Arts & Entertainment Stuff I’ve Been Listenin Luke Simcoe, OP A&E Editor Oy V ¥ ell, well... look who’s come crawling back. I know that Stuff I’ve Been Listening To was on something of an indefinite hiatus for the summer, and for that I apologize. In all honesty, I was a bit busy assuming the arts editorship from the late Kevin Lalonde (OK... he’s not dead, but he seldom got his copy in on time). I also spent some time gallivanting around our fair country in search of love, fame, and fortune. But rest assured, I’m back now—hopefully for good. So, take my hand, get out your compass and sextant, and I’ll help you chart a course through the muddy waters of contemporary music. Downloaded: Les Savy Fav — Let’s Stay Friends Minus the Bear — Planet of Ice Listened To: Japanther — Master of Pigeons Baby Control — Best War The Blow — Paper Television The New Pornographers — Electric Version Les Savy Fav — Let’s Stay Friends It’s been six years since the last Les Savy Fav full-length. When one of your favourite bands bows out of the fray for such a long time, it’s important that they come back harder, better, faster and stronger (like that Daft Punk song, or Rocky in Rocky IV). Otherwise, those voices in the back of your head will start wondering if the group has jumped the musical shark. Fortunately, Let’s Stay Friends assuaged my fears almost instantly. “The Equestrian,” the second track on the CD, is simultaneously one of the catchiest and most abrasive tracks the band has ever put on wax, and the rest of the record sees the band pushing their songwriting forward while maintaining their trademark idiosyncrasies and energy level. Curiously, Let’s Stay Friends boasts more guests than a hip-hop record: Eleanor Friedberg of The Fiery Furnaces sings a duet with vocalist Tim Harrington, both SNL’s Fred Armisen and Modest Mouse’s Joe Plummer spend some time behind the skins, and Emily Haines’ fingers brush the ivory keys on a few tracks. Anyway, my favourite lyric on the record is contained in “What Would Wolves Do;” during the chorus Tim Harrington yells “the world may seem cruel/the worldly may hate us/in time we will 14 7 ' nhhen show the world why the world made us.” It’s an encapsulation of the record; a simultaneous statement of intent and reminder that Les Savy Fav is here to stay. Don’t take my word for it— go see them live at Richard’s on December 1. It'll change your life. Minus the Bear — Planet of Ice MTB is another one of my favourite bands, but unfortunately, Planet of Ice is a bit of a dud. The album is a technical masterpiece and singer Jake Snyder has finally got some vocal chops, but whereas the band’s trademark guitar prowess, studio noodling and shifting time signatures used to come across as playful (a sentiment embodied in song titles like “Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!” and EPs bearing names like Bands Like It When You Yell ‘Yar’ at Them) it now seems distant and perfunctory. The album is like a movie with stunning cinematography but no story or characters worth caring about. Japanther — Master of Pigeons In a world where so many artists are leaning towards ‘lush’ arrangements full of violins, wurlitzers and dense lyrics, it’s nice to see a couple of dudes from New York making music just for the fuck of it. The songs are seldom over a minute long, the lyrics come right out of left field, and they’re layered over whatever beats the duo cooked up in their basement. Master of Pigeons is like a big middle finger to highbrow conceptions of musical conventions. It sounds silly, but that’s what makes it Les Savy Fav good. Baby Control — Best War Zoe Verkuylen was once part of The Red Light Sting, a Vancouver band whose candle burned white hot, bright, and brief. Over the course of a single full-length, two EPs, and a split 7” with a nascent Hot Hot Heat, the Sting would turn Vancouver’s punk scene on its head and become our city’s first noise band. It’s been over three years since the group disbanded in 2004, but with Baby Control, Zoe doesn’t seem to have lost even a shred of urgency. Her riot girl vocals (think Kathleen Hannah of Le Tigre and Bikini Kill) are spit through a broken PA, and swathed in early Sonic Youth guitar squall. The songs run the whole gamut of ‘punk’ rock, from scuzz to pop. Best War is a record I definitely would have gone out and purchased had the fine folks at Ache Records not been kind enough to slip a copy into my mailbox when I wasn’t looking. The Blow — Paper Television There’s a line that I’m sure I’ve used before, and in fact, it’s a line that I stole from somewhere else (I no longer remember where), but I’m going to use it here again. Ready? OK, here it goes... We all need music for those times when we’re feeling too weak to even poke a straw through a pack of Capri-Sun. Lately, for me, that music has been The Blow. The brainchild of Portland-based visual and performing artist Khaela Maricich, The Blow is a combination of dance beats and spoken g To en { heb ay word, and one that goes together as | well as cheese curds and French fries. Paper Television is also probably the “girliest’ record I own (this is keeping in mind that I have a soft spot for Sheryl Crow and own all of Tegan and Sara’s records). Khaela’s stories cum songs are brutally honest, and she’s not afraid to put her uniquely feminine insecurities on display. Seemingly, none of this stops me from getting all warm and tingly inside when sings lines like “when you’re holding me, we make a pair of parentheses.” The New Pornographers — Electric Version Everyone always talks about Electric Version like it’s the awkward middle child, sandwiched between the spontaneity of Mass Romantic and the fully realized Twin Cinema. But screw them; Electric is my favourite New Pornos record (admittedly, I haven’t listened to Challengers, but I doubt it’s going to change my opinion). It’s got two of their best songs on it—“‘From Blown Speakers” and “All For Swinging You Around,” and I think it occupies that middle ground quite well, thank you very much. Anyway, they were just voted Vancouver’s best local band in The Georgia Straight’s Best of Vancouver poll, and they’re playing here the day after this issue hits the stands (September 28). So get your ass down to the Commodore, sweet talk a scalper and see your city’s best band in its best venue.