Charlie's Music Column

Catching up...

2009-12-30T15:49:00.005-05:00

So much happened since my last post that I don't know what to begin with! :P

Let's start with Plum Shark! We are currently putting the finishing touches on the artwork, and are aiming at a release for the end of January. In the meantime, the first single, Mr. Morganfield's Dream, has been put online at www.myspace.com/plumshark. We have not confirmed this yet, but plans are to put this one up as a free download, so that it ends up on most people's iPod!

We have also been rehearsing for concerts and even we keep demoing stuff for a 3rd album, so there will probably be a lot of things going on for Plum Shark in 2010!

Of course, I have toyed with some new gear this Fall! I put my hands on a Line 6 Delay Pedal, and I predict that this will play a major role in Plum Shark's 3rd album - this pedal offers so many different delay sounds that it sure will be useful in the studio. It is a charm to play with, yet the only downside is that it is a large piece of equipment! I'll probably have to get myself a second pedal board... :P

More recently, I just changed by converting gear and got a Lynx Aurora 8 AD/DA. I already recorded some acoustic guitars with the thing, and it makes a huge difference in my current rig! The sound is rich and detailed, and I now find new frequencies in the acoustic guitars that were not rendered at all with the Firepod I was using previously (... I know, it is a whole different ballgame).

I also had a chance to go to a few concerts this fall (Liam Finn, Mars Volta, Jean Leloup). At a chance to chat with Liam Finn before the concert - he is such a calm, low-profile guy when talking, but he just explodes and radiates on stage! And 16$ for such a great concert... what can I say.

As for the Mars Volta, they put on a great show. However, they are playing way to loud! I talked after the concert with their sound engineer, and he told me that the band was blasting over 105 dB without the PA! Holy shit! However, the quality of the sounds suffers... I also noticed that they were recording the show - their engineer told me that he doesn't know what Omar does with the tapes, but that they probably end up in a vault in his recording studio somewhere in Mexico...

Finally, I was lucky to witness my first Jean Leloup concert in a small venue in Quebec City, and let me tell you that this was a crazy concert, with people body surfing and the floor literally vibrating from people jumping all over. The guy is an amazing musician, and clearly does not give a damn about the business aspects - god bless him! You never know if he is going to be in a good mood and/or too fucked up to play but this time, he sure was happy and in a great shape.

Ok... so that is pretty much what happened recently. Again, a couple of interesting concerts coming up here in Montreal in the next three months: Guns n'Roses, Megadeth and Slayer, Wilco and Alice in Chains... That is going to be a hell of a winter! :P

Megadeth - Endgame

2009-09-16T21:36:00.005-04:00

Yes, the album I was waiting for all Summer is finally here! This one was having me excited more than the new releases from Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains that both are coming up in the next two weeks...

After having listened to it for 4-5 times, I can definitely say that it delivers. More than that though - it just destroys. It ranks up there with Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction, as it has the sound of a classic album already - superb songwriting, killer guitar riffs (the like we had not heard from Mustaine since the early 90's), crazy guitar solos, incisive lyrics, this album has it all. Could this be the best metal album of the past 15 years? If not, it definitely ranks in the top 3. I ended up many times, throughout the album with a crazy grin on my face, just enjoying the power of the guitars, and actually wondering when was the last time I've heard such a good metal album and I've enjoyed a new record so much.

It starts with a fast an furious instrumental song, and doesn't let go for the next 45 minutes. Not that there is only fast thrash songs - the album is half mid-tempo melodic songs reminiscent of CTE, but the rest is classic Megadeth speed metal. There is no filler on that album also - all songs are excellent. However, I can already say that the title song, Endgame, stands out and will rank up there with 'In My Darkest Hour', 'Holy Wars' and 'Hangar 18' as a heavy metal classic.

Production-wise, the whole album is just crushing - we are facing a wall of sound that is clear but full. And the guitar tone is piercing, is fat and as so much balls, it might just be the best metal tone I've heard. And drums are also present and well defined. Definitely, having producer Andy Sneap around at Mustaine's home studio was the best thing that could possibly have happened for this record. Let's not forget the new guitarist, Chris Broderick, for the crazy guitar solos tha fill this album, and for the fact that he fits extremely well with Mustaine.

Granted, I am already sold, having followed Megadeth for the past 15 years, so I might not be neutral enough. Let's say that the 2 previous albums were a step in the good direction, as Megadeth was slowly getting back to what they do best. But with Endgame, Mustaine has surpassed himself, giving us a gem. And reviews all abound in the same direction:

Blabbermouth: 8.5/10.
Metal Hammer.
BW&BK: 10/10.

Definitely, with that record, Mustaine and his brain-child just re-established themselves as a relevant force in the metal realm - let's just hope that he keeps Megadeth alive, as he recently hinted at the fact that it might soon be the 'end of the road' to quote the title song...

Get the album in streaming here: http://www.myspace.com/megadeth !!!

And yes, as I thought, they will be in Canada this Fall. November 11th at the Bell Centre, with Slayer (which I've never seen live yet) ! This promises to be a great night, almost 10 years after seeing Megadeth for the first time (my first concert ever...).

Pearl Jam in Toronto and More...

2009-08-27T22:57:00.020-04:00

Last few weeks were amazing music wise - here are a few highlights:

New AIC Song - A Looking View
Not that impressive - a bit too long. I think I was waiting for something better, even if it is still ok. Sounds like Cantrell solo. However, the other song that can be heard on youtube, Check My Brain, sounds amazing.

New Megadeth Song Excerpt - 1320
Crazy, crazy song. The more we hear new excerpts and songs for this upcoming release and the more this album will be great - full of insane technical guitar reminiscent of RIP, guitar solos, and great vocals melodies. Can't wait for this album to come out, as it might clearly be their best in 15 years.

And I keep hearing about a Canadian tour sometime this fall...

Plum Shark News
The 2nd album is now mixed and mastered. We just need to finalize the artwork-thing, and we will be done.

Also had the chance to play a few times with the band. It had been a long time. We are now going into full 'rehearsal mode' for the release of the album - expect some shows this fall.

Pearl Jam Concert in Toronto, Friday August 21st
The high point of the last week for me.

Highlights:

Going to the pre-party at the Brazen Head Pub close to the venue: Packed with Pearl Jam fans from all over the world. Great time, from 3 to 6 PM, before the concert.
Flirting at the Pub with an Eddie Vedder thirty-something model friend from Toronto. Now I digress, but, what the heck! In retrospect, that encouter made my day... (which was already amazing to begin with, so I guess you can understand how fun and gorgeous that girl was... She was just 'shining' personality-wise and physically).
Pearl Jam opening for Pearl Jam: The singer for the opening band was missing, and we got a real treat, with Pearl Jam helping out. Missed Vedder playing Needle and the Damage Done just as we were coming in... however, they played with the openers for a while, including the final song, the classic Stooges song, Search and Destroy.
Seats were amazing: 15th row, which means my fan club number keeps getting me better seats, as members were flying from all over the world for this concert.
The crowd was crazy, and the band was on fire.
Ending the night at the Horseshoe Tavern, famous for playing all the Canadian bands before they are huge...

Here are a few pictures I took from my seat:

PS: Oh... I forgot. The next morning, I went to see the new Tarantino movie, which ended up being just a really fun time. The best Tarantino movie since Pulp Fiction.

PPS: Tomorrow, thanks to my little brother, I got tickets for the media party for the release of the new Vincent Vallières record at the Astral. Should be fun.

PPPS: Also got some tickets for the Mars Volta in Montreal, and Liam Finn is coming our way end of October. Should be a lot of fun!

Pearl Jam - The Fixer

2009-07-21T19:38:00.002-04:00

Yes, the new single for Pearl Jam's forthcoming album is here!

Sounds fresh for Pearl Jam.

Enjoy!

Head Crusher

2009-07-10T23:28:00.004-04:00

New Megadeth coming soon! Yeah!

While I write some other posts regarding Plum Shark and gear, I was floored this week by the new Megadeth song that was given for free on their website, for the oncoming 'Endgame' record.

And this is song the real Megadeth! Just looking at the cover explains it all:

From the intro on, it is a real assault on the senses! A mix of their last record and 'Rust in Peace'. Heavy, extremely tight, along with nice transitions. If this is a glimpse of what the record is gonna be like, this one is a statement. This song is just sick.

It has this pure 'Mustaine snarl' all over, and the guitar tone is as aggressive as it ever was for Megadeth.

And the new guitarist, Chris Broderick, certainly won't deceive anyone.

For now, if this song is a good example of what is to come, this album might be, by far, album of the year.

Never been that excited for a new Megadeth record. Can't wait to hear more!!!

Get the new song, in streaming, at www.megadeth.com.

AiC - Black Gives Way to Blue

2009-07-01T00:36:00.002-04:00

New Alice in Chains... after over 13 years. New singer, after Layne's passing. But what does it mean musically?

Figure out by yourselves - the new single - Black Gives Way to Blue - is available in mp3 for free at www.aliceinchains.com.

It all starts crazy, with huge drums full of reverb and distorted guitars all around - AiC is back.

Like AiC of late, Jerry's vocals are quite important. They are as loud as the new singer's William Duvall. By the way, I propose that you into Duvall's previous band's music, Comes with the Fall.

At first impression, this new song sounds more like Jerry's Degradation Trip than anything. Weird, but I was waiting for something more... Nice melodic chorus though - that might be the strength of this next CD, with William's sense of melody where it makes a difference. I just hope Jerry let him write some parts by himself.

However, production is slick! It is heavy and powerful that is for sure. AiC never sounded that mean.

I'm still waiting for the complete CD before judging. However, after listening twice, I would have hoped this single to blow me away. At first, it did not... That is all right, if the songs and the album is deep in guitars, effects, melody. I just hope not to be disappointed... that would be sad for such a great rock band.

I'll keep listening to this song, in order to figure it out, and we'll see...

The album, A Looking View, will be in our hands September 29th. Can't wait...

The Mars Volta's Octahedron

2009-06-23T23:28:00.019-04:00

Today was the release of the brand new The Mars Volta's record, Octahedron.

However, feedback we had from the band - which is acknowledged by the liner notes - show that this album was record nearly one year ago... Apparently, their record label would not let them release two albums in the same year. Thus, this album comes a year and a half after Bedlam in Goliath.

Other feedback that we were hearing was that this was supposed to be an unplugged. But in Mars Volta terms, unplugged did not necessarily mean playing with acoustic guitars. At a first hearing, the album clearly seems to focus less on dynamics, but more on ambiance. This doesn't mean that there is no rocker or any aggressive tendencies however...

Here's my track by track review:

1. Since We've Been Wrong
Starts slowly with a droning pad, then, after over a minute, a simple acoustic guitar gives, along with Cedric's voice, the tone of the song... melancolic and ambiant. When the chorus hits, it feels like The Mars Volta traded their usual electric guitars for toned down arrangements, but it does not feel weird at all - it actually breathes (barely breathing would be better fit for the tone of the song) more than The Mars Volta ever did breath.

Then, drums hit hard, with bass, filling the mix, leaving guitars behind. Interesting production decision, yet it is quite effective in bringing a crescendo in the song.

Clearly, we are in for a different record from the Mars Volta... we recognize the textures, but the overall feel seems more mature...

2. Teflon
Going into a rocker it seems, by the drums coming in... However, it mostly remains spacey, kicking into the choruses, but much less than the Mars Volta is used to. Yet, this is a stready progression into higher gear, but the song writing seems more much present than aggression...

3. Halo of Nembutals
Sound effects at first, then guitars-bass kick in. This one feels like it is coming from Frances the Mute - a lot of focus on ambiance. But then it kicks in a 6-chords chorus, yet it feels like a song instead of an epic. Good thing, in my opinion.

At first, the end lost me a bit there though... before coming back in the chorus, for a powerful ending...

4. With Twilight As My Guide
A slow one there, with plenty of delayed electric guitars filling behind the acoustic forefront. The focus is on vocals and ambiance here, acoustic guitar providing a nice layer on which the song moves.

A great melodic break (or chorus?), gives is power without changing anything in the dynamics of the song.

Even if this one is actually close to the feeling of 'The Widow', it is more felt, and seems to me like a superb evolution from their previous work.

5. Cotopaxi
Ah... we get a break here from slow, ambiant songs with the album's rocker. This one could fit on any of their previous 2 albums - it is also a complete, short and powerful song that is not too far from their At-The Drive-In past, which is definitely a good thing. The break there sound just like King Crimson...

6. Desperate Graves
The second 'rocker' from this album, yet it does not have the aggression of similar songs from previous Volta albums - clearly, this one shows that they can achieve the same feeling without always trashing everything around.

After one hearing, the verses of this song are probably one of the powerful moment of this album.

7. Copernicus
Again, this one relies on vocals, but this time, there is not much ambiance other than that provided by the clean electric guitar (until drums-bass and other arrangements slowly come into sight). Nice piano at the end... feels like a different band on this one.

8. Luciforms
Starts with synth-pads for over a minute... nothing else. Would this have been a previous Mars Volta records, we would have been swimming in overdub sea by then - nice change.

But still it shifts into high-gear for a while, the drumming being to me the center piece on this one - the snare can be heard more clearly than all other instruments, bringing a rhythmic pulsation that drives all the rest in verses that only offer sparse instrumentation.

However, the ending doesn't do much to me... until the solo gets in! Yeah, this feels like I am playing guitar - all emotion. Sounds like Omar was feeling it all the way.

--------

Well... these were just first impressions, and I can't wait to listen again for a more refined hearing. Still, this band does not disappoint, as it feels as good as any of their previous albums (have they made any 'bad' album according to their standards ?!? - yet, each of their work stands on their own).

What can be noticed is, for a second album in a row, great drumming from young prodigy Thomas Pridgen (won a Guitar Center nation-wide US contest at age 9... he is now just 26).

Instead of being just part of an album, songs from this record feel like individuals that breathe compared to any of their previous work. Still, these songs relate to each other. In general, toned down arrangements make it seem like they must have commited to song writing rather than aggression, and this feels good from such talented arrangers - now we know they can also write songs rather than always go for the obvious aggression they are known for...

Again, they came up with a weird cover... My first reaction: "Man, y a une gousse d'ail sur la pochette!!"... :P

No, This Blog Is Not Dead

2009-06-23T22:58:00.010-04:00

Hi folks,

if some of you have been wondering, no, this blog is not dead. It just took a somewhat longer than expected hiatus, while Plum Shark was taking the time to finish tracking, and then mixing it's second album. Lots of things to talk about there, but it all should unravel in the coming weeks.

Just to keep you up to date, the mix is nearly finished - we've spent 2 crazy days mixing at 'Studio Victor' in Montreal, and the result is impressive. Here's a quick glimpse of the sessions...

Meanwhile, in the music world, here's a few tidbits to look at the coming months, and that I should be commenting on in the near future...

- Pearl Jam new album and concert in Toronto.

- Alice in Chains' incoming new album (this one I have high hopes for).

- Soundgarden reunion tour in the works?

Also, more comments regarding recording, Plum Shark, etc...:

- Gear, gear and more gear... what I've been playing with in the past few month.

- A look back at Plum Shark's recording sessions.

- Plum Shark rehearsals.

Talk to you soon!

Pearl Jam TEN Re-Issue

2009-02-19T00:40:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd share that with you guys, speaking in the last post about the upcoming TEN Re-Issue.

A few excerpts are already available at PearlJam.com, and it is brillant. As much as I do not like to "revisit" a classic album and take a chance to mess it all, let's say that the new Brendan O'Brian remix is amazing - it is raw, heavy and sounds energetic. The presence of the band is amazing compared to the "over-produced" album that we all know.

Well, they had a few excerpts also at RollingStone.com, and I guess that Pearl Jam gave them the permission to distribute mp3 files of new songs. So I'm taking the liberty to share these with you... grab this while it's hot, cause it really is.

Porch Re-Mix: It sounds raw, punk, thrashy, perfect.

Brother Re-Mix: An outtake of Ten that is going to finally see the day with vocals (was an instrumental version on Lost Dogs). This one is actually getting some airplay right now, to promote the re-release.

-- UPDATE: Crap. Blogger won't let me upload mp3 files directly. It sucks. Your alternative is to go streaming the songs on Pearl Jam's web site. You'll also find other excerpts such as "Drop in the Park" songs, the 1992 bootleg included in the Super Deluxe edition - it sounds killer.

After listening to these, I hope that nobody is going to contradict the fact that this band has been more than relevant and vital in rock's landscape.

Random Music News and Thoughts, Part I

2009-02-07T19:33:00.056-05:00

It's been a long time since the last post, and a lot of things have happened since then. The easiest way to summarize this is, I guess, by a few random comments. So here we go!

1. Guns n'Roses - Chinese Democracy

In my opinion, a great album. Of course, would have these songs been bad or Axl's voice not cutting it, it would have been weird after all the time, effort and money behind this one. What is great is that it sure feels like the Axl Rose we know from November Rain or Estranged. This means that fans of the heavy blues-rock of old Gn'R will not necessarily have fun listening to this one (which might explain some of the "bad" reviews). The comparison I like to do (and that I am proud of, I admit) is that instead of sounding like a dirty shotgun and an alive and thorny rose, it feels like laser guns and glass roses.

This I Love, Sorry and Prostitute are amongst the songs that challenge any other written by Guns over the years. Throughout the record, Axl's voice is as powerful as ever, and he delivers songs that are melancolic and full of sorrow - clearly, this is not a happy record.

Of course, this did not sold much compared to what the hype would have let us think it would, but who still sells records these days, with the whole industry collapsing?

2. Talking About the Collapse...

Talking about the collapse of the music industry, I had an interesting read from the NY Times not long ago about a heated debate over the phone between Apple's Steve Jobs and Sony Music's CEO. Go Stevie!

It just feels more and more like labels know they are losing this one and that they don't have any leverage anymore, with well-known artists now being able to go direct through online sales, and bypass those blood-sucking guys that are just lost with a business plan that has not evolved in over 25 years.

However, my question remains: how do emerging artists that aspire for big production and to be heard get that help? Trent, what would you do?

3. Pearl Jam's Ten Re-Release

Pearl Jam: A band that does not needs exposure anymore, and that now releases their albums by themselves, after a long 7 records contract with Epic Record/Sony Music.

Now, they are having the re-release to end all re-releases of albums. The ultimate fan package. The Ten album remastered, then re-mixed (by Brendan O'Brien) and re-mastered, then vinyls copies of these things, the MTV Unplugged DVD, a 2-vinyl live concert from 1992, pictures, notes from Vedder and even a copy of the original demo-tape on which Vedder wrote and taped lyrics fo 3 Ten songs. What not? I don't know what else to ask for, and I know that I can't wait to get my copy.

Oh... and by the way, if you can't shelve a hundred and fifty bucks for this deluxe package, they also offer smaller packages that are still quite interesting and affordable.

While we're there, check out the videos on that Amazon.com Pearl Jam Store page.

4. NIN's Gift of 400 Gb of HD Video

Reznor does it again. He will never stop to surprise us, and to challenge the way things are done in this new era, and it has only been 2 years now that he has been pushing the enveloppe, for his and his fans' benefits - there is no doubt a lot more to come.

After an effort to video tape a live concert in 3D which would have been produced by James Cameron, Reznor did not have time to plan the video recording of the last concerts of his amazing tour. However, he apparently found out that 3 shows were taped in their entirety with 7 HD cameras. The amazing part is that he gave away all sources on torrents, a whopping 400 Gigs of unedited, raw footage from these 3 concerts. Now fans with multimedia editing stations are downloading these files (months to get them all, mind you) and getting to work. This means that we will get professional grade videos from these concerts in a short time.

Already, a few efforts have shown up on youtube, and this will be impressive (by the way, it seems that youtube now supports HD content). Here's a few links:

Vessel, from NIN's Year Zero, live in Sacramento:

Ghosts 28, from NIN's instrumental Ghosts album, live in Sacramento. This one should appeal to non-NIN fans, as it is a nice laid-back, ambiant jam. The editing is bad though, can't wait to see these with real editors doing the job.

Here it is for today! I have a lot more to talk about, and there should be another post shortly...

Rock on !

Charlie

PS: Comments are welcome. You can also send this blog along to people you know that are fans of good honest music.

Crazy Old Neil

2008-12-04T23:39:00.007-05:00

Whoooaaah...

I retract the words about the NIN concert being the best I've seen (though it's definitely a close second) : Neil Young at the Bell Centre last Monday was just surreal.

From the opening song, Ragged Glory's "Love and Only Love" - which might just have become my favorite song of the moment as it's been in my head all week - up to the end, Neil just kept the crowd on its toes, starting with a nice repertoire of his songs, going acoustic for a few - yeah, we got "Needle and the Damage Done" -, then coming back for a couple of his best electric stuff. The crowd was the best I've ever seen. Period. All ages, yet, a lot of young people, surprisingly.

As for the sound, it was perfect, loud but just right, leaving you afterwards with the nice feeling of having witnessed something great. Nice use of giant screens, but since I was so close - again, something like fourth row on the left - I only looked at them when Neil went back behind his amps, where I couldn't see him, to play piano.

One comment though. Nothing, going to a concert, is gonna beat the crazy snarl I had on my face during all of Rockin' in the Free World. It was so unbelievable, I was literally laughing myself to tears during that song. The best song I've ever heard in concert. Neil being so into it like he just wrote it minutes ago, and, on top of that, a crowd pumped as I've ever seen. Pearl Jam covers that song - nice nod - but they only give it 10% the power of Neil's version: his is loud, heavy as f**k and mean.

Never gonna miss an opportunity again to see Uncle Neil... and, unfortunately, these chances might be hard to come by in the coming years. However, granted the shape that he's in, and the quality of his performance, I would be surprised to see him go away without a farewell tour.

For you folks that were not there, here are youtube links:

PS: Sorry... tried of find a good version of "Rockin' in the Free World", but nothing on youtube made it justice. Be there next time... :P

Reznor for President

2008-11-13T19:40:00.009-05:00

Hey there,

long time, no post. I've been workin' hard recently... However, I've had the chance to witness what might be the best concert I've seen: NIN at the Bell Centre on Novembrer 12th.

We (me and my concert bud Ghis) went in line at 5:00 PM to get our VIP tickets from the NIN fan club. These tickets gave us early access to the GA floor, so we ended in having a pretty good view of the whole thing.

Trent was in great, great shape, and the band was as good as it gets. Most of all, the sound was near-perfect, and, of course, the production and the stage show were absolutely fantastic. Lights everywhere, a lot of dynamical effects using 3 walls of animated LED's. On top of being an incredible addition to a stage set, the band even used this system has an instrument at some point.

And the sound. For the second time seeing them, I'm coming back impressed about the quality of the sound. Even if the music is loud, distorted, and with many many layers, NiN's live sound is clear, detailed, and just loud enough. Many many sound engineers should learn from them...

Coming back to the state production, you had to be there and witness it to understand. You can go back to one of my previous post, where I linked to a Wired article. Moreover, the company doing the light system has posted a great video on NiN's youtube site detailing their work (by the way, this is a company from Montreal).

Apparently, I am not the only one that was impressed by all the aspects of the concert: see a review from Montreal's La Presse.

In retrospect, it is obvious to me that the music Trent Reznor has been putting out in the past couple of years as been it's best ever. And I've been raving about his past 2 albums (The Slip being in my mind his best, more mature, melodic and artistic album yet), and he played a lot of them. The Ghost break, where he and his band played acoustic songs from his instrumental Ghost album was amazing. Jazzy, subtle, and would have surprised anyone thinking that NIN is all about noise and agression.

The more I thing about it, the more I'd like to describe NIN as the Pink Floyd of the '90s. And I'm pretty sure that we are just starting to hear the best of what Reznor can offer.

PS: Oh, by the way, as much as I hate people getting their cell phone out during concerts, I just had to take these pictures for this blog.

PPS: Apparently, Chris Cornell is in Montreal this Sunday. Just figured this out last week, and got my ticket :P... I just hope he won't play too much of his last album's songs... More about this in a few days.

PPPS: Just as I finish writing this post, here is what I see... There has got to be a DVD of this tour at some point, it just is too incredible. However, this clip does not really do justice to what it really is...

Nine Inch Nails - Lights In The Sky 2008 tour ad from Nine Inch Nails

Upcoming Concerts

2008-10-17T23:15:00.005-04:00

Yes, I have tickets for good concerts in the coming weeks:

Nine Inch Nails - November 12th, 2008
Neil Young - December 1st, 2008

Both on the floor, at the Bell Centre. Great times ahead for sure!

By the way, here is a really interesting link concerning NIN's live lighting rig from Wired.

I'll Be Lightning

2008-10-17T22:27:00.008-04:00

Yep, after listening to Liam Finn's solo album, I guess I'll be lightning too...

Such a great album, for a young artist. Simple yet powerful songs, and the production is just right for what he is trying to convey. For me, right now, this music soothes as much as it hurts... and that makes me feel all right, which really is a good sign.

The music is pure, Liam Finn's guts is right there, but the joy and melody he brings makes it kind of happy, even if it is sad. Songs such as "Second Chance", "Energy Spent", "Better to Be", "Remember When" and "Fire In Your Belly", just show how much he is able to capture a feeling and to keep it simple and touching while not dilluting the power of his songs and of his melodies. All in all, it really is impressive for a first record.

Recently, seeing Liam live for the second time (he opened this summer for Eddie Vedder (and yeah, I know, I still have not written about that incredible concert....)) was a good as it gets. I still had not bought his album, yet his melodies were engraved in my head from the first I'd seen him. However, this time was a private concert, in front of 250 persons at "La Sala Rossa" in the neighborhood that has seen the "Montreal Scene" grow. Seeing Liam there was just great. Yet, he is humble, brings a lot of energy and soul to his performances, yet, he still sets his gear himself before the show, and enjoys the presence of his little brother (from which I bought Liam's CDs) giving him a hand at selling merch and helping out on rhythm guitar for a few songs.
I was more than happy to buy Liam's CDs straight from his family, knowing that he would appreciate not being raped by the parasites of the music industry.

As for the concert, it is an impressive one-man-band. He loops himself on bass, guitar, drums, and adds his vocals on top. But be warned, seeing him live his totally different than his listening to his album... so much more energy, closer to a rock show actually.

Oh... and who I taught was his girlfriend, hanging by the stage for the duration of the show, might actually have been the most beautiful women I've ever seen...

So, now that I've teased you concerning this great songwriter, here are a few links for your consumption! Be sure to encourage him and get his CD, it is worth it!

Liam at Letterman performing Second Chance:

I'll Be Lightning Video:

Liam's website: liamfinn.tv.

Metallica's Death Magnetic

2008-09-02T23:05:00.004-04:00

All right, I confess, I stumbled upon Metallica's new record while browsing today. What is funny is that I was not especially looking for it. Grabbed it anyway. I guess it doesn't matter much... I'm such a completist that I will end up buying the CD no matter what.

Actually, hearing a crappy mp3 just makes me crave for the real CD. It is always a pleasure to blast a new CD in a good sound system and hear exactly what we were supposed to hear production-wise.

Back to the album, I have yet to listen to it a few times, but it sure is impressive. It is angry, mean, harsh, not always melodic. Long songs, most of them clocking at over 7 minutes, filled with riffs, riffs and more riffs. Not that we really care, but this won't get much radio airplay.

Seems quite promising. I think that my feeling about the fact that this album might sound "forced" are fading... seems legit, inspired. Not their best album, but solid effort - in my opinion Metallica sounded better when they were more melodic (I think that there is too much of pointless "St. Anger" type of agression in there). But that is why it sounds inspired... got to give it to them that their sound has constantly been evolving since the beginning. That is something that I respect, since I enjoy seeing artists challenging themselves.

I will get a more detailed review when I'll blast it in my CD player in two weeks...

Fall's Coming Back

2008-08-29T00:09:00.011-04:00

It's kinda sad in a way (as Summer as been so short this year), but standing outside tonight makes me feel like Fall is coming in fast. No leaves on the ground yet, but it sure is in the air.

Some of the best times I remember is sharing this season with my close friends (Ghis, Alex and Alex, you are targeted there :P...). I don't know why, but it always has been our season. This year, it sure is a season of change for all of us, and I wish us the best of luck with our endeavours. Cheers to that guys!

Now, I'd just like to remember about some of the music that we heard during these few historic Fall evenings, years ago... Memorable music for memorable times.

- Billy Idol's White Wedding: There is something wicked about hearing that song on repeat for a few hours that still gets me in a transe-like mode these days ...
- Pink Floyd: Whatever we heard of the Wall or outside in St-Lambert... So good, so true.
- My input with Metallica's Garage Inc.
- Anything Led Zeppelin.

We were old school, but I think it made us in the end better, honest people...

Again, good luck guys, and may the music you hear make you remember of the fun we had together during these times!

Hope to see you all soon !

PS: Oh... and yeah... I still did not forget about my upcoming post concerning the Eddie Vedder concert I witnessed with my little brother. I hope I'll find the time to write about that pretty soon...

Scott Weiland's 12 Bar Blues Review

2008-08-25T18:25:00.016-04:00

I finally received my Weiland solo album CD. No error this time! So, while I'm studying and looking back at a few things for yet another round of job interviews, here is a short review of the album...

First song that hit me, Barbarella, summarizes pretty much the talent of Weiland. No wonder this became one of the lead single of this album. A deep, melodic tune, with hooks reminiscent of some Purple songs. Good production (Lanois, of course) on there, with sparse acoustic guitars and a "wall of sound" hitting hard during the chorus, with several layers of guitar.

The third song, About Nothing, couldn't be more experimental. Loops everywhere. Weird after a first listen, but good chorus with plenty of guitars again.

Where's The Man is an excellent ballad, with a chorus full of layers like in the first few songs.

Fifth song, Divider, has a jazzy/bossa feel. Excellent piano, throughout the song, from Brad Mehldau. But damn... that layed-back track is followed by hard, distorted guitars! Great, as I like albums with dynamics. Quite original, trashy but also spacey at times. Next is The Date with a slow groove and a good amount of delay on vocals. Simple yet efficient, with an ending reminiscent of Nirvana.

I could go on and on about each and every song, but just half-way through, it is easy to figure out that it is a great album. You can hear, at times, some influences of Beck, of the Beatles and of Tom Waits (Lady, Your Roof Brings Me own, with Sheryl Crow on accordion), which are great comparisons.

The liner notes indicate that Daniel Lanois mixed 5 songs on the album, and I'd say that it shows, as these songs all sound heavy and full.

So, the verdict... just don't expect an album that sounds like STP. However, I would say that it definitely ranks up there with the first 3 STP albums. It is quite successful at departing from STP's "signature" sound while retaining originality and quality. Good mix of guitars and loops and nice vocal melodies. All in all, a great album, that I hope you will enjoy as much as I do after just one hearing!

The Day That Never Comes

2008-08-21T14:09:00.014-04:00

Just listened to the new Metallica single (www.metallica.com), and here are my early comments.

Sounds like a cross between Load and ...And Justice For All. Seems like a 2008-version of "One", but with overtones of Load (I hear some "Outlaw Torn" or something in there... which might be one of their best song since 1991).

I don't know yet if this sounds forced or what. I will need to hear the rest of the album for that. Overall, it seems promising.

Random Comments:

Almost 8 minutes single. Nice!
4:10 riff is pure Load-era Metallica at its best. Sounds real good to me.
Shitty streaming quality, but production looks slick. Seems to have a nice, fat sound.
Nice intro, melodic, classic Metallica (Sanitarium, One...).
Dual-guitars.
Guitar solo without wah.
Progressive ending, but is it inspired?

Update On A Crazy Summer

2008-08-13T12:33:00.006-04:00

Sorry, not much updates recently, as it has been a crazy summer with so many things going on...

Amongst these things, I've been looking for a job lately, which has taken a lot of my time. I've had the chance to be in touch with the folks at Digidesign, the makers of Pro Tools (for those that don't know, this is the industry-leading software for digital music production - any decent studio has its copy). These guys actually flew me in for a day of interviews at their office in San Francisco. I wish I could have got the job, as their environment is amazing. It sucks, but this was my first job interview ever, and I am proud to have got this far. Hopefully, this is just going to be for another time.

By the way, I just updated my "Recently Listening To" list, as I've been listening to numerous new CDs in the past few weeks.

Talking about buying CDs, listen to that one: I've ordered recently, through an Amazon.com commercial seller, Scott Weiland's solo album, produced by Daniel Lanois. Got it in the mail yesterday, and couldn't wait to put it in my CD player. But you know what? There was an error, and I ended up receiving a 2-CD "Best of Foreigner" - Arrgghh!! I couldn't stop laughing though.

Thanks to the seller's customer support, there won't be any hassle for me, as they will send me my Weiland CD without me having to send the Foreigner CD back. I just wish it that the error could actually have been a CD that I could have listened to - now I need to find out what to do with it ('cause it is clear that I will not pollute my CD player with this crap). Any ideas? :)

Well, this is all the time I have for today. I can't wait to have time for the next post, for a recap of Eddie Vedder's solo concert I've been lucky to attend in Montreal this past Sunday.

Upcoming Concerts

2008-06-25T14:08:00.013-04:00

Well... truth be told the upcoming concert I would like to go to is Pearl Jam in Boston on June 28th and 30th. Looking at the current setlists from the band, and at the incredible reviews from their recent concerts, I'd so like to be there next weekend.

Unfortunately, I currently can't afford it. At least, we will be able to get our hands on their concert bootlegs, as they are back on physical CDs for the first time since the 2003 tour (Yes!). Moreover, they were apparently filming at their last Madison Square Garden concert, so we might end up with another tour DVD (Yes!). That's great, as the concert was apparently amazing.

At least, there will be a few good concerts for Quebec City's Summer Festival next week:

1- Musical Box: No one will be sorry that Yes won't be there, as this Quebec cover-band will play "Selling England By The Pound" in its entirety.

2- Stone Temple Pilots: Stole the show from Red Hot Chili Peppers (in my opinion) last time they were in Quebec City. Weiland has just amazing stage-presence and the music is just great rock music that still sounds good even if it was 15 years ago.

3- Zappa Plays Zappa: Yep, a Zappa cover band, but with a few original musicians in the mix. Steve Vai! (Edit: Well... apparently, no Steve Vai. However, Dweezil is more than adequate to cover his father!)

4- A few other concerts here and there that can't remember right now but that might be worth attending to...

Hope to see you guys there!

Rough Times

2008-06-03T15:40:00.004-04:00

Quite hard to find yourself having, all of a sudden, nothing to hang on to...

The following list is what I have been listening to in the past 2 weeks:

Genesis - Foxtrot
Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall '71
Rush - Snakes and Arrows Live
R.E.M. - Green
Tom Wait - Blue Valentines

Capture the Feeling

2008-05-14T23:43:00.002-04:00

Today, Plum Shark had a pretty good rehearsal, working on new songs for a future 3rd record. But like any practice or live show, you've got to take some and leave some... New songs are taking shape, the groove is really, really good, but most are unfinished, and playing them is still a bit rough at times.

However, listening to demos of these new songs is amazing, as there is a good live feel, and emotions are there for sure. Unfortunately, this is something that is really hard to transmit when multi-tracking in the studio.

Related to that subject, I remember reading an interview with ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, who was talking about doing music to "capture the feeling". With that comment he referred to how a good jam might sometimes lead to an impressive connection between musicians that cannot be described and that you cannot reproduce even if you liked to.

Well, the few new demos we recently recorded give me that feeling, and I just hope that we will find a way to share all of this through the finished product...

The Art of Balance

2008-05-10T00:24:00.007-04:00

A crowded room, distorted guitars, some reverb, and suddenly, a horn section comes in. Then, the chorus, with heavy, distorted guitars on the right. All vocals on the left. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which segues right into "With a Little Help...".

Looking back at this album summarizes, I guess, the Beatles. Memorable songs, pop, experimental, always touching. But what's interesting with this album is that the compositions are, for the most part, simple. Arrangements are simple. Yet, everything is so effective.

And, production wise, everything sounds good. As a guitar player, I am amazed by the guitar sounds, which, most of the times, is razor sharp, piercing through the mix, but never taking too much space, except when it shines, for the occasional dirty guitar solo (listen to "Fixing a Hole" or "Good Morning..." for perfect examples (the latter in which the guitar solo is dueling against the horn section... amazing)).

Actually, I guess that the success of this album lies in its balance. The songs flow one into another, the sounds are often quite different from song to song, but still, something connects them perfectly together. The best example is "Within You, Without You", that just features sitar and percussions... yet, this song fits amazingly well in the context of the album.

To me, that is what good rock music is all about. You've got to push and pull the listener, reach for some different textures, but in the end you've got to keep it interesting and arrive with a finished product that sounds as a whole. And that is an art in itself. The art of balance.

Death by Digital Distribution

2008-05-08T14:43:00.003-04:00

This week, we again woke up on Monday morning to the sound of a new Nine Inch Nails album, (yes, again: remember the 2-disc instrumental album Ghosts I-IV released a few months ago). Thus, without any kind of promotional plan, Trent Reznor uploaded his latest work, "The Slip", on http://www.nin.com/, this time as a free download for all NiN fans. How great is that?

In recent months, Reznor has really shaken things up for the record industry by embracing digital content distribution like no one else before. His business plan is simple:

1)Distribute for a small fee (or for free ) your music.
2)Make your fans happy.
3)Offer well-made physical products and limited edition packages at relatively low cost (10$ for the 2-disc album "Ghosts").
4)Go on tour and make profit over merchandising.

And for Reznor, it payed off, with 1.6 millions dollars going into his pockets after only one week of the release of "Ghosts". That is more than enough to pay for packaging, web hosting, recording, etc. and it obviously is a huge margin compared to the few percents artists make on record sales these days (actually said to be under 5%).

And to finish this big f*** you to the industry, Reznor chose to distribute both his new albums through peer-to-peer torrents, which have been as the devil by record companies.

In the end, you've just got to applaud his efforts, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Oh... and by the way, his new music is great. A more mature and melodic NiN, just like he has been hinting at with Year Zero. And I just love the 2 songs / 12 minutes instrumental break before the last song of the record.

Of course, the only thing I wonder is how someone could achieve this and be profitable without already having an existing fan base. That's a chat I really would like to have with Reznor, as this DIY (Do-It-Yourself) work ethic that he promotes is something that I found important and that I have tried to respect with Plum Shark as it enables you to put the music in front of everything else.

What is funny is that it seems the industry just kills itself by promoting all these artists that put music far behind their list of priorities, but I guess it has always been like that... just look at the old adage of Sex-Drugs-Rock'n Roll. To paraphrase Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta in a recent interview (for those who know him... who's better to comment on integrity and DYI that this guy?!?), notice how the Rock'n Roll part comes last! That is sad, but it just says it all...

And now, concerning real music, I have been hard at work, these past few nights, on digital editing of the songs for Plum Shark's second album, and let me tell you, it will be good. We really believe in these songs, and can't wait to get this album in your hands.

I hope we will be able to figure out something cool to do about digital distribution, and I already have a few ideas with which I would like to go forth... I'll keep you posted.

Let's Break the Ice... With Some Megadeth!

2008-05-02T15:01:00.013-04:00

After thinking about it for some time (and being pressured about it by some people), I finally decided to start blogging. Of course, I will talk about what is going on with my band, Plum Shark, but also about plenty of other things related to music in general (mostly rock music, by the way).
Just for the heads up, Plum Shark is currently recording its second album. We hope to finish recording in June, to mix in July. Of course, I will keep you posted in the next few weeks about this process.

For a start, I thought I would talk to you about the Gigantour concert that took place in Quebec City this week. The heavy metal festival took place last Monday, at the Pavillion de la Jeunesse, a brand new venue just beside the Colisee. This arena seems perfect for smaller shows, exactly what Quebec City was missing for medium scale rock and metal events. However, they were not prepared for such a beer-drinking crowd, as there clearly were not enough toilets in the building!

As always, metal does well in Quebec City (must be something in the water or maybe a side effect of our extreme winters, I don't know...) and the show was sold out. Not all bright lights in the crowd, mind you. What's funny in most metal shows is that punks usually get inline at the venue by 14:00 to start boozing. Thus, at 16:00, some guys are already getting rowdy. Imagine, then, what it looks like at 21:30, just before Megadeth... There are always a few guys that end up passing out before the main event (which is all too predictable). Thankfully, most people know how to behave.

Children of Bodom (CoB) and In Flames both had a good response from the crowd. However, I found CoB to be a bit on the flashy side, not displaying enough emotion. They seemed to play for the crowd and not enough for themselves. In Flames were good, but there were not enough old songs for my taste (sadly, the last In Flames album I listened to was Clayman, around its release, while I was in CEGEP). Yet they were good and lighting was really nice: they brought their own lighting rig in road cases that were put behind the band where guitar amplifiers usually are. The result was impressive.

Then, Megadeth. The Almighty Megadeth, that is seeing a second coming with the last two album. It was my fifth time seing the band, and it actually was the best concert I witnessed from Dave Mustaine and Co. I was blown away by the new lead guitar player, Chris Broderick, who might be the best since Marty Friedman (by the way, I have seen 4 lead guitar players in 5 shows, including Friedman). The show was tight and full of energy, as always, and the crowd response was amazing, so much that Dave seemed surprised and honored. I have never seen him smile that much at the end of a concert, while the crowd cheered for him for a good 2 minutes. Best song of the night goes to Ashes In Your Mouth! Already one of my favorites, they just nailed it.

All in all, a good night of metal.

On another subject, I will be recording guitars for our album with Pat this weekend. If it all goes as planned, he'll only have 2 songs remaining to record. We are quite happy with the results so far, and it can only get better. As I said before, I will keep you posted on the subject.

Well, that is all for this "breaking the ice" post. By the way, if you guys want to discuss about something here, feel free to respond by posting some comments!

Cheers,
Charlie