you, you're a history in rust...

do make say think
monday october 29
commodore ballroom



By hearing their ambient music, this seemingly nonsensical phrase can only be fully illuminated.

Despite shiny discoballs and incessant smoke machines perforating their otherwise introspective sound, Do Make Say Think delivered some of the most beautiful and transcendental sounds over the hollowed out venue.

Maybe it was the haze from the smoke generator, or perhaps it was the atmospheric red lighting that coated the walls and surfaces, but honestly this was the unlikiest spiritual experience in the middle of Vancouver downtown.

Despite their downtown Toronto urban origins, Do Make Say Think can reduce everything down to a gorgeous organic texture that makes you believe that music is a naturally occuring substance. Although their live shows have evolved into more calculated, tight arrangements and sets, Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit entreated us to godlike euphonic improvisation between classic songs such as "The Landlord is Dead," and "Auberge the Mouton Noir." Indeed, with a concept so abstract, this group defies almost all typical musical conventions by seeming natural and uncalculated, but perfect in all the ways of beauty that are too incomprehensible to articulate. (Even their name reduces all of life in four words...)

Well, I dunno. Maybe I'm just a sucker for vintage Gretsch guitars and strings and saxophones, but when you hear them all in perfect relation and proportion to another like that you've got to appreciate the fact that something far more significant is going on.

I didn't take acid before doing this show, but in all honesty it felt like it. I still don't really know what happened that night, but the new album creates synesthetic euphoria. Tracks like "The Universe!" and "Executionary Blues" point to that unusual, yet mundane beauty in the minute details of life that is often overlooked.

broken social scene
thursday october 25
@ commodore ballroom



Arts&Crafts veterans Broken Social Scene paid a little visit to Vancouver and played some beautiful music that night.

The last time I had seen them was a couple of years ago, and the two experiences to me proved the total dynamic and originality of sound that only the 19-person Toronto-based group can shape.

Kicking off their North American tour that night, the show was testosterone-charged set which only could have been induced by Kevin Drew setting up a competition for who could go the longest without taking a bath. Well, actually that was a direct stab at Justin Peroff, who was sweaty beyond belief and spraying it around by shaking his beard all over the place.
Playing a set list of their most recent album, Justin Peroff, Brenden Canning and James Shaw from Metric blasted their tunes distortedly charged and ultra-masculine sounding. There was also some fun sampling with a 30 second stab at "Love and Mathematics," but Canning didn't remember the bass part for it so they stopped and played "cause = time" in a way that couldn't be larger or louder. Even Andrew Kenny from The American Analog set tagged along and treated everyone with the soft Texas-indie sounds of "Hard to Find."

I felt bad for Kevin, who was hopped up on Sudafed and suffering from copious amounts of phlegm, but he gave it his all and wailed through a rocked-out version of "Lovers' Spit," and gave a supersexy throaty texture to the highest frequencies of "Superconnected." I also particularly enjoyed James’ frantic gyrations; for some reason he’s the only person I’ve ever seen who can make those range of movements look good.

Actually, I'd venture to make the claim that Broken Social Scene can make anything look good, even influenza. But who am I to say?