Aimee Mann and Gord Downie Side Projects

Aimee Mann has long been a favorite songwriter of mine. After Til Tuesday, who were a fine 80s band in their own right, she made two outstanding power-pop solo records: Whatever and I'm With Stupid. If you watched Melrose Place (I didn't) you probably heard "That's Just What You Are" off the latter record. She also got a lot of exposure doing songs for P.T. Anderson's Magnolia, a movie that was written with Aimee Mann in mind, and which featured all the characters in the movie singing "Wise Up." The rest of her solo output has been good but not great. Her 2012 record Charmer is probably the best of the post-Magnolia output.

Now she has teemed up with Ted Leo to form The Both. Ted Leo is considered an indie alternative (whatever that means) artist but labels aside he's a singer/songwriter. I never really got into him that much, but after hearing this record, I should give him another shot. The Both is a great collection of power pop gems. Mann is on bass and Leo on guitar and they take turns on the lead vocals. Both sound great, but it's even better when they harmonize. At first glance it seems to be a trifle, just a one-off side project of two established artists having fun, but the songs are so well written and so well played it isn't fair to dismiss it as such. My two favorite are "Milwaukee" and "Pay For It," both of which bounce along merrily with great melodies, clever lyrics and super production. What I like best is that Mann has never had a guitar player working with her as intense as Ted Leo. His playing makes the songs roar to life. They are playing the 930 Club on Friday night and I am hoping to go.

My most favorite band on the planet not named Rush is also Canadian: The Tragically Hip. I have written about them extensively before (here and here and here) so my admiration is well known. Their singer is the amazing Gord Downie. He has mellowed out a bit as he has gotten older, but he is still one of the most mesmerizing performers I have ever seen. He seems to go into a trance when singing. Hip shows are always an amazing experience.

He has just released a collaboration with fellow Canadians The Sadies called Gord Downie, The Sadies And The Conquering Sun. The Sadies are another band I never quite got into; they were always a bit more eclectic than I had patience for. I was honestly surprised when I heard about this record. Downie has done a few solo records himself, all of them interesting but all of them again eclectic and therefore not as interesting to me as Hip records. The fact that he was making a record with another band was a bit disconcerting. What about the Hip? Why does Gord feel like he needs to work with another band? Are they breaking up! GACK!!

Hopefully a break-up isn't imminent. For the time being, to get a Gord fix, this will have to do. The best track is the kick-off track "Crater." Noisy and gritty guitars drive the tune. "Los Angeles Times" is a nice mid-tempo number with a good Clarence White-esque guitar solo at the end. Ltrically it's typical Gord Downie; sort of weird, sort of obtuse, sort of rambling but clever in every way. If this was a Hip record it would be a good Hip record, but not as good as the classics.  Perhaps Gord just wanted a break from his band; collaborating with old friends and seeing what happens. I hope he doesn't forget where home is.

Here's the FANTASTIC video for the FANTASTIC "Milwaukee" by The Both:

And not quite fantastic but still extremely cool, here's "Crater" by Gord Downie and The Sadies.

A Band At Transformation

Listening to a record...and by record I mean a real live vinyl LP...is the best way to really appreciate the music. Especially through headphones. I've been sounding like a broken records on this topic lately...did I really just say that...whatever. My favorite way to unwind after a day has been to lay out on the couch with the headphones on listening to music. It gives me a chance to not just decompress but to really hear the music. Listening at work or even on the computer while doing other stuff it is just background noise. The car is a good place but there are distractions...like not crashing. But laying in the dark with just the music is a great way to experience all the nuances of an album.

Take the latest record from my number-2-most-favorite-band-of-all-time The Tragically Hip. It came out in 2012 yet did not make my top 10 of the year. I never really gave it a close listen, so it never really formed in my mind. I found it to be a disappointment. This has been a trend with The Hip whose last few records have taken time to grow on me. Last year I did a primer (click here and here) on them and the last few records all seemed kind dull to start before springing to life. That happened when I was writing the primer and took the time to really listen close.

The latest record is called Now For Plan A. Last week I ordered the vinyl from MapleMusic in Canada even though I have had it digitally since it was released. I figured they are one of my favorite bands and I should just in principle have whatever media the record came out on (I have all the previous CDs already).

I have listened to it closely about 3 times now and I can say I have better appreciation for it. The Hip are definitely a band that are aging. I don't mean that in a bad way. Here's a better description: they are maturing. It's easily their most mellow record. There are no fist pumping anthems, though "The Modern Spirit" tries, but there is lots of finely crafted music here. The sense is that the band is slowing down some, interested less in simple rocking and more in experimenting and crafting the music. No chugging chords but more complicated guitar interplay.

Lyrically it is vintage Hip in that it's strange and appears kind of fake-deep but is really more clever. Gord Downie is one of the more enigmatic lyricists out there. Scanning the lyric sheet for a sample I can't find one that really speaks to me. There's no "Nautical Disaster" or "Bobcaygeon" here. The usually references to Canada about. They are without a doubt a Canadian band.

On the whole it is a good album. Not my favorite Hip album, probably in the bottom third, but something has to be down there, right? I am glad they aren't just making the same records over and over again. The record has a vibe and a personality of it's own. More relaxed, more restrained. The Hip are at the point in their career where it is perfectly fine for them to do that. Choice cuts include the title song, "At Transformation," "About This Map" and "Goodnight Attawapiskat."

Here's the video for "The Lookahead." It has Sarah Harmer helping on vocals and features the band's sense of humor. Or should I say "humour?"