next Friday at the Urban Forest in the Exchange (just across from Market Square on 93 Albert St.) with a party that features Saint Kris, M-Kaps and Len Bowen. Don't sleep on the record (which you can preview below) or the show. Pre-order July Never Dies on their Bandcamp page.

Beats me to my next post...

I'm going to be dropping a new ETTS post about the forthcoming record from Winnipeg rap duo The Happy Unfortunate in the next few days, but I just got the link to this beattape from Envoy - who is one-half of the group - and figured I'd share it here and promote the fact that (a) there will be a new post shortly, and (b) it will be about The Happy Unfortunate... who I am happy to say will be playing a free Friday night show on August long as part of Islendingadagurinn (aka Icelandic Fest) in Gimli. This is the first summer I'm in charge of booking that night and I couldn't be happier to include this act in the line-up.

Hell yes, Way Yes.

From the folks that brought you past ETTS act  Dominant Legs, Lefse Records is back and starting the summer off right with a little EP from Columbus, Ohio trio Way Yes called - appropriately enough - Walkability. As the title suggests, this is perfect for adding to your mp3 player, slipping on a pair of ear-buds and taking a stroll through your neighbourhood. The tropical vibes propelling off-kilter indie-pop songs remind me of past favourites Secret Cities' Strange Hearts album, their Western Vinyl label-mates Callers, and even Victoria, B.C. act Chet - whose Kauai is a criminally overlooked record.

At a brief 5 songs and seconds shy of 20 minutes, striding to the pace of Walkability will get you two-thirds of the way to your daily recommended 30 minutes of exercise, and you'll likely want to hit repeat at least once and give 133% effort.

The title track (below) shimmers into view like heat rising from the hood of a car on a sun-baked stretch of highway and then the band intones its 'go it alone' lyrics: "don't need no breakups / don't need no friends at all / they'll just bring heartache ... it's walkability / it doesn't matter to me." The subtly reverb-ed and ringing guitar line surfs above the waves of percussion before washing ashore on a beach of electronic noise that bends itself into the beat that pushes "Important" forward.
  Way Yes - Walkability by yvynyl 

I believe I've made mention in the past of having a bit of a dark fascination with composing the playlist for my own funeral, and I may just have to include "Singing" with its optimist outlook on going out on a positive note: "I get older every day / I get closer to my death / and I hope / that when I go / I'll be singing." Maybe that'll leave the crowd in a positive place as they scatter my ashes in the South Saskatchewan River valley.
  Way Yes - "Singing" by Some Kind of Awesome

I may be writing about Lefse label-mate Teen Daze and his great new record All Of Us, Together in the next few days (he plays the LO Pub here in Winnipeg next Wednesday, June 20th), but in the meantime, you can pre-order Walkability at Lefse Records web store.

Poised for the Polaris?

Last week - June 7th to be exact - the polls closed in one of the biggest votes of my life (I would count voting in the last federal election, only that didn't go so well - seriously Canada, WTF?!). For the first time ever, I submitted a ballot for the Polaris Prize. The Long List will be announced tomorrow in Vancouver, and when the world learns about which 40 albums made the cut, I will learn which (if any) of the 5 records I voted for are included for consideration in the winnowing down to a shortlist of 10 and eventually a winner for the 2012 award.

I was super-excited to be included in a batch of new jurors for the prize, and both witness and participate in the discussion that goes on among jurors about which albums are being and should be considered for the Polaris. As someone who has tried to predict the award-winner on an annual basis and once tried to guess the shortlist a year in advance based on release dates for albums from established Canadian acts that were due to be released during the following Polaris 'calendar' of June-to-May (I did pretty well considering I had the eventual winner and a few other albums make my 'cut'), it's exciting to be an active participant in determining what album will snag the prize. But it's also become clear that I'm no more likely to know what exactly will be on the list tomorrow despite being privy to the discussion among jurors than I was on the outside looking in. And that's because ultimately my ballot is MY ballot and I'm not voting as part of some hive-mind. The five records I put on my list were the ones I believed were the best of the bunch and I am certain that these specific picks, in this specific order, were not replicated by any other juror - and it's quite likely a fact that holds true for every juror. There are just far too many albums to be considered, jurors' perspectives to account for (and likely some other variables I'm not even thinking of) to say with certainty that the Long List will reflect my opinion.

**Speaking of how many albums were under consideration, please know that I listened to every album my fellow jurors recommended (at least once) as well as a great number of records that were never mentioned. My job at UMFM allows me the luxury of having a huge number of albums cross my desk and so a good eighty-to-ninety percent of the 'nominated' titles were already familiar to me, but for those I hadn't heard previously, I took the time to familiarize myself with the argument for the album and the contents of the album itself. This will likely make voting for the shortlist a bit easier as I fully expect to have a few of my personal picks not make the cut and require me to 'fill out my five' from among the Long List titles.

Without further ado, here's what I voted for:

Number 5: Yamantaka // Sonic Titan - Yt // St [Psychic Handshake]

This is an act that made my own long list when it came time to select my Top 20 albums for 2011 (which is, I should point out, not Can-Con exclusive like the Polaris), and one for which my fondness has only grown since the calendar turned to 2012. Yt // St is a captivating listen with a lot of disparate elements working in a weird harmony. The band describes themselves as:

a psychedelic noh-wave opera group fusing noise, metal, pop and folk music into a multidisciplinary hyper-orientalist cesspool of 'east' meets 'west' culture clash in giant monochrome paper sets.

It bears up to repeated listens, revealing layers with each new play - the band has packed a lot into these seven songs.
You can listen to the album on the bands' Bandcamp page.

Number 4: Kathryn Calder - Bright and Vivid [File Under: Music]

I wasn't too big on Kathryn Calder's first solo effort, Are You My Mother? While I understood her attempt to deal with the period in which she took care of her terminally ill mother, and put a voice to the feelings and experiences, the songs themselves were a bit flat. A little more time and distance gave the former Immaculate Machine member and sometime New Pornographer the opportunity to develop her songs more fully and the results are exactly as the title suggests.



Number 3: Slim Moore & The Mar-Kays - Introducing... Slim Moore & The Mar-Kays [Marlow Records]

When I'm not writing here or on Reductive Reviews, I try to contribute to Airtimes, UMFM's online culture zine. In fact, when we were building the site, I wrote a review of the Slim Moore record to test the back-end because I wanted more people to know about this album. With Light In The Attic and Numero Group reissues and brand new release from Daptone Records, the past few years has seen a renaissance in the soul music realm and Introducing... is a really fine addition to the canon. Moore's got a supple baritone that moves from croon to growl, while his band shifts from smooth shuffle to funky hustle, all with aplomb.


Number 2: Cannon Bros. - Firecracker / Cloudglow [Disintegration Records]

I'm really hoping that the full-length debut from Winnipeg duo Cannon Bros. isn't just a "Peg City pick" and their Pavement-era guitar rock appeals to jurors from across the country. Certainly the album will appeal to those who came of age in the early nineties (i.e. me) and look fondly back at the music coming out of Chapel Hill, Athens GA, and other college towns. Hard to believe that Cole and Alannah (aka the "Bros.") were just toddlers at the time.


Number 1: Jos. Fortin - Typewriter [Shuffling Feet] 

Had this album come out last year, it would likely have unseated Cookie Dough by Freddie Cruger and Anthony Mills (aka Wildcookie), as my top album of 2011. I actually had the good fortune to hear a rough version of Typewriter last August and heard the mastered copy before the calendar turned to 2012, but the album wasn't released until this March. I've had a long time to fall in love with this record - and unlike some crushes, this one hasn't worn off; it's only gotten deeper. I feel that Fortin decided on the title of the album because when people wrote on typewriters, words carried more weight and had more permanence than they do in an era when a "Delete" key can make a thought disappear in an click. People can revise their thoughts in an instant and leave no trace of the original. In contrast to that, Fortin's lyrics (and songs) demonstrate an understanding of how finely-crafted words can stick with a reader/listener. I have listened to this record dozens of times and find new elements to appreciate each time. You can hear the record for yourself below via Bandcamp.



**One last thing - winnowing this list down was arduous and I certainly left several albums I really, really like off . I just want to give shout-outs to (in alphabetical order):
Apollo Ghosts - Landmark [You've Changed Records] - really strong rock record, classic and catchy.

BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2 [Independent] - how disappointed am I that these guys cancelled their Winnipeg Jazz Fest appearance...

Cold Specks - I Predict A Graceful Expulsion [Arts & Crafts] - Al Spx voice is incredible and these songs are simple, unadorned vehicles for that voice.

Fraction & Fresh Kils - Extra Science [KilZone] - I thought this was a very strong year for Canadian hip-hop and this is one of two records that really grabbed my attention this year. Plus Fresh Kils production on numerous other records / singles was seriously on point.

Japandroids - Celebration Rock [Polyvinyl] - I honestly didn't get enough time with this one. I got my first full listen about a week before the ballots were due. It's very strong.

Moonface - With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery [Jagjaguwar] - pretty much everything Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, ...) puts to tape is of interest to me, but his Moonface gig is poised to be my favourite. After the very solid Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped was released last summer, he followed up with this stunner which may be his best work under any name.

Teenburger -  Burgertime [Droppin' Science] - a collaboration amongst Timbuktu, DJ Jorun Bombay and one of my favourite rappers, Ghettosocks that took me back to the days when thematic hip-hop didn't mean a masters thesis set to beats, just a whole lotta fun songs that play well together.

Something about you...

I meant to write about this album in FEBRUARY [seriously, that's when I started the draft that included an embed of the album - sorry for abandoning ETTS, but I'm making a concerted effort to get back on the long(er) form posts going forward, including a forthcoming breakdown of my votes for the Polaris longlist].

Something About April kinda feels like it was tailor-made for me. The retro-soul vibe that dips into electronics, guest artists that include Dennis Coffey, Shawn Lee and Calibro 35, album artwork that looks like a Leroy Hutson record, released on the imprint of the only magazine I still read religiously (apart from Sports Illustrated in the can of course), Wax Poetics. Radiohead called this ages ago.

Things get off to an auspicious start with "Turn Down The Sound" (reverse psychology?) - eerie vocals and an ominous bass-line before the vamping organ drops into the mix; a simple snare and hi-hat provide the forward momentum. It's clear from the get-go that, like his bio says, Adrian Younge"has dedicated his life to the study of classic soul music" - this and so many of the other tracks on the album sound like something Numero Group or Light In The Attic might have unearthed. "Anna May" even dips further back in time to doo-wop and those lovely "ooo-oooh baby" refrains. "Lovely Lady" even pulls out the "she-bop-she-bop" stop before Dennis Coffey dazzles with his legendary licks.

Even with out the doo-wop callbacks and the vocal acrobatics from guest vocalist Rebecca Jordan, Something About April would still engage listeners, as the instrumental tracks that Younge intersperses throughout are fascinating little soundscapes in and of themselves. No wonder one of the tags on Soundcloud is Dark Soul & Psychedelia ("Mourning Melodies," I'm looking at you.).

You can pick up the wax here, but if you don't take me at my word that this is an album you should pick up, the lead-off track is below and clicking on the album title in the second paragraph will take you to a Soundcloud set of the entire record.

  Adrian Younge Sound Orchestra • Turn Down the Sound by Ghetto Blastic

Spring for a copy of this autumn act.

Not that Winnipeg doesn't have it's own great jazz scene, but Vancouver seems to be giving us here in Peg City a run for our money as a happenin' hot bed. From the more straight-ahead Cellar Live stuff to the avant-jazz of Fond Of Tigers and other Drip Audio artists, there's a lot going on in lotus-land.

It's actually through Fond Of Tigers that I became aware of The October Trio as both acts share a drummer in Dan Gaucher. The trio is rounded out by Josh Cole on double bass and Evan Arntzen on tenor and soprano saxophone as well as clarinet. While the three work best as a group, the strength of this act is Arntzen, who can really open up on his soprano saxophone ("Wide," which recalls some of Yusef Lateef's work) or pull back on tenor and let the rhythm section propel matters (the title track "New Dream"). Arntzen is versatile and talented without being showy, and he never loses sight of the melody. It's melody that lies at the heart of all eight songs on New Dream (I won't even call them "tracks" because they are really songs - you'll be hearing them in your head for days after listening to this record).

Apart from the aforementioned "Wide" and "New Dream," for me the album standout is the album's longest, "The Park," which features an ambling, bouncy line from Cole and a more meandering delivery from Arntzen that strikes a deft balance between purposeful forward motion and a relaxed, open approach to delivering the melody.

It may be spring going on summer, but I strongly encourage you to buy stocks in this autumn act (i.e. go pick up New Dream at Bandcamp).

Beauty beats all.

I've had the distinct pleasure of recording Tim Crabtree - aka Paper Beat Scissors - twice at the UMFM studio. Once in our old space and again in our new band room [you can hear the latter session here] as well as seeing him perform live.

To say I was excited to hear that Crabtree had enlisted past Ear To The Sound fave Mike Feuerstack of Snailhouse to co-produce his debut full-length is an understatement - considering what I'd managed, the thought of a talent like Feuerstack drawing out the best in Crabtree seemed like a forgone conclusion. Having listened to the self-titled record that is the result of their collaboration several times over now, I can comfortably say my expectations were met. And then some.

In addition to getting Feuerstack to lend his instrumental talents, Crabtree enlisted the help of Islands' Sebastian Chow (violin), Bell Orchestre/The Luyas' Pietro Amato (French horn!), Tanya Davis and Rose Cousins (vocals). The album credits read like the line-up card for the '27 Yankees - this is a murderers' row of Canadian indie-folk artists.

As great as the help is, this is still Crabtree's show and his statement. All the ornamentation in the world couldn't prop things up if the songs are incapable of standing on their own and it's clear in listening to Paper Beat Scissors that these songs have been born out of a man alone with his thoughts and his guitar; "Folds" is beautiful without the ghostly ringing guitar tones and backing vocals, and gorgeous with them layered in.

Do yourself a favour and download the haunting first single, "Rest Your Bones" courtesy of Pigeon Row. The album is out March 6, 2012 and you can pre-order it on vinyl or CD via Forward Music Group.

Crabtree will be heading out on a national tour to coincide with the album's release and a complete list of dates can be found here. For local readers, there will be a stop in Winnipeg on March 27th and UMFM will be presenting the show so keep it tuned to 101.5 FM for further details, and be sure to visit the official Paper Beat Scissors site for all PBS news.

I'll leave you with this beautiful video by Mitch Fillion of Southern Souls, which should convince you to check out those live dates...

PAPER BEAT SCISSORS - Live at the Shivering Songs Festival from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.