And Though The Names Will Be Changed To Protect The Innocent...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Born Ruffians rock. They came to McMaster on Friday, and Team Normal Earlobe was there in full effect (plus one person who's earlobes are abnormal, and who's name would suggest that she resembles Christ, but she doesn't seem to). In case you were wondering, I was the one wearing the white shirt with "BORN RUFFIAN" written in red sharpie and neat printing (kudos Keane). I was also jumping, stomping, and clapping, and mysteriously knowing all the lyrics and shouting them at the top of my lungs. But that's what this band makes you do man, they rock.

The only complaint I have about their set is they didn't have enough time. Great guys though too, they took a picture with Keane, and joked me about my shirt, and recalled me from the last show where I drunkenly told them to play "A Night Deprived."

TPC. Let's just say the high-energy quality of their EP is hard to sustain for a full performance. Also the fact that they thus far have only released 8 songs (to the best of my knowledge) makes recognizable songs a rare commodity. About their new material, it seems to be more of the same, which will likely disappoint anyone who felt that even their short EP life something to be desired in terms of depth. Not an altogether bad performance, but disappointing when you've considered the hype. I expect the Ruffians' long-anticipated album (coming in March!) to make a much bigger splash than any upcoming full-length effort by the Tokyo Police Club.

As for music I recommend, I've really been loving M. Ward's Post-War. I first heard the guitar-based singer-songwriter on the Daniel Johnston cover album Discovered Covered, singing "Story Of An Artist." Despite his obvious passion for outsider music, M Ward really has the pop sensibilities to reveal the beauty in the obscure song. He brings this sensibility to his own compositions, along with a talent for the guitar matched only by the passion which he brings to singing.

I Fear Change

Mike's post about Elliot Smith reminded me of a tendency I have when I really love an album. I've loved Elliot Smith's 1997 album Either/Or, and I agree with Mike's assessment of his vocals, but what really struck me was his amazing and subtle guitar playing. Tracks like "Angeles" inspired me to pick up the acoustic guitar. I mean, Death Cab's "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" is a great song I think, but my first thought upon hearing it was that it sounds like Elliot Smith. That wasn't what I wanted to talk about though.

The thing is, as much as I loved Either/Or, I could never bring myself to listen to any of his other albums. It's a weird and completely irrational fear I have (I have a lot of those): Some albums are so good that I can't listen to any other albums by the same artist, for fear that a later album won't be as good, and its poor quality will somehow taint the good album. It's completely ridiculous, I know, if one album is good, chances are that they'll make more good music. Sometimes I get over it, like with Left And Leaving or I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, and I don't regret it, but I always find myself favouring my original favourite. And Sometimes, like with Elliot Smith, I've never been able to make a serious effort to explore the rest of their catalog.

Call me crazy, but really, what am I if not a loose collection of my many eccentricities ?

Two bands I think you should listen to

No insightful commentary from me today, I just wanted to share two bands that I think Keane and Preston may not have heard of, and also for whatever readers we actually have.

The first is a band called The Mountain Goats led by frontman John Darnielle. The band is basically a guy and his guitar, so expect acoustic folk sort of stuff. The lyrics are very literary and quite poetic if someone were to ask me. Check out the track Broom People off of the album The Sunset Tree, and No Children off of the album Tallahassee.

The second is Elliott Smith, also not so much a band as just a guy. He unfortunately died to stab wounds in 2003, but his recorded music will live on. His distinct vocals can be characterized as melodic whispers, and it's eerily soothing. Last year, an album called New Moon was posthumously released which contained a lot of his early works, and is probably one of my favourite releases from 2007; check out the song Thirteen...it's a cover of someone, but it's definitely worth a listen.

That's all for now. Schwarzl out.

Born Ruffians and TPC at 1/4's?!!! YAY!

I cannot express how excited I am about this show. I don't get excited about much these days, but this show seems too awesome. Like most human beings with ears (and, implicitly, the ability to hear), I became enamored with the Born Ruffians (and, implicitly, their music) immediately upon first hearing their music. I have talked about them before, so I won't go into more detail, but seriously, they fucking rock. Just amazing song writing, while being funky and fun; everything you could possibly want in a rock band, and their fantastic live performance is just icing on the cake. Amazingly awesome icing. They are coming out with their debut album in March, and are number 4 (!) on The Toronto Star's Top 10 to watch for in 2008, so you should see them now for $12 up close and personal before they start selling out stadiums in the near future!

I'm so excited about Born Ruffians, but the show is technically billed as a Tokyo Police Club show, and frankly I'm not disappointed. I really enjoyed their EP, and while it doesn't have that Classic Album quality that the Ruffians stuff has (with TPC, I enjoyed it at first, but after a couple of listenings I thought, "ok, I get it"), still, it's good stuff, and seems like the kind of thing that will only get better live.

So, the main point of this post: if you can get to Hamilton on January 25th, go to this concert. Just fucking go.