Free CDs! (for me)

As I discovered the weekend before last, one of the perks of being a member of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, is that once a year you get to attend what is undoubtedly the most boring party in the city.

To be fair, the words "Member Appreciation Dinner" don't really sound like fun at all, so it's not exactly like they led me on. I wasn't expecting to be the only person there under the age of thirty, but hey, you live and you learn. This year was the first (and probably the last!) one I attended. The best part of the evening was when they gave me free cds. (Also, the food was pretty good.) Yes, I know I'm a greedy little bitch.

So the Folk Fest tosses some random cds to members every year, and I finally got around to listening to the ones I snagged. (They don't literally toss them; they actually hand them out very politely.)


The Waking Eyes are from Manitoba. The fluorescent cover art repels me. The music inside is actually quite pleasant.

Nothing to write home about--they're your average indie-rock band, sporting the usual sweet, sunny vocals/post-grunge fascination with danceble rhythms, buzzing synths, and tasteful use of robot voices--but the album has moments that were memorable/catchy enough to get my attention. I didn't really pay attention to the lyrics.

I probably don't mean it, but I kinda wish they were more grunge. . . . maybe like Silverchair. Actually, I think the tree frog on the cover just subconsciously reminded me of Frogstomp.

The Waking Eyes - "Trouble On the Patio"

****

Antony & the Johnsons Another World EP is a bit hit and miss for me. I love me some Antony, but a lot of times, I find, the material is just not all that interesting--Why listen to The Crying Light, when I can just listen to "Fistful of Love" on repeat for 40 minutes instead?

Another World has the advantage of being short (plus the cover and liner artwork is also pretty stunning). Also, "Shake That Devil" is an uncompromising bit of weird genius that actually gets better each time I listen to it.

Antony & the Johnsons - "Shake That Devil"

****

I like Grinderman a lot more now that I've actually listened to the record. For some inexplicable reason, I was expecting it to sound like ten versions of "No Pussy Blues", but there are actually other songs on there.

Grinderman - "Get It On"
Grinderman - "Electric Alice"

****

Young And Sexy are another Canadian indie-pop outfit. I had heard "Conventional Lullabies" before, posted on some blog somewhere, years ago.

Young And Sexy remind me of The New Pornographers, but with a more sentimental, laid-back approach to songwriting. Some of the songs here veer into country territory, but in a very good way. The album is called Panic When You Find It.

Young And Sexy - "Conventional Lullabies"

****