The Voilà! Music Omnibus (II)

I try to stay on top of the music world, at least from my point of view, as thoroughly as possible. But I freely admit, sometimes the music scene gets carried away, and will unleash more stuff than I can keep track of, or have time for. It's not exactly hard work to keep a music blog up, but when one has to maintain a professional/social/family life as well, I must admit, sometimes I can't report everything to thee avid readers.

But don't fret, my friends! That loud engine is the sound of the renowned Voilà! Music Omnibus! Take a ride on our little transit system, reader, as we drive you down the streets of the music scene; a scenic tour for your eager ears of the little happenings here and there, or the mentionings that weren't mentioned. Be it band break ups, pre-album gossip, new songs, or new tours, you can find it all. Get your change together - we only accept CD and MP3, because sadly vinyl doesn't fit into our coin box. Here we go!



I See The Light
Ohbijou Release Beacons in Canada
Personally, most of my favourite music - no matter what genre - somehow ends up coming from Canada. One of those Northern ensembles of mine I mention was humbly featured here on Voilà!, and with their vibrant, miniature sonic orchestra, Ohbijou knows exactly how to liven up music. They have just announced that physical copies of their brand new album, Beacons, are available in Canada, particularly at their shows in the Toronto area. How is this relevant to non-Canadians? Well it means that the albums FINISHED! The rest of us can expect to hear the latest and from Ohbijou soon. Read it yourself on their Myspace blog.





It's All About Aesthetic
The Scene Aesthetic's EP Pre-Sale
Sure, some people get excited when the bands they follow announce new albums or music. But when the band hasn't put out any sort of material beyond covers in two year, what do you do but celebrate? Following The Scene Aesthetic's cover of a certain Taylor Swift song, they are now preparing to release their latest EP, The Type & The Shadow. Find out more on The Scene Aesthetic's Myspace blog, or get down to business and preorder the EP.




Swift and Successful
Taylor Earns More Accolades at CMT
Speaking of Taylor Swift... Okay, I admit, I did that article on Taylor Swift a couple weeks or so ago, and I'm still on a bit of an obsessive buzz from her lively pop-country-hybrid style. Seems her fans felt quite the same last night during the CMT award show, when Taylor Swift was awarded with both Best Female Video and Video of the Year, both awarded by votes from fans. Congratulations! Admittedly... This is probably just a better excuse for me to listen to "You Belong To Me" even more. Damn you, addictive pop tunes, and your delightfully magnetic qualities.




All Stars, Young Heroes
Ra Ra Riot join Death Cab, Bird, and New Pornographers' Tour
One car is traveling across New York. At the same time, three identical cars leave Washington, Illinois, and Vancouver. They all will travel at 70mph until they collide together: what will happen at the collision site? Well funtimes, of course! Apparently, Death Cab for Cutie, Andrew Bird, The New Pornographers, and Ra Ra Riot have all come together for a big tour. I hear something about Tegan & Sara too. Check out the dates from Ra Ra Riot's official website.




Flying South Before Winter
Foals Are Quiet, but Not Loafing
One thing that bothers me with a band is when they disappear without telling anyone. Wax On Radio was guilty until incredibly recently, and don't even get me started about Brand New pre-The Devil And God. Thankfully, Foals is kind enough to give us updates from their English abodes. Turns out our merry electrorockers - as featured on Skins - aren't just lounging around; Foals are cranking out the creative juices, working on the next album. Check their update straight off their Myspace blog. Or check out the mini-episode of Skins featuring Foals (and some other great musical nuggets as well).




Not Just...
Via Audio Live Via Tour
The website headline says, "is spending their time making music." But if you're in the know - if you follow closely enough - you'll see how tricky they're being. That's right, Via Audio is taking a short break from making music, and instead is going to be playing music. They're launching on a small summer tour that wanders them around the country, and will offer some performances you won't want to miss. Check out Via Audio's website for more info.




A Good Dream Of NOY
Tour and New Album info from Nightmare Of You
It's been a long time coming after the release of the BANG! EP, but finally, Nightmare Of You has their act together. Their brand new, full length LP, Infomaniac, is due out August 4th. As if that weren't exciting enough, Nightmare Of You is promising a wicked summer tour that will take them all across the United States. Find out the dates, ways to get tickets, and some album art on Nightmare Of You's Myspace blog.





Keep A Reservoir of Money
Buy Fanfarlo's Reservoir for $1
I'm in love with Fanfarlo. Love love love. Their style is great, all the members are eclectic - in person, they're pretty awesome folks - and their music is indesribeably awesome. I love to share their music as much as I can; turns out, Fanfarlo wants to share too. They're offering their debut album, Reservoir, for just one US dollar. That's it, no strings attached! They're even offering 4 exclusive songs, but only until July 4th. Why in the world would you pass this up? Head straight to Fanfarlo's website now.

Recruiting (III)

On a Voilà! related note, I want to remind every reader out there about the way we do things here. Basically, Voilà! is trying to gather as many folks out there who are willing to write about music. Any ol' person will do, and there are no requirements for being a writer (except for having a Blogger account and an interest in music). We want you to join the crew! The more the merrier!

Since I first started this blog, Voilà! has actually evolved into a sexy, sweet, streamlined machine that has been bringing some great and entertaining blabbery about music. I love the music I listen to, and if I wasn't writing here, I'd still be scrummaging around the interblag for wonderful bands. Why would I not want to share some great tunes, eh?

There's something else we have in plentiful surplus. And that would be you! There have been readers in mass numbers flocking to Voilà! for all their musical needs over the past year and a half.! We have somewhere around one thousand of you lovely folks gracing our humble abode with your wonderful presence every week, and we're glad to have you! 290 some-odd posts later, three or four feature segments, and many a band of the week afterwards, here we are. Hopefully you enjoy the ramblings we waste our time with.

Oh, but don't get us wrong, fair reader. We're always eager to get some new opinions here. We always ready and willing to accept some new writers to the Voilà!. If you've ever been interested in writing for a music blog, or can't think about anything but music every day, feel free to leave a comment or email me (Chris) [chris.voilamusic@gmail.com], and we can get you hooked up on the Voilà! writing squad. There's absolutely no commitment on how often you write (though it'd be nice if it were somewhat frequent), or how well you write (though fairly good grammar is appreciated!). And if you're a writer looking for some neat job experience, or are more like me and have way too much time on your hands, this is perfect for you.

If you want to hear a somewhat-official way of how this site works, go over here.

If you'd rather just write, email me! But if you don't mind, those wanting to join might want to take a quick gander at some of the rules that that apply to writing here. And I suppose if you're really curious, you could see who's already writing for Voilà!. And as always, suggestions are always welcome if you think you know the next band of the week that I haven't noticed yet. Interested? I certainly hope so.



As for today's photo, it was taken by the young and budding Ka Lia Vang - eclectic North Cali photographer with a sweet demeanor and bubbly style of shots - and a person who is significantly cooler than I am. Might I suggest you check out her stuff on her DeviantArt? Yes, I might. Peace, folks.

The Black Cab Rolls Onward

Time, time, yes, it flows on. Onward and onward to the abstract of infinity, the void of the future that is to be filled with the actions of present and past, mixed together like a really weird latte that has way too much caffeine. Yes, despite my busyness, time has been pressing forward at an ever increasing pace. And though I can't always give the most constant report to my ever-so kind readers on Voilà!, I do my best. Just because I'm not writing as often here doesn't mean I'm not keeping my tabs on the comings and goings of the music world though.

And within that music world of ours - as this particular tale happens to centre ourselves in that unheard of town of monarchies and big guys named Ben, London, England - there is one thing that never ceases in its mirandering back and forth all about the town. Of course, that certain thing I speak of is The Black Cab Sessions, the crew of cinematographers who wander about in taxi cabs with some of the coolest musicians you can listen to.

Busy busy, The Black Cab Sessions have been busy as time's a'flowin'. As their noteriety has grown, the Black Cabbers have had quite the notable guest musicians in the confines of their cabs. From The Walkmen to Pete and the Pirates - Peter and the Wolf to Slow Club - and don't even get me started on when Lambchop appeared - they have had the opportunity to film quite a few unique performances. Whatsmore, they've still got many things currently in the works, from their special Black Cab Session down in South by Southwest 2009, to rumours of the Black Cab Sessions in New York City. Talk about intrigue!

The Black Cab Sessions in New York Promo from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

As always, the Black Cab Sessions sporadically update their site with brand new performances by any number of awesome bands and musical artists. You can check out their site here. You can find the Voilà! article on The Black Cab Sessions here. For a more convenient way to follow the British folks and their taxis, I suppose you could always start following The Black Cab Sessions on Twitter. But I guess if that were the case, you'd also be following Voilà! on Twitter as well. For now though, you can taste a treat of the Black Cab Sessions on Voilà! right now. Check out their performances of Peter Bjorn & John, and Grizzly Bear, straight from the streets of London.

Peter, (Bjorn) and John from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Grizzly Bear from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Band of the Week: Original Folks

[June 8 - 14]

Original Folks
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: The Morning Benders, Some By Sea, Nightmare Of You.

Synopsis: The sort of anglophonic French music designed to make you smile.

Makes You Want To...: Sing; Contemplate; Tap your foot.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Original Folks.


They say that there's nothing in are world that is truly original. They say that everything out there is simply a copy of something else - whether consciously planned or subconsciously brought about - and that never again will we see anything truly novel and unique, for all creations henceforth are duplicates of their forefathers long since created. Well, that's what "they" - whoever "they" are - say. I don't think that rule applies, reader. I think this world is overflowing with new and novel. I feel that there is no limit to the bounds of our creativity if we put our minds to it. And especially when it comes to someone so creative and so important such as music, I don't think we'll ever run out of ideas.

We tend to hear a lot about recycling these days. Okay, sure, maybe recycling is reusing old stuff, and we aren't seeing anything quote-unquote "new and original." But there's always something colourful to be found in old stuff as well. Give it a little twinge here, and a little tweak there, put it under a different light, and hear it in a different mood, and you find something truly unique, even if it's nothing earth-shatteringly innovative.

This recycled, but unique style suits Original Folks very well. Sure, they're not the original folks - granted, there most have been some folks before these guys arrived. And sure, their style isn't - as mentioned - incomparably nouveau nor mind-numbingly nonpareil. But it's the Original Folks' prevailing gallant representation of all the things that are great about tried-and-true song structure that sets these Folks apart.

The Original Folks hail from Strasbourg, France, and these English speaking songsmiths play through classic styles with a unique tinge that sets them apart from their peers. Original Folks stick stringently to a very simple, natural verse-chorus-verse song structure, with extremely little deviation. If you think this sounds a bit lame, and are already contemplating prejudgement, let me call you out on your bourgeois musical tastes! There's nothing wrong with such a simple song structure, albeit quite nearly any artist can successfully play it. What the Original Folks do is spice this banal song structure with unique, eclectic instrumentation and some of the most bubbly tunes I've heard recently. The result is something similar to cinnamon flavoured ice cream: gorgeous, light, and creamy - as you would expect - but with a twist, one which is ever so sweet. Coincidentally, you may also be really sad when you've heard all the Original Folks songs, as you would when the ice cream runs out.

Presently, Original Folks is keeping things local, while hitting up a couple venues in France. In the mean time, you can expect them to be crafting even more wry tunes for your eager ears. To prove how absolutely new these guys are to the music scene, their debut LP, Common Use, debuted back in March! You can snag it from their shop, or find it on iTunes by searching "Common Use." These Original Folks are a real treat, and a real gem that could easily go missed. So don't miss them now that you have the chance to groove with them! Have a great week, reader.

Retrospection: "Another Morning" - The Pillows

There's this thing about music. Music isn't like those gorgeous vinyl records of yours - all Abbey Road, and Surrealistic Pillow, and Electric Ladyland - which sit on your shelf all the live long day, collecting the dust of ages gone by. No, music, in its raw, unrefined form, does not shelter itself in a lowly hovel to age like wine. No, it's out and about, serving its purpose, feeding their perfection directly through the nearest audio outlet and straight to your ears.

Music does, in fact, age like wine. But it ages with play - the more you listen, the more you love. Thus, our elders' songs - the ones made in musics heyday - have the heads up on contemporary music. It's already had the aging process take hold - all the good tastes have begun coming to realization in them - hell, they were there when the songs were first made. Tapping into the ethereal river of sound is gifting yourself with an unprecedented cache of musical miracles. Old songs have a place in contemporary music, that's for sure. Let's capitalise that opportunity.

This is Voilà!'s new Retrospect series of articles. What we're going to do here is tap into those unopened bottles of music that have been aging all this time to see exactly how awesome they've become with the passing of time. And what better place to start than the music that launched a band into international spotlights?


Of course, I speak of "Another Morning" by The Pillows. I occasionally tout The Pillows wonderfully eclectic J-Rock stylings whenever I remember to. But how can I forget that The Pillows are one of the most vibrantly fun musical ensembles to introduce themselves to the musical Ether. "Another Morning" is all about stopping, checking out those dainty white clouds puttering across the sky, breathe a sigh of gladness, and starting a'new.

"Kyō wa atarashii boku no tanjōbi nanda, kinen shashin o tori naosu kara oide yo. Suteki na omoide o utsusu rōsoku wa kesanaide umare kawaru asa ga kita."

For those of us anglophonically inclined, a translation: 'Today's the birthday of the new me. I'm retaking that photo! So come on, I'm going to record these wonderful memories; Don't blow out the candles, cause it's my rebirth day.' The Pillows show everyone how to have a proper new beginning. And a new international fanbase was the new beginning for the Pillows after the creation of this song. Released on Little Busters back in 1998, "Another Morning," as well as many other songs The Pillows recorded were due to be featured in the anime FLCL, which turned into a huge cult-classic of Japanese media. It's how I discovered The Pillows myself, and if you have a bizarre way of viewing the world, it's definitely recommended.

But for now, let's breathe our daily sighs of happiness and joy. Let's glance up at the clouds hiding the sun, and say, "ah, I'm glad to be here today." Enjoy "Another Morning" by The Pillows, today's Retrospection.

Band of the Week: Taylor Swift

[June 1 - 7]

Taylor Swift
Sounds Like: Pop / Country
Drinking Buddies: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry

Synopsis: Pro-activity gets you the accolades, kids.

Makes You Want To...: Sing; Get back at an ex; Contemplate.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Taylor Swift.


It's a strange thing, pop music. It's no longer all about walking on a stage with a pretty face, and a smile, and a zombified fanbase of random people collectively brainwashed by TRL. Pop music has reached a state of demand, where it demands that musicians are more integrated with the writing and composition of their music; that musicians are less invested in their ego, and more invested in their musical integrity; that musicians are more than prissy, prancing boy bands that act cooler than they'll ever be (that goes for you too, Jonas Brothers). Stars are one of the leaders of pop music, and Evan Cranley says it best. "I've always been addicted to the pop song, but never really explored it [before]... It's such a direct route to get into someone's life; it can act as a window into someone's life."

Pop music these days has to be an artistic movement, a sheer expression of creativity. It has to nail its musical notes directly to the heart of the listener with moving music and sensitive, perfectly worded lyrics, to create the most powerful effect in the person as the musician can muster. Sure, there's a lot of pop still out there on that outdated format of OH EM GEE WE'RE POPULAR LISTEN TO US. But the fact is, the format is in fact outdated, and is going through a revolution. If you keep your ear to the speaker, you notice that more recent pop idols are pulling out more wild cards; their music is becoming more complex, and their lyrics aren't all fluff anymore; these idols are having to try harder to keep their listeners keen. Because of this, pop music is growing - if not a bit slow - as a whole.

Now I'm not usually sucked in by popular pop idols. But Taylor Swift got me. Somewhere between the big tour diary done by NBC, to The Scene Aesthetic covering "Love Song," Swift pulled me in. She's a young girl who now calls Nashville - a capitol of American country - home. She stepped up to the music industry with a sound and a vision, and presented them her music, straight up in the face of the music businesses biggest names. And it's not to say she didn't get her fair share of chewing up and spitting out, like so many other artists. But something clicked, and here she is.

If you follow any of my writing here on Voilà!, you know how I feel about musical trendsetters. I don't really pay attention, because usually, the artists that are setting the trends have little to say and less to listen to. Taylor Swift is one of those humble exceptions to the rule. I didn't expect to like her before I heard much of her stuff; considering she dates aforementioned prissy-boy-band Jonas Brothers, and rolls with the hole Cyrus crew, you can probably understand where I'm coming from. But as I said, Taylor easily exceeds expectations.

I could go saying what all the others musical literary spaces have said about her, so I'll digress toward the atypical, and more personal. Taylor Swift is in charge: she writes her own music and lyrics, and knows exactly how she wants to have it played live and on recordings. She's entirely in charge of her latest tour. Furthermore, she has a wonderful imagination, and is quite ready and able to express herself directly through her musical talent. That's what makes her a talented musician, as pop music seems to lately be devoid of such commitment. Is Taylor Swift's blend of pop and country music unique? No, not particularly. But like a milkshake, the blend isn't made to be unique, it's made to be delicious, and meant to keep you coming back for another taste, over, and over, and over, and over...

Taylor Swift is presently on her Fearless Tour, in support of her latest album, Fearless. It looks quite intense, and she'll be touring like nobody's business straight through summer. You can get tickets, I suppose... mais bon chance avec-ce. Bear to mind that when sales for Taylor Swift's performance in New York City, Madison Square Garden, opened, the entire venue was sold out in 60 seconds. Seventy thousand people in 60 seconds... again, good luck!

But, you can always snag Taylor Swift's albums just about anywhere! You can find her 2006 eponymous album, as well as her latest release, Fearless, anywhere they sell music! If you hadn't guessed by now, Taylor Swift has a Myspace. Sadly though, she only has samples available. She has a personal website, though that's not much better either (though you can listen to previews of all her songs). Oh well, there's always YouTube, ouais? Enjoy some different tunes this week; something popular that might catch your interest by surprise. And have a good week, reader.

Concert Review: A Short Fazed Hovel Tour, The Decemberists with Other Lives

You're turning black tables, and you're making your head whirl.

It's roughly 8:30 PM, approximately thirty minutes before the opening band takes the stage (Other Lives), an amazing band in their own right. While this review should devote most of its time toward the main act, as far as opening bands go, this might be my favorite of all time—such a great presence and great sound. Meanwhile, as I wait for my dad to show up to the theatre, I'm bobbing back and forth from the crowded concert hall to the lobby looking out toward the street entrance. The opening band starts at about , and my dad shows up at around 9:30, just after they play their best song (Black Tables) which, although great on the record, is even more powerful live. Listen to it on their myspace.

You'll learn soon enough, the prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone.

One by one, each band member slowly makes their way onto the stage, first Jenny (playing "Prelude"), and as the song goes Chris, John, Nate, and Colin (each to their own applause). The intro song ends, and softly Colin's guitar enters to a roar from the crowd, his voice loudly taking control of the hall. Of course, most of us in the room had heard the album all the way through, probably multiple times that day even. But nothing on a CD could prepare me for how it would be presented live, for whatever sound cannot tell was told this night. Every bass note, every rough chord, every plucked string, every key, every cymbal crash, every second of lyric blew me away.

I think what took me by the most surprise, although I had seen her live before, was Shara Worden's stage presence. It's hard to appreciate what amazing talent she possesses just from listening to the record. But on stage, to witness what power she commands was such an incredible experience, one I will never forget. It's just something I cannot quite explain, but suffice it to say that nothing can really compare to it. When she came out from the back of the stage to sing for her first song (The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid) her sheer power overtook me. Honestly, Colin sings in a way that can put himself into any role, he does this very well. He plays William, and the Rake, and whatever other male character is on the album, so this ability comes in very handy. But Shara was the Queen when she was on stage. Her power to become that role was an amazing feat. And furthermore, its incredible all the more to see where her voice comes from, when from the sight, it doesn't seem like she could possibly have that good of a voice, it just amazes me. And just as she ends the song, she fades back to her regular spot in the back by John (drums), and picks up an acoustic guitar and plays (An Interlude), which is possible the most beautiful chord picking I've heard before.

I could go on about each and every song from the album, but I've already said my words on that (see my review of Hazards of Love). And besides, the best of the night is yet to come.

And the water rolls down the drain, the blood rolls down the drain.
O, what a lonely thing in a blood red drain.

To much of my amazement, they played a very long second set after nearly an hour of straight music. Granted, they took a break between, but still, it was surprising. Also, they played a pretty wide range from their repertoire, starting with "Sporting Life" and "July, July!" And to a fanfare, they broke into "We Both Go Down Together." By about this time, I felt the most enjoyment thus far. I felt that my foresight of possible disappointment crushed, that they could still fulfill my needs for old material even after such a dedication to the newest of their work. Next they played a cover of a song I hadn't heard before, a country song named "If I Could Only Win Your Love," a duet with Colin and Becky Stark (who voices Margaret in Hazards), quickly followed by their own duet in "Yankee Bayonet," with Shara. I felt very proud of myself for guessing Colin's next song (although I cheated by listening to many live performances of his) prefaced by his calling it "the worst song he ever wrote" to which I easily thought of "Dracula's Daughter" (which was a fore-version of a song that would eventually become "O Valencia!"). It then lead into Valencia, which I also guessed (out loud) would follow to my friends nearby. They ended the set in Decemberists fashion, and I mean that in every sense.

(I also guessed this would be the song played prior to them playing it.) Colin does this usually, as well, when introducing this song, calling it an autobiographical song (at this point I say to my friend "i'll bet you my life that it's Chimbley Sweep, which it was). And when the normal solo section came, I said to the same friend, "here comes 10 minutes of solos." I was about right. But, I was not right in how it would be presented. Roughly a minute or two in, Colin heads back to John behind the drum set, and proceeds to give him his guitar, and then takes his spot at the set. Meanwhile, Chris and Nate switch instruments, leaving Jenny alone on her original instrument, and much to Chris's dismay, it would stay that way. For the next four minutes, hilarity ensued. John sings a song that I couldn't understand, but it consisted of very high, shrill vocals, which made me crack up. At one point, he wants to return to the song they were playing, and he says this aloud, but (as he also says) he didn't know this words to the song, and asks Jenny what the words are. And although I didn't get to enjoy the true ending to the song, I was so happy to see Colin wildly (and childlike) playing the drums at the closing of the song, and then go on to tossing John's sticks into the crowd. The latter half of the solo and song can be seen here.

Colin then simply stated, "I don't know how to follow that." He also said that he wasn't to be blamed when something like that happens, which was hilarious. In his attempt to follow it, they played their regular set ending "Sons & Daughters" employing the crowd to chant "hear all the bombs fade away."

Remember what she does when you're asleep.

After much applause, they returned to play more songs. And it hit me that it would first be "Raincoat Song" when it was just Colin and John on stage (John does the back-up vocals for most of their songs), and indeed it was. Colin then prefaced that the next song would be their last, but that was an understatement to say the least. One would imagine that after how they ended their second set, they wouldn't have the energy for another amazing outro. But they did.

I knew it was going to be "A Cautionary Song" when he said the song would be a lesson. Any true fan knows this right away. But little did I know it would actually include an extra lesson apart from the one in the song itself. My first tip-off that something wasn't "regular" was when the drums kicked in, John (drummer) wasn't on stage, but wandering about in the crowd, followed by Chris, Becky Stark, and Shara Worden.

And then Colin changed everything that I believed about Decemberists concerts, that there were rules. Now there aren't any rules. He brought our attention once more to the band members in the crowd, labeling them the "Decemberists Family Players" and continued to present to all of us a story entitled: A Voyage on the Oregon Trail, to which each player was given a role. I have a video in full of the entire experience up on youtube, so I won't go into much detail. Suffice it to say that the story included two parties competing to make it to the pacific, audience members on my side of the theatre were cast as mountains, those on the farther side were cast as the Columbia river, and some in between were cast as marauding desert gypsies on camel back, who then raided the pioneers.

All I can say is that the night compared to none other of my life prior, and I doubt it will be beat by anything yet to come. For almost four hours, my life was changed forever.

-The Decemberists live at the historical McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR, on the 21st of May, 2009. Opening band: Other Lives.