Recording: No Frills

Artist: No Frills

Song: Birthday

Recorded at The Gladstone Hotel's Melody Bar (Long Winter 8.3), January 11, 2020.

No Frills - Birthday

Perhaps taking cues from frontman Daniel Busheikin's lowkey manner, No Frills isn't out to get in your face with with extroverted swagger. Instead, there's some carefully-calebrated dynamics at play here — late-period Pavement hooks and the same sort of offhand narrative stance one might find in a Nap Eyes tune. Put it on stage though, and the five-piece rocks pretty convincingly.

[No Frills will be playing the Monarch on Friday, February 21st alongside $keleton Club, Condo, and Raymans. Long Winter is back on that same night, returning to Workman Arts for a night of art and music — including sounds from Mil-Spec, Korydor, Laps, Tallies, Isla Craig, Hua Li, Backxwash, Witchrot, Scorpio Rising, Lavender Bruisers and Tongue Patrol.]

Recording: Rapport

Artist: Rapport

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Workman Arts – Main Hall (Long Winter 7.4), February 9, 2019.

Rapport - unknown

With its multiple floors, cavernous halls, creaky stairwells and peeling-paint grandeur, Workman Arts might be the closest thing Long Winter has found to its old home at the pre-restoration Great Hall. Tina Weymouth's stage presence in Stop Making Sense should have inspired the formation of more bands, but thankfully we have this one. The only thing not to love about this group is that they are still keeping their music mostly on stage, with just a single track up on their bandcamp. But their live show (with Stephen "Omhouse" Foster sitting in on drums this time out) remains packed to the brim with infectiously joyful energy — if their lyrical invocations of "freedom" might seem ripped from the song playing over the end credits dance scene in the 80's teen flick of your choice, it's always completely lived in and never just a pastiche. Complete with a "bark-in" to begin, this song teeters on the brink of falling apart about two-thirds of the way through, but it still manages to to elicit plenty of joy, whether or not it evokes, say, the backing vox from The Go-Betweens' "Streets of Your Town" and the sequencer chug of a Game Theory track.

[Rapport will be playing a Pop Montreal showcase at The Baby G on Saturday, May 11th with Lydia Kepinski, Hanorah and Casey MQ.]

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

Recording: Rapport

Artist: Rapport

Song: My Goodbyes

Recorded at Monarch Tavern (Fundraiser Show for Mexico & Puerto Rico), November 9, 2017.

Rapport - My Goodbyes

A life in rock'n'roll gives many chances for rebirths and reinventions, so while the 2008 version of me would have been excited at the idea of a fundraiser featuring members of Forest City Lovers, Spiral Beach, Gentleman Reg and Magneta Lane, the 2017 version of me was perhaps more excited to see these musicians brimming with the energy of new music and new ideas. Organized by LOLAA to raise funds to rebuild Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria and Mexico after the earthquakes, there was a lot of positive energy all around throughout the night.

Formerly of Spiral Beach and Moon King, Rapport gives Maddy Wilde a long-awaited opportunity to step up front. Inspired by bands like 'Til Tuesday, there's a knowing 80's vibe to these tunes, with occasional melancholy and a lot of groovy joy — at one point, Wilde and her co-conspirators Kurt Marble and Most People's Mike Pereira were all simultaneously dancing like Tina Weymouth in Stop Making Sense. The band doesn't seem to have any music online yet (keep your eyes on this space) but they have a set of well-crafted tunes, including this one which encapsulates the absolute best of every 80's throwback to brassy 60's pop.

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Song: Secret Life

Recorded at Artscape Gibraltar Point (Wavelength 678: Camp Wavelength – Day 2), August 29, 2015.

Moon King - Secret Life

You can read my general notes on Camp Wavelength here. When Maddy Wilde gets a chance to take a lead vocal, the sudden changeover from Daniel Woodhead's gusto often leaves her a little lost in the mix. Quite pleasing, then, to hear her coming through clearly here on the title track from the band's recent album. Woodhead, meanwhile, climbed around the stage as much as ever but still found time to give his customary T.O. shout-outs and even to convince the crowd to quiet down for for a few seconds to listen to the island around them.

[Moon King will be opening for Youth Lagoon at The Opera House on Sunday, October 25th.]

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Songs: Impossible + Roswell

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, April 14, 2015.

Moon King - Impossible

Moon King - Roswell

With Dan Lee warming up the crowd with his Lee Paradise project (to say nothing of Alex Low rocking the room between sets from the DJ booth) this night was, in one sense, not so far removed from going to see HUT playing all-ages shows in dark basements. But looked at another way, we've all come a long way since then. Although the pair of Obsession EP's essentially added up to an album, the brand new Secret Life gets the nod as the first "official" Moon King full-length. It also shows the continuing development of Daniel Woodhead's musical craft, integrating textured lushness with spiky energy in increasingly natural ways. The shared vocals with Maddy Wilde accentuate the dreamy sensibility and this band continues to sound better at slower tempos. Getting ready to take the new album on tour and represent T.O. to the world, the crew was already in fine form.

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Songs: Almost Blue + Hexe^*

Recorded at The Drake Underground, December 12, 2013.

Moon King - Almost Blue

Moon King - Hexe

Full review to follow. After spending most of the year on the road, Moon King returned home for Christmas — but not surprisingly, with their work ethic, they'll be heading off to an isolated cabin first to record some new songs. A handful of those got an airing at this welcome-back show, and it sounds like they extend the layered sophistication found on the two Obsession E.P.'s.

^* This new song was listed as such on the setlist. It could be a partial or temporary title.

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Song: Crucified

Recorded at The Drake Underground, April 10, 2013.

Moon King - Crucified

Full review to follow. Celebrating the release of the second Obsession EP, Moon King played a hometown set before heading off on an extended jaunt on the road. The band is getting more comfortable with the more measured, layered songs like this one, but that doesn't mean they didn't finish the set with a raucous party vibe.

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Song: Icarus^*

Recorded at Double Double Land, August 24, 2012.

Moon King - Icarus

Full review to follow. Celebrating the release of the Obsession I 12", this was a night to really take stock of how much this project has progressed. From the start, Daniel Woodhead and Maddy Wilde were creating some infectious fun on stage, but the development from the duo to the earlier band alignment to the current four-piece (backed by Steven Foster and Sexy Merlin, who each took an opening set on the night) is something exciting to consider. This was the sort of gig where gear kept getting unplugged and cymbals flying off, so it was no surprise that it ended in the dark with the power getting blown. What was surprising was how the crowd and band joined together for a blackout singalong on "I Found a Body" to finish the night off.

^* At the time of this show, this song was listed on the setlist as "Dutch".

Recording: Moon King

Artist: Moon King

Song: Sleeping in My Car

Recorded at ALL CAPS! Island Festival (Artscape Gibraltar Point), August 13, 2011.

Moon King - Sleeping in My Car

My preliminary notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: Spiral Beach

Artist: Spiral Beach

Song: Unknown^*

Recorded at Whippersnapper Gallery, NxNE Festival, June 19, 2009.

Spiral Beach - Unknown>

My notes from this gig can be found here.

^* Do you know the title of this track? Please leave a comment!