Karkwa w/ Aidan Knight & The Belle Game @ Biltmore -- 09/20/11

Two and a half years ago, I went down to the Biltmore to hear this newfangled Vancouver band called Said The Whale. The show was some sort of pre-Olympics celebration, and as part of the "Cultural Olympiad", had a range of musicians, from Vancouver's STW to the Inuit Lucie Idlout to the band that played between the two, some French Canadian band I had vaguely heard of from CBC Radio 3. Turns out that night would be the beginning of my infatuation with Montréal's Karkwa. To this day I am still pretty sure that they blew out a speaker at the show, and from that night on I would rave about them to anyone that listened, and was definitely rooting for them for last year's Polaris Prize, and was thrilled when they won. And even though I had seen them once more since then, for a free show during the actual Olympics, I was more than ecstatic to see them in what was their first real Western Canadian tour. Especially because they had wrangled a couple opening acts that I would have seen on their own.

The first of which was The Belle Game, who I always enjoy seeing play, despite the fact that I've managed to see them four times in the last three months. Unfortunately I got in a couple songs late, but still caught the last half of their set, with "Shoulders & Turns" and their single, as part of the Peak Performance Project, the infectious "Sleep To Grow". They ended quite dynamically, as they are wont to do, with a newer song tentatively titled "We Left This Home", with Andrea pounding on the floor tom, front and centre, and guitarists Adam & Alex both almost getting right into the crowd for the finale.
There was also a neat moment where Katrina, who is originally from Montréal, addressed the crowd en français, to express how grateful they were to be sharing the stage with next two acts. (I think, at least. My French is limited to what I remember from Téléfrançais)

Second up was Aidan Knight, who is also a huge fan of Karkwa -- he even mentioned being at the same previous Biltmore show during his set -- and was visibly thrilled to be opening for them. It was a bit of a unique set for Aidan, as he had a bit of a different band backing him. Olivier and Julia were, as usual, on horns and keys, but they were only joined by Hannah Epperson on violin and Katie Schaan on cello. It gave the set a sound that was somehow both richer and more minimalistic.
Starting off with "Knitting Something Nice", the set also consisted of a few new songs, including one as-of-yet unnamed one with just Hannah (Aidan asked for suggestions as to the name, but I don't think he liked mine: "In Love With A Trumpet Major") and the heartbreakingly beautiful "Margaret Downe". And, of course, no Aidan Knight show is complete without his charmingly awkward stage banter. They ended, as per usual, with "Jasper", which had the crowd singing along, and some amazing strings to go along with it.

And then, it was time for Karkwa. Every once in a while I worry that I have psyched myself up for a show too much, and that the only possible outcome would be disappointment. But Karkwa hit the stage, double drummers and all, and my fears were immediately quashed when they launched into "Le Pyromane" to begin the set. The band has an absolutely incredible intensity as their wall of sound washes over you with driving guitars -- including some incredible solos -- and dual drummers who play off each other perfectly. Highlights of the set included the upbeat "Marie Tu Pleures", which had everyone clapping along, the somewhat dark "Le Bon Sens" and definitely "La Façade", which is up there as one of my favourite songs. After "Le Compteur" drove home their main set, they were back for another pair, ending the night with "Oublie Pas", and leaving the crowd drained, with faces melted off.

It was a show that will absolutely end up as one of my favourites of the year, and cemented Karkwa as one of my favourite bands; especially to see live. Connecting with an audience is hard enough without a language barrier, and it is a testament to the band, and Louis-Jean, that they were able to keep the crowd completely enthralled throughout the set. Earlier in the evening Aidan Knight mentioned that, cheesy as it sounded, Karkwa's music transcends the boundaries of language, and I couldn't agree more. I just hope that the packed venue (on a Tuesday night, no less) showed Karkwa that they have more then enough of fans in the west, and that they'll be back soon.

setlist
Le Pyromane, L'Acouphène, Échapper au sort, L'épaule Froide, Les Chemins De Verre, Dormir Le Jour, Le Bon Sens, La Façade, Marie Tu Pleures, Le Compteur.
[encore] Moi-léger, Oublie Pas.

Les Chemins De Verre by Karkwa

I admit, it can be somewhat strange to listen to music in a language you don't understand. As someone that pays attention to both music and lyrics, being cut off from half that experience can make it harder to really get into a band. Harder, but not always impossible (one of my favourite bands, for instance, sings both in a language I don't understand, and one that no one understands).

The band in question here is Montréal's Karkwa -- who amazed me away the minute I first saw them live, in a show where they blew out a speaker at the Biltmore -- and Les Chemins De Verre is their fourth album. From what I can piece together through my own (very limited and rusty) French and Google Translate (there are not a lot of English articles on the album, which is a great shame) it was recorded partially in Paris, with very little preproduction; a lot of it was based on spontaneity, improvisation and impulse. It was about capturing a moment, not recreating it, and the album somehow manages to be more complex, yet more accessible than their previous, Le Volume De Vent.

"Le pyromane" starts, appropriately enough, with a crackling fire before the band kicks in, gradually building to a roaring blaze, and introduces their rich and lush wall of sound which continues right into "L'acouphène". The gorgeous "Moi-léger" slows things down, at first driven solely by a piano, but one by one the full band joins in finally basting in full force, only to drop back out at the end. "Marie, tu pleurs" is a more upbeat and catchy track that is impossible not to join in on the handclaps, and it leads well into "Le bon sens", whose seemingly cheery beginning seems to hint at something darker, that kicks in midway through the song. The first single from the album, "Les chemins de verre" brings the high energy back as it races through, only pausing briefly to catch its breath before screeching to a halt.
"Dors dans mon sang" is breathtakingly beautiful, featuring a heartbreaking piano that melds first with Louis-Jean Cormier's haunting voice, then a chorus of ooh's as it swells and intertwines with well placed feedback, before suddenly dropping, ending again with Cormier over light piano.
This is juxtaposed by the frantic "La piqûre" which sees the layers voices and cacophony of noise adding to the frenzy, and segueing into "Les enfants de Beyrouth", keeping up the same level of intensity with its plinking piano keys. The moody "Au-dessus de la tête de Lili-June" is mostly spoken word, and the layered, repeating lines -- along with the sparse music, and even the tone of voice -- makes it sound creepy as hell. But "28 jours" comes in light and calm, melodic and almost reassuring and it, too, builds to a grand ending, though never shedding its optimism. "Le vrai bonheur" ends as the album began, with a cracking fire in the background, and a song that seems, thematically, the opposite of the opening track, and gives you a feeling that lives up to the title.

It is kind of amazing how something like this can instill so much emotion. No, I do not understand what he is singing, and yes, I am just hearing his voice as another instrument; but despite that, I am filled with a variety of emotions throughout the album. Maybe even more so that songs that I understand, as with these there is more room for interpretation. That is why I am afraid to find out the translations of the songs. Sure, part of me does wants to go through each song and find out what they mean, but I fear that this would ruin them for me. That it would be drastically different from what it is in my mind. And to say nothing of the poetry of the songs. No doubt the translations would never match up perfectly and would most likely come across clunky and awkward.
I may not ever fully understand the meaning behind the songs, but what I do know is that the five members of Karkwa are all brilliant, and that Les Chemins De Verre will no doubt end up being one of my favourite albums of the year.


Download L'acouphène

Download Moi-léger

Download Dors dans mon sang

Clicky to exchange monies for music

Olympic Shenanigans: The Second Part

I wasn't going to post again so soon after yesterday, but last night was just so packed with awesome that it requires its own post. Again, I'll try to keep things brief, but I may not be able to contain my ravings.

Wednesday, Feb 17 - Evening

First up was a trip out to Granville Island for Karkwa at the Place de la Francophonie. Last time I saw Karkwa was about a year ago when I am still pretty sure they blew out a speaker at the Biltmore. That show absolutely amazed me and I've loved them ever since, but I was kind of afraid that I had built that show up so much in my mind that nothing would be able to compare. So when they hit the stage at 6, there was some trepidation. Especially since I convinced others to go based solely on my ravings.
They opened with "Le Computer", and halfway through the song any fears I had were promptly crushed by the dual drummers, masterful keys and intense wall of sound. They were every bit as good as I remember them, if not better.
The stage banter was there, but mostly en français (which made sense, since it was the "French Quarter"), however it wasn't too often; they mostly let the music speak for itself. And even though they have only five members, their sound is so layered and dense that you would almost expect there to be twice as many people on stage. In my previous review of them I described them as difficult to describe, and I stick by my made-up genre of: indie-prog-dream-pop-rock-awesome.
They closed with my favourite song of theirs, "La Façade", and cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands to see live. Pretty impressive after only two short shows.

From there, I had the option of staying on Granville Island and brave what was bound to be an insane line to attempt to see Two Hours Traffic; go down to Holland Park to catch Ryan Dahle and Bend Sinister; or head to the O Zone in Richmond for Jill Barber & Hawksley Workman. I figured because I had seen, and would be willing to pay to see, Two Hours Traffic & Bend Sinister I would give Barber & Workman the chance, since I wasn't sure if I would pay to see them. And also because someone is always raving about how good Workman is live.

Anyway, we got there just in time, as Jill Barber was just hitting the stage. I wasn't too familiar with her outside of a couple songs, but her sultry serenading and adorable stage presence kind of won me over (and don't tell Grant Lawrence, but I think I may be a little bit in love with her after the show). Aside from her own songs, she slipped in a cover of a Leonard Cohen song... that was not Hallelujah. I am as shocked as you! (it was "Dance Me To The End Of Love"). She ended off the show with a sing-a-long of "Oh My My", even changing it at the end, from "Oh my my" and "Please don't let me go" to "Ca-na-da" and "Please just go for gold" (Even though it did end up with a couple of mix-ups of "Please don't go for gold"). The only thing that hurt her was the setting. She managed to make it somewhat intimate, but her music was not meant to be played on a big, open air stage, but rather a small, dimly lit, vaguely smoky room, with a glass of scotch.

Finally was Hawksley Workman, and he was every bit the showman that I have been lead to believe. Even sick, as he mentioned at the start, he managed to put on one hell of a show. And although the only three songs I recognized were the last three he played, he grabbed my attention from the start and never let it go. With his on stage theatrics and engaging, hillarious and/or completely random stories, he had pretty much the whole crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. He even managed to slip in quick covers of other songs, mostly just a verse or chorus inserted into one of his own. Prince, Cheap Trick, Culture Club and A-Ha all got a quick "cover". And you could tell he was having a blast doing what he was doing. He, too, won me over, and I would seriously consider going to see him next time he's in town.

In all, an utterly fantastic night of music. And the best part? It was all for free.