OTTAWA JANUARY 20 2012

FRIDAY JAN 13 / GUELPH

McQUEEN

One of my favorite album covers .

Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen


- RK

NEW YEARS EVE

GOLDEN TICKETS

New years eve tickets are now available .

only $10 and you can pick them up at the red dog or sympathy for the rebel.

here's the info again

December 31st
New Years Eve

RIKERS
w / the lumbermen
& meteor empire

The red dog
Hunter St , Peterborough
Doors @ 10


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BODY LANGUAGE

We're starting to discuss album artwork and other design ideas . Naturally there are lots of opinions floating around but for my money this is one of the greatest covers ever .

RK


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THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT

The Smiths on a Saturday morning. Working on lyrics and wanted some 'wordy' inspiration.

2012 DATES

NEW YEARS PROMO VIDEO

RECORD COLLECTION - ALEX

Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement

With the release of The Human League's now famous "Dare" record, 1981 became the year that synth music became truly mainstream It was also the year that Heaven 17, founded by two refugees of The Human League, released a their own album, "Penthouse and Pavement." Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh had left The Human League due to creative differences. Whereas Philip Oakey wanted to pursue a poppier sound, Ware and Marsh were more interested in the experimental and conceptual side of music. It's impossible to talk about Penthouse and Pavement without referencing Dare; the two were recorded in the same studio, and at the same time with Heaven 17 working at night, and The Human League working in the day. Both records made extensive use of the same synthesizers, and both used the same the Linn drum machine (the opening bars of Penthouse and Pavement's title track and The Human League's "What Dreams are of Made Of" are nearly identical). But the results were vastly different.

Whereas the singles from Dare were about love and, well love, Heaven 17's "(We don't need this) Fascist Groove Thang" and "Penthouse and Pavement" were direct attacks on British society and the global order in a broader sense. Thatcher was at 10 Downing, Reagan was in the White House, and the new corporate culture was rapidly eroding financial regulations (sound familiar?). Throw in a bit of British class-ism, the ever present possibility of nuclear war, and Ware and Marsh were angry enough to eschew any songs about girls or parties. By contrast, the only overtly political song on Dare is "Seconds", a track about the death of JFK, definitely a safe subject that would appeal to one's liberal sensibilities without challenging the system itself. Musically, Heaven 17 embraced R&B and funk, and didn't shy away from complex rhythms and extended solos in sharp contrast to The Human League's considerably colder and more conventional (in terms of new wave) approach. The bass work throughout the album (particularly on Penthouse and Pavement) is stellar, and begs the question: Is it possible to drastically overplay while still being tasteful? If you're that good, then yes. Symbolically, the use of funk also helped underline that Penthouse and Pavement was not "establishment music" which new wave had ironically become once it hit the mainstream. For all of it's musical merit, there is no doubt that the lyrical content of Penthouse and Pavement negatively impacted the commercial success of the album as it did not chart as high or as long as "Dare", and a DJ at the BBC (who was also a supporter of the Conservative Party) actually banned it from radio play. The album's more conceptual side also lets it down at times, and leaves the listener wanting more songs, and less self-indulgent tangents. Still, the ideas and message behind Penthouse and Pavement are now more relevant than ever, and it only goes to show how little things have changed (and how they have gotten worse) since Ware and Marsh said what was on their minds.

Have you heard it on the news
About this fascist groove thang
Evil men with racist views
Spreading all across the land
Don't just sit there on your ass
Unlock that funky chaindance
Brothers, sisters shoot your best
We don't need this fascist groove thang

NYE 2011 / DEPECHE (DEMO)

What are you doing this NYE?



Tell us what you think.

CALL ME A MAN

SEARCHING FOR THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE ROAD

LISTENING CLOSELY

We like what we hear so far. Hope you will too.

RECORD COLLECTION - ALEX

Vienna is probably Ultravox's most important record. It was more refined than their previous releases during their more experimental period, and reflected a new direction for the band. Instrumentally, it's an interesting blend of guitar driven songs and more of what would expect from a contemporary of synth heavy acts like The Human League and Heaven 17. A lot of the rhythm guitar work is reminiscent of classic metal, albeit without all the wanking and showboating. The record goes from heavy (Private Lives)to synth based ballads (the title track Vienna) to experimental stuff that could almost be Kraftwerk (Mr. X), all without missing a beat. The super clean and consistent production helps a lot in this regard, and the record maintains a poppy feel even when the music is anything but. Vienna neatly encapsulates the whole '78-'82 period, which is, for me at least, the most interesting in modern music.

I'M IN THE MOOD FOR A MELODY

Aside from polishing his shoes, Russ' favourite pastime is watching Ry work.

SPOOKY LIGHTS - JAMS ARE TIGHT

Happy Halloween. Stay tuned for more recording updates.

LISTENING DOWN

Finishing up in the studio in the next week or so.. And feeling good.
New songs and our old favourite(s) will be featured on the EP. It's been a long road since our last release. Listening down, we don't have any regrets.

To our fans that have been following our progress.. Thank you and please keep your eyes on this blog. More videos and updates on the EP to follow.

Listening to the early stages of the recordings...

SO ALIVE

EMERSON, LAKE OR PALMER?

A DATE WITH THE NIGHT

some clips from the studio last night .

DROWNING WITH LAND IN SIGHT

Randomly heard Matthew Sweet yesterday for the first time in years. Got me thinking about 'intelligent pop music ' . Dug out this gem from the criminally overlooked
77's and thought I'd post a link to one of my top songs of all time.

Maybe the best 80's song to come out of the 90's.

Band - the 77's
Album - drowning with land in sight
Song - film at 11


Here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh3GQY3llsE


RK

ONE DOWN ONE TO GO

Vocals for 'island' . Done .

THE KEYS TO BEING VOCAL

Waiting rooms become familiar

BREAK OUT VIDEO

giving old demos a new life.

before heading into the studio over the past few months we wrote a ton of songs. due to a lack of public appetite for a triple record we had to cut some songs before we went in.

we feel like we chose wisely and that the very best of the best will be on our new record. that being said, we felt like there were some great tunes that just barely missed the cut.

lately we've been working on these 'demo videos' that use a live off the floor or demo version of a song that missed the cut for the record . we wanted to share these songs in some context and this seemed like a cool way to do it.

some of the demos are finished , others are not. some of them have 'scratch' lyrics in certain parts, some of them aren't as tightly arranged as we'd like them to be but these versions capture an immediacy and spark that is evident in the early writing stage .

TEENAGE DREAM

So unless you've been out of it for the past week you've probably heard the stone roses are getting back together.

who gives a shit .

According to Russ this is apparently the best news ever, but he's also a city fan so how much can we trust his judgement ?

While I'm not gonna slag off the roses it's not the massive deal to me that it seems to be to everyone else .

For my money Suede were the best band to come out of the UK in the 90's ( pulp follows a close second ) . I recently dug out 'coming up' and it's still as good as I remembered. I used to come home from high school everyday and listen to this record on repeat.

I named my cat Suede and insisted my family refer to me as 'Bernard'.

More than the roses , blur or oasis , suede were my band.

RK's 90's NME TOP 5

Suede
Pulp
Supergrass
Longpigs
Elastica

I WANNA KNOW WHAT I WANNA KNOW

Check out this blog by our good friend Ryan Kohls. He asks great questions to interesting people .

Recent interviews include Henry Rollins , Andrew Scott , Malice from The Clipse and Steve Albini.

This weeks subject is Dewey Bozella . Worth checking out for sure .

Also , Rocket From The Crypt are awesome . Always will be .

The glass was half full...

Important meetings over a bottle of white that was supposed to be red.

UP NEXT

Synths and vocals up next . check back for more studio updates.

I FEEL I'M ON TOP AGAIN LATELY

russ recording guitars .

ROCKERS AND JOCKS

Rikers pick for the world series.

Anyone wishing to place bets can call the warden.

MENTAL PREPARATIONS, BASS INTENTIONS

Recording bass, another brick...

INDIGO

Russ recording guitars on INDIGO.

LYRIC SCRATCH PAD

I can't sleep
You're in my head
We're just animals
Once we're fed
We keep coming back again

TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS

Back in the studio for a few days coming up . Tracking bass and guitars. new stuff is coming together nicely .

pre studio playlist :

Robert Palmer
Twin Shadow
Catherine Wheel

RECORD REVIEW - ALEX

GENTLE GIANT - CIVILIAN

If great records speak for themselves, "Civilian" is probably not a great record, though it definitely has some "great" elements. Gentle Giant was known for their complex arrangements and incorporation of influences that ranged from jazz to baroque and mediaeval music. Released in 1980, "Civilian" straddled the end of the classic rock and prog rock era and the beginning of new wave. Because of this, and their relative lack of prior commercial success, Giant pursued a more direct sound, with simpler arrangements and straightforward vocal hooks. This approach when combined with their inherent "weirdness" led to an awkward blend of synth infused prog and classic rock and roll. Despite its shortcomings both then and now, I keep coming back to this record. You can hear the compromise in the music, as if every song is a conversation between the purists in the band and the guys who wanted to make a commcercial impact before calling it quits (this was Gentle Giant's last record).

The opening track, "Convenience" is driving and fast, with an off kilter arrpegiator throughout and an almost Judas Priest-like guitar riff. "Number One," with its ridulously triumphant major chorus ("I'm number one, and you're still no one,") sounds more like hair rock, but with key and bass lines that sound more classical if anything. "I Am a Camera" is my favourite track, and is most musically symbolic of the crossroads the band must have been at. It's built around a straightforward major two chord rock riff, and most bands would have left it at that. But Giant throws in a minor ascending line that the guitars, keys and bass play in unison which probably would have destroyed any commercial potential given what was popular in 1980.

It's often said that records encapsulate where the band was musically and personally at the time of writing/recording, If that's true, Gentle Giant must have been really fucking confused, and overall I would say that this record is made up of moments rather than songs. But if you're a music junkie, it's definitely worth picking up.

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

In Toronto tonight ?
Check out our brothers from different mothers BIRTHDAY BOYS at sneaky dees ( Bathurst & college )

Full disclosure : some of us have the same mothers.

RIKERS - MINUTES (DEMO)

TRACKING DRUMS

the waiting is the hardest part.

RECORDING DRUMS

These are drums.

Location:Vespa Studios

I'D LIKE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU

RECORDING UPDATE

after spending the past month in the rehearsal space doing pre pro, we're hitting the studio again next week to finish up our recordings.

the wait for new material has been long but it's coming soon . we promise.

LYRIC SCRATCH PAD

indigo

now i know

i'm not believing you

that you're a little blue

i say

you're a shade of grey

LIVE PIC

here's a photo from our show at the hunter street festival in peterborough a few weeks ago.

thanks to elizabeth thipphawong for taking some cool shots.