I am delayed in meeting personal deadlines, this is fact. The next few posts are going to be like that movie Memento: the most recent stuff will be recalled first, extending back into time, and I may not be so fresh in the recall, but I take excellent notes. [So the Nordic by Nature showcase at Prince Charles and the Le Cox Sportifs show at Altes Finanzmant reviews coming soon]
pre show
You know it's Wednesday, and a particularly epic (read:tired) one, that involved many stops searching for the perfect Halloween costume components. Therefore, the invite-only show I agreed to is sounding more like a chore than a fun thing around 7 pm. Tar Art Rat aka Used Universe aka Paul and I decide to just walk in the direction of the venue, and if we feel like it, we will stay. The setting is Seance, a Kreuzberg corner space that hosts up-and-comers or those that have arrived and want a private, little invite only show. This evening it's decorated with some Op-Art, check out the large red, blue and white patterned back wall. As I'm leafing through a Tahiti girls pin up calendar, I see the band arrive. I called them as Pacific Northwesterners as soon as they were in the door. It's not just that being away from the West Coast has given me a finer appreciation for it, it is that there is something distinct about all of us who have grown or grown up in a maritime climate, I don't know maybe the fog and the effect of walking in the tall trees travels with you. (Clearly Southern Californians aren't included in this allusion.) We were treated to a super-special pre-show (they played later at SO36) of the neo-folk stylings of the deadcoast, here on the Revival Tour.
the deadcoast
While the Pacific Northwest has supplied us with a steady stream of bearded, acoustically guitarred, and heartbroken bearded men synchronizing harmonies and ripping off the Fleet Foxes since at least 2008, this band is something different. The band surprises with some aurally rendered heartbreak, starting with (Hemingway ref) "Singapore Sling" ("Your heart/ in a Singapore sling") and reminiscing about that time "I reached for Janie Jones/ and you reached for Iron Lung." The lead singer has a distinct voice, plaintive without being whiny. He kept a nice banter up with crowd, which maybe not everyone understood but they politely chuckled (note: I realized this is what's missing with European sets, musicians rarely talk to the audience. Then again, Northern Europeans don't really talk that much at all, if they don't have to.) Treating us to two songs about the Pacific ocean ( one about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), the deadcoast is the soundtrack to your rainy redwood walk, not so much yearning as wistful. It is their solid musicianship (a fucking viola! when was the last time you saw a band with a viola) backed by crafted songwriting that sets deadcoast apart. The band is frontman Jay Malinowski on guitar and piano, and three gentlemen on violin, viola and cello (who also performed asThe End Tree, a more dissonant trio of just the strings, reminded me of Do Make Say Think, but shorter songs and with vocals.) Highlights include the cellist: "It's in C right?... oh wait..it's in D." They have an EP coming out in November, will post more links as I get them. Now, add this to the list of what has Vancouver given us, besides an amazing standard of living and really really good weed.
Sponsored by a slew of media forms whose opinion you should respect, Finnish Wave Night promises to gently plant a seed of happiness in you, bringing hope for the closing of the year. Follow the links and rsvp to get yourself on the guest list. Big Wave Riders play danceable pop that owes a lot to sad bastard British pop of late 80s, with a steady beat and synthesizers, overlaid with guitar riffs that remind me of Japan. (apologies for being unable to find a complete track by these art rockers, fuck you GEMA!) However however however, lest you think these are just retro throwbacks, their songs are suffused with an airy, dreamy dimension. Let's see how they hold up live. (Side note: they have a song called California awwww) With a more sombre but equally exciting sound is Burning Hearts. Think beautiful lyrics delivered with the breathless delivery that only a delicate female singer can provide. Solid electronically modified folk pop, sure to be enjoyable.
