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It’s being talked about everywhere at CJLO—our very own On Rotation rock band Po Lazarus is launching their brand new EP, O Body, on April 19, only months after the release of their debut album this past fall. Curious about the sound of the record? Wondering what to expect at the band’s live album launch, this Wednesday at the Quai des Brumes? I’ve got you covered—here’s a quick, simple, effective review of the EP (and why you should definitely check it out) by yours truly.

Only a few days prior to the release of their brand new EP O Body, Po Lazarus stopped by the station to speak on Dirty Work about their album.

"This is a bit more… rougher, I would say," said vocalist (and singer, mind you) Joshua Carey about O Body. "A bit louder. That was kind of something that was happening at our live shows, between us and the audience, and it was getting just a bit crazier."

That rough sound, you can hear it from the very first track, “Body Luv.” The song kicks off with a steady beat and sweet guitars, sustained by a wonderful bass line and a moody melody (intriguing, isn’t it?). It’ll get your foot stomping along to the rhythm, appreciating Carey’s all-round vocals, before the energy of the song unleashes about halfway through, wonderful in its explosiveness. You don’t want to miss that song live.

“Body Luv” isn’t the only track with the word “body” in it—in fact, it’s a bit of a theme throughout the EP, which explains its title. "We just realized a bunch of the tunes were mentioning a body, at one point," the band explained. "I suppose we were listening to a lot of Leonard Cohen... And then, I suppose, there's a body shop called 'O Body' right next to my place. We just looked at it, one night, and we were just like, 'Oh, that's nice.'"

Other “body” treats on the EP include “Student Body,” a more toned-down song, rich in crooning guitars that will make you sway to the melody, as well as “Body Water,” a track that tends more to the ballad side of things, slightly melancholic in sound.

My personal favourite? It’s hard to tell. Though I really enjoyed pretty much everything—there’s just so much about O Body and its versatility that’s truly enchanting—I’d have to say “Bovine” might stand out from the rest on my end. Maybe it’s the varying structures of the song that still make up a wonderful product that enraptures me, or the raw vibe I get from the song.

Overall, O Body is nothing short of amazing—five songs that each have their charm, their story, their distinct musicality (including the brilliant sort-of interlude “O Henry (Where Did You Go),” that definitely caught me by surprise). Don’t miss Po Lazarus’ album launch show this Wednesday, at the Quai des Brumes! All profits made at the show will go to La Porte Jaune (The Yellow Door).

It was a Saturday night in April, and I was getting ready to go out a little later than expected. But despite my overwhelming laziness, I put on my ripped black jeans and a cute striped t-shirt. I had my little bag and my little notepad and was ready to hear some new music for a change. With a 20-minute walk under my feet, I made it to Casa del Popolo and was feeling more exhausted than before. Nevertheless, I made my way through the restaurant and to the back doors where the night’s entertainment was playing.

The first band on stage was Ôpale, and I have to admit I was a bit late to their set. However, I settled into the performance as best as I could and absorbed the music they created together. Their set was calm and relaxing and I felt good about being there. As one song faded into another, it became a mellow jam session and the music took its time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the beginning of their set, but I imagine it was quite similar.    

When Ôpale’s set ended, I tried to maneuver my way closer to the stage so I would have a better view. It wasn’t long before Ghostly Hounds took the stage. They came on with a trumpet, banjo, cello, viola, and mandolin, which instantly intrigued me. According to the band’s website, they describe themselves as “witch folk.” While their music was poetic and mysterious, they also contributed a jazzy and skiffle sound. In the song “In the Event of Fire,” they remediated a poem and encouraged the audience to sing along. Their haunting themes and the lead vocalist’s, Francesca Daoust’s, operatic voice reminded me of the band Dead Man’s Bones. Their next show will be at L’Escalier on May 13th, during which they will be celebrating a full-length album release.

Little Suns took the stage around 11:30 p.m. and got the crowd warmed up with an upbeat song. They also brought unconventional instruments for a rock band on stage, like a trumpet, trombone, accordion, and a Macbook! While their set started with an upbeat, fiery tone, they slowly turned to a jam session-like sound. As the songs became cooler, so did the room. The crowd became less jumpy and began to bob and sway their bodies accordingly. According to the band’s website, they explore new wave, cumbia, baroque, pop-punk and Bollywood styles. Unfortunately, they suffered minor sound issues during their set, but were quick to respond to them with quirky humor.

Despite my initial resistance to attend a Saturday night show, I found myself glad that I had pushed myself to attend the jam fest at Casa del Popolo. With final assignments and exams coming up, it’s hard to find the time to explore Montreal’s music scene. However, when you do, it’s worth it, in the end.

CJLO presents your weekly show picks for the week of April 10th. Make the most of the sudden warm weather and check out what live events montreal has to offer this week.

On Tuesday April 11th, Kristian North will have their tape release with Monomyth and the Leech at Sala Rossa. 10$ before 10pm, 15$ after. Doors at 9.

On Friday, April 14th Omerta, Ultrarat, Terse, Sek, and Nice will play at Casa del Popolo. Doors at 9pm. 5$ Pay what you can.

Spend your easter sunday with a bunch of weirdos! Klarka Weinwurm, BBQT, Doggo, and Towanda play at Brasserie Beaubien. 9 pm kick off. 8$ Pay what you can.

Sala Rossa is up a flight of stairs and brasserie beaubien has a small step. Sala and Casa have gender neutral washrooms.

This was your weekly show picks for the week of April 10th.

This past Wednesday, April 5th, Le Divan Orange hosted the launch of Femme, the fourth album by musician Brigitte Dajczer, better known as Briga. For the time of a night, the small Plateau venue was taken on a travel around the world, from the streets of Istanbul to the vast lands of Europe's Eastern countries. CJLO spoke with the artist herself on the inspiration behind Femme, cultural appropriation and its confusing concept, and more.

"Femme was born from the idea that as I was touring a lot, last year, I realized that very often, I was playing in projects with men," Briga said. "I know there's many female musicians and singers out there. We're all out there. But I asked myself the question, why is it that in the circles I choose to collaborate in, why are they all male dominated? What's going on here?"

It was after discussing with other fellow musicians—who, on the other hand, had only collaborated with women—that she decided to put forward an album that would do just that: feature women in the music industry in its songs. "While I was composing the music, I would think about that specific person I would invite to collaborate on the song," she shared. "I would write the song, talking to them about it." She also mentioned she wanted to make sure to bring out "their musicianship, their vast knowledge and talent. [...] That's why it's called Femme."

When listening to the album, it's obvious that various influences have made up its originally Balkan instrumentalization—for example, the first track "Ibrahim" features Didem Başar on the kanun (or qanun), an instrument often present in Middle-Eastern, Maghreb, and Southeastern European music, while the catchy "420 Elfassi" brings together a violin melody and hip-hop beats. With such a variety in sounds from all around the world also comes a certain fear: veering from cultural appreciation to cultural appropriation.

"I'm constantly asking myself that question, especially in the line of work that I do," Briga shared. "If you're entering more of a collaborative spirit with people, and you're open to cultural exchanges, learning, integrating yourself into communities, and there's a contextualization of what you're doing and learning from people of another culture, I find that... you're exchanging, in a more ethical way." It's not about owning a culture, she also mentioned, but about sharing experiences and knowledge. 

"I think, if I were to sum up cultural appropriation... it's like, you discovered something cool, and it's from somewhere else, so you like the 'exoticness' of it, and you're not really gonna go further than that." Especially in a 'colonialist mindset,' cultural appropriation would fall under taking something from elsewhere, without looking further into it, she said. "You're gonna say, 'I like that, that's mine,' without asking yourself, 'Where does this come from? What is this? Maybe I could ask around about it? [...] What does it mean? What does it symbolize?'"

When listening to Femme, Briga's thoughtful insight comes through, in a way. Each song shows a lot of work behind it, from the collaborators picked to each of the songs' distinct sound—and most importantly, the lyrics. It was one of the reasons why Briga wanted to put out the album so soon. "We started recording the album on February 5th, and then six weeks later, it was at the manufacturer, being printed," she explained. "That's an abnormally fast amount of time."

But why the rush? "All my writing was about current events!" she exclaimed. "It just seems that, in the past few years, there's been an acceleration of crises in the world... While I was writing the album, I didn't really realize that; I just felt this relentless sense of urgency to get stuff out. I had this urgency to speak, I had this urgency to write."

Overall, Femme manages to bring out the best of Briga's talent—at the violin, with her vocals, but also as a songwriter—as well as portray the artist's insight on all sorts of things about life. When asked about what she wants her audience to retain from the album, she gave two words.

"Beauty and the sublime," she said. "And how beauty and the sublime are born from a complicated mix of things. It's through the collision of worlds, and cultures, and music, that beautiful things happen, and beautiful things can also be terrifying."

"I want people to feel, when they listen to the album, that's it's sublime, and that something that's sublime can be as terrifying as [it can be] relaxing and gorgeous, all at the same time," she concluded with a smile.

Check out Briga's brand new album Femme on Bandcamp below!

All photos by Sarah Boumedda.