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The Bravery – The Sun and The Moon

The Bravery - The Sun and The MoonYou can see it in their faces on the album cover, that “what went wrong” kind of look. The Bravery were supposed to be New York’s next big thing, the new face riding the neo-new wave. Sadly in a sea of bands throwing in synthesizers and electronic drums not even a feud with The Killers could help them live up to the hype that hit most people long before the first single did. That’s not to say their first record wasn’t a modest success or solid from start to finish, it just wasn’t quite the splash everyone who heard the singles thought it was going to be. So with that out of the way let me say it was probably for the best and get on with this review.

The Sun and the Moon is a very subtle and mature departure from the sounds Bravery fans might be used to. It’s an indulgent record, but not selfish. The songs retain a comfortable structure and the album as a whole is polished and well rounded, The production is first-rate, but the mixing is where the post work really shines with all the little nuances popping out at just the right time perfectly accenting the feel of the songs. Vocally front man Sam Endicott works himself as just another instrument, going for the compliment rather than the hook (but still providing hooks-aplenty). Lyrically he pushes the abstract but with a little biased reading between the lines a theme of missed chances and perseverance appears from time to time. “Waiting for our ship to come, but our ships not coming back”.

The album starts with “believe” and “this is not the end” straight ahead rock tracks with bluesy heavy leads that drive the song. Ambient tones and harmonies with large passionate choruses and synth riffs there strictly for mood instead of movement. Both tracks follow a similar formula pulling the listener into the record. The tracks that follow, “Every Word Is a Knife in My Ear” and “Bad Sun” sound more like classic Bravery. Great dance songs, synth heavy, electronic drum, dangly earring, bob hair cut kind of stuff. Then the stand out song on the album ,“Time Won’t Let Me Go” , the kind of song that will show up on the sad uplifting part of Grey’s Anatomy or House. With the sing along bridge and outro this might be the sleeper summer song of 2007. Next up an acoustic bluesy song that doesn’t feel as out of place as it could. It does it job as a wind down track before the album takes a
different turn. If this were more of a cruising record this would be the song where you’re driving through the desert.

It is refreshing to hear a record the gets stronger in the second half. With obligations out of the way the songwriting really starts pushing itself. The structures loosen slightly and the songs start to have a more of the organic written with feeling more than formula touch. The backing vocals branch out with more creative risky melodies and it works. It is in this last half that fair-weather fans of the bravery will glaze over but music fans will really start to tune in. You can hear in the composition of the
last 5 tracks that The Bravery are taking chances and focusing on the sum of the parts being greater than the whole.

The album ends with a melancholy piece that crescendos into an ideal wrap up of The Sun and the Moon, a record that is quite impressive from start to finish. Major success on a grand scale might never be in the cards for these guys but integrity, substance and sold out shows in the “in vogue” venues is firmly in their grasp.

7.5/10 – JKE Dean

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Stolen Bicycles Gang at the Princeton Pub

Stolen Bicycles GangStolen Bicycles Gang at the Princeton Pub

Last week, somewhere in East Vancouver, there was a great show.

The place was the Princeton Pub (1901 Powell St.), and the band was the Stolen Bicycles Gang.

The Stolen Bicycles Gang (SBG) consists of five high school friends with talent.

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Zero 7 @ The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver

Zero 7Zero 7 @ The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver It’s a humid Saturday night in downtown Vancouver and hundreds are packed in the Commodore Ballroom awaiting the onstage arrival of UK electronica outfit, Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker — otherwise known collectively as Zero 7. Opening act Jose Gonzalez, vocalist on multiple tracks off Zero 7’s current and third album “The Garden”, treats us to his acoustic prowess and sombre singing style.

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Badly Drawn Boy ends tour with dreary eyes, cigarettes and rye

Badly Drawn Boy “I need a break,” he says as he stops playing piano and lights up a cigarette. “You’ve seen me; I’ve been up here for fucking two hours.”

It was understandable that Damon Gough of Badly Drawn Boy was tired, as his band got stuck on the stateside border for four hours earlier in the day. Nevertheless, the fading enthusiasm just summed up what was little more than a mediocre live show.

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Michael Franti & Spearhead @ The Commodore

Michael Franti SpearheadMichael Franti & Spearhead @ The Commodore As the familiar concert smoke flooded the ceiling region of Vancouver’s beautiful “Commodore Ballroom,” Xavier Rudd delved deeper into his amazing set. The Darwin born Australian one-man band stunned all in attendance, serving as the opening act. Rudd performed one of the best truly solo sets I’ve seen, utilizing three digereedos, several guitars of different variations, a harmonica suspended around his throat, a kick drum by his left foot and a microphone for his voice. Rudd affirmed the meaning of the word “independent.”

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Citizen Cope @ Richards on Richards

Citizen CopeCitizen Cope @ Richards on Richards The last time Citizen Cope came through Vancouver, he performed at a small club. He was dubbed the “headliner” but there weren’t any other acts for him to reign over. Before he took the stage simply spun a Bob Marley compilation, which kept the eager crowd at bay. This time was different though. Cope performed for an audience with a couple hundred more members atop larger stage.

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Citizen Cope @ The Red Room

Citizen CopeCitizen Cope @ The Red Room From being one of the first sites to feature this extremely talented folk-blues singer, MVRemix has been attentive to the works of Citizen Cope. Having him pass through Vancouver was an opportunity that we simply couldn’t miss.

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Lullaby For The Passersby

Los Angeles bloggers hail Frankel as one of the city’s best kept secrets. The man behind the music reveals the story behind the name. Fans of Wilco, Elliott Smith, and The Flaming Lips take note of Lullaby For The Passersby.

“Absolutely an artist to watch out for in 2007.” – Aquarium Drunkard

“Lullaby For The Passersby is going to remind you of a lot of great bands but never borrows a single lick. Frankel’s songwriting holds its ground because there are so many quirky bits stapled to the melodies without ruining the feel. For an album that is so refreshing, I’m dumbfounded that a city ‘buzzing’ with multitudes of forgettable indie-pop-folk bands hasn’t discovered Frankel’s obvious musical talent.” – Little Radio

Frankel’s first full length Lullaby For The Passersby is a shimmering listen that has bloggers buzzing with excitement about the promising Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. If record reviews show any indication of what is in store for Frankel, otherwise known as Michael Orendy, he will soon be hailed nationally as one of the city’s most promising acts. Lullaby For The Passersby was mixed by Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart and mastered by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Grandaddy, Built To Spill) fame and will be released on producer Raymond Richards’ Red Rockets Glare label.

Orendy himself played all of the instruments on Lullaby, from the Theremin to the Twirly Whirly. Aside from being a multi-instrumentalist, Orendy also proves his talent through his songwriting. “Wilco, Elliott Smith, and hints of The Flaming Lips shine through on Frankel’s debut album, Lullaby for the Passerby”, says Little Radio.

As for the unusual name Orendy chooses to record under, it refers to a piece of orthodontia he had to wear when he was young. According to Orendy, it was “a giant retainer that filled your whole mouth-huge, kind of like what a boxer wears in the ring”. Orendy embraced his Frankel into his adulthood and made it his nom-de-tune. The name suits Orendy’s music perfectly, as it turns out. Because, like the apparatus he was fated to don, his songs strive to make lemonade out of life’s lemons.

Frankel is supporting Lullaby For The Passersby with a round of hometown dates followed by a US tour later in 2007.

Frankel Live:

06/16 Los Angeles, CA Sea Level Records
06/18 Glendale, CA – The Scene
06/20 Live Performance on Little Radio

06/26 Hollywood, CA – Boardner’s

07/09 Los Angeles, CA The Echo

07/13 Live on KXLU, Los Angeles

07/19 Los Angeles, CA Tangier

Lullaby For The Passersby Tracklisting:

Release date: June 12th, 2007

01. Thermostat (MP3)

02. Tooth Decay (MP3)

03. Dressed in Uniform

04. X Marks the Spot

05. New Authority

06. Found Out

07. Previous Life

08. Red Part of Town

09. Lullaby

10. Curtain Calls

11. Becoming You