First And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' Podcast!

Stephen Ramsay Interview

(of Young Galaxy)

by Matt McKechnie for Thick Specs

On another not-so-wintery January monday, Stephen lent me a chunk

of his time and his ear whilst taking a break from the recording

sessions of the newest & third Young Galaxy album (surfacing in

April). Please have a listen by clicking the play button below to hear

the enigmatic and passionate ramblings of a guy who is all about the

true heart of good art and good music.

(Click the play button below to listen - enjoy optimal,

skip-free listening by clicking play and then pausing, letting the

whole progress bar load first before clicking play again)

BILL PRIDDLE INTERVIEW

of Treble Charger, Broken Social Scene &

The Priddle Concern

(by Matt McKechnie)

On a frigid, gloomy monday afternoon, the ever-enchanting and

insightful Bill Priddle (of Treble Charger, Broken Social Scene) gave

up a half an hour of his time to chat with little, old me. Filled with

witticisms and industry-underbelly depictions, Bill talked with me

about his solo project 'The Priddle Concern (2007)', early days of

BSS, later days of TC and much more.

Have a listen!

(Click the play button below to listen - enjoy optimal,

skip-free listening by letting the whole progress bar load

first before clicking play)

Matty's Top 10 Albums of 2009

10. Apostle Of Hustle - Eats Darkness

On a very small and quiet release, this album seems to have

stirred up spicy latin explosions of AOH fame but with a new,

lean & stripped down twist - the once threesome is now

only a duo of Andrew and Dean. By no means their best work,

it is still an ultra-creative & hyper-original achievement that

says something about the state we live in. In an interview

where I asked Andrew about the album, he stated 'We eat

darkness - and we shit out the light'.

9. Amy Millan - Masters Of Burial

Complete with her usual honey-drip vocal stylings and ever

simple but unique instrumentation, Amy has made a solo

record that rivals her first (Honey From The Tombs), for

which, her listeners have waited a good many years. With

the funkily organ-accented 'Towers' that talks about the

din of big cities and the finally released, banjo-infused

cover of DCFC's 'Into The Dark', this album is pure

afternoon pleasure. This album is as delightful as Amy,

herself, is in person as I interviewed her at the Ottawa

folkfest and then pounded fists with her backstage after

she name-dropped me during the show.

8. Joel Plaskett - Three

It goes without saying that sir Joel would make this list and

for the month of May, I listened to this album on repeat on

my walks to and from the Glebe. From the bowels of Joel's

tape-purist home studio comes an album that really demands

listening from all styles of music fans. The album implements

so many ranges of genres from pure rock to metal to folk

to even...rap! Yes - Joel can bust a rhyme on time. Herding

New Yorker Anna Egge and Canadian folker Rose Cousins

into the fray of the work gives it an accent that will make it

stand out in the annals of time. From opening for Paul

McCartney to spending time with little old me after a

Kingston show at the toucan, Joel is as pure and normal

of a guy as you can get with a knack for making treasure.

7. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Although the shrink-wrapped compression of the music is so

tight that it's almost difficult to breathe while listening, this

is a pretty freaking great album. After pulling a 'Who is THIS?'

to pretty much all of North America with the first two singles,

the France-oriented, Thomas Mars-led crew is taking over.

With a vocal style that is all his own , the pop-sensibility and

implosive instrumentation of the songs leave you feeling

like you would after a sugar rush - crashed but belly-grabbing

and satisfied.

6. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

For as many critical knocks as this album took, I still stand by

my word and say it's as awesome as a possum. Tweedy's grand

gestures and ability to shake off fame as quickly as he can

muster it is inspiring. Complete with a visit from Lady Feist

on the folky, middle-road 'You and I' to swirling cacaphonic

feedback like only Wilco can channel on 'Wilco (The Song)', this

is as good as it gets when it comes to bands making music

however the hell they want, while poking fun at themselves

and not caring what the media thinks.

5. Grady - Good As Dead

Although this album wasn't a heavy rotator of mine this past

year, Grady gets their own category of 'nuff respect'. In an

interview with Gordie Johnson this past year, he referred to

feedback from his amp as 'the voice of God'. Seriously - Gordie

kicks arse and takes names. The Southern-rockabilly/shredneck

stylings of this album (complete with Willie Nelson telling

a joke before a song and a cover of the Tragically Hip's 'Boots

Or Hearts') are mind-bendingly thunderous and give you

a sound you've heard before but with a guitar-gusto that

makes your soul soar. He did it once for the fame with Big

Sugar - now he's doing it for the love with Grady.

4. Dinosaur Jr - Farm

There is no living artist today who can continue to do what

DJR have done and the way that they do it. J Mascis (in a

glorious re-unification with Lou Barlow) has brought a

new life and resurgent charm to an old band. Oddly enough,

this was one of the most praised albums on pitchfork this

year. J still sounds the same as he did in 1994 when I first

heard his magic sounds in my earphones in the basement

of bell high. There is freshness, plenty of guitar squeals

with folky undertone reflection and familiarity in this

double disc masterpiece - and I just got it 4 days ago!

3. Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs

This # 3 is almost a little too sly for my liking but I still

can't deny the fact that the highly poster-ized Hey Rosetta!

made a kick ass album (thanks in large part to their

producer - Mister Hawksley Workman). From the first

time I heard 'New Goodbye' turn from a quiet hatchling

into a loud, flapping bird of sound, I knew there was a

youth and a depth to these songs that rivals a lot of crap that

is out there today. When seeing them live briefly at the

Horseshoe this year, I wasn't disappointed with the

snippets I heard. Great concept - great album. Nuff said.

2. Metric - Fantasies

Everybody, everybody - fall in love...with Metric. There's not

much I can say except that every song on this album is a well-

crafted sonic boom of rock significance. Haines and crew

seem to get better with every album and it would be an

astonishing feat of unearthly measure if they went up from

here.

1. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches

Oh, Bazan - you sneaky weasel. You know how to steal my

listening heart. Sorry - just had to get that out, there...

As if moving from Pedro The Lion to an even more stripped

down solo career wasn't enough of a rash change, Bazan still

knows how to write conceptually and deliver in a way that

no one else can. CYB is an album that explores the guts of

the human condition with an honesty and a normalcy that is

impossible to find elsewhere. Songs like 'Bless This Mess'

will have you pumping your fist in agreement but looking

inward at the same time. Bazan knows how to make people

bob their heads in listening enjoyment and think deeply at

the same time.

Album Review by Matt McKechnie

Artist: The Novaks

Album: Things Fall Apart

Recorded live off the floor of the Sonic Temple in Halifax, The

Novaks have emerged with an album of stripped-down, bare

essentials, 3-man, rough and rugged rock in 'Things Fall Apart'.

Led by the Petty-esque vocals and monster beef guitar riffage

of Mick Davis (who apparently is very Mick Jagger-like

on stage), The Novaks are surfacing a lot in the Canada music

scene. Ranging as much as they can in a powerful 3 man

throttle rock milieu, songs like 'Rain, Rain, Rain' will have

you snapping your fingers with its plush poppy sound while

'Destroyer' allows for a harder heavy-metal sensibility. Mick

Davis' lyrics don't seem to be overly cerebral as the band

sticks to writing about song-topics they seem to comfortable

with; sex, drugs, heartbreak, evil women and the road.

Blasting and sporadic at times but in a controlled venue, it's

really hard to believe that this album was recorded all in one

shot without much overdubbing. A trio rock unit has never

sounded so full. There's really not a lot to say about this album -

what you see is what you get. Will it change your life? Probably

not. Will it have you bobbing your head and pumping your fist

on your way to work? Most definitely. The simplicity of the

sound (which is a little too bare at times) is really the primary

strength of the lads. I wouldn't be surprised to see 10 more

albums from The Novaks in the next 6 years.

*(Be sure to catch The Novaks live at Lee's Palace this coming

Nov. 27 and 28 with the Arkells)

Wilco (The Album)

Review by Matt McKechnie

One thing that Wilco has done consistently, throughout the span

of their colourful musical career, is be inconsistent. The six man

Jeff Tweedy-led sometimes-rock/sometimes-country/sometimes-

blues/sometimes-pop band has managed to create a bit of a

mysticism about themselves in the sense that they truly cannot

be pinned down to one musical genre. My friend Jeff was always

into Wilco and truthfully, they were always a little too weird for

me. Over the years, though, I've realized that it's the quote un-

quote 'weird' music that is actually saying something noteworthy.

Their last offering (Sky Blue Sky) was met with mixed reviews

as it was far more stripped down than the usual noisy and sonically

experimental sounds of the troupe. 'Wilco (The Album)' takes the

band in a new musical direction and plays upon the un-peggable

nature of their essence. Tweedy's voice still leads the charge of

the sometimes uncertain musical terrain. Leading off the album

is the track 'Wilco (The Song)' which hinges on the repeating

refrain:

'Wilco/

Wilco/

Wilco will love you baby'/

It's almost as if Wilco hints at their own musical super-powers

in a jocular but semi-heartfelt manner. It works as a song and

knowing the spotlight-dodging likes of Tweedy, the band

probably had a great time making and recording this song.

Wilco's slick mysticism even bleeds into the realm of other

popular musicians. Cited as influences for legions of current

pop acts, there's truly no stone they have left unturned.

Even the lovely Lady Feist lends her soothing French voice to

the jangly/romantic pop stylings of 'You And I'.

But so what? So what if they joke about themselves and their

underground popularity? So what if they genre-jump? So what

if Feist and other huge artists love them? What is it that

keeps their listeners coming back for more? I think the main

driver to all of their songs is the voice of Jeff Tweedy. He is

the lone gunman on the vocal tracks and the voice of reason

amidst a smorgasbord of sounds. I think one reason why the

media has given this album such mixed reviews is because

they tried to 'get' something - when in reality, there is

nothing to get. That's the power of Wilco. Even when they

say nothing, they say something.

But don't you fret - Wilco will love you, baby.

When My Train Comes In

(A Review Of Joel Plaskett's Latest Album 'Three')

by Matt McKechnie

There used to be an old song by De La Soul that I loved

in which the chorus repeated 'Three...it's a magic numba...'

amidst other silly De La Soul-esque flowery beats and

ramblings.

In Joel Plaskett's 'Three', there are no flowery beats or

hippie-centric rap songs. There are only 27 individual pieces

of art in a musical exhibit that draw a passer-by in to stare

deeply. In a recent interview I conducted with Plaskett, his

words gave me some insight into some of the borderline-OCD

art-work within the album. Plaskett said "I felt that people

would only really get into this album if I could actually

somehow 'bring em to it'...". Using only the warm sounds of

analog recording equipment (as opposed to the default

digital of the modern world), the acoustic-driven (yet

often full-banded ending) songs have a tone of soothing

listenability that run through the entirety of the disc.

With three different albums towing nine songs apiece, there

is plenty to sink your teeth into and almost every aspect

of each album is divisible by three, in some way shape or

form. From the re-curring usage of the three word song

titles ('Heartless, Heartless, Heartless', 'Run, Run, Run',

'Gone, Gone, Gone', etc.), the listeners gets a strong sense

that Plaskett is trying to stick tightly to a concept with

little variance or movement outside of that frame. The

honey-drip accompanying vocals of Rose Cousins and New

York folker Anna Egge lend themselves to almost every song

in a brilliantly guiding light.

But so what? Tons of other artists put this kind of tedious

and exasperating prep into a full length - what is it about

Joel's work that pushes his cream to the top of the milk jar?

It might be due to Joel's ultra-personal songwriting style

that brings the listener right into his living room. JP pulls

no punches when it comes to exploring his own demons

(which are actually shown in the 2nd disc song 'Demons')

and darkness.

But what is it that keeps Plaskett 'Rollin, Rollin, Rollin'?

From his early days with 'The Hermit' (Thrush Hermit)

to his first solo work 'In Need of Medical Attention', Joel

has proven his ability to stay centrally focused (majorly

within rock, country and folk) but to dip very deeply into

varied musical pools when he needs to; He's not afraid to

pick up a mandolin and strum a heartfelt ballad or to

rip full-throttle into his beat-up fender duck and rock the

crowd without abandon. This is no more evident in the

song that rocks hardest on the album - 'Run, Run, Run'.

In this final song on disc 1, after a Zeppelin-esque whap-

drum and sonic rock riff ends, an acoustic coda begins

that ends the song with a brilliant refrain that just may

sum up Joel's experience as a musician so far - and as a

human being:

'All you beautiful creatures

You are featured presentations

Show me a little patience

Won't you meet me at the station

When my train comes in...'

In that same interview, Joel defined success as a sort of

'restlessness' in the sense that he is never truly happy with

what he's made - and he is always on to the next thing.

I didn't really get into this album at first - but it's like any

book worth reading; it takes some time to ingest and once

it sticks, it is all over your consciousness. Let's hope that

Joel still has a ways to go before that ever-running

train comes in.