Thursday, February 23, 2012

RIP Christopher Reimer

His name may not be well known, but Chris Reimer put his stamp on many western indy rock fans souls. Reimer died in his sleep at the age of 26. Reimer was a member of the much loved, noise and drone rock band Women, who had released a landmark album back in 2010 called Public Strain.  I named it one of my favourite albums of 2010. He was also a member of the electro/noise/rock band Azeda Booth.

It's not know what Reimer died of, but he did have an irregular heartbeat and sleep apnea. His family have set up a blog and music bursary in his name. If you have anything to add to remember the legacy of Reimer's contributions to the Calgary and Canadian indy rock scene, please post:

http://christopherjohnjosephreimer.com/

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/02/22/christopher-reimer-tributes/

http://youtu.be/-LElqwoBOJE

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

RIP Pierre Juneau

I talk a lot about Canadian music on this blog, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively. But, Canada wouldn't even have its own music if it weren't for Pierre Juneau. Juneau died today at the age of 89.

Juneau was the first president of the CRTC and championed the idea of Canadian Content. For those not familiar, Canadian Content (or Cancon) laws dictate that a certain amount of Canadian content must be broadcast on Canadian stations, either radio or TV. It also concerned itself with the ownership of Canadian stations, ensuring that Canadian media would be created by Canadians for Canadians.

Under Juneau's watch, in 1970, Canadian music radio was required to broadcast at least 35% Canadian content. He was also an early supporter of the National Film Board, which produced a huge amount of Canadian-oriented short and long films. In 1982, he took over as president of the CBC, forming the cable news channel CBC Newsworld and mandating that 95% of CBC's radio content be produced in Canada. Juneau also held 4 honorary degrees and was an officer of the Order of Canada

Through Cancon laws, Juneau allowed the Canadian music industry to establish itself and to grow into what it is today. Without Cancon laws, we wouldn't have the thriving Canadian music industry, both the big names and the tiny bands working out of their garages. Nor would we have a Canadian movie or TV industry. There would be no chance to hear new Canadian music on a Canadian radio station.

I run down Cancon laws a lot, mostly in the way they are used to homogenize commercial radio. But, without Cancon laws, I wouldn't have any complaints about Canadian music. I'd likely be complaining about how many American artists are on our radio waves.

The Canadian music award, the Juno, is named after Pierre Juneau. There were few men more passionate about Canadian culture than Juneau. His presence in Canadian culture was towering and he will be sorely missed.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

When does classic rock become classic?

I just took a trip down to Vancouver with my awesome girlfriend and her kids last weekend. We took a quick stop to let the kids go to the bathroom and I stayed behind in the car. The satellite radio was on, and it switched to Beck's "The New Pollution". The display said it came out in 1996. Hearing this song immediately took me on a little trip, back to the person I was in 1996. I remember exactly how I felt when I first heard Beck's Odelay, what was going on in my life at the time and how the album affected me. I had an instant cultural and personal touchstone to the song.

This got me thinking about how we react to music, especially music that we were alive and able to appreciate.

Take this example. I love the Beatles. I love all of their albums and love their music. But, I wasn't alive when they were making music, so I have no cultural or personal touchstone to the music. The 60s were a culturally vibrant and politically volatile time. What experience am I missing when I listen to the Beatles? I get a similar reaction when listening to progressive rock or disco. I was alive during their heyday, but I don't like the music, nor do I understand the time it came from. Is it because I have no cultural touchstone to tie it to?

Another example. I was alive and heavily into music during the grand days of the late 80s when hair metal bands roamed the Earth like shaggy dinosaurs. I really dislike hair metal, but I understand why it came about and why people loved it. I was there when it happened, and when I hear a Def Leppard song, it invokes a memory or emotion in me.

I wonder now, I feel visceral emotions and solid memories when I hear Nevermind or Devo's Freedom of Choice. The kids riding with us weren't around for Odelay's unveiling. They might as well be the Beatles to them. Or Beethoven. An album so important to me would have no meaning, no context for a four year old. Even when they grow up, they might appreciate Odelay, but will they really *understand* or *feel* it? And will someone like Rihanna do the same thing that Odelay does to me?

http://youtu.be/uxugaMpt1vU

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Best of 2012? Howler - America Give Up

These are the doldrums of the music release year. Only in the first couple of weeks of February does the bulk of music releases begin to be released. But, the early part of a year can also bring some wonderful overlooked gems. Last year, it was Braids. This year, it just might be Howler.

Howler hail from Minneapolis. MN, which has given us such left-field brilliance as Prince, The Replacements and Husker Du. Howler are more in the Husker Du camp, playing a wild but angular style of rock and roll, with healthy 60s garage influences. There's not much that's fancy about Howler. But, it's rare to hear a band come along with a solid embrace of the spirit, if not the sound, of classic rock and roll. Check the term "rock and roll" too. Howler aren't a "rock" band (that is, the safe, commercial-safe and neutered form of music that's masquerading as "rock and roll"), they're dangerous and raw like classic rock and roll used to be. That said, they also have an arty, post-punk side, with some of their album clearly cribbing notes from bands like Wire and Public Image Ltd.

Check this out and tell me I'm wrong:

http://youtu.be/swg9X1LcXm8

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Best of 2011 #1: Ringo Deathstarr - Colour Trip

When I first heard Ringo Deathstarr, I thought that I was listening to a reformed and refocused Jesus and Mary Chain. As I said with the entry for Male Bonding, this was a great year if you loved shoegazer rock. Ringo Deathstarr take the fuzzed-out, feedback-drenched guitar esthetic of classic shoegaze ca. 1987 and merges it with a more modern pop sensibility, with a slight nod to the psychedelic rock of the 60s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3xATi5s9-A



Once the drugged out guitar loop of the opening track, "Imagine Hearts", kicks in, the album hits you like a woozy and figurative tonne of bricks. The music swirls and disorients, the vocals fade in and out of comprehension. As the album progresses, the guitars get loud and fuzzy and the vocals become even more unintelligible. You are carried along in a wave of feedback and static. Then, this hits:

http://youtu.be/z6J-qS4eLWY



"So High" merges the sing along qualities of a 60s pop song with the feedback of a 90s guitar. Here is where the band truly coalesces its sound. Simultaneously playful and deadly serious, "So High" is the pinnacle of this stellar album. Every song on the album hits the right note, and this album deserves to be my #1 album of the past year. It also deserves more of your attention.