Use your Library Voices

The weekend was well...eventful to say the least. Friday night kicked it off with an amazing 18+ show with Christian Hansen and the Autistics. So good they almost blew the windows off the Dinwoodie Lounge at the U of A. This being one of their last shows in Edmonton before they make the trek to move to Toronto, I just had to go. I won't say much since I talk about them constantly, but I should mention that if you didn't catch them on Friday, you still have a last chance at happiness THIS Friday, Sept 23, when they play an all ages show at Avenue Theatre w/ Doug Hoyer.

And thanks to Rebecca Black we all know that after Friday comes Saturday, and this weekend that meant The Provincial Archive, and Library Voices at the Pawnshop. I had been able to see P.A earlier this year and was immediately blown away by their unique mix of slight electronic-rock (using a talk box and what seemed like a synth), and folk (it makes me smile when they bring their banjo and upright bass to the stage). 

They played another great set, and paved the way for Library Voices. To be honest I hadn't heard a single note from L.V before this night; when I tried to buy their CD before hand it was sold out in basically every HMV store in the city...(Well that just means they MUST be good right?) So when the 7 piece band took to the stage I really had to idea what to expect, aside from their cover article in the most recent VUE weekly citing them as a Canadian pop band with promise. Well let me tell you they right away launched into an energetic, sweat-filled set, including what is now one of my favourite songs, Generation Handclap. Unlike most "pop" bands nowadays, LV actually has meaning behind thier lyrics, as is clear in their song "The Prime Minister's Daughter", which is a song about our current PM's choice to cut back funding in the arts community, and what would happen in the future when his daughter Rachel falls in love with a musician. How risque. They are probably one of the best bands to get up and "jump around" (you'll get this reference in a minute) to, and they bring a new face to the pop/indie world. Now let me let you in on a secret: I had been invited to a secret house concert with Library Voices for the following Sunday night. So hearing how great they were at the Pawnshop just made me that much more excited and anxious for the next night, when I would get to hear them in a much more intimate setting.

Sunday came, and Sunday night seemed like it would take forever to come around. During the day it was revealed that Dinosaur Bones, a band out of Toronto that opened for Said the Whale/Tokyo Police Club in April, would be joing LV for this house session. That made me even more anxious (as if it were possible), since after seeing DB live I became slightly addicted to their songs Ice Hotels and Royalty.

After waiting the excruciating hours between the reveal of this news and the night of the house show, we eventually found the apartment due to the perfectly tempo-ed beats of DB's drumkit. I was interested and nervous to see how an apartment set would turn out for both bands. As soon as we got into the home there was a wall of heat, but that didn't deter anyone from grabbing a few of their BYOB drinks and having a great time. Dinosaur Bones brought their expected game to the "audience", and it was nice since quite a few people had never heard them before. Once LV came out of hiding and starting playing their upbeat, for-lack-of-a-better-word indie pop, I swear someone shut off any and all cold air in the world. It was an amazingly hot, feel-good time and was more intimate than I could've imagined. In the non-creepy way. The band was playing their instruments while walking in and around all of us dance machines. They even included a cover of "Jump Around" (get the reference now??) and ended their set with a cover of Neil Young's "Unknown Stranger", which gave me such a sense of "Wow, this is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience".

I personally think that Library Voices is 100% better live than on their album/recorded. Their energy just doesn't come through the same when you're listening to them on your ipod, computer or dare I go there, boombox. Pick up their CD, it's defintiely worth the listen, but if you ever get the chance to see them live, don't hesitate! It'll be worth every penny for every memory you get.

Both bands hung around for a while, and while standing outside to cool off, everyone bonded about the rude neighbors upstairs who were chucking down grapes on the sidewalk and spitting. Hmm. That's downtown Edmonton for you...not the best impression. It was fun to chat, and an unreal way to spend a Sunday night.  But all in all I will defintely remember it as one of the best nights in my short but expansive music history.

PS. Don't forget to check out Dinosaur Bones when they come through the city again for an official show with Ra Ra Riot on Sept 29, at Avenue Theatre!