Winter will soon be upon us, which means more layered clothing and less outdoor activities. If you’re like me, the thought of transitioning from the warm and energizing days of summer to the frostbitten and melancholy days of winter is as shocking as stepping from a sauna into a popsicle. Fortunately, for our emotional well-being, little reminders of summer pop up periodically during these frigid months and warm things up a bit. Land of Talk did just that.
The opening band, a Los Angeles power-pop quartet called Eulogies, merely broke the silence with a handful of proficient but formulaic garage-pop songs that sounded suspiciously like an ode to Weezer. Power-chords and repetitive choruses abounded until Liz from Land of Talk reluctantly agreed to join them onstage for a duet. Unfortunately her talent was muffled by the band’s shrill musical bleakness.
After a suspenseful twenty minutes between sets, Land of Talk crept on stage and started the show with much needed urgency during “Give Me Back My Heart Attack.” Liz, adorned in a little green skirt, red plaid button-up shirt and gray suede boots crooned her songs of conflict and frustration with self-assurance and a refreshingly sunny temperament.
The band was pleased to hear so many requests from the relatively small audience and even dedicated “Some Are Lakes” to a couple celebrating their anniversary. “It’s OK” slowed things down and must have really captivated the audience, because after the applause, the room went completely silent.
Despite their warm impressions, Land of Talk hail from Montréal - a village whose winters beat the snot out of Portland’s. They are quintessentially Canadian indie-rock: a bunch of effortless beauties with the smarts and spirit to amuse, and the aggression and creative talent to be taken seriously. With the likes of Feist, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, The Dears, Metric, Sloan, The Weakerthans, The New Pornographers, Stars, Wolf Parade, The Sadies, and Peaches, Canada seems to own an unfair percentage of the scene. But don’t blame Canada, thank it.
DOWNLOAD: Land of Talk - Sea Foam (MP3) or Follow us for more Land of Talk MP3s (Twitter)
i saw them open for the Cave Singers, not very original, the crowd was not into it either, frankly i think they suck
by rigamarole on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 11.30 am from the entry: The Dutchess & The Duke Tour Dates, Y'all
hey u gotta give yoko credit for winning that many gold medals, for a woman her age to compete in a sport like speed skating is nothing short of amazing! go yoko!
by rockmonovich on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 11.25 am from the entry: Is Kate Moss the next Yoko?
Great post.really he has the ability that he can do anything possible.Thanks
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CEMETERY
by SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CEMETERY on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 03.56 am from the entry: Jim Morrison's Ghost Pic
Oh I see. I was wondering if you were talking about the picture. Really glad you liked it. Have you checked her out yet?
by Colin on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 02.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
yes! The interview is great, and the photo shows off the glow
by Ian on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 01.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Great post! Really digging the new record a lot. The Rainwater LP has some gorgeous moments - definitely recommend checking it out. There are 3 of the new songs up on the myspace page: myspace.com/citizencope
by MattKlomp on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 03.16 am from the entry: Citizen Cope - Paradise Theater (Boston, MA; Feb. 27, 2010 )
haha is that a compliment?
by colin on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.49 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
I hope you feel better soon, too. Nothing worse than the fatigues. A good sauna would help you out.