I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

We first stumbled upon the Toronto seven-piece band The O’Darling when they opened for Hey Ocean! back in November. We chatted outside for a bit and then they handed us their album. Now, we get a ton of albums sent to us daily and, unfortunately, this one was added to that pile. I say unfortunately because for the past four days this album has been on constant rotation in the office.

This is the second album by the Toronto group which is actually impressive considering they only formed in 2008. Their first album, or EP rather, was titled A Nice EP and was given some great feedback on the blogosphere. With the recent release of their self-titled album, The O’Darling have stepped up their game and given us a record that is part jazz, part pop and 100% enjoyable. The album opens with “Venture Song” a tune with a rather long instrumental intro accented by the glockenspiel (apparently it’s hip now!) and sung by Jennah Barry. Her voice is what caught my attention at first as it is well beyond her years because it reminded me of songstresses from the forties and fifties but with a modern twist; completely soothing to the ear. The album then dips into “La Prairie” which holds the same slow, steady tempo as the previous song however is sung completely in French. The switch-up in language may be due to the fact that half the band are francophones or it could be an homage to our bilingual country; either way THIS Anglophone thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another added treat was the addition of a plethora of unusual instruments. They have the glockenspiel, the banjo, the omnichord and the flugelhorn. Although we hadn’t heard of the last two, whatever noise they made worked as was heard on “City Part 1″. Another interesting feature of this band is that they have three, yes THREE lead vocalists who are all female. This may be a bit off putting for a listener since it can create a sense of inconsistency, however the band have done a great job of somehow finding three ladies who each sound similar and yet maintain their individuality creating a sound and experience that is consistent. If this is any indication of what their live show is like, we are in for a treat. Overall a fabulous first record for a band that is still young and emerging on the scene. If you like jazz or pop music, then you will love The O’Darling; a hybrid of the two that is simply “darling”!

Memorable tracks: “La Prairie” & “Montreal”

Not-so-memorable tracks: “Fire, Fire”

The O’Darling play the El Mocambo this Saturday, December 12th with Miss Emily Brown.

Reviewed by Kimberlee McCormack

Chicago, Illinois is known for many things: it is the third largest city in the US, it is often referred to as the “Windy City”, it is the place that Oprah Winfrey calls home, however one thing that it is not normally known for is its vast musical talent. Well that is about to change with the growing success and popularity of Chicago-based band Maps and Atlases. This foursome are known for their spazzy guitar riffs and voice-driven melodies that speak stories. However, it is their technical skill that truly impresses, as they finger tap at such a rate that it is hard to maintain where their fingers end and the strings begin. After catching their set at the El Mocambo in June, it was great to be able to chat with Dave (guitar/vocals) and Erin (guitar) for a bit about where this technicality comes from, what’s in store for the future and why their live show can’t be beat!

iheartthemusic: You guys are known to be more of a technical band, so when you are writing is that a major factor for you or is it more of an organic process?

Erin: It’s definitely an organic thing, I mean we all studied music theory but we are at a point now where when we are writing music, it’s not really  something we think about. It just kind of happens and we don’t think about it while it is going on.

iheartthemusic: From everything that I have read on you guys, it appears that your live show is where it’s at. Why do you think that is?

Dave: I think that really from our EPs there is definitely a certain amount of precision that came with the recording of them. We recorded relatively fast and since we did it ourselves, the emphasis was basically on being able to do it as good as possible. When you do hear the record version of the song that you haven’t heard in a very long time and it hasn’t sort of taken on that life, its like “oh yeah this is how it is supposed to sound” because we’ve been speeding it up or slowing it down live. I really appreciate that and I think that we all sort of emphasize the differences between the live show and the record.

Erin: It is always really funny to listen to a song that when we play it live, we play it a lot faster. I think it also has to do with the fact that we can be pretty loud sometimes.

Dave: Yesterday was really interesting because I feel like we played everything way slower than we had ever played it before. We played at this art gallery and it sounded crazy in there because it was such a small room. We also didn’t have a set list and just played whatever.

iheartthemusic: Describe the progression your band has taken musically from each album to the next.

Dave: It has been different for every album that we have done. For the first record and everything that sort of preceded that it was definitely a lot more of us just sort of stumbling upon things- which was a great process. We really never set out to be a technical band and never necessarily thought of ourselves as that at first. The last EP was sort of us acknowledging the things that we really liked doing and the things that we did well on the first EP and tried to do what we knew we did well and expand upon those layers. So songs started out as more simple ideas and then we worked in more layers here and there. With the newest album, its been a really interesting process but also really fun. Definitely the most experimental thing that we have done so far!

iheartthemusic: Really? How so?

Dave: We purposely started off with really simple ideas and then through the actual process of recording it was great to just see how it paned out.

Erin: It’s the first time we’ve left songs unfinished going into the recording process. I mean the song was done with all the melodies, but it was basically like we had bare guitar parts and all the lyrics and then left it up to the recording process to finish it. It’s also the first time we’ve ever had songs that are all strings or chords.

iheartthemusic: So when can we expect that album out?

Dave: It’s actually most of the way done so we are going to try and finish it as soon as possible.

Erin: It will hopefully be out late fall.

iheartthemusic: You recently played SXSW- what was that like?

Dave: It was really fun! We’ve played it the past three years and it has always been super crazy. I think that our perspective on it is that it gets consistenly more and more fun. The first year we sort of had a real serious perspective on the industry and then the past couple of years we’ve set out to have fun and do what we wanted to do.

Erin: We totally embraced the fact that it is the music industry’s spring break.

iheartthemusic: Were there any bands that stood out for you guys this year?

Erin: This year we were down there and then did a West-coast tour right after, so we pretty much got there and played a few shows and then left. We didn’t have enough time to actually go check anyone out unfortunately.

iheartthemusic: [at this point the boys have been discovered by fans who keep telling them how awesome they are] What was it like the first time someone came up and recognized you?

Erin: We are never really aware of that. I mean people find out about our music through like grassroots methods- which is amazing! We really enjoy that. Last fall we did some shows in the UK and we were surprised that people showed up to see us play. I mean we were thinking that that was really weird! We’re not even on a label over there so its all been through blogs and the internet.

iheartthemusic: What was the crowd like in the UK in relation to the US?

Erin: It was really crazy! We played with our friends who are maasive over there and so we played to about 2000 people! It was intense.

iheartthemusic: Since forming, what has really stood out for you as a milestone for the band?

Dave: There have been a lot of things that have been really crazy and fun, but I think the tour in the UK was the most surreal thing that we’ve done.

Erin: It was really crazy travelling like that where you wake up in another country. It was definitely was something that we never imagined that we would get to do.

Dave: Another thing was just getting to play with bands that we genuinely really enjoy which has been awesome. I’ve also never been to Toronto at all so we are looking forward to playing here too. We’ve heard that it’s a great city and thus far just being around this block for the past 45 minutes has been really great. I personally really get a feel for a city based on things to eat. If I came back a month from now I would immediately come here and wherever we go to eat I would be able to maneuver around the city based on that. Already, just driving into the city, it looks like there is just so much good food here.

Sunday, traditionally the day of rest, but there is no rest of the wicked during NXNE. Fantastic photographer Joyce and I managed to hang in there for one last night of musical merriment.

First stop of the night was the Rivoli for Rueben deGroot. Don’t let this cowboy-hatted hottie fool you, he ain’t just country. DeRoot infused his tines with elements of folk and jazz to create music that most country nay Sayers could enjoy. In fact, this Kingstonian supposedly likes to describe his sound as “swamp-swing”, a name I quite enjoy and think expresses the sense of toe-tapping fun. If this sounds like this might be your cup of tea (or your looking for a way to transition into liking country), check out deGroot when he returns to Toronto on July 24 to play at the TRANZAC.

Next up at the Rivoli were The Gertrudes. And goodness gracious they were ginormous! In fact, they barely all fit on stage. I couldn’t count them all, but according to their MySpace there are a dozen. It wasn’t just the magnitude of the members, but the instruments they trucked up with them that was interesting. In addition to the usual suspects (like guitbox, sticks and violining) I spotted a banjo (or banjer), accordion (squeeze box), and ukulele (ukalucas). When The Gertrudes initially took to the stage the sounds that emanated were not at all what I was expecting. I had in my head barn dancin’, foot stompin’ hootenanny fair. Instead it was atmospheric indie folk. Very cool. Then, as the set progressed, more of that country-dance vibe I was expecting filtered in. There was a real sense of fun as the large familia seemed to enjoy the show as much as their audience.

Joyce and I then took leave of the Rivoli to venture up to the El Mocambo for what we expected to be Oh No Not Stereo, a pop rock band from Hollywood. However, that was not what we got. Not even close. Instead we walked into The Hank and Lily Show. How to describe the experience that was Hank and Lily? I think goth rock would best describe the genre. I believe the name of the song which we walked in on was aptly titled “Don’t Be Afraid”… and we tried not to be even though it sounded like the soundtrack to a B straight to video slasher flick, which was appropriate considering the costumes. The woman I assume to be Lily was a blonde wearing horn-like antlers who played the saw while the man I assume to be Hank looked like he fell out of a dark western remake of My Bloody Valentine. However, there was a positive note among all the shrieking ones, they had a song about David Hasselhoff, and I do love the Hoffmeister!

With the ringing still in our ears from Hank and Lily’s piercing wails, Joyce and I jumped over to Rancho Relaxo where our auditory vessels were comforted by the sweet sounds of Dan Griffin. Not only was the change of decibel refreshing, but so was seeing the simplicity of an acoustic set. It was interesting because earlier in the evening Joyce and I discussed what a rarity is seems to see a solo show these days when there seem to be so many massive groups a la Broken Social Scene and the like. But I digress and return to the musician at hand, Dan Griffin. He had a smooth and mesmerizing voice that was super easy to listen to and sang lyrics you could not only hear but really listen to. There was once exception and that was when he struggled through the Tokyo Police Club cover “Nature of the Experience.” However, he was humble about the stumble and was ultimately saved by stage manager Cam and his handy iPhone (and if you want to hear him get through the song without any trouble check out his MySpace).

Concluding the 2009 NXNE experience for Joyce and myself was the Toronto-based band bellewoods. A full sounding indie rock band that infused folk and had soul. There was a nice robustness to their music and I enjoyed that it was occasionally accented with church organ sound. The lead singer has a great voice and if you followed it on some of the slower tracks you felt like you could fall right into the song (…or perhaps that was the fatigue… or beer…). Despite it being a Sunday night after almost a week of music and extended last calls there was quite a crowd drawn out to see bellewoods, and rightly so. They had a good solid sound and clearly have potential.

And that was that. Another year, another group of musicians to add to the roster to follow and another NXNE in the bag.

Words by Emer Schlosser

Photographs by Joyce Wong

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