I made the trek to Toronto for 102.1 The Edge's "Edgefest 2009".
Sadly, it rained throughout the day, and it was a miserable event in terms of weather. Wind/cold/rain created a fairly unpleasant atmosphere, with a LOT of mud and dirt. As much as I'd like to say that the event was good enough to prevent the weather from ruining it, but sadly, the weather was just too unpleasant. That being said, here's my thoughts:
The Arkells - I haven't heard any of their album, and that's going to change quickly. They were really tight live, and despite the weather, created a really fun atmosphere for the people there. They're only going to get bigger and better from here on out.
The Stills - I love the Stills, but I love their debut album, Logic Will Break Your Heart, even more. Sadly, they only played one song off the album (Still in Love Song), and chose to focus on their newer songs. I really dig the new album, but a couple more cuts from their debut would have made for a better set. I think they fealt the need to play their heavier songs to fit into with the rest of the bill, and left off their slower/softer songs, which is a shame. That being said, Snake Charming the Masses sounded huge, while Being Here was suitably epic.
K-Os - I like KOS enough, but I'm not a big hip-hop fan, and don't really know many of his songs. It was exciting, as he's got a good stage prescence, but it's not really my cup of tea. Led Zeppelin sampling was cool though.
Metric - In one word? Wow. AT this point, Metric made it clear they were a much bigger band then any of the other artists, with their suitably huge and shimmering sound. They played a bunch of songs off all three albums, and it really made me appreciate them more as a band to see them live. Great songs, great set, great band.
Cancer Bats - Despite having a southern drawl despite being Canadian, they were awesome live. REally hard, really rocking, and they got a lot of people into it. They were the hardest band on the bill, and it added some nice diversity to see a band rock with so much force.
Alexisonfire - In terms of getting the crowd into it, no one could beat AOF. They rocked the place hard, and everyone loved it. Part of their live appeal is the fact that their lead screamer, George, acts as a hypeman so well. You want to love it when he's ranting on stage about anything. At this point, with their fourth album coming out, they've got a really great set, with a lot of hits.
Moneen - My favourite band was pretty decent. They played a few new songs (cannot wait for that album), but they seemed to be missing something. Maybe it's the fact that I'm used to seeing them in an intimate setting, but they didn't seem to accept the larger setting that well. That being said, with AFI blaring in the back ground and it raining, it couldn't have been easy. They're still the most underrated band in the world, and I can't wait to see them next.
After a day's worth of rain and mud, we'd had enough, so we bailed on seeing AFI and Billy Talent. I've never seen AFI, but Billy Talent is great live, so I'm sure they lived up to their headliner status.
All and all, not a bad day, that could have been way better with decent weather.
Jesse.
Link to Edge's Page About the Event, Including Video, Pictures and More:
http://www.edge.ca/ConcertsandEvents/Edgefest.aspx
Showing posts with label billy talent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label billy talent. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000
I've been thinking about two things musically lately.
First off is the fact that the first decade of the new millennium ends at the end of this year. Yes, Y2K was ten years ago now, which is mind boggling.
Secondly, I've been really enjoying a lot of music from Canadian bands lately, and I've thought about how many great Canadian bands h ave emerged in the last ten years.
With those two things in mind, I now present my favourite fifteen albums from Canadian bands since 2000. The FavTape containing 30 songs from these 15 albums is at the bottom, if you'd like to hear some of the music while listening, go to the bottom, or click HERE.
The Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000
(Sorted by Year - Not by Favourite)
--------------------------------------
Gob - The World According to Gob - 2001 - For a 16 year old me, this album was pure pop-punk bliss. I've always loved Gob, but this was their pinnacle, with song after song that just make me happy. "I Hear You Calling" may be the best pop-punk song of the last ten years in my opinion.
Treble Charger - Wide Awake Bored - 2001 - Containing one of the greatest Canadian singles of the last decade (American Psyho), the first three songs on Wide Awake Bored are nearly unbeatable. It's a shame they broke up, as a couple of their albums were great, especially this early 2000's classic.
Matthew Good - Avalanche - 2003 - I struggled to only put one Matthew Good album on this list, but Avalanche is by far and away my favourite piece of music he's put out since 2000. Full of lengthy and lush anthems, I can listen to this from start to finish over and over, it's a brilliant album.
Billy Talent - Billy Talent - 2003 - Bursting onto the mainstream in 2003, this album really brought a sense of rock and roll to Canadian music at the time. It was a real kick in the ass, adding a tonne of ferocity and almost danger to my musical choices of the time. It still holds up, as its an amazing album from start to finish.
The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart - 2003 - I remember going to University and opening my eyes to a lot of music, especially this album of shimmering and hypnotic rock. I have and still can listen to the entire album on repeat and lose hours of time, with how amazing and captivating it is.
Dears - No Cities Left - 2003 - This was another eye-opener, as I struggle to think of another band that sounds like the Dears did on this album. While it certainly beautiful and layered like other indie albums, this one has a layer of menace and doom that other indie bands don't dare approach; this album is equal parts uplifting and scary.
Metric - Old World Underground - 2003 - Making it ok to dance to rock again, Metric blew up with this awesome album that's endlessly catchy and happy.
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People - 2003 - Six years later, and this album still impresses and surprises me. Broken Social Scene really changed the landscape of Canadian music with this album (and the peripheral band albums), and it still holds up well.
The Arcade Fire - Funeral - 2004 - I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't been said before, there's a reason why it's universally hailed - it's amazing, nuff' said.
Death From Above 1979 -You're a Woman, I'm a Machine - 2004 - Making hard rock danceable was DFA's MO, and this brilliant first (and last) album is nigh-perfect, and it only adds to the greatness that they broke up shortly after putting it out.
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - 2005 - Relentlessly poppy, this album is hit after hit that serve to cheer you up, in a style that no other band really emulates right now, this album's excellently unique and catchy.
Moneen - the Red Tree - 2006 - After two albums and a few EPs trying to create the perfect album for their sound, Moneen struck gold in 2006 with this album that is brilliant from start to finish. I love Moneen, and while this song lacked a true single, it's one of the most complete albums I've ever heard.
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - 2007 - Proving that Funeral wasn't a fluke, Neon Bible expands their sonic landscapes to create more single-friendly rock and roll, yet never giving up any of their honesty and beauty.
Weakerthans - Reunion Tour - 2007 - You can pick any Weakerthans album and make a case for it's brilliance, but my favourite is their newest disc. It's unique, catchy, rocking, happy, and everything wonderful that you'd expect from a band as great and Canadian as they are.
Matt Mays - Terminal Romance - 2008 - From star to finish, every song counts on this album, and every song will hook you by the end. Not nearly as complicated as some of May's previous albums, but it's certainly his best album, with song after song of glorious Canadian rock and roll.
Honorable Mention
-----------------
Boys Night Out - Trainwreck - 2005 - If I had to pick a sixteenth album, I'd pick this amazing concept album about drug abuse and death. I don't think I liked an album before, and they haven't done anything great since, but Trainwreck's a masterpiece.
Below is a link to the FavTape I made for this list, which contains two songs off every album, except Wide Awake Bored, which only has one, so I threw on a song from Trainwreck to make it an even 30 songs, all available for streaming/downloading goodness.
Any opinions or arguments? Post away.
Jesse.
Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000 FAVTAPE
First off is the fact that the first decade of the new millennium ends at the end of this year. Yes, Y2K was ten years ago now, which is mind boggling.
Secondly, I've been really enjoying a lot of music from Canadian bands lately, and I've thought about how many great Canadian bands h ave emerged in the last ten years.
With those two things in mind, I now present my favourite fifteen albums from Canadian bands since 2000. The FavTape containing 30 songs from these 15 albums is at the bottom, if you'd like to hear some of the music while listening, go to the bottom, or click HERE.
The Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000
(Sorted by Year - Not by Favourite)
--------------------------------------
Gob - The World According to Gob - 2001 - For a 16 year old me, this album was pure pop-punk bliss. I've always loved Gob, but this was their pinnacle, with song after song that just make me happy. "I Hear You Calling" may be the best pop-punk song of the last ten years in my opinion.
Treble Charger - Wide Awake Bored - 2001 - Containing one of the greatest Canadian singles of the last decade (American Psyho), the first three songs on Wide Awake Bored are nearly unbeatable. It's a shame they broke up, as a couple of their albums were great, especially this early 2000's classic.
Matthew Good - Avalanche - 2003 - I struggled to only put one Matthew Good album on this list, but Avalanche is by far and away my favourite piece of music he's put out since 2000. Full of lengthy and lush anthems, I can listen to this from start to finish over and over, it's a brilliant album.
Billy Talent - Billy Talent - 2003 - Bursting onto the mainstream in 2003, this album really brought a sense of rock and roll to Canadian music at the time. It was a real kick in the ass, adding a tonne of ferocity and almost danger to my musical choices of the time. It still holds up, as its an amazing album from start to finish.
The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart - 2003 - I remember going to University and opening my eyes to a lot of music, especially this album of shimmering and hypnotic rock. I have and still can listen to the entire album on repeat and lose hours of time, with how amazing and captivating it is.
Dears - No Cities Left - 2003 - This was another eye-opener, as I struggle to think of another band that sounds like the Dears did on this album. While it certainly beautiful and layered like other indie albums, this one has a layer of menace and doom that other indie bands don't dare approach; this album is equal parts uplifting and scary.
Metric - Old World Underground - 2003 - Making it ok to dance to rock again, Metric blew up with this awesome album that's endlessly catchy and happy.
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People - 2003 - Six years later, and this album still impresses and surprises me. Broken Social Scene really changed the landscape of Canadian music with this album (and the peripheral band albums), and it still holds up well.
The Arcade Fire - Funeral - 2004 - I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't been said before, there's a reason why it's universally hailed - it's amazing, nuff' said.
Death From Above 1979 -You're a Woman, I'm a Machine - 2004 - Making hard rock danceable was DFA's MO, and this brilliant first (and last) album is nigh-perfect, and it only adds to the greatness that they broke up shortly after putting it out.
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - 2005 - Relentlessly poppy, this album is hit after hit that serve to cheer you up, in a style that no other band really emulates right now, this album's excellently unique and catchy.
Moneen - the Red Tree - 2006 - After two albums and a few EPs trying to create the perfect album for their sound, Moneen struck gold in 2006 with this album that is brilliant from start to finish. I love Moneen, and while this song lacked a true single, it's one of the most complete albums I've ever heard.
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - 2007 - Proving that Funeral wasn't a fluke, Neon Bible expands their sonic landscapes to create more single-friendly rock and roll, yet never giving up any of their honesty and beauty.
Weakerthans - Reunion Tour - 2007 - You can pick any Weakerthans album and make a case for it's brilliance, but my favourite is their newest disc. It's unique, catchy, rocking, happy, and everything wonderful that you'd expect from a band as great and Canadian as they are.
Matt Mays - Terminal Romance - 2008 - From star to finish, every song counts on this album, and every song will hook you by the end. Not nearly as complicated as some of May's previous albums, but it's certainly his best album, with song after song of glorious Canadian rock and roll.
Honorable Mention
-----------------
Boys Night Out - Trainwreck - 2005 - If I had to pick a sixteenth album, I'd pick this amazing concept album about drug abuse and death. I don't think I liked an album before, and they haven't done anything great since, but Trainwreck's a masterpiece.
Below is a link to the FavTape I made for this list, which contains two songs off every album, except Wide Awake Bored, which only has one, so I threw on a song from Trainwreck to make it an even 30 songs, all available for streaming/downloading goodness.
Any opinions or arguments? Post away.
Jesse.
Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000 FAVTAPE
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Things I Am Looking Forward To
Heroes was really excellent tonight, and as a result, I am all excited and cannot sleep. Thus, we have a list of albums coming out in the next few months that I am really excited for - enjoy!
Silverstein - A Shipwreck in the Sand - At one point Silverstein were one of my favourite bands, but then their last album (Arrivals and Departures) seemed like a reaction to becoming popular off their softest song ("Discovering the Waterfront"). Since they got popular off a mellow tune (that wasn't reflective of their sound), I felt A&D was overly hard and lacked a lot of the melody their previous stuff had. The best thing about Silverstein (like Thrice) is the ability to merge quiet and soft moments with brutal moments of hard music.
This new disc is a concept album, meaning it will either be really goofy or really good. I'm optimistic, as other then A&D (which truthfully never got the second chance it deserved by me) I've always really liked everything they've ever record. (Out March 31st)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz - Considering Blogger took down my post about "Heads Will Roll", I'm not sure if anyone saw how much I gushed how great that song is. I'm optimistic the album will live up to how great that song and the first single ("Zero) are. (Out March 31st)
Doves - Kingdom of Rust - I fell in love with Doves a few years back, and their second album (The Last Broadcast) is one of my favourite albums. I'm a sucker for long songs that build from seemingly nothing into epic and uplifting songs. It's been a while since they've had a new album out, but the first single ("Jetstream") was excellent and seemed like it could have been taken off of The Last Broadcast, so this should be great. (Out April 7th)
Metric - Fantasies - Another band that's been quiet for a few years, but both of their previous albums have been interesting and fun listens. Old World Underground is another great album, but the last disc was kind of boring and lost a lot of the fun. The first single, "Help I'm Alive" seems to capture some of their fun energy again, so again, I'm optimistic. (Out April 14th)
The Enemy - Music for the People - I love epic songs. The Enemy's first album (We'll Live and Die in These Towns) made even the most mundane aspect of life seem epic. I'm excited to hear any sort of follow-up. Hopefully they can make a dent in North America, but they sound super British, which can be a real hindrance at times. (Out April 27th)
CKY - Carver City - I love CKY. I love the movies, I love the music. It can be over the top, but both CKY Volume 1 and Infiltrate - Destroy - Rebuild are two really great and really complete albums. From start to finish I can listen and love those discs, the third disc (An Answer Can Be Found) was boring to me, and lacked something. No clue if I just grew out of their sound, of it they took a studio dump on album number three. We'll find out soon. (Out May 15th)
Taking Back Sunday - New Again - One of my favourite bands, Taking Back Sunday have put out three phenomenal albums, despite going through guitar/singers on those three albums. Now with backup vocalist number three (and Straylight Run and The Colour Fred spawned out of TBS), I'm hoping that album number four can be just as good. A lot of these releases have me "hoping" they can be as good as the music from the band that I've loved so much previously, and this is no exception to that rule. (Out June 2nd)
Billy Talent - Billy Talent 3 - BT 1 is one of my favourite albums ever - it's just a great rock and roll album from start to finish. BT2 was easily the most disapointing album of 2006 - it was awful then, and I still hate most of the songs on it. They're batting .500, hopefully they can come in and change that to .666 with BT3. (Out June 9th)
Jesus, there's a lot of hope in there.
Note: All of these release dates could change, only the first couple discs are slotted in for sure. Anything after Metric is based on information from Wikipedia, and who knows with that place, right?
Jesse.
MUSIC:
- I'm too lazy to list MySpaces for all of these bands but just take
http://www.myspace.com/
And add in the band's name after the slash.
8Tracks Mix Tape
This is a sampling of some of the bands listed above. It's all streaming, and not as good as Fav Tape, which is currently down.
Listen to Doves - Jetstream
Silverstein - A Shipwreck in the Sand - At one point Silverstein were one of my favourite bands, but then their last album (Arrivals and Departures) seemed like a reaction to becoming popular off their softest song ("Discovering the Waterfront"). Since they got popular off a mellow tune (that wasn't reflective of their sound), I felt A&D was overly hard and lacked a lot of the melody their previous stuff had. The best thing about Silverstein (like Thrice) is the ability to merge quiet and soft moments with brutal moments of hard music.
This new disc is a concept album, meaning it will either be really goofy or really good. I'm optimistic, as other then A&D (which truthfully never got the second chance it deserved by me) I've always really liked everything they've ever record. (Out March 31st)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz - Considering Blogger took down my post about "Heads Will Roll", I'm not sure if anyone saw how much I gushed how great that song is. I'm optimistic the album will live up to how great that song and the first single ("Zero) are. (Out March 31st)
Doves - Kingdom of Rust - I fell in love with Doves a few years back, and their second album (The Last Broadcast) is one of my favourite albums. I'm a sucker for long songs that build from seemingly nothing into epic and uplifting songs. It's been a while since they've had a new album out, but the first single ("Jetstream") was excellent and seemed like it could have been taken off of The Last Broadcast, so this should be great. (Out April 7th)
Metric - Fantasies - Another band that's been quiet for a few years, but both of their previous albums have been interesting and fun listens. Old World Underground is another great album, but the last disc was kind of boring and lost a lot of the fun. The first single, "Help I'm Alive" seems to capture some of their fun energy again, so again, I'm optimistic. (Out April 14th)
The Enemy - Music for the People - I love epic songs. The Enemy's first album (We'll Live and Die in These Towns) made even the most mundane aspect of life seem epic. I'm excited to hear any sort of follow-up. Hopefully they can make a dent in North America, but they sound super British, which can be a real hindrance at times. (Out April 27th)
CKY - Carver City - I love CKY. I love the movies, I love the music. It can be over the top, but both CKY Volume 1 and Infiltrate - Destroy - Rebuild are two really great and really complete albums. From start to finish I can listen and love those discs, the third disc (An Answer Can Be Found) was boring to me, and lacked something. No clue if I just grew out of their sound, of it they took a studio dump on album number three. We'll find out soon. (Out May 15th)
Taking Back Sunday - New Again - One of my favourite bands, Taking Back Sunday have put out three phenomenal albums, despite going through guitar/singers on those three albums. Now with backup vocalist number three (and Straylight Run and The Colour Fred spawned out of TBS), I'm hoping that album number four can be just as good. A lot of these releases have me "hoping" they can be as good as the music from the band that I've loved so much previously, and this is no exception to that rule. (Out June 2nd)
Billy Talent - Billy Talent 3 - BT 1 is one of my favourite albums ever - it's just a great rock and roll album from start to finish. BT2 was easily the most disapointing album of 2006 - it was awful then, and I still hate most of the songs on it. They're batting .500, hopefully they can come in and change that to .666 with BT3. (Out June 9th)
Jesus, there's a lot of hope in there.
Note: All of these release dates could change, only the first couple discs are slotted in for sure. Anything after Metric is based on information from Wikipedia, and who knows with that place, right?
Jesse.
MUSIC:
- I'm too lazy to list MySpaces for all of these bands but just take
http://www.myspace.com/
And add in the band's name after the slash.
8Tracks Mix Tape
This is a sampling of some of the bands listed above. It's all streaming, and not as good as Fav Tape, which is currently down.
Listen to Doves - Jetstream
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