Recording: Moss Lime

Artist: Moss Lime

Songs: Ice Cream Sandwiches + I Always Get What I Want

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (Camp Wavelength), August 20, 2016.

Moss Lime - Ice Cream Sandwiches

Moss Lime - I Always Get What I Want

Following and expanding on the template of last year's successful festival, Wavelength returned to the island with a meticulously-executed event that included an exciting range of music and a beach full of art beside festival headliner Lake Ontario. It also managed to be a stress-reducing rather than a stress-inducing time — rather like a weekend at the cottage, even if the city was just out of view.

This Montréal trio's tone is super-dry, in the best way — unassumingly unadorned songs that worm their way into your brain. A short, to-the-point set, and the band was totally nonplussed when a couple giant robot(?) mantis puppets emerged from the forest path to dance(?)/engage in ritual combat(?)/prepare to mate(?).

Recording: Moss Lime

Artist: Moss Lime

Song: chou frisé^*

Recorded at S.H.I.B.G.B.'s, March 28, 2015.

Moss Lime - chou frisé

This minimalist-pop Montréal trio's sound tends toward the spare and crisp, which meant this basement-y DIY cave probably wasn't their ideal sonic environment. They still managed to mostly pull it off, passing around vocals and instruments as they absorbed both Euro dance-cheeze (their cover of "Calabria") and atmospheric Kim Gordon sing-speak (as heard here) into their sound-world.

^* Thanks to Fixture Records for passing along the title to this one.

Recording: Moss Lime

Artist: Moss Lime

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room, November 29, 2014.

Moss Lime - unknown

I tend to leave a lot of my music discovery to happen when I'm out at gigs, so I hadn't looked up anything about this night's first band before they hit the stage. It only took a couple songs for me to conclude that this Montréal trio are exactly the sort of thing I like. Playing "quietly", inasmuch as there's a lot of space not filled in between bass, drum and guitar, the first sonic touchstone that popped in my mind was Young Marble Giants. The second was the dry spareness of Freelove Fenner, so it was a pleasant surprise to note after the set that their tape was in fact recorded at FF's Bottle Garden studio. Definitely anticipating the group's next trip back to these parts.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!