This is going to be a super quick hitter as my time is being occupied by many non-hill activities this week, and my mind is having trouble thinking about anything other than my beloved Saints and their impending Super Bowl debut this Sunday night in Miami. So here is the crux of this post:

If you're in Halifax, go see By Divine Right at The Seahorse tonight. If you aren't in Halifax, go buy yourself a copy of Mutant Message right now.

Because I've already said it like 5 times in the last 2 or 3 weeks, I'm not going to say "I've been meaning to write about By Divine Right since last year", but I have. I stumbled into their last set at The Seahorse during HPX when I wandered into the Hand Drawn Dracula showcase in hopes of catching the end of Julie "Shitballs" Fader's set, but although I had missed hers entirely, Jose Contreras & Co. were getting setup for theirs. I'd heard the name By Divine Right often, but knew nothing about them, so I thought I'd check them out. Contreras ended up breaking a string on the first song, so he asked Brian Borcherdt if he could "borrow his nastiness" while BB replaced the string, which I enjoyed for some reason. I also enjoyed their set a great deal, and was humming "Que Paso, Que Paso" to myself for the next couple days.

So when we were sent Mutant Message, I eagerly loaded it up on the ole iFizzle, and I've been enjoying it ever since. I kept trying to carve out some time for a proper review of it, but that time escaped me as it so often does. But let me just say that on MM I think Contreras chops as both a musician and a producer shine through, as it sounds effortless, catchy & fun, but it also feels rather painstakingly crafted in many spots. It's a great record in my humble, with songs like I Love A Girl, Que Paso, Wings Too Big, Kiss My Chakras, and I Will Hook You Up all surely to inspire a lot of smile & singing along tonight at The Seahorse.

MP3:: By Divine Right - I Love A Girl
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/bydivineright

VIDEO:: By Divine RIght - I Love A Girl

Labels: By Divine Right, Halifax, Hand Drawn Dracula, Live, Quick Hitters, Shitballs, Toronto

To be fair, I wouldn't really say we missed this one. When Brian Borcherdt offered up his collection of demos for free earlier this year, we happily hit the old "right-click, Save as" and waited impatiently for the goods to find a home on our hard drive. The thing is, by the time I could load the songs into iTunes, tons of bloggers had already cranked the hyperbole levels up to the gigawatts, professing the greatness of Brian and this collection of songs.

It's not that I disagreed with the assessment - obviously, as Coyotes demonstrated (review), he's a talented song writer - it's just that with any of Brian's solo work, I don't find the rewards as immediate. His intimate, stripped down songs are hushed, emotional and personal and like a nice bottle of wine, they need time to breath to reach their peak. These songs are his lifeline back to shore from the stormy seas that are Holy Fuck and quite honestly I prefer to travel in the calmer waters he offers up when he takes that step back. Instead of the thrills of huge crashing waves and blustering winds, Brian sits alone in his boat, accompanied by only his thoughts and fears without the crutch of energy and adrenaline to help him make it home.

More importantly, with Torches, you are left with snippets of thoughts that date back as far as 5 years. While Coyotes was a cohesive, slow burner that presented ideas clearly and concisely, Torches is almost like diary entries Brian jotted down when Holy Fuck was running on all cylinders. It's more of an adventure to listen to the complete collection - a rewarding one, make no mistake - but not something that can be processed in a few listens.

Swells of sounds and emotions stand along side hushed confessionals and beautiful moments (like Oh Oh Oh and Steady Hands) and surprising melodies (the title track for example) battle the darkness and loneliness (Vanishing Act), all leaving you with an stark and very intimate window in to Brian's heart during those years. From a musical perspective, the songs show Borcherdt trying countless styles as he battled through any uncertainty or insecurity he might have had as a song writer, and for him to finally release the tracks and admit they had evolved to a point where a perfectionist could release them is a big step, but for him to jump from this mixed bag to the focused output of Coyotes is even more impressive.

For the denizens of Halifax, Brian is playing a show tonight at The Company House with some support from The Prospector's Union and Dance Movie. I'd highly suggest heading down, as the warm confines of the small bar are a perfect setting for his stories. As a fitting treat, I thought I'd link the very timely Furnaces for you to enjoy, but suggest you head over to the label and grab the whole collection.

MP3:: Brian Borcherdt - Furnaces
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/brianborcherdt
D/L Torches:: http://www.handdrawndracula.com/store.html#torches

Labels: Brian Borcherdt, Halifax, Hand Drawn Dracula, Music