BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition - November 2019

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MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS MOUNT EERIE Lost Wisdom pt. 2 P.W. Elverum & Sun On Lost Wisdom pt. 2, Mount Eerie is looking towards the future and the world around him. Whether it’s bleak, warm or a mix of the two, he’s looking forward nonetheless. Songwriter Phil Elverum’s latest album is a sequel to an earlier collaboration with Canadian singer Julie Doiron titled Lost Wisdom. Part 2 focuses mainly on Elverum’s tumultuous past year, still recovering from the death of his wife, his remarriage, and subsequent divorce from actress Michelle Williams. Like his lyrics, Lost Wisdom Part 2’s production is mostly simple, quiet and far from frivolous. Backed by mainly just an acoustic guitar and piano, it’s the words we’re needing to focus on here. What follows is a heartbreaking yet somewhat hopeful collection of songs that confirm how effective Mount Eerie is at confessional songwriting. Doiron’s accompanying vocals provide a shoulder of support to these confessions. You can almost imagine them holding hands throughout the recording of the album. “I believed in love and I still do. I’m not going to seal up my heart” they both sing together in “Belief pt. 2”. It’s nice to know that together, they’re still looking forward. Best Track: Belief Fraser Hamilton PELADA Movimiento Para Cambio PAN102 Known for its tendency to draw attention to some of the most unconventional sounds in contemporary music, Bill Kouglias’ decision to release Movimiento Par Cambino, the debut album by Montréal-based duo Pelada is far from a surprise. It’s a natural addition to his eclectic and impeccably-curated Berlin-based PAN imprint. The playful interaction of vocalist Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochmann throughout the album’s 10 dancefloor-ready tracks flows seamlessly between house, techno, hip hop, Latin dance music, gabber, UK bass, rave music and IDM without getting bogged down in a singular aesthetic. Vargas’ vocal delivery ranges from gentle singing and spoken word to barking yells and grunts bearing a distinctly hardcore punk energy. And the lyrics, delivered in an urgent Spanish, deconstruct notions of privacy, gender and sexuality against a backdrop of state surveillance and “big data” information practices by global corporations. Producer/multi-instrumentalist Tobias Rochmann constructs a positively globetrotting rhythmic accompaniment to Vargas’ chant that invokes the spirit of classic electronic label Raster Noton as much as it does the cumbia music of Columbia. Elsewhere, icey synths and decisive kicks complemented by flavourful rhythmic diversity that bounces between genres with every track while remaining universally accessible. Hard-house-future-flex-funk-club is the vibe —DJs take note. Best track: Ajetreo Adam Piotrowicz THEY ARE BEAT HAPPENING B eat Happening have always been the score for outsider punks. Maybe it’s the way Calvin Johnson’s voice rolls in with that first “yeeeeaaaah” on “I Dig You;” how the song becomes, all-atonce, a groovy ode to every crush you’ve ever had, and a droning backing track to many solo bedroom dances. It makes sense that all the weirder, funkier punks were identifying with a band who, in essence, rejected the abject aggro notions and aesthetics of hardcore, but who still expertly claimed and interpreted the underground. After playing their first gigs in Japan, Olympia’s Beat Happening later toured the UK, fostering an alliance to kindred spirits alongside groups like The Vaselines and The Pastels, and shocking fans when they toured with iconic Washington D.C. punk outfit Fugazi. Percussionist Heather Lewis notably borrowed drums at gigs, and oftentimes created makeshift drum sets out of any bangable materials at hand. With a stripped-down sound and a gentler DIY ethos, Beat Happening, consisting of Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford, created a space in punk scenes everywhere for a larger scope of identities, presentations, and overall weirdo-types to feel like they belonged in underground music communities. “At the time, there was no one to do it for you. So you just did it yourself,” Johnson says over the phone. “The whole concept of punk, from the beginning, was to be original and express yourself in your own unique way. In that sense I just felt like I was following in the tradition of iconoclastic artists,” he continues referring to Patti Smith and Television. The much-anticipated reissue of their entire catalogue, We Are Beat Happening, will be released on Nov. 29 on Domino and arrives during a period where DIY, though still meaningful, means something largely different. Given that millennial musicians have access to SoundCloud and GarageBand, interacting with analog media is a stylistic choice rather than a community necessity. And underground music lovers of today are used to exploring bands in a less catalogued way. Type “Beat Happening” into YouTube and you receive a less cohesive experience of the band, with each song or album re-uploaded separately and sporadically. You can pick and choose what you want to hear instead of playing a tape or EP all the way through. It doesn’t negate the experience of experiencing underground music. But it’s certainly different. The reissue, which features seven LPs, was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright. It’s the first time in a decade that all of their work has been in one place, including their 1985 self-titled debut, which Johnson describes as their “ultimate statement” as a band, and feels like the most “potent” representation of their work. It serves as both an accessible journey through Beat Happening’s evolution, and categorical relic of the underground. There is something about Beat Happening’s anarchic approach to humour, tenderness and punk that’s outlived its expiry date. Their ability to weave homemade percussion and sparing guitar chords into a longing, innocent narrative of adoration is easy to love. Johnson notes that the band always had a clear idea about their sound. “We were attempting to write classic pop songs. Hopefully we were successful.” When asked if timelessness was always the intention for the band’s sound, he affirms with the same casual drawl he’s made his signature, “mhm.” Best Track: Fourteen Alessia Dowhaniuk We Are Beat Happening is available Nov. 29 via Domino Recording Co. LANCE BANG 28 BEATROUTE NOVEMBER 2019
Live MUSiC Calgary THRUSH HERMIT October 12, 2019 The Palace Theatre It was a packed night full of nostalgia and old friends at the Palace Theatre for Thrush Hermit’s long-awaited show in Calgary. The iconic Haligonian 90s alt-rock outfit cemented their place in so many contemporary indie bands’ imaginations on the strength of their seminal 1999 release, Clayton Park. That energy, their wild unpredictability and straight up eagerness for the riff, were on full display on stage at the Palace as Thrush Hermit seemingly forgot that it’s not 1999 anymore and put on a show that felt as youthful and essential as ever. Led by Joel Plaskett, who worked the spotlight and crowd like the seasoned ringleader he is, Thrush Hermit elevated their set from mere reunion show to something vital enough that everyone in the near-capacity room hoped would carry on all night. Shotgun Jimmie, Canada’s modern day answer to Pavement, opened up the night with his trademark bashful wit and endless charm. His quirky presence and delightful songs filled the room despite him being alone on stage, singing, strumming and drumming all at the same time. On the heels of his latest release, Transistor Sister 2, Shotgun Jimmie continues to position himself as one of Canada’s most underrated songwriters. Sebastian Buzzalino SEBASTIAN BUZZALINO NOVEMBER 2019 BEATROUTE 29
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Page 5 and 6: COME PLAY WITH US! DISCOVER THE ULT
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Page 10 and 11: VEGAN VOGS (GOODY GOODY TWO SHOES)
Page 12 and 13: MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS GET RICH QUI
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Page 20 and 21: Artist to Watch MANILA GREY'S FILIP
Page 23 and 24: Reviews ALBUM TR/ST The Destroyer -
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Page 27: SUDAN ARCHIVES Athena Stones Throw
Page 31 and 32: BEATROUTE.CA Get even closer to the
Page 33 and 34: Music and Fashion Merge Explosively
Page 35 and 36: BOBBY DAZZLER Inspired by the strat
Page 37: How Sweet It Was 424 E 6th St. Foun
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Page 46 and 47: Savage Love BY DAN SAVAGE Quickies
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BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition - November 2019

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