La Strada – New Home (Ernest Jennings, 2010)

I’m calling for the metamorphosis of indie-rock. At some point – hopefully sooner than later – I want to see an indie-rock implosion, a magnificent burnout of Greek proportions where from the ashes of the smoking hull of the vulture-ridden carcass rises a large flaming sign that reads simply: TBD. At this point, it could easily be said that the genre (or whatever you want to call it) has become a little bit stagnant. To say the least.

La Strada are the latest in an immensely long line of Brooklyn-based indie-rock bands who have been garnering a reasonable amount of attention for their sunny, harmony-leaden and largely inoffensive brand of indie-pop. The trouble with La Strada is that they sound like a mashup of every well-received indie band to break out on to the scene in the past five years while adding almost nothing of their own to the mix. Their first proper LP, New Home is not necessarily a bad record, in fact, it’s actually quite a good record: it has catchy melodies, a fun, upbeat tone and the musicianship of the group is obviously very proficient. However, I simply can’t help but feel like New Home is the culmination of everything that is what I’m going to call “the indie sensibility”.

Dig: La Strada hail from Brooklyn, they’re cleverly named after a Frederico Fellini film, they enjoy employing – in abundance  – such elements to their music as catchy vocal harmonies, prominently placed handclaps as well as fairly magnificent string and horn arrangements. Also, their singer has a slightly whiny Ben Gibbard-y singing voice and almost all of their songs feature a bright but pensive trumpet solo. This isn’t to say that this combination of traits is somehow bad – none of these things are bad at all (except maybe the Ben Gibbard part) – rather it is the way that these things function within the band La Strada.

What this is getting at is that La Strada really, really like Okkervil River, Vampire Weekend and The Shins, and they seem perfectly content to be the kind of band that sounds exactly as how one would imagine a combination of the above three acts to sound like. Which, again, doesn’t make for bad listening, just that it isn’t all that interesting and New Home, while probably very good on paper brings little to mind other than a strong sense of been-there-done-that.

Opening track “Go Forward” sets the tone immediately with its soaring harmonies, sparkling guitar lines and eager, snappy snare drum march. The track effortlessly evokes the sort of vaguely rootsy but unusually large sound brought forth by Okkervil River on such albums as The Stage Names and it does quite well for itself, except for the fact that it sounds exactly like any song from that album.

New Home then continues through the sticky-sweet acoustic ballad “Julia”, a song that seems to have been tailored specifically for an appearance on the soundtrack of a Garden State-esque movie. This is followed by a pair of Shins-aping mid-tempo romps, “The Traveler” and “Wash On By”, and La Strada’s clumsy attempt at Beirut-esque Eastern European folk, “Baptism”. From there the tracks simply become slight variations on those themes, with La Strada never really venturing beyond the scope of the contemporary indie-rock canon of influence. The songs are catchy and charming, but they appear as little more than standard indie-rock that says nothing other than that the band listens to trendy music. All of the bands that La Strada echoes – Okkervil River, The Shins, Vampire Weekend, Beirut, Sufjan Stevens, etc – brought something new to the table that was fresh and interesting, that came out and grabbed listeners, forcing them to pay attention. There’s none of that sense of individualism on New Home, only the spare parts of much more powerful models.

-C.S Folkers

Please watch this video of a group of peaceful protesters surrounded and not allowed to leave before being dragged and beaten. They ask the police if they can leave, and get no response. People are crying and a brother and sister and injured, bloodied and separated. This terrifying video shows peaceful people being dragged out at random by their necks, despite their completely peaceful nature. This could happen to you, even if you don’t protest. Some people were just walking to their apartments. A Steel Bananas associate from Mississauga was here, and he was beaten and detained without legal counsel. He didn’t even participate in any protests on Friday or Saturday. As Canadian citizens, it is our responsibility to reject injustice against peaceful citizens.

As I began to write this, the Toronto Community Mobilization Network’s headquarters were being raided and a stand-off was occurring outside the police detention center. Today I get to be the observer, tuned into CP24 and the Toronto Media Co-op independent media site. I’m fighting back tears as I watch. Democracy isn’t crumbling. The veil shielding its ruins is merely beginning to fall.

Yesterday we were in the thick of things.

Steelbananas columnists Alex Consiglio, Borna Radnik, Karen Correia Da Silva, Curran Folkers, and myself (Devon Wong) along with guest reporter and friend Rachel Kwan and a small group of non-steelbananas friends were out on Friday and Saturday covering the G20 protests. We are sad to say that one of our friends, Paul Toro, was arrested on Saturday night, taken into custody along with over 150 peaceful protesters, members of the independent media, and bystanders in front of the Novotel Hotel on the Esplanade. Rachel, Alex, and I were also present at the Novotel and were the last three people to escape through a back alley with the help of a sympathetic plain-clothed police officer when riot guards moved in and opened fire on us with tear gas pellets and began to charge us while banging their batons against their shields and the walls of the building. They cut us off from Paul and we were forced to fall back.

I am baffled by media reports of violent mobs and dangerous protesters. Apparently broken windows and burnt cars (burnt by yahoos taking advantage of the situation, I may add, and allowed to do so by cops – I wonder why) justify brutal arrests of people who had nothing to do with that destruction. Several times we (Rachel, Alex, and I) were identified by police as dangerous individuals. Police photographed us as we photographed them. Reporters were often targeted as “threats”. Speaking to several police officers, they expressed concern for their own safety. They were frightened of thrown bottles and rocks. Well, I have news for them, they have armor, tear gas, sound cannons, guns, shields, and batons.

Homes sheltering activists were raided this morning. A move straight out of the Gestapo handbook. A journalist from the Guardian was beaten and arrested. See the Toronto Media Co-op for coverage.

The G20 and its institutions are illegitimate, non-democratic, and exploitative. The very fact that it must defend itself with such measures makes this clear. I hear much talk from people who haven’t been surrounded and attacked by riot guards that the protesters are to blame for this mess. I have news for them. The protesters are not the instigators. The G20 and its institutions are responsible for far more daily violence and exploitation all over the world. We’ll stop protesting when world “leaders” begin to put people before profits, human life before the bottom line, freedom before police oppression, nature before industry, stability before boundless “progress”, love before hate, peace before war, equality before exploitation.

Now a huge confrontation is amassing at Spadina and Queen. It’s pouring rain. Police are arresting everyone and anyone. Citizens of all walks of life and convictions alike being treated like criminals. Even mainstream media. It’s naked fascism. Meanwhile, 10 to 14 members of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network have been taken into custody. As if they’re terrorists.  Community organizers, indigenous advocates, poverty activists, disability rights activists, environmental activists — people who make the improvement of human life and the survival of mother Earth their lives’ missions. Terrorists. Yeah, right. Oh yeah, and apparently protesting in Toronto is now illegal… as is walking the city streets.

Krupke – The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today (Self-Released, 2010)

At a scant twenty-eight minutes, the self-released debut record from Toronto’s Krupke is very likely to pass a listener by if they aren’t too careful. It demands one’s full attention both because of its brevity and because of the inherent complexity of the songs composed by the quirky quartet that flow together as a single entity throughout this surprisingly strong first effort. Blink and you might miss the key changes.

The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today moves so smoothly and swiftly, and is so disparately bizarre and inviting at once that it becomes extremely easy to find yourself completely and utterly lost by the end of it. Or at the very least, woefully bewildered. The band, consisting of a Keyboardist/Xylophonist/Vocalist, a Guitarist/Vocalist, a Clarinetist/Violinist and a Drummer, plays a wild and irreverent brand of energetic, silly and technically brilliant style of polyrhythmic art-rock laced with traces of showtune melodies and throbbing post-rock. If we’re talking comparisons, Krupke might land somewhere between the disarming, theory-heavy artiness of Battles (who might take themselves a little too seriously) and the off-kilter wackiness of Los Campesinos! (who probably don’t take themselves seriously enough). On the other hand, the record itself sounds like Tortoise giving a performance of Hunky Dory.

Trading boy-girl vocals with utterly baffling lyrics over ominous clarinet trills, twinkling xylophones and manic, erratic time changes, the music of Krupke is idiosyncratic to say the least. The effect of the occasionally sinister-sounding musicianship coupled with the band’s extremely warped (not to mention prominently displayed) sense of humour on The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today makes for what will easily be one of the most singular, arresting and ultimately extremely rewarding experiences any listener is likely to have this year.

Beginning with the soft, whimsical introduction of “I’m Sorry Your Pony Died” that eventually swells into a joyful, mysterious cacophony of crashing drums and fervent chants, Pony sets itself on its manic journey through the dark, fragile melodies of “Dirt and Culture” and the alarming, eccentric centerpiece that is the two-part movement of “Monday”/”Monday?” Following the playful Broadway-esque melodies and chants of that epic mini-cycle, all bets are then tossed out into the street and thoroughly crushed by several buses because as soon as this record hits its stride, it becomes a relentless, challenging and fantastical soup of the jarring and the mischevious that flows effortlessly in its madness until its abrupt conclusion.

Throughout we are treated to some of the most hauntingly joyful music to come out of anywhere in an absurdly long time as Krupke ping-pong around a hectic mix of sounds via their unusual instrumental arsenal while vocalists Mike Walter, Joe Verkuyl and Fiona Ryan cheekily trade off non-sequitors, bizarre aphorisms and charmingly silly puns in deliveries ranging from wild chants to lulling whispers to unhinged yelps. Glorious noise ensues as it occasionally seems as though all four members have little regard for what their bandmates are playing at all, however it is obviously all so deliberate that one must quickly adjust to Krupke’s flagrant flaunting of pop conventions and uninhibited humour. Otherwise The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today will be little more than a brief but strange exercise in art-pop weirdness. To the patient listener, however, Krupke’s debut is magical, inventive and utterly winning.

-C.S. Folkers

http:///www.steelbananas.com

BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS OF BOOSH

I’M COVERED IN IT!

ISSUE #11 ALL OVER THE PLACE, WITH MUSTARD AND GARLIC AND MOTOR OIL

ASK THE MOOSE OF THE MONTH, HE’LL TELL YOU

CHECK IT CHECK IT CHECK IT

THERE’S SOME FAN EXPO’ING WITH STYLE AND DRIZZLED WITH ROBOTS WITH HUGE TITS AND STUFF

THERE’S LIKE THIS GUY WHO TALKS PLENTY ABOUT CHEESE ‘CUZ THAT’S HOW MUCH HE LIKES IT

THERE’S THIS OTHER GUY WHO’S REALLY PISSED OFF ABOUT VIDJA GAMES

THERE’S YET ANOTHER GUY WHO’S IN THIS BAND CALLED GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS THAT BAKE GREAT CAKES ON THE LAKES WITH DRAKE AND JAKE WHO ARE BOTH SNAKES CARRYING FAKE RAKES THAT THEY USE TO TAKE AND SOMETIMES MAKE STUFF

THERE’S SOME GUY THAT’S ALL REBEL REBEL DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO REBEL REBEL REBEL AND IT MIGHT BE DAVID BOWIE BUT IT PROBABLY ISN’T

THIS GUY’S NOT IN IT:

NO, THIS GUY IS NOT AT ALL INVOLVED IN ISSUE #11 FOR STEEL BANANAS

THIS GUY IS JUST THE FIRST PICTURE THAT COMES UP WHEN YOU GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH THE NAME ‘GREG’

I’M TRYING TO LINE UP AN INTERVIEW WITH THIS GUY TO SEE HOW HE FEELS ABOUT BEING THE NUMBER ONE GREG

CHECK OUT THE NEW ISSUE NOW, I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY TO YOU.

THERE’S A PARTY GOING DOWN SOON AND EVERYONE IS SO FUCKING INVITED.

SO INVITED.

SEPTEMBER 29, SNEAKY DEE’S, TORONTO

STEEL BANANAS FIRST ANNIVERSARY BASH

$5

YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME! IT’S GOING TO BE MEGA-COOL

WE’VE GOT SOME BANDS

THE DARCYS
JANE’S PARTY
THE BODY ELECTRIC

AND A SWEET DJ

HEMINGWAY

SERIOUSLY.

YOU’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO BELIEVE IT

IT’S GOING TO BE MORE FUN THAN A GANG OF GORILLAS PLAYING BASKETBALL IN A BUCKET OF APPLE SAUCE

OH MAN!

I KNOW THAT WE USUALLY ANNOUNCE THE MOOSE OF THE MONTH TOWARD THE END OF THE MONTH, BUT I JUST COULDN’T CONTAIN MYSELF:

THIS HANDSOME FELLA’S NAME IS JONAS, HE’S A CAPRICORN FROM KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA AND I AM VERY PROUD TO DECLARE THIS FINE SPECIMEN STEELBANANAS’ MOOSE OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER!

I SPOKE WITH JONAS VIA SKYPE YESTERDAY AND THIS IS WHAT HE HAD TO SAY

“YEAH, THERE I WAS, JUST CHEWIN’ ON LIKE THIS OLD TIRE OR SOMETHING, NOT REALLY MUCH TO DO OR ANYHTING, PRETTY MUCH JUST CHILLIN’ AND STUFF, I GOT ON MY MACBOOK AND YOU KNOW CHECKED MY FACEBOOK AND STUFF CUZ’ I REMEMBERED THERE WAS THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO OF A TURNIP ON FIRE THAT I WANTED TO POST ON MY COUSIN NORMAN’S WALL, BUT FIRST I CHECKED MY EMAIL AND I SAW A MESSAGE FROM STEELBANANAS SAYING THAT I WAS GOING TO BE THEIR MOOSE OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER AND I WAS ALL LIKE NOT REMEMBERING EVEN ENTERING AND SHIT BUT THAT’S ALL COOL WITH ME I’LL TAKE IT OR WHATEVER, I GUESS I’M PRETTY THRILLED, THEY SENT ME LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MOTOR OIL AS A PRIZE, LIKE EIGHT MASON JARS FULL OF MOTOR OIL AND THEN ANOTHER ONE WITH WALNUTS IN IT, BUT IT WAS ONLY HALF FULL.”

THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS, STEELBANANAS MOOSE OF THE MONTH, JONAS!

HEY EVERYPEOPLES IN THE PLACE TO BE

STEEL BANANAS IS STARTING A READING SERIES:

THE MONTHLY EGGPLANT

AS YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED, THIS WILL BE HAPPENING MONTHLY

AT ZOOTS CAFE, 1438 DUNDAS STREET WEST

THE FIRST ONE IS HAPPENING 22 SEPTEMBER AT 7:30 PM

IT’S GOING TO BE PRETTY DAMN COOL

FEATURING:

N.ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG

KAREN CORREIA DA SILVA

JAMES PAPOUTSIS

RICHARD ROSENBAUM

and hosted by SB’s resident curmudgeon, Curran Folkers

here’s the link to the facebook event page: invite yourself if you feel like it why don’t you

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250451780553

DEECE.

BANANAUPDATES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY WITH RADISHES ON THE SIDE AND A NICE TALL GLASS OF TURNIP-PEPPERMINT NECTAR TO WASH IT ALL DOWN.

TASTY.

FIRST THING’S FIRST, IT’S TIME TO REVEAL THE STEELBANANAS.COM MOOSE of the MONTH:

THIS MONTH’S WINNER IS ALBERT FROM BRANDON, MANITOBA

ALBERT IS A TWENTY-TWO YEAR OLD MALE WITH A SEXY PAIR OF ANTLERS THAT HE TELLS US JUST DRIVE THOSE LADY-MOOSE WILD.

CONGRATULATIONS, ALBERT, STEELBANANAS.COM’S MOOSE OF THE MONTH!

MOVING ON:

-ISSUE #10 HAS BEEN LIVE FOR A FEW DAYS NOW, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T CHECKED IT OUT BY NOW, YOU TOTALLY SHOULD

QOUTH KING FRANKENSTEIN IV, THE LIONHEARTED:

AUUUUUUUUUUGH
~ http://www.steelbananas.com/ ~
~ A TASTY TASTE OF THE DANFORTH
~ MISTER JOEL PLASKETT
~ LLOYD KAUFMAN AND THE TOXIC AVENGER
~ SKETCH YOUTH
~ EDMONTON FOLK SINGIN’ AROUND
~ GARBAGE MEN
~ CRAFTS
~ BARFING CRUNK WITH CAPYBARA AND CRITTER CRUNCH

WHAT KIND OF THINGS DOES A WEBZINE PROVIDE ON THE HEELS OF RECEIVING A GRANT?

BE DEECE

CLICK

AND FIND OUT

-NEXT, ‘GULCH: AN ASSEMBLAGE OF POETRY AND PROSE’,

IT’S HAPPENING VERY, VERY SOON AND IT’S GOING TO BE OFF THE FUCKING CHAIN.

PRE-ORDER ‘GULCH’ AT TIGHTROPE BOOKS, OR BY CLICKING THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SB MAIN PAGE.

THIS ANTHOLOGY IS GOING TO BE THE MOTHERFUCKING EGGPLANT.

SERIOUSLY, IT’S GOING TO BE COOL.

THE LAUNCH PARTY FOR ‘GULCH’ IS HAPPENING ON THE 8TH OF OCTOBER AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME, BUT MORE ON THAT LATER

-ALSO, STEELBANANAS IS HIRING!

THAT’S RIGHT, STEEL BANANAS IS LOOKING TO HIRE A VISUAL ART + DESIGN COLUMNIST, SO IF YOU HAVE A STRONG BACKGROUND IN AND KNOWLEDGE OF SAID SUBJECTS AND WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN OUR TOTALLY WACKY SBUNIVERSE, GET YOUR JAZZ TOGETHER AND SEND A PORTFOLIO AND RESUME TO karends@steelbananas.com AND WE WILL GIVE YOU SOME FUCKING CONSIDERATION AND SHIT.

WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH MAXIMUM BOOSH AND YOUR OWN PAIR OF JUNIPER PANTS

*JUNIPER PANTS ARE STRICTLY HYPOTHETICAL.

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW

LOVE,

THE SB GANG