News aboot Canada, eh! Patrick Watson wins Polaris Prize
The results of the Polaris Prize are in. I win a crate of beer and $25 in my pool... »
Articles
shain has written the following articles:
Talkdemonic - Beat Romantic
Quick assertion: this is not post-rock. There are no steep cliffs of sound followed by trembling valleys of dissonance. Nope, this is not a peak-and-valley system. Instead, a classical ethos permeates...»
Rilo Kiley at Amsterdam Paradiso Bovenzaal, Fri 24 Aug
My shirt sticks to my body. It is really, really uncomfortable, but I am not bothered. Great shows do that...»
DeVotchKa at Amsterdam Bitterzoet, Sat 25 Aug
In a few paragraphs, using DeVotchka’s aurally satisfying set at Bitterzoet a few nights ago as an example, I shall prove how useless genres are in modern music...»
Athlete - Beyond The Neighbourhood
Emphasising some sort of tangible growth is the promotional tool being utilised to push Athlete’s new LP, Beyond the Neighbourhood...»
Mercury Music Prize, worldwide: DiS assesses the awards...
As the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize looms, DiS wondered what other countries do to recognise their best new artists. We also wondered how the British talent would match up to their international equivalents...»
Múm - They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded
This is anti-music. If I want to dance, this changes in tone, timbre and mood too much to abet that. If I want to sit and ponder the meaning of life within the music, ‘They Made Frogs Smoke Til They Exploded’ becomes utter nonsense in the face of introspection, as the strong vocal melody at work halfway through the track fades into a childish monosyllabic deride that makes about as much sense as flavoured water...»
Bearsuit - More Soul Than Wigan Casino (EP)
There is an evident party atmosphere lofting over the track, but singing like you enjoy spurting milk out of your nose loses substance after thirty seconds...»
Brakes - Beatific Visions
Simple, effective and contagious enough even for the most cynical of sorts, but a little too huggable to retain any substance.»
Six Organs Of Admittance at Amsterdam Paradiso Bovenzaal, Sun 12 Aug
Why is there a show on a Sunday at 4pm? Normally at this time I’m stumbling out of bed in an effort to shake off the previous night’s inebriants. Today, though, is different: I am up and at the Paradiso, in the midst of a bit of a think while Six Organs Of Admittance fumble around with their stage set-up...»
Bang Bang - The Dirt That Makes You Drown
We already have bands telling us to scream, go party, die, stop, whatever; the last thing we need is this...»
The Kissaway Trail - La La Song
‘La La Song’ is the most unique tune on the band’s more-often-than-not interesting debut, despite its quaintly childish title. It floats between melancholia, ethereality and punchy melodic ardour, coming off as a cross between the reverb of Band Of Horses and the jagged rhythm of, say, Bloc Party...»
Asobi Seksu - Thursday
A certain mystery clouds Asobi Seksu, as each note the New York outfit delivers reveals very little about the four-piece; each is shadowed behind heaps of ethereality, atmosphere and reverb...»
Common - The Game
Common is a garrulously competent lyricist. He is not the best emcee out there – far from it – but his lyrical flow is strong and his socially conscious bent makes him better than the makeweights dominating hip-hop...»
Patrick Watson - Luscious Life
'Luscious Life' is sprawling, a pop song worthy of holding hands with, a triumph.»
Ween - The Friends EP
Something went awfully awry here, and for the first time in their career, it sounds more as if they are trying to fail, rather than be oddball and kitsch. Comedy is comedy, shit is shit.»
The Hives at London Hoxton Bar & Grill, Wed 25 Jul
I plum forgot they existed, nor really cared in the first place if they were to ever return. But they are back, in my face, dieing for my attention...»
G! Festival: the DiS review
DiS heads north, then north a little more, landing in the Faeroe Islands for the annual G! Festival, held in the harbour town of Gota...»
Land Of Talk Release Album. Woots For All!
Another band from Montreal, Land Of Talk, will be releasing their debut long player in the UK this autumn.»
Stars release album before release date. Novel idea eh?
Here's more news about Canada, 'cause we all love Canada. Montreal's STARS will technically release In Our Bedroom After The War on October 1 via City Slang/Co-Op.»
Chromeo - Tenderoni
Nothing much changes in the land of Chromeo, as ‘Tenderoni’ - the lead single from their sophomore effort Fancy Footwork – picks up where much of debut album She’s In Control left off...»
Goodbooks - Passchendaele
'Passchendaele' tells the story of a tiny town in Belgium that suffered heavily in WWI through the eyes of a young soldier wondering what all the fussing and feuding is about. Strong lyrically, it’s a lovely ditty that goes on the pull for perfect pop, coming up trumps via electronic pokes and prods, tonal guitar strumming, Britpop piano and a choral flugelhorn accompaniment...»
DiScover: Immaculate Machine
Victoria, British Columbia’s Immaculate Machine craft punchy and literate indie-pop that bursts with three-part harmonies and sarcastic, intelligent lyricism. Shain Shapiro meets the band's Brooke Gallupe for a DiScover Q&A session...»
Bright Eyes at Amsterdam Melkweg, Wed 11 Jul
Amsterdam has a shortage of mid-sized venues. Bright Eyes are too popular for the Melkweg but the collective continue to play here, packing it to way past its fire code capacity each time. Thankfully Amsterdam has yet to experience summer, so despite the overfilled hall it’s not too humid...»
Immaculate Machine - Fables
Most of the songs on Fables, Immaculate Machine's fourth album, fail to grasp the point in their search for an answer to their ultimate question...»
Cologne Pop or Koln Pop? Regardless, Festival News Here.
A whole new breed of festival has emerged in Cologne. One that does not have many UK bands, still focuses on music resting on the fringes of indie and pop and, most importantly, does not suck. Seriously...»
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at Amsterdam Paradiso Bovenzaal, Fri 22 Jun
There are three variables that made enjoying Ted Leo difficult at the Paradiso...»
Dinosaur Jr at Amsterdam Paradiso, Wed 27 Jun
Pardon me, but I feel nostalgic, and I am only 24. Seeing Dinosaur Jr a few nights ago was like going back to junior high, where plaid fleece was attractive and getting to second base was my daily goal, one I failed at with razor-sharp precision...»
Joan as Police Woman
“Last time I played this room I was opening for Rufus, and this time, I’m opening for, well, me.” What has brought Wasser such acclaim is beyond me.»
Andrew Bird at Amsterdam Paradiso, Thu 24 May
The set’s a highly constructed, sometimes senseless but ever interesting feast; a puzzling, dreamy example of how experimental pop music can be if one actually cares about exploring its mealy innards. In every sample and cordial sonic building block, everyone, dancing or not, is mesmerized by Andrew Bird's songs, and how he and his band puts this mess of ideas together in the first place, to fit in such a transcendent way...»