Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday Mailbag:: The Mountain & The Trees, Vivek Shraya and Musk Ox
The number of releases waiting to be covered here on herohill is becoming as overwhelming as one of those inbox/outbox cartoons from back in the day. Throw in the fact I'm trying to refocus my thoughts for Polaris this weekend isn't helping. So in an effort to talk about a few more releases that I've been digging on lately, you get a nice mailbag. Unlike Bill Simmons, I'll try not to reuse jokes, talk about Vegas or mention Rocky or Kimmel.
Right out of the gate, we have one of Newfoundland's best kept secrets (outside of Ches' Fish & Chips I guess). Jon Janes - aka The Mountain & The Trees - released his folky four-song EP Hop, Skip, & A Jump to get his name out and the results are impressive.
Janes goes for subtlety over sizzle, but don't mistake his delicate picks and strums for uninspired or tired. The arrangements on this EP rise and fall like a slow beating heart and the folk elements are balanced with whimsy (like the little horn that concludes the observation filled Apartment Song) and depth. Whether it's the banjo that kick starts the tender Up & Down or the strings and horn work that swoop over the touching Hospital View, Janes seems to prefer contrasting elements in a way that makes his songs stretch as far as your eye can see, but still remain as personal as the most hushed 4-track confession.
It's been a long time since we've heard from Vivek Shraya. Who's that you ask? Oh, well even if you don't know his name I'm guessing you heard him completely own Seven Nation Army or heard him trade vocals with one of Canada's favorite twins, Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara fame.
Well, enough of who he was, let's get to who he is. Vivek start working with his synth instead of letting it collect dust and he sent over the first single from his new record. In/Out is a very Small Sins-y sounding jam that is balanced nicely by the vocals of Meghan Tooney. It's a bit of a shift for Vivek, but sounds all good none the less.
If you told me a man disguised under the moniker Musk Ox would write some of the most stark, beautiful compositions based around classical guitar and somehow hit with the impact of a metal track, wow like the organic compositions Sigur Ros has perfected and hush you to silence like a church hymn, well I would have been shocked. I would have also assumed they were written somewhere in Sweden or Iceland.
Instead, they come from our nation's capitol and the glacial paced sound scapes Nathanaël Larochette creates somehow sound like they should be from overseas, but are still distinctly Canadian. The vast emptiness and chill the 5-songs personify somehow feel like winter mornings. Nathanael's visions or more slow moving and cinematic - three of the songs are 9 minutes or longer - but never lag.
I know it's a tough sell to ask listeners to settle in for 30 minutes of instrumental scores without the immediate gratification of a film to correspond to what they are hearing, but the Musk Ok EP can be breathtaking. The gentle rain that sets the tone for entre la terre et le ciel seems pretentious on paper, but is executed so well that you can't imagine the 14-minute opus without that layer. The same can be said with the nature sounds that start the slow picked les plus beaux de nos jours. It's not easy listening, and certainly won't grab you with an easy hook but the 5-songs here display a talent that can't be ignored.
Janes goes for subtlety over sizzle, but don't mistake his delicate picks and strums for uninspired or tired. The arrangements on this EP rise and fall like a slow beating heart and the folk elements are balanced with whimsy (like the little horn that concludes the observation filled Apartment Song) and depth. Whether it's the banjo that kick starts the tender Up & Down or the strings and horn work that swoop over the touching Hospital View, Janes seems to prefer contrasting elements in a way that makes his songs stretch as far as your eye can see, but still remain as personal as the most hushed 4-track confession.
MP3:: The Mountain & The Trees - Up & Down
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/themountainsandthetrees
Well, enough of who he was, let's get to who he is. Vivek start working with his synth instead of letting it collect dust and he sent over the first single from his new record. In/Out is a very Small Sins-y sounding jam that is balanced nicely by the vocals of Meghan Tooney. It's a bit of a shift for Vivek, but sounds all good none the less.
MP3:: Vivek Shraya - In/Out
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/vivekshraya
Instead, they come from our nation's capitol and the glacial paced sound scapes Nathanaël Larochette creates somehow sound like they should be from overseas, but are still distinctly Canadian. The vast emptiness and chill the 5-songs personify somehow feel like winter mornings. Nathanael's visions or more slow moving and cinematic - three of the songs are 9 minutes or longer - but never lag.
I know it's a tough sell to ask listeners to settle in for 30 minutes of instrumental scores without the immediate gratification of a film to correspond to what they are hearing, but the Musk Ok EP can be breathtaking. The gentle rain that sets the tone for entre la terre et le ciel seems pretentious on paper, but is executed so well that you can't imagine the 14-minute opus without that layer. The same can be said with the nature sounds that start the slow picked les plus beaux de nos jours. It's not easy listening, and certainly won't grab you with an easy hook but the 5-songs here display a talent that can't be ignored.
MP3:: Musk Ok - Lullabye for Ghosts
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/embraceinashes
Labels: Canada, EP, Music, Musk Ok, The Mountain and The Trees, Vivek Shraya
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