Big Rock Finish… reviews of independent music

Name: Staggered Crossing
Album: Burgundy & Blue
Released: 2004
Members:
Julian Taylor - vocals & guitar
Dan Black - bass
Dave Marshall - guitar
Jeremy Elliott - drums

Website: www.staggeredcrossing.com
Favourite Song: grow (Track 2)

Okay, so I met JT (Julian) in the summer of 2006 because I was unemployed at the time, and he was being hired to do some promo stuff for a band I was trying to help rep. The business end of the deal turned out sour only because you should never trust a wannabe rock star with a stackload of cash. But the good part was I did get to be introduced to really cool band, and Staggered Crossing would be it. Sadly I never did get to see them play live, two of my friends were able to make it to one of their shows, and I just read on their page that the band is on an indefinite hiatus.

Rock, Alternative, Blues. I never understood what would be considered Blues. It was my impression that blues music was depressing songs about breaking up with your girlfriend or other similar topics that would make grown men cry. This album doesn’t remind me of grown men crying, the songs lyrics are kind of down, but the music is pretty up-beat… But I’m not very hip with all sorts of terms for music. I’ll take the Rock and Alternative though. Honestly? Staggered Crossing is good music. No matter what you try to label it as.

Like I said earlier, the songs on this album… now let’s see how much of my Grade 12 English I have retained, are a bit of a dichotomy if you compare the lyrics to the music. The lyrics, if you read them in the liner notes, are pretty sad. There are songs that talk about saying goodbye, and how tough things are, how down you are etc. But the music, almost doesn’t match the lyrics. The music to me sounds quite upbeat and happy. I don’t realize half the time the songs are meant to be sad songs until I sit and read the lyrics away from listening to the album.

Honestly I feel a little embarrassed posting this review so late. I meant to write this almost a year ago when I first started this site, and just never had a chance to. And I’ve had Burgundy & Blue in my car CD rotation more than once for months at a time. But I wouldn’t have a problem playing songs like these anywhere. Maybe my next work-related lunch party I’ll play them this album, just so I can say “I know the guy who’s singing!”

jemo played for the first time in a long time, a solo show, at the renaissance cafe at woodbine and danforth. to say i was excited because this was the first jemo show in a long time is quite the understatement. the last show of theirs i remember going to was back in july of 2007 and it’s now january 2008!

the venue was just a little bit weird, i haven’t been to a bar that tiny in a long time, especially one that serves cakes and dessert and grilled cheese sammiches along with their thirty varieties of beer. the previous act was also kind of weird, he admitted to being very depressed in some of his songs, and it was quite obvious once the songs got started. the entire crowd seemed made up of generally older people who were looking for a bumping country music filled time.

the venue was also full of teachers, as jeff had invited out what seemed like every current and former coworker available and they all showed up.

this was the first full solo jemo show i’d seen. i don’t think i’d ever seen jeff sit down to play on stage before. i hung out in the back with a handful of teachers while jeff started, and marveled at how his songs are without bass and drums to back them up. it’s neat, it’s awesome, it’s just not what i’m used to.

in the end i really super enjoyed myself. got to meet some interesting and cool people, and had one of the curators of the event call me and the group i was sitting with “those kids” when asked why we were there. i also got to try out a citrus-ey beer. and for the last song i ended up going up to the stage to take some photos.

i’m excited for more solo jemo shows as they come about, and while jeff admits to concentrating on a cover band for the next little bit, i doubt jemo will be on the back-burner for long! we’re all waiting for your next big break!

Name: Cara Cortese
Album: In This One We Go Down Singing
Released: 2007(?)
Members:
Cara Joanne Cortese - Vocals & Guitar

Website: www.myspace.com/learnitbyheart

Favourite Song: Track 7 - Walk the Beaten Path

Myspace says Indie, Alternative & Pop. I will add Acoustic because generally Cara’s songs involve not much more than her voice and her acoustic guitar. Whatever we call her music, I find it easy to listen to, upbeat and generally pleasant. The unfortunate thing with music that is mainly acoustic guitar and not much else… is it always has a feeling of “I’ve heard this before” It’s pretty hard to make one instrument that has a very distinct sound to… sound unique every single time. I greatly enjoy listening to this album whether or not I get a feeling of deja vu with every other acoustic song I’ve ever heard.

Every song Cara performs on this album is a little story. Every time a new track starts I feel like I’m being lead down a story path of someone’s life. I wouldn’t hesitate to guess that they are likely bits and pieces of Cara Cortese’s life I am now living with her through her music. As is what many musician write about, what they know best. It’s great when musicians can be so open. Enough to let the world know what their middle name is. (I just had to say that, she makes a point of it on her myspace, heh.) I know my favourite song is listed as Walk the Beaten Path, but I have to say a very close second is Going Down Singing as the last track. It just… fits!

I would listen to In this one we go down singing (okay, the album title… a little long for my liking because I have to type so much!) in my car… but not late at night because it’s a relaxing type of album and might possibly make me drowsy. But I wouldn’t mind listening to this while I try to sleep since it *IS* such a relaxing type of music. And definitely at the type of house party where there will be no heavy boozing and loud obnoxious people. Quiet people and quiet music.

Name: Anodyne
Album: Equinifinality
Released: 2007

Members:
Mike Tilson-Vocals, Guitar
Jeff Smith-Bass
Josh Cousteils-Drums
Zach Bujold-Guitar

Website: www.myspace.com/anodyneband
Record Label: Revelation Sound Studios
Favourite Song: Track 4 - Growth to Decay

I don’t normally copy and paste… but here’s what the band says about themselves on unsigned.com:

…we are not a band that needs shitty production, shitty vocals, shitty musicians and shitty hair cuts to do what we want in this diseased music scene. Forgive the cynicism but since when is the success of a band determined by how many myspace friends they have, or how many kids with the same goddamn hair, makeup and clothing come out to a show where every fucking band plays the same riff, screams the same way and is just as sad that their girlfriends dumped them. There is more going on in the world than this fucking scene…

…So listen loud if you like it, dissect the words and music because thats why we wrote them. And if you dislike or disagree with it then at least you were smart enough to give it a chance.

Now I rarely dissect words to a song, but I do enjoy listening to them. I doubt they’re writing their music exactly for people like me… but I’ll enjoy it. Whether they meant for me to or not.

Rock. Experimental. Other. Other?? Great. There’s an even more generic category than “Rock” or “Pop.” Well screw that, I am not putting an “Other” category on my sidebar. But Other…. sure, whatever you guys want! I enjoy the rock aspects of the music, very familiar in the “I haven’t heard this sound before, but it’s nothing I would be offended with” sort of way. The experimental stuff, I guess is mixed in with the rock stuff. But I do really think highly of the instrumental tracks and the parts where the vocals are not much more than whispers of what at first seem like sweet nothings. I like this mix of style.

The individual songs all seem pretty different from each other if you try to analyze the music. If you casually listen (like I do on a regular basis) it’s hard to tell that it’s even the same band. Sure elements are similar, but Anodyne seems versatile enough to keep me engaged and actively-passively listening for probably hours on end.

I will definitely be putting Equinifality into my car CD rotation. Thankfully to do so I don’t need to pronounce, nor spell, the name of this album, I’m having enough trouble trying to pronounce Anodyne. Generic house parties? Yes, this will be in my party mix as well. The usual places people listen to music. I might even try my mp3 player when I finally go to the gym again. New years resolution & all.

Name: Yesterday’s Portraits
Album: Sixteen-Thirty Three
Released: 2006
Members:
Jon Sweeten: Vox
Patrick McNerney: Guitar
Kik Fregia: Guitar
Jay: Bass

Website: www.yesterdaysportraits.com
Record Label: Set X Records
Favourite Song: Track 3 - Endless

Myspace says Yesterday’s Portraits are Hardcore & Rock. I agree. Because Rock is generic enough for me to agree with no matter who it is. And with how the vocals run, Hardcore sounds about right.

Alright. I’m going to admit, this was one hard review. I’m into vocals being melodic and going along with the song. I’m… used to a singer singing. For the tempo and the songs to sound sort of pop-rock when I first start the songs, it took me a few tries to get over the vocalist screaming to the point that I can’t make out the lyrics to the songs. What *really* threw me for a loop was that there’s songs where there is another vocalist who sings lyrics as well, who sings the way I expect singers to sing. Much as I hate to say this, I’m not a big fan of the screaming. I also sympathize thinking “Good lord your throat must have hurt at the end of every recording session.” The music? Awesome. Intros, and instrumentals were always impressing me.

I could see these guys being awesome to see live. I persoanlly can’t really see myself listening to this album a whole lot. Again, the vocal thing. I keep pretty open minded… it seems like screaming just isn’t my thing. Or maybe I need better headphones for my computer speakers. Hardcore just isn’t me.