Latest Planet S Magazine

From PLANET S MAGAZINE

MUSIC · APR 22 2010

The Writing’s On The Wall

NEW ALBUM IN TOW, REGINA INDIE-POP COLLECTIVE LOOKS DESTINED TO BREAK BIG
by Chris Morin

LIBRARY VOICES
Friday 23
Amigos

The term “Canadian Tuxedo” comes from a line from the excellent (shut up — I liked it…) movie Super Troopers, describing an ensemble that pairs jeans and a jean jacket.

Sure, it was used as an ironic insult in the film — but after a listen to Denim on Denim, the first proper full-length from Regina indie-pop menagerie Library Voices, one suspects the phrase may well become the next buzzword in Canada’s indie rock circles.

“[The album title is] actually just taken from the song ‘Insider Trading (On Outsider Art),’” explains multi-instrumentalist Michael Dawson. “It's sort of a straight-faced, dry song about finding your place in this world. With that said, I also think the title does its best to fit in with the scene our band belongs to — in the same way that if we were an ‘80s hair metal band, “Leather On Leather” would’ve been an apt title.”

While hair-whipping metal solos aren’t exactly a part of the Library Voices canon, a steady progression towards national — and international — success certainly seems to be. With Denim on Denim now out in both CD and vinyl formats, a successful stint at the Olympics (“It didn't hurt that beer was flowing like water everywhere you turned,” jokes Dawson) and positive reviews coming from across North America, the eight-piece (and often more) collective looks primed to break out in a big way.

Dawson says that success stems from, simply, doing what they’ve always done — but doing it better, thanks to the experience they’ve gained over the years.

“Musically, the new album is very much an extension of our Hunting Ghosts EP,” says Dawson. “I think our songwriting matured exponentially. It's sort of like any new relationship: with Denim On Denim it felt more like we'd finally moved past that and things were going so well we were talking about moving in together.

“Lyrically I've been describing the album as here-and-now. It draws a lot on pop culture, the state of the modern family — and of course, the impending apocalypse.”

Musically, the band is a large, brilliantly overwhelming mish-mash of sound, with instruments like accordion, saxophone and theremin adding a lush feel to the indie rock base that drives their songs.

Happily, Denim on Denim is a fine representation of the over-crowded dance party that Library Voices brings to every show they play — which, given their love of the stage, happens often.

“I don't think it was stated specifically when we first started out that we wanted to tour constantly, but we’re very much a live band,” says Dawson. “That's where our songs translate the best. We're very lucky that we have a group of people who have made the necessary sacrifices in their personal and professional lives to keep us on the road as much as humanly possible.

“For a long time we’d all fallen [under] the unfortunate impression that you have to suffer or struggle in the music that you create,” he continues. “I have no idea how or why that came about, but when we started Library Voices it was very intentional that we wanted to create music and enjoy the process — [and] I hope that’s apparent from our live performances.

“It's strange, but being on the road as much as we are — with nine-plus people stuffed into a van — we get along better at all times than any other smaller band I've ever been a part of.”
*************************************************************************************

Still Waters Run Deep

THE BESNARD LAKES
Friday 30
Amigos

Besnard Lake is located in the great northern boreal forest of Saskatchewan — making it a fitting spiritual muse for husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas.

Borrowing their name from what locals call the “Lake of Many Islands,” The Besnard Lakes play haunting, isolationist psych-pop, conjuring up plenty of textured noise that perfectly captures the lonesome beauty of the area that gave them their name.

While they moved to the fertile indie rock stomping grounds of Montréal a while back, the band returns to Saskatchewan every summer — much to the delight of fans in their native province.

Formed in Regina in 2003, The Besnard Lakes eventually started their own studio in Montréal to achieve the unique combination of psychedelica and pop that characterizes their sound. (In fact, rumour has it that their latest album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night, utilized the same mixing console that Led Zeppelin used on Physical Graffiti.)

With an army of effects pedals at their disposal, watching The Besnard Lakes live is akin to watching a skilled mason slowly construct a brick building — the end result is wonderfully impressive, but it takes some patience to get there. Like their namesake, The Besnard Lakes are perhaps best enjoyed as an overall experience, appreciated for the journey as much as the end result.

*************************************************************************************
You Guys Better Not Be Touring In A Ford!

JON AND ROY
Friday 23
Vangelis

Jon and Roy have made some fairly huge strides of late — despite steadfastly describing themselves as a “local band.” The Victoria-based folk-reggae-roots band (named after core duo Jon Middleton and Roy Vizer) has been featured in surf videos, as the soundtrack for programming on PBS and the National Geographic channel — and in a Volkswagen car commercial, of all things.

While hard-core folkies may balk at the idea of a band licensing their music to shill vehicles, Middleton says the band is simply thrilled to have their music reach as many people as possible (and hey — it’s Volkswagen, which has long been first in hippie hearts).

“I don’t find it strange that we got a song in a Volkswagen commercial pretty quick,” says Middleton. “We never really considered it too much except that it was just another way for us to get our music out there.”

Formed in 2003, the independent act quickly gained momentum while taking their stripped-down, acoustic-meets-world-beats sound across Canada — as well as a short stop in England with Buck 65. While they were in Saskatoon last year while opening for Cat Empire, Jon and Roy (currently touring in support of their latest album, Homes) have since expanded both their line-up and their sound.

“The band used to be just myself and Roy but we added a bass player, which has changed the way we write songs,” says Middleton. “And we’ve also added a guy who plays a mandolin live full time, which again has changed what we do live — so we’ve definitely achieved a fuller sound.

“I’m always hoping someone will be pleasantly surprised in terms of our live show being a lot more energetic than our recordings, which are a little bit more low key. Live, we tend to play harder and do some improvisational things, so if someone has only heard our albums they would probably be surprised by us live anyway.”

*************************************************************************************
Send In The Clowns

NOFX
Sunday 25
Odeon

When you’ve had an almost 30-year run as arguably the world’s greatest continuously functioning punk band, the idea of topping yourself and remaining relevant must be daunting (especially since the vast majority of what passes for “punk” these days has long been safe enough to hang at the mall or meet your parents).

So take a bow, Fat Mike.

As the singer-bassist of NOFX, Fat Mike has long been known for outrageous behaviour — and his latest stunt offered yet more proof that, while you might be able to dress a punk up, taking him out on the town remains an iffy proposition.

In what might be one of the greatest (or grossest, for those who partook of the free “drinks” on offer) punk rock spectacles ever, Fat Mike pulled off easily the most memorable piece of performance art at this year’s SXSW festival in Texas. After playing a few acoustic numbers, Fat Mike — dressed as the title character of NOFX’s latest 7”, Cokie the Clown — proceeded to shock the audience by telling a few stories from his past. These included witnessing the prelude to a rape, his roommate’s death and participating in his mother’s euthanasia. Whoa.

As the proverbial icing on the cake, Mike/Cokie closed the show with a video of him urinating into a bottle of liquor — which he had distributed to the crowd earlier in the show. (To be fair, he did play a song entitled “Drinking Pee.”)

Shocking? Yes. Gross? Undeniably. Further cementing Fat Mike’s place amongst the upper echelon of punk rock’s legends? Absolutely.

It’s certainly not that either Mike or NOFX as a whole needs to worry about their place in the history of punk, however. Formed in 1983 by original members Mike, drummer Erik Sandlin and guitarist Eric Melvin, NOFX began their career like most punk bands, playing basements and touring in a station wagon. In the nearly 30 years since, they’ve released 12 full-length albums, numerous EPs and several live albums — and, unlike almost every other punk band with any longevity, they’ve yet to release an album that completely sucks.

Along the way, NOFX has influenced countless bands (for better and for worse, it must be said) — many of whom can be found on Fat Mike’s own label, Fat Wreck Chords. They’ve also remained pretty much true to their punk roots — such as in 2003, when NOFX used their influence to try and sway popular political opinion, with the album The War on Errorism, the Punkvoter website and the Rock Against Bush tour.

Most importantly — and especially in terms of their upcoming Saskatoon date — NOFX has always been an amazing, often hilarious live act. Just make sure you get your drinks from the bar...