chinscratch

[chinscratch]

Matt Lee's Top 30 Montreal/Quebec Songs 2013

In a celebration of the endless talent pouring outta this embattled province, I put together this playlist of Montreal-area (and outlying cities) radness as I heard it in 2013.  There is always something good going on...  Have fun and cause trouble in 2014!  Support your local DIY scene, it sure beats a kick in the ass!

For reviews of underground pych/punk/noise/whatevs check out my posts at The Big Takeover Magazine.

1 - Télégraphe Jungle - Tyme

Hospital Murmures by Télégraphe Jungle

2 - CRABE - Métal Dans Ton Corps Humain

Mort de fraîche date by CRABE

3 - Mavo - Totally Tired

Mavo 7'' by Mavo

4 - David and the Woods - Feu Follet

David et les bois (2013) by David and the Woods

5 - Socalled - Seasons Theme

The Season by Socalled

6 - Les Guenilles - Poule pas d'tête

Zéro pis une barre by Les Guenilles

7 - Odd Limbs - History of Black and White

EP1 by Odd Limbs

8 - Ultraptérodactyle - Ce Gentleman Sophistiqué

Quand une mascotte saigne by ultraptérodactyle

9 - Sacral Nerves - Black Feathers Squirming

CJLO Artist Outreach Compilation by Sacral Nerves

10 - Teen Seizure - Julius Seizure

EP by Teen Seizure

11 - Solids - Cold Hands

Solids / Animal Faces split 7" by Solids

12 - Loosestrife - My Money

enough by loosestrife

13 - Oktoplut - Page Blanche

7'' by Oktoplut

14 - Il Danse Avec Les Genoux - CETTE CHOSE BOUFFE MA TÊTE

CETTE CHOSE BOUFFE MA TÊTE by IL DANSE AVEC LES GENOUX

15 - Half Baked - Welcome to the Desert of the Real

Welcome to the Desert of the Real by Half Baked

16 - El Napoleon - Andromeda

Fucks the World (ep) by El Napoleon

17 - Godmanchester - Silver Rain

Green & Blue by Godmanchester

18 - Maxime Gervais - Sucez-moi les couilles

Le héros de la ville by Maxime Gervais

19 - Drug Train - Noone Cares

20 - USA Out of Vietnam - Leg of Lamb

21 - Girl Arm - Jetsons

22 - Varger - Le Pas

Varger by Varger

23 - Baked Goods - Tonight

THE BASTARD by Baked Goods

24 - Pypy - Pagan Day

PYPY "Pagan Day" LP by PyPy

25 - Drogue - Half - Virtue

Split 7" by DROGUE

26 - After Party Acid People - Spread

After Party Acid People by After Party Acid People

27 - The Great Sabatini - Lincoln Continental Breakfast

Sunday School by The Great Sabatini

28 - *Shining Wizard* - U.S. General Apologizes After Afghan Drone Strike

29 - UUBBUURRUU - Laying In An Angel's Corpse

UUBBUURRUU by UUBBUURRUU

30 - Freelove Fenner - Last Summer

Do Not Affect A Breezy Manner by Freelove Fenner

[chinscratch]

Spineless Reviews 04 - Ancestors - EP (2007)

This little 5 song EP (and a rad 7 inch) by Toronto's Ancestors are in my collection, and I'm stoked to rediscover this small triumph of post-hardcore yummy. Now that this style of music is really coming into it's own with new bands like Greys and Shahman really carving out a niche for psychedelic neo hardcore, it's cool to look back on a really unique band that is now (unless they've broken up) playing as Town Ships. 

Great blend of mid-fi hypnotic tunes that alternate between fierce and epic instrumentals and vocal driven raveups that to my ears inject a kind of Contortions vibe into things, at times veering into Comets On Fire desert psych territory.  When Devil Eyes used to play Toronto shows, we'd hook up with these guys, always impressed with how much they threw into each song.

Self-released, LTD edition of 240, silk screened fold-over sleeve in a plastic sleeve with a stenciled CDR.

These guys are now called Town Ship and are still putting out small batches of great music.

[chinscratch]

Spineless Reviews 03 - Sinaatra! - "D-Mohniak's Psychobilly Soul Invocation EP"

I’ve been lucky enough to befriend a buttload of rad weirdos from Valleyfield over the last bunch of years and have naturally accumulated an equivalent stack of CDRs from the Cuchabata label which has foisted on us many great releases from the likes of CRABE, David and The Woods and Maxos Le Gervoide (nee Maxime Gervais).   This little brain kick dating back to 2006 is a twisted pack of cheap noise, electro, grindcore with appropriately irreverent off the cuff 4 track editing.  Keyboard-derived beats with shredding out of tune chorused guitars and pig-squeal vocals..  turns out better than half the hallowed noise acts that take themselves overly serious.

Men about town David Dugas Dion, Martin Hoek and Simon Loisir (who puts in a masterful and Boredoms-worthy vocal performance, btw) are the culprits behind this one, and as always have a penchant for great songtitles as “My Indigo Dildo Is Turning To Brown”.   I’m glad I pulled this puppy out of the spineless loaf.

[chinscratch]

Spineless Reviews 02 - American Riot - "Songs For You and Your Girl EP"

Met these guys on tour in 2009 when we played at the Golden West Cafe.  I remember being outside the venue at 2am and smelling a sickly sweet, porridge like odor.  We were all remarking on the smell when a hoodrat sidled up to us..  "Y'all wondering what that smell is?"  

"Yeah, what is it?  Cookies?"  

"It's the crematorium up the street!"

Apparently Baltimore has at least a homicide a day and they burn up the John Does late at night, in a crematorium that couldn't be bothered to filter that shit.  We were inhaling dead people.  The local weekly mag has a column called "Murder Ink", describing the more grisly murders of the week.

Can't remember a thing about the band American Riot, but I did get their CDR somehow.  Kind of sloppy and barely trying poppy punk.   I think they might've thrown in the towel, found a ghost Myspace link.  Nice little B&W on colored recycled paper, old school copy n fold styles..  I always love the ingenuity of foldover paper CDR covers.   Extra points for the crappy laser print on the CDR itself.  Minus points for including the lyric sheet because they are BAAAAAAAD lyrics.

[chinscratch]

Spineless reviews 01 - Ladderlegs - "Climb Well"

This is the first in a series of short glances I want to take at random CDs/CDRs I've accumulated that are without a spine, just in an envelope or a homemade pouch or something like that.  I've ended up with a giant loaf of them on my shelf so why not grab one out at random and reminisce?  Sort of like "Oh yeah, this was so rad but I forgot about it because it went into my loaf of spineless cds.". First random grab:   Ladderlegs from Lowell, Mass.  We played with them at the 119 Gallery around the time they made this CDR, about 2009.  I like the hand sewn pouch with a different cloth on the inside.  Great band, bad-ass energy, very screamy high energy hooks some post punk some rock swag.  Great first dig.  I don't think Ledderlegs exists anymore but I found the CD on bandcamp for you to enjoy! 

Climb Well by Ladderlegs

[chinscratch]

Matt Lee's Top 30 Montreal Songs 2012

This is how I saw things in 2012, Montreal's underground rawk/psych/punk/noise/garage/grind/yo bands keeping shit real in the 20teens.

Read other reviews of rad releases over at BigTakeover.com! http://www.bigtakeover.com/author/Matt+Lee/

World Peace, Matt Lee

1 - Will Austin - Movement For World Peace

Movement For World Peace - 2012 from Will Austin on Vimeo.

2 - Crabe - Poire Carnation

3- The Great Sabatini - Napoleon Sodomite

4 - Black Piranha - Charrue

Charrue by BP Black Piranha

5 - Les Guenilles feat. Emily Jayne - No Love Lost

No love lost (feat. Emily Jayne) by Les Guenilles

6 - Hidden Keys - Broken Wire

Broken Wire by Hidden Keys

7 - Penny Rimbaud, Louise Elliot w/We R Dying 2 Kill U - Live at Sala Rossa

8- Fleshmoves - What Do You Protect?

What Do You Protect? by fleshmoves

9- Monstism - Pain Divine

Monsntism - Pain Divine(Morbid Angel cover) by Cuchabata records

10 - The Lobs - The Devils Here

11 - Scarlet Beast - Our City

Our City by Scarlet Beast

12 - Solids - Fog Friends

Fog Friends by Solids

13 - Ponctuation - Comment ça?

Comment ça? by PONCTUATION

14 - The Forum - Mercy For Now

Mercy For Now by The Forum

<

15 - USA Out Of Vietnam - You Are A Comet, You Are On Fire

You Are A Comet, You are on Fire by USA Out Of Vietnam

16 - Panopticon Eyelids - Solar Mind

Solar Mind by Panopticon Eyelids

17 - Lisa LeBlanc - Y Fait Chaud

Y fait chaud by Lisa LeBlanc

18 - Le Chelsea Beat - Si Tu Reviens Chez Moi

19 - PYPY - Psychedelic Overlords

A-06 PYPY - PSYCHEDELIC OVERLORDS by PYPY

20 - Silver Dapple - Want To

Want To by SILVER DAPPLE

21 - Vulgar, You! - Heureuse

B-16 VULGAR YOU! - HEUREUSE by VULGAR YOU!

22 - Alaclair Enseble - @Olimeat

23 - Nuance Noire - Train De Minuit

Train de minuit by Nuance Noire

24 - Il Danse Avec Les Genoux - Arachno-Botanique

ARACHNO-BOTANIQUE by IL DANSE AVEC LES GENOUX

25 - UBT - Never Say Die

Never Say Die by UBT

26 - Ultraptérodactyle - La dernière fois

La dernière fois by ultraptérodactyle

27 - Les Dales Hawerchuk - Rhum and Coke

rhum and coke by Les Dales Hawerchuk

28 - Corpusse - Hard Tonight

29 - Gros Mené - Ovechkin

Ovechkin by Gros Mené

30 - Nagasaki - A Trip To Montreal

(I just made him an honorary Montrealer for this video. Wow!)