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By Trevor Kiernander - Ones and Zeroes - 09/24/2005

There isn’t much to be said about M.I.A. that hasn’t already been over-said. Yet, she's not over-hyped. The rumours and press are 110% true that M.I.A. can rock a party right, and though everyone and their sister Sally is talking about her, M.I.A. deserves all the respect she gets.

The show was transferred to Metropolis from the Spectrum; this was probably a great move considering the house was packed to the brim and I’m sure half of those people wouldn’t have fit into the original venue. I got in just a bit past nine, and caught Baltimore’s Spank Rock DJs (Chrisrockwell and XXXChange) throwing down a killer set that included some classic tracks from the 60’s such as The Small Faces, interlaced with beats and scratches to get the crowd going. Spank Rock (Naeem Juman and Alex Epton aka MC Spank Rock), took to the stage soon after and rolled out with their electro-eighties-synth-pop-hip-hop hits that are bringing them serious accolades while touring with M.I.A. Definitely a highlight, but for sure not the main event.

Of course an “it” performance wouldn’t be complete without the über hipsters that flock to every breath of the media air, filled to the brim with “rebels” dressed to the nines and keeping off to the sidelines because they don’t want to be apart of the nonsense in the middle, standing there, hair perfectly messy, collar up, hands firmly stationed in their front pockets. So cool. So sincere. So while I waited for M.I.A. to get on board, I was trying not to puke.

Sans Diplo, M.I.A. finally broke out onto the stage and the place blew up. I was happily situated in a pack of people movers, so my cynicism couldn’t get the best of me tonight! I unfortunately didn’t make her previous show with her production mate Diplo, so I have nothing to compare this show with, but what I did get to see still blew me away. The five-foot British Sri-Lankan package of political fury laid out the bomb tracks and bomb messages for the excited masses. As the old goat in an all-ages gig, I do find it refreshing to see kids out at important shows, and if they take the time to listen to what M.I.A. is preaching, maybe there is some hope in this world after all.

Along with singer Sherry and a non-Diplo DJ, M.I.A. stretched out her debut album and added a new track, much to the pleasure of everyone. I also appreciated her honesty when people were asking for more, and she explained “I’ve only got one album!” Ahhh. Sometimes I wonder if people actually hear what they are listening to. In the case of M.I.A., they should believe the hype and not just follow it. Make sure to see her next time she is town, and especially with Diplo, so I’ve been told.

[Ones And Zeroes is in a roving timeslot BUT is finally back. Check the schedule for its timeslot this week.]

By Zombieboy - The Almighty Riff - 05/01/2005

New York hard rockers Supervillain’s full-length debut Earthquake Machine (they released an EP several years ago) is a truly enjoyable riff-driven, hard-edged disc that’ll be sure to keep listeners rocking out for some time. Heavy, infectious riffs are plentiful on Earthquake Machine, with the stomping opener “Show ‘Em All”, groovy “Nevermore”, closer “Hit the Road” and almost eerie centerpiece “Drowning” being some of the album’s finer moments -- with “Drowning” easily being a candidate for song of the year. Most of the album hits hard with a simple but undeniably effective combination of crunchy riffs, surprisingly slick guitar soloing and an aggressive vocal presence, even if there is a bit too much “scream talking” on some tracks for my liking. Earthquake Machine also clocks in at around 40 minutes, ensuring little filler, although songs “Alter Ego” and “Vicious Cycle” seem to get lost in the mix. Still, these few gripes are minimal considering the overall impact of the album, which is one of the strongest I’ve listened to this year, independent release or not. Earthquake Machine is highly recommended to those with any interest in heavy riff rock. I can’t wait to see what these guys can do if they ever get label backing.

[Tune in to The Almighty Riff Thursdays from 8:00pm to 10:00pm]

By Trevor Kiernander - Ones and Zeroes - 09/10/2005

For those of you who keep up to date on reading these reviews, you may have noticed that I can be a tad bit cynical (in regards to shows, not movies). My reviews usually teeter between how great the show was, and my sheer disgust and contempt for the audience. So this is what I was conditioning myself for with Seu Jorge playing at Club Soda on September 10.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the name Seu Jorge, he’s the guy singing the Portuguese Bowie covers in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic, and played Knockout Ned in Fernando Meirelles’ City Of God. I had not heard of Seu Jorge before I saw The Life Aquatic -- though I did see City Of God first, but I didn’t make the connection -- and with all the hype around it, I was expecting this outing to be jam-packed with hipsters waiting to hear Ziggy Stardust. Boy was I wrong, and glad that I was. Though a good chunk of the audience made the event feel like a tam-tam pre-party, those that were there, for the most part, seemed to be genuine fans, and were there completely for the music.

So now, on to the show. I don’t speak Spanish or Portuguese. Hell, I can barely speak French! And not to sound all clichéd, but this wasn’t an issue as the music and the vibe were what mattered. I made it to Club Soda about part way through opening band Carioca Freitas’ set, and was thoroughly impressed. I felt the soundmen should have been on their game a little bit more, as it felt like they were lobby musicians with everyone trying to talk over them, but they put on a great performance nonetheless. They also got the audience moving just enough to give Seu Jorge a great reception. There is definitely something to be said for honest music, and the way it can get people moving (and none of this Enriquez honesty where most of the moving are people flailing there arms in hysterics). Even people in the back and at the bar were getting into it. Even this pseudo-hippie/surfer guy with a scraggly blond ponytail and sleeveless shirt -- growling at himself in the bathroom mirror as he did up his belt with the ferocity of Tom Green begging for his dad’s acceptance with sausage -- seemed to be enjoying things (at least I would hope). But I got out of that scene quick.

The show had a great pace too, where about the midpoint of the performance, the percussionists took to the stage for a 15-minute jam session. I could just see all the tam-tammers thinking ‘Doood, they are totally speaking to us maaaan’. As the show rolled on, there seemed to be an endless barrage of encores though, which kind of made me antsy. And after the fourth encore, I left so I cannot report as to if he dropped a "Changes" or "Suffragette City". I would like to think that maybe he shares some of the same cynicism, but I highly doubt it. Save Bowie for your CD player, and make note to check out Seu Jorge the next time he makes it through to Montreal.

[Ones And Zeroes is currently on hiatus]

By Katie Seline - Wrong Side of the Bed - 09/13/2005

So the problem with Doves is that they are incredible. I say this with the utmost sincerity and mean it in the most positive light possible. I saw them the last time they came to Montreal at Club Soda and they absolutely blew me away. I had just moved to Montreal a few months before and this was one of my first non-stadium shows. It’s been over three years, and that show still remains one of the best that I have ever seen in this city. It’s hard not to like Doves’ music. Each of their three albums offers something a little different, but all have that sincere sound of a band that remains just under the radar. All this to say that I had a lingering feeling in the days leading up to the show that there was a distinct possibility of disappointment -- and for the first few songs of the set, I could feel this fear becoming reality. Much to my surprise, however, Doves’ set kept getting better and better, and while the show never quite surpassed the last, it felt like the band gave everyone exactly what they came for.

I love all three of the band’s albums in different ways and while I really enjoy their latest release, Some Cities, it’s probably my least favourite one. I thus wondered if the show would be mostly comprised of the new material. In the end, the set was dominated by a lot of the stronger songs off of Some Cities -- as was to be expected -- but it felt as though more prominence was put on the older stuff from Last Broadcast and Lost Souls. It almost seemed as though the band truly enjoyed playing these songs more. Halfway through the show, it was pointed out to me that the sound was a bit off. Whether it was the acoustics or the balance, I am not sure. As the show progressed, the problem remedied itself, but it was still unfortunate that the newer music was frontloaded into the first half of the set. While still good, performances of “Snowdon” “Sky Starts Falling” and “Almost Forgot Myself” left me wanting to hear them again as something just didn’t seem quite right.

The only other negative aspect of the show was the projections. In their last show, Doves backed up the music with amazing film and video projections behind them on huge screens. While the Spectrum is one of my favourite venues in the city, their stage just isn’t quite suited for this. The band kept with tradition and did the same visual set-up for this show. However, the space they had just wasn’t big enough. Often the images got lost in the lighting and could barely be seen.

The above aside, once I got settled into the music, I really did enjoy the show. Everything just seemed to get better from beginning to end. The band played a new song “Eleven Miles Out”, as well as almost all of my favourites from all their records. They ended the show with the song that gave them their ten minutes of fame back in 2002 (“Caught by the River”), “One of These Days” from the new album, and “The Cedar Room” -- a very pleasant surprise. Even more pleasant was their encore, which opened with “M62 Song” and “Here It Comes”, sung by drummer Andy Williams. The show ended with “Some Cities” and finally an amazing performance of “There Goes the Fear”, the other hit single off Last Broadcast.

It’s really hard to go to a show with high expectations. The only other artist that I’ve seen a number of times and who has remained consistent is -- believe it or not -- Matthew Good and -- I’m almost embarrassed to mention -– Blink-182. Setting standards for the performance of a band is unrealistic as artists continuously change over time. I’ve learned this from Doves. As a band that has always remained in the shadows of Brit bands like Coldplay and Radiohead, they are perhaps content to remain just out of the spotlight. Either way, they have a good following of fans and their shows are great. It helped to see this particular show with two friends who had never seen them before, and to run into someone I knew who had. That person felt the same way as I did -- it was not as good as can be, but nonetheless really good. The other two loved it. So in the end, I guess that’s really all that matters.

[Katie rocks out your Wednesday afternoons with Wrong Side Of The Bed from 4-6pm only on cjlo.com]