Pick of the Week #47: The Acorn

With all that's been going on lately I haven't been listening to a whole lot of new stuff and rather than forcing a Pick of the Week -- picking something that I can't completely get behind -- I've opted to go with something from archives...

If you're a regular around here you'll likely recall me discussing Ottawa's The Acorn at one point or another, but often I find that it takes me hearing a name 2/3/10 times before I actually get around to giving something a try. So, more than anything I was hoping with this week's pick would remind you how excellent this group of Ottawanians is.

Their last album, Glory Hope Mountain, was released in 2007 and I ranked it as my 19th favourite album of that year. And certainly that isn't a bad ranking, but looking back at my list I'd be inclined to re-rank it inside the top-5 with the note that it is likely my most listened to album from 2007.

Wouldn't that make it my favourite you'd ask? Well, I dunno. I guess the way I look at it is that there are albums on the list i.e. Kanye, The Besnard Lakes, Panda Bear, that have, in my opinion, higher highs and more 'wow' moments. So, the others may be more interesting, at times, but you've really got to be in the right frame of mind to listen to them. I mean, I thought No Country for Old Men was a great movie, possibly my favourite of 2007, but I haven't watched it nearly as many times as I've seen, say, Role Models, mostly b/c with NCfOM you've got to be in the mood for a movie that demands that much attention.

Now, I wouldn't suggest that Role Models is the musical equivalent of the Acorn or Glory Hope Mountain, but it could be. And by that I mean that Glory Hope Mountain is constructed in such a way that you can shut your mind off, go on auto-pilot, and enjoy the gentle guitar picking or you could turn up the volume in your car and tap away to the tribal drums. The album might be background music while you do whatever is it you need to be doing (sleeping, driving, it, etc.), but it also has the ability to be something that you could really sink your teeth into. The album, which is a tribute to the lead singers mother (R.I.P.), also has the emotional weight of albums like Funeral, Everything All the Time, and the new (and excellent) album by the Wilderness of Manitoba Hymns of Love and Spirits.

Whatever you want to do with/to Glory Hope Mountain it's certainly an album that, if you give some time, you'll enjoy more on the 50th spin then you will on the 1st.

"Dents"


[mp3] The Acorn - Crooked Legs
[mp3] The Acorn - Glory (live)

Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: Ohbijou (Swift Feet for Troubling Times)
Pick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley
Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane
Pick of the Week #11: K'naan
Pick of the Week #12: TOR/Sufjan Stevens
Pick of the Week #13: Timber Timbre
Pick of the Week #14: Justis
Pick of the Week #15: Hibiscus & Rosehips Compilation
Pick of the Week #16: Patrick Watson
Pick of the Week #17: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Pick of the Week #18: The Liptonians
Pick of the Week #19: Sunparlour Players
Pick of the Week #20: Black Hat Brigade
Pick of the Week #21: Howie Beck
Pick of the Week #22: Pink Mountaintops
Pick of the Week #23: Still Life Still
Pick of the Week #24: Hayden
Pick of the Week #25: Snailhouse
Pick of the Week #26: Dog Day
Pick of the Week #27: Ohbijou (Beacons)
Pick of the Week #28: Dog is Blue
Pick of the Week #29: Parkas
Pick of the Week #30: The Wooden Sky
Pick of the Week #31: Bowerbirds
Pick of the Week #32: Miss Maya
Pick of the Week #33: Ben Folds Presents ...
Pick of the Week #34: Mantis
Pick of the Week #35: Diamond Rings
Pick of the Week #36: The Wilderness of Manitoba
Pick of the Week #37: Asher Roth
Pick of the Week #38: Julie Doiron
Pick of the Week #39: Chad VanGaalen
Pick of the Week #40: That's the Spirit
Pick of the Week #41: The Ghost is Dancing
Pick of the Week #42: Dan Mangan
Pick of the Week #43: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Pick of the Week #44: Said the Whale
Pick of the Week #45: Noah and the Whale
Pick of the Week #46: Mos Def

The Acorn/Ohbijou and The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Lee's Palace - Nov. 27.2008

First, before I say anything to make you think otherwise, I had an excellent time last night. All three bands were awesome. Was it annoying that there were a pile of people at the back of the room who talked through the whole show? Uh, yes.

Second, props go to Liz, Jen (not that Jen - although I suspect she was there), Liz's Mom, and the Artist known as Mr. Grosman and Mrs. Grosman (sorry if that just got really awkward for the two of you, but you wanted a shout out, and, let's be honest, I'm just not a great writer).



The Rural Alberta Advantage were up first, and, well, I thought they were in much better form than when I saw them last. They played a lot of stuff from their record Hometowns with a bunch of new stuff that I hadn't heard before (does this mean there's a new album on the way?... I hope). And while their sound isn't for everyone, I think they gained a few more fans, particularly since it was very buz-ay even early on last night.

(Oh, and Nils, if you're reading this, Liz felt much better about your vocal performance... so, I may get to play your record at home more often.)



Ohbijou was second. They are a really awesome band, one of my favourites from the GTA, and definitely one that Liz and I both listen to a lot. But, this was not a good venue for them at all... either that or they have a lot of a-holes that went to watch them/The Acorn last night. The first time I saw them (Aoelian Hall - London On - opening for Great Lake Swimmers - where GLS recorded Oniagra), the acoustics were amazing, everyone was dead silent, possibly because they were knocked on their collective asses by how good Ohbij was/is.

Especially after re-listening to some of the audio from the show, the chatter has made me increasingly more upset. Maybe the talking had something to do with Ojbij playing a lot of stuff that wasn't on their outstanding debut Swift Feet for Troubling Times and the crowd being unfamiliar with the new stuff... either way... you need to shut up.

On the bright side, they've got a new record coming out March '09, which, at this point, might be my front-runner for album of the year '09 (that is, unless KanYe releases an album).


(anyone else get a Jimmy Fallon vibe from Rolf [right]?)

I've seen the Acorn once before, and maybe I have a terrible memory, but I didn't remember them rocking out like that... the percussion gave off this unbelievable tribal kind of feel (that Mr. Grosman remarked on after the show), they wailed on their guitars (like I do in the Rock Band game), and they were generally just awesome.

The funniest moment of the night...

Girl in Crowd: "Wooooo.... TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!"
Rolf: "No, SERIOUSLY you take your shirt off... "

I like living in Toronto...

Also: "History Jen" + her thoughts on the show.
Additionally: Paul comments on the RAA's record Hometowns.

The Acorn/Ohbijou EP + Heron Act by The Acorn

I don't have anything particularly inspiring to say about either the Acorn/Ohbijou split EP, or The Acorn's live release Heron Act, except that they're both about exactly what you'd expect, excellent.

Although, I will say that its probably a testament to how good both bands are that both these releases, while excellent, didn't exactly floor me. And, I suspect, this is probably since they aren't really new, but a way for both bands to make a little cash (which is okay, since they're not exactly millionaires) and to tide people like me over until they release a new, new record.

[mp3] Ohbijou - Darcy
[mp3] The Acorn - Good Enough (Cyndi Lauper Cover)

Oh, and if you haven't got your tickets for their Nov. 27th show at Lee's Palace, I'm going to suggest you do so soon, since, you know, it'll sell out. Also, as an added bonus, I'm under the impression that the Rural Alberta Advantage will be opening for the both of them.

I'm back, Baby!

I'm back, I've moved, etc...

I'm hoping to get to see a few more shows, which, I suspect will be much easier considering Toronto is, well, not half dead; also, I'm not working 60 hours a week. So, if you live in London (Ontario) and were following the site for London show listings you probably stopped a while ago, but, I'll start posting some Toronto shows I'm thinking about seeing. Starting with:

Shad @ the Mod Club September 17

Plants and Animals @ the Horseshoe September 18

Two Hours Traffic @ Lee's Palace September 26

Land of Talk @ Lee's Palace September 27

Common/NERD @ Kool Haus September 28

Chad VanGaalen, Women @ the Mod Club October 4

Lykke Li @ Mod Club October 24

Hayden @ Massey Hall November 1

The Acorn/Ohbijou @ Lee's Palace November 27

The odds of me getting to all these shows, of course, is somewhere between slim and none, but we can all dream can't we...

Also, you can expect me to pick up the posting pace a little bit now that the weather is getting shittier, and I'm back at school meaning back near the ole femputer...

The Polaris Music Prize 2008 - My Top 5

From www.polarismusicprize.ca:

The Long List consists of the top 40 full-length Canadian records released from June 1, 2007 to May 31, 2008, selected by the 185 members of the Polaris Music Prize jury:

The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
Attack In Black - Marriage
Black Mountain - In The Future
Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue
Buck 65 - Situation
Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
Cancer Bats - Hail Destroyer
Caribou - Andorra
City And Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Constantines - Kensington Heights
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
Fred Eaglesmith - Tinderbox
Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
Christine Fellows - Nevertheless
Gatineau - Gatineau
Hayden - In Field And Town
Veda Hille - This Riot Life
HILOTRONS - Happymatic
Holy Fuck - LP
Islands - Arm's Way
Karkwa - Le volume du vent
Corb Lund - Horse Solider! Horse Soldier!
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Pas Chic Chic - Au Contraire
Sandro Perri - Tiny Mirrors
Plants And Animals - Parc Avenue
Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under
Protest The Hero - Fortress
Justin Rutledge - Man Descending
Sadies - New Seasons
Shad - The Old Prince
Socalled - Ghetto Blaster
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
Tegan And Sara - The Con
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band – 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Two Hours Traffic - Little Jabs
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Wintersleep - Welcome To The Night Sky

Now, I haven't heard everything on the list, but my top 5 is:

Shad The Old Prince
[mp3] I don't really like to

Plants and Animals Parc Avenue
[mp3] Good Friend

Hayden In Field & Town
[mp3] In Field & Town

The Acorn Hope Glory Mountain
[mp3] The Flood pt.1

Sunparlour Players Hymns for the Happy *not sure how come this isn't on the list.
[mp3] Point Pelee is the Place to Be

There really isn't an album on that list that really stands out as a heads and shoulders favourite to me, but, as I've said before, with Secret City's track record its hard to believe that Plants and Animals won't be sitting in the winners circle...

Best Albums 2007

20. Handsome Furs Plague Park

The other half of Wolf Parade (Sunset Rubdown) has got a lot of attention, but I much prefer the electronic-infused music of the other half (Handsome Furs). The HFs come a little closer to the Wolf Parade sound, and that's a good thing.




19. The Acorn Hope Glory Mountain

After seeing The Acorn cheer on Ohbjiou at the London Live Arts Festival (LOLA), encouraging the crowd to "Get their 'O's up" ('O' is for Ohbijou). I thought the guys in the Acorn seemed like pretty fun dudes. Their album, a tribute to lead singer Rolf Klausner's mother, is a little more experimental (read Latin American influenced) than their previous two EPs, Tin Fist and Blankets.




18. Brother Ali The Undisputed Truth

Brother Ali is probably my favourite rapper (albino or otherwise), and I had been waiting for a new album since .... the last one. Sometime in between releasing the Champion EP, and the releast of tUT, Ali split with his wife which had an obvious impact on his work, see 'Walking Away'. Tracks like this, represent the softer, but not best side of Ali, who is strongest when he is confident and telling us the way the world should be. For his best work see Shadows on the Sun [2003] , or Champion EP [2004].



17. Mark Ronson Version

In the aptly titled Version, Ronson, producer for Lily Allen gives his take on a number pop songs 'God Put A Smile on Your Face' Coldplay; 'Toxic' Britney Spears. Amy Winehouse on 'Valarie' is the highlight of the album, and an outstanding, outstanding, song.






16. Iron & Wine The Shepard's Dog

All of Iron & Wine's previous stuff (that I'd heard at least) was really, really, really, slow. This album is certainly more upbeat, and as a result it possible to listen to when you are not horribly depressed, or trying to fall asleep.




15. Voxtrot Voxtrot

I managed to ignore Voxtrot for a while, despite hearing good things, but since seeing them on Spinner.com's 'Interface' their catchy, poppy, rock songs really grew on me. It also encouraged me to find out what 'kid gloves' are...




14. Basia Bulat Oh, My Darling

The world would be a better place if the female vocalists Canada exported sounded more like Basia Bulat, and less like, say, Celine Dion or Shania Twain. A great album, and, I've said it before, but a good one that Mom and Dad might enjoy also... so you can avoid hearing 'A Very Shania Christmas' this year.





13. Beirut The Flying Club Cup

I was a big fan of last years 'death march through the Balkans' aka. The Gulag Orkestar, and thankfully this year's trip through France is less depressing. In my first post on this site, I recommended the videos that Zach Condon put out just before releasing the album. If they don't hook you on the album, you might be dead. You might also just be weirded out.



12. Miracle Fortress Five Roses

It's hard to believe that I'm ranking this as the third best album out of Montreal this year. Five Roses sounds to me like an interesting combination of the Beach Boys (very appropriate since there is a song called 'Beach Baby'), with a dash of singer-songwriter and a hint of electronic keyboard. This album would probably be about 7 or 8 spots higher if Panda Bear's Person Pitch hadn't filled my quota of atmospheric, loopy albums that were clearly influenced by the Beach Boys.



11. David Vandervelde The Moonstation House Band

I wrote about Vandervelde a couple of weeks ago here.








10. Amy Winehouse Back to Black

She may not be someone you'd want to come within, say 100 feet of (for fear of catching some type of disease), but she sure as hell can sing.








9. The Arcade Fire Neon Bible

With so much to hype/expecations to live up to it was inevitable that this wasn't going to do it for everyone. Including me. Still, in my opinion, they are the best band of the 00s.






8. Ohbijou Swift Feet for Troubling Times

Ohbijou (Toronto, On) definitely deserves more attention than they've been getting from Canadian blogs, and hopefully with a new album and some touring in the new year more people will be exposed to their music. I managed to catch them twice, or maybe three times, this year and every time they captivated everyone watching. I would expect them to be a breakout band in 2008. Great for fans of Stars, Feist, any female singer-songwriter, softer stuff by BSS.


7. Great Lake Swimmers Ongiara

Hopefully, opening for Feist on her last North American tour gave Tony Dekker a little more exposure for what is a more polished, upbeat, singer-songwriter album than the previous two GLS albums.







6. Feist The Reminder

Not much else to say that hasn't been said about this album, except to link again to Feist playing 'I Feel It All' on the city bus.









5. Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala

I think quirky, is best way to describe his songs, but he is a great storyteller and an outstanding composer of the Ben Foldsian variety; although with the use of a wide variety of samples Lekman is able to cover a lot more sonic territory than traditional singer-songwriters. My favourite track has got to be "A Post Card to Nina", a song about Jens pretending to be his friends' boyfriend, so she could continue to date her girlfriend. Welcome to the world of Jens.



4. The National Boxer

I had never listened to the National before this year, and hearing Boxer has made me go back through their entire discography. La Blogotheque's , always fantastic 'Take Away Shows', really display how interesting/poetic/cool the songs from this album are. The National's show here.






3. Panda Bear Person Pitch

To be short, this album will not be for everyone. I'd describe Panada Bear (Noah Lennox of the Animal Collective) as a terrific combination of the Beach Boys and Air (who did the outstanding soundtrack for the Virgin Suicides). The album is quite a departure from his first solo work, Young Prayer, after the death of his father. PP was written in Portugal, after the birth of his first child, and is decidedly more positive, upbeat, almost inspiring. This was Pitchfork's number 1 album, for good reason, and on a different day this would probably be my number one.



2. The Besnard Lakes ... Are The Dark Horse

For anyone who has been following along, its been pretty apparent that I'm really, really, into this album. I described them before as a combination of Led Zepplin and the Beach Boys, which on the face of it, sounds akward, but it works for them. Unfortunately, since we live in such an image driven world, I think people that look like this, may never be famous rock stars.




1. Kanye West Graduation

I'll admit, there are a couple of weak spots on Graduation, but the track 'Barry Bonds' notwithstanding, this might be my favourite hip-hop album of all time. Kanye has always been an outstanding producer, and I think this album he doesn't let his rapping get in the way, too much.






Meetings with Castro and Cuervo next week, back on the 4th of Jan.