Enjoying some Canadian Music
I've been listening to a lot of really great Canadian Music recently. As well as perennial favourites like Kevin Quain's Hangover Honeymoon and Leonard Cohen's The Future, I've also regularly been enjoying K.D. Lang's Hymns of the 49th Parrallel and Joyful Rebellion by K-Os.
I went on a mini shopping-spree on Amazon.ca about six weeks ago and bought a number of albums that have either been missing from my collection or that have recently been released. It took that long for them to arrive here and I've been opening them one-at-a-time in order to fully appreciate their delicate sonic succulence.
Jesse Cook's Montreal Live has been a real pleasure to listen to. He's an incredible guitarist with a great musical sensibility. His arrangements are all deeply passionate and exhilarating, taking his audience through exotic adventures full of cultural riches. He expands the traditional Spanish realm of flamenco to include rhythms, melodies and tastes from Brazil, Egypt and Africa - and those are just what I can pick out. I would say that he fulfills Ottmar Liebert's promise of a Nouveau Flamenco and really creates something evocative, powerful and fascinating. That's my way of saying I recommend it!
Feist's Let It Die is also incredible. Wow, that girl can sing and write and create some really sensual, powerful magic now! I remember seeing her as "Leslie Feist" at the El Mocambo on Spadina about a decade ago and thinking that she was good, but not incredible. To say the very least, that has since changed dramatically. When I caught her at The Pheonix last year with Gwyneth, I was mesmerized by the artist she has evolved into. She's now a spine-shivering chanteuse in the same leagues as Holly Cole, Nina Simone or Ute Lemper and this album is full of beautiful tragedy and romantic desolation - something I'm relating to right now. I love the song "Mushaboom", and her cover of Ron Sexsmith's "Secret Heart" is wonderful - perhaps even better than the original.
Also, I finally opened my copy of Jeen O'Brien's Can't Get It Out Of My Head which I bought at one of her shows a year ago. It's really good, but not as powerful as the old Lilith stuff from when we were kids. But i will definitely be buying her new one "Sixties" when I'm back in T-dot over X-mas.
On two other Canadian-music-related notes:
- The fantastic and talented Ronley Teper is going to be on her first European tour over the next few months. I'm going to try to catch her in France or the UK, and you should do that, too! Also, rumour has it she might be coming to Sweden if we can score her some gigs here.
- Jay and Esthero are on tour again through the US. THEY should come over to Europe so I can see them up here. Check http://www.nearlycivilized.com/ for updates on what's going on with her career.
- The RLB have their first post-me gig this Friday night at The Reverb in Toronto with their new bassist Marcus Walker. With mixed feelings, I wish them all the best with the gig and I hope they Rawk Out with the greatest of enthusiasm and acclaim! If you read this in time to make that gig, you should go!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home