Austra, Young Galaxy, Tasseomancy @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto (December 1, 2011)

  Austra: photo by Michael Ligon

Kicking off a busier month of concert-going than usual for me these days was Toronto's Austra at the Phoenix Concert Theatre at the beginning of the month. The bigger ticket that night was Feist at Massey Hall but there seemed to be a full-house (if not a sold out one) for the homecoming show for Austra who'd been making waves and touring all year.

Doing double-duty that night were twin sisters Sari and Romy Lightman aka Tasseomancy who to me were better known as Austra's dynamite backup vocalists / all-around foxy side women. It was only more recently that I found out that the sisters use to be Haligonian indie folk duo Ghost Bees. Joined by male musicians on keys and drums, the gals stark vocals complimented the lilting folk melodies and subtle instrumentation nicely. Haunting at times, and sonically interesting throughout, they aren't your average folk band.

Since the release of their self-titled debut full-length in 2007, Montreal's Young Galaxy were a band I'd suspected would have hit it big by now, which if they had, it'd have been deserved. The band's soaring, dream-pop melodies were never really the mainstream, as mainstream pop has gone over the last five years, but in my opinion could have crossed over easily if only the fickle music buyer had taken notice. With the release of their third album Shapeshifting released earlier this year, it seems that band has discovered dance music, as was obviously displayed by the band during their set preceding Austra. With the entire band dressed in white, including female lead vocalist Catherine McCandless in a flowing white top, it was a visually attractive presentation. Musically, it was quite apparent that the band's recent forays into dance-inflected pop is what's floating their boat these days. A part of me misses their earlier dream-pop sound, but the band seem like a more stimulating live band this time around, especially Mccandless' vibrant movements and tambourine-shaking onstage.

Austra's debut album Feel It Break released this past May I will have to say is my favourite Canadian album of the year. Featuring vocalist Katie Stelmanis' stark operatic vocals against a backdrop of pulsating rhythms and synth, along with a bevy of great melodic tunes, it's just such a fantastic listen. Stelmanis greeted the crowd and told us that just a year ago they'd play their first headline show at the Bovine Sex Club and now they were playing their biggest show yet in Toronto, this time at the Phoenix. I was fortunate to catch them live at the sweaty and intimately confining Wrongbar earlier this year during Canadian Musicfest so it's a shame to say that this show at the Phoenix just did not reach those euphoric levels I'd experienced at Wrongbar. I wished the crowd had shown more energy, like the pulsating, dance-infused crowd that greeted Austra earlier this year. The crowd at the Phoenix was wholly appreciative for sure, but definitely lacked the energy that they should have had. given the band's exemplary musicianship. Perhaps the post-midnight set was frustrating for some that Thursday night for those who had to work the next day, but hey, you're only young once.

Photos: Austra, Young Galaxy, Tasseomancy @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto (December 1, 2011)

The Walkmen, AA Bondy, Blood Feathers @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto (October 9, 2010)

  The Walkmen: photo by Michael Ligon

The various spectrums of rock n' roll were on display this past Saturday night with a trio of acts that were bound to please everyone. It would only take one look at the MySpace URL of first opener Blood Feathers to guess what they specialized in. The Philly outfit were indeed a rock n' roll band of the highest degree, pumping out hard-rocking, r n' b, rockabilly-tinged numbers. Taking a reverse take on The Ramones whose members each took on Ramone as their last name, Blood Feathers' members utilize their each individual last names but take Feather as their first name. Greaser-quaffed lead vocalist Feather Mills did a fine job on lead vocals, but the instrumentation was where it was as the band excelled with with effective drumming, crunchy guitars and the occasional grimy tenor sax. I could have imagined a good rock n' roll dance party going on but the sparse crowd onhand was a little too insecure to break out of their shells.

Next up were Alabama artist AA Bondy (born Auguste Arthur Bondy), one of the buzz acts of this year's NXNE. Buzz-worthy he may have been, but I'd never even attempted to sample their wares before the show, which really is my bad. With two albums already to his name and aprior history with a previous band(Verbena) back in the 1990's according to Wikipedia, I'm way behind the curve, but feel quite fortunate to have caught this set. In stark contrast to the sparse crowd onhand for Blood Feathers, the crowd was decidely more focused on crowding the front of the stage for AA Bondy's set. Unaware that Bondy himself and his two band members(drummer & bassist) were actually setting up their own gear onstage, I was surprised when the trio subtly took to their instruments, the lights dimmed as it would remain for the entirety of the set(frustrating photographers I'm sure) and went on to knock my socks off. There was a Southern strain to Bondy's supple melodies and vocals, while the band churned out the instrumentation in a decidely easy tempo, giving much of the material a dark tone. On the other hand, the band also dabblesd in a bit of dissonant experimentation, reminding me a bit of Sonic Youth or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-era Wilco, as Bondy at times held up his guitar to the amp as it resonated with harsher tones. But in the end it was the song's that really connected and I'll be looking forward to seeing Mr. Bondy either in solo or band form whenever he comes back to town.

The last time NYC's The Walkmen played in town was in July 2009 at Lee's Palace, not the first time I'd seen the band live but it was a show I don't have any specific memories of but generally remember it being satisfying but no more no less. For a band who in my opinion had released one of the finest rock n' roll singles("The Rat") of the last decade, of the few times I've seen them live I don't recall their live sets being consistently scintillating, although I would say that this most current set was their most successful set to me yet. On the tour jaunt for their most recent album Lisbon, there was obvious excitement for the group. The band dressed in dark slacks and white button-up shirts, with a member or two wearing a jacket or blazer, oozed NYC cool without looking ridicously hipster-ish, but the visual aesthetics aside, the focus was really on the music.

There was a balanced approach to the setlist overall. The vibe of the night ranged from skeletal rhythmic numbers like "Blue As Your Blood", to churning rockers like "Victory" and "In The New Year", crooning atmospheric numbers like "Donde Esta La Playa" and "Canadian Girl", and perhaps the band's bread and butter, explosive numbers like "Angela Surf City" and "The Rat". So the organ-fueled and guitar drenched numbers were augmented by drummer Matt Barrick who was particularly solid, occasionally embellishing his rhythms with a shaker or triangle. I still thought pockets of the crowd were frustratingly tame. However, there was definitely some energy dispersed through the crowd and the crowd was indeed vocal for their want for an encore which the band granted first with mellower tune "New Country" performed with just lead guitarist Paul Maroon and Hamilton on vocals, then launching into the explosive "The Rat" which could have satisfyingly ended the night there, but the band ended the night on one more tune. LIke the female concert attendee vocally shouting out her song request, I was hoping they'd also play the mariachi-influenced "Louisiana" [an influence that I noticed more subtly on a few of their other songs] but no dice. The song's probably their next big 'hit' next to "The Rat" so I only thought they'd have played it. All I can say is that like the band's varied sounding ouvre, The Walkmen are full of surprises.

Photos: The Walkmen, AA Bondy @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto (October 9, 2010)
MySpace: Blood Feathers
MySpace: AA Bondy

MySpace: The Walkmen