On Beat
This is week four of the On Beat newsletter *insert hoorah’s!*, where The Concordian’s Music Editor keeps you “on beat” for everything happening in the music world.
I’m not gonna lie, aside from the Taylor Swift record that was decent, and maybe the Arctic Monkeys record if you’re into that, last week was a bit dry in comparison to what’s coming out next week. I’m looking forward to Drake and 21 Savage’s collab album, and Westside Gunn’s tenth installment of his Hitler Wears Hermes series. Regardless, here are three tracks that are more than worthy of your time.
“Poland” - Lil Yachty
I TOOK THE WOOOOOOOK TO POLAND. I TOOK THE WOOOOOOOK TO POLAND. I TOOK THE WOOOOOOOK TO POLAND. I TOOK THE WOOOOOOOK TO POLAND. Yup, it slaps. Nothing else to add here.
“Where I Go” (feat. H.E.R) - NxWorries (Anderson .Paak, Knxwledge)
While I dearly loved the Silk Sonic record, even deeming it my favourite album of 2021, I also love Anderson Paak’s modern R&B stuff, and what better than a NxWorries collaboration in 2022. As usual, Knxwledge kills it on production with an instrumental that compliments .Paak’s voice and H.E.R.’s really well. Fingers crossed that there’s a new NxWorries album coming soon.
“Snow On The Beach” (feat. Lana Del Ray) - Taylor Swift
As a stan of Kanye’s music, (it’s sad that I have to specify that I’m only a fan of his music because with everything happening with him, I just can’t defend him anymore) If you told me three years ago that one day I would be writing about a Taylor Swift song, I would’ve laughed at you. However, the chorus of “Snow On The Beach” has been stuck deep in my head since the album’s release and Swift’s voice meshes so well with Lana Del Ray’s, making the moments they sing together sound absolutely blissful.
There is always a lot to write about in music so if you are interested in writing for us, whether it’s an album review, a concert review, a profile of an artist, an interview with a band, or even a piece about current events in music, reach out to music@theconcordian.com and I’m sure we can figure something out :)
Linked below is what you might have missed this week on The Concordian’s website.
Concert Review: Gorillaz At The Bell Centre
Gorillaz delivered an incredibly colourful performance
One of the world’s most acclaimed virtual bands, Gorillaz, gave an exceptional show at the Bell Centre on Oct. 8 for fans of all ages. With the band having been around for more than 20 years, they had two decades worth of hits to share with Montrealers as a part of their North American 2022 tour.
Fans had to wait a bit before seeing Gorillaz hit the stage after an opening act from the Atlanta hip-hop duo EARTHGANG. Despite EARTHGANG’s music being very different from Gorillaz’s, they still brought the heat and delivered an incredibly fun set.
They performed tracks from their 2022 album GHETTO GODS, as well as some classics from older releases and songs they have with their record label Dreamville. Sadly, the duo couldn’t perform some of their biggest hits like “Meditated” and “Sacrifices” with Dreamville, and the set fell shorter than the typical 45 minutes expected.
After their set, fans were ecstatic for the main event as people were doing the wave and cheering for a solid five minutes while waiting for Gorillaz to appear.
For a virtual band, Gorillaz sure had a lot of people on stage, with at least 12 musicians, including three drummers and four backup singers, who all came ready to play to a very warmed up crowd. The English band truly gave a spectacular performance, playing most of the songs off their 2005 cult-classic Demon Days to a crowd singing every word back.
Lead singer Damon Albarn didn’t look like your typical 54-year-old. He was highly energetic and was really enjoying himself, even going into the crowd. Albarn was really feeding off of the crowd’s cheers and gave an incredible show in exchange, playing multiple instruments during the set.
The band also had stunning visuals, often similar to videoclips of their animated personas that fans have come to know and love throughout the years. Each video had a different story attached to the songs and it was definitely entertaining to witness the animations and the members behind them on stage at the same time.
The band also invited a lot of different guest features to play their part. These included names such as the opening act EARTHGANG, and some lesser known rappers such as Bootie Brown, who most notably has a verse on “Dirty Harry” and their latest single “New Gold.”
Overall, Gorillaz gave a stellar performance to their loyal fans who definitely had an amazing time witnessing one of the most quintessential bands of the 2000s.
A Sold-Out Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Frenzy At Bar Le Ritz
PPC constantly flirted between playing perfectly on-beat and nearly losing control, keeping audience members in a satisfyingly hectic musical limbo
Montrealers were treated to a heavy set of acid-dosed tunes on Oct. 17, courtesy of Perth rock outfit Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (PPC) and supporting alternative rockers Acid Dad. While it’s still not quite clear what a “Psychedelic Porn Crumpet” is, the band name does at least serve as a spot-on description of their music.
PPC are very much a product of Australia’s gold-standard modern psychedelic rock output. While the scene’s bigger names like Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard may be filling larger venues, PPC proved that the smaller acts can still set crowds ablaze.
The band’s set exploded with a particularly bumping rendition of their hit single “Tally-Ho,” immediately turning a sold-out Bar Le Ritz into a human wave pool like some kind of magic trick. The song’s jumpiness can be attributed to the riff-heavy nature of the track, as looping fuzzy guitar riffs proved good contrast with frontman Jack McEwan’s signature soothing vocal style. These kinds of guitar-based songs like “Bill’s Mandolin” were the highlights of the night, as crowdsurfers levitated above the packed audience below.
But PPC proved to be about more than just heavy riffs played in front of psychedelic video projections. The five-piece also often broke out into seemingly impromptu jams, stretching and pulling their tracks way beyond what you’d hear on-album.
As McEwan led the band into these chaotic moments, guitarists Luke Parish and Chris Young noodled over the backing beat created in tandem by drummer Danny Caddy and bassist Wayan Biliondana. PPC kept pushing the musical envelope during these wilder instrumental sections, flirting between playing perfectly on-beat and nearly losing control, keeping audience members in a satisfyingly hectic musical limbo where it seemed like anything could happen.
This ability to “jam” is really the testament of a good psychedelic rock group. Many bands can adopt the flower aesthetic but only few can create that sense of chaotic yet controlled concert experimentation that gets to the root of what psychedelic rock can attain as a genre. While contemporary acts like Tame Impala can feel somewhat stiff at times, PPC’s more fluid chemistry really contributed to the quality of their live show.
Concert Review: Demi Lovato At L’Olympia
Demi Lovato put on a stellar performance at L’Olympia on Sunday, Oct. 16
The pop-star-turned-rock-star performed in a significantly small venue on Oct. 16, considering her fame and popularity over many years. The last time the singer was in Montreal, she performed at the Bell Centre with a capacity of 21,302 people. L’Olympia, on the other hand, has a capacity of only 1,120.
While the show started at 8 p.m., fans began lining up outside the doors nine hours prior to the entry time at 6:30 p.m.
Demi Lovato opened her show with Royal & the Serpent aka Ryan Santiago, an American singer-songwriter. She absolutely killed it with her energy and evident passion for music. The crowd’s energy matched hers, with fans jumping and headbanging to the music.
Santiago ended with her most famous song “Overwhelmed” that went viral on TikTok, and the crowd got extremely loud and pumped up for Demi’s appearance.
Demi came on stage with an all-girl band and the crowd went nuts. The singer started with songs from her new rock album HOLY FVCK and then went back to her Disney days with songs like “Don’t Forget” and “Remember December” — but with a rock twist. Having grown up with these songs, the fans knew every single word, including myself.
She also performed the song “29” which is the most talked-about song on the new album, since it is about the singer’s past relationship with Wilmer Valderrama. The song points out how the then 29-year-old actor dated Lovato when she was only 17. Upon turning 29, the lyrics say that she finally realized how wrong the relationship was.
Lovato spoke to the crowd before performing the song saying that she’s seen how her fans have been sharing their stories of going through the same thing, and how she’s sorry for them going through it too.
As someone who saw Demi perform at the Bell Centre four years ago when she was still making pop music, had long black hair, and dressed completely differently, I could say that this rock era is by far her best.
The singer’s powerful raspy voice fits with the rock genre perfectly, her vocals coming through more powerfully than ever. The singer seemed to be at her most confident during the Sunday night performance, and her voice has truly never sounded better.
The energy was palpable throughout the show, with a loud crowd screaming all the lyrics back to the singer.There’s been talk that this is Lovato’s last tour, and if it is, I’m very happy that I was there to see it.
QUICKSPINS – Return Of The Dream Canteen By Red Hot Chili Peppers
What did we do to deserve such a lovely comeback album from the funk rock group?
Unlimited Love who? Make way for the Return of the Dream Canteen! This is the second album that features Red Hot Chili Peppers’ staple guitarist John Frusciante. Frusciante, singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (Michael Peter Balzary), and drummer Chad Smith (totally not Will Ferrell) came out with an extremely trippy album with artwork to match the audible art.
There were many memorable songs from this LP — honestly, I could name all of them! The debut track “Tippa My Tongue” is a perfect dip into the acid trip that is this album. “Eddie” was an emotional experience, paying homage to the late Eddie Van Halen.
“La La La La La La La La” was a curveball after the heavy track “Bag of Grins.” It is the softest song in the entire album and that is saying something because, besides the last track of course, it pales in comparison to the heaviness of the rest of the songs. “Fake as Fu@k” reminded me a lot of their “Look Around” phase from their album I’m With You.
“In the Snow” is the last track of the album. I did mention that the band dove into an electronic phase with this album, featuring synth plugins and drum machines: well, this track has it all. Being the bastard child of the stereotypical Pixies song and a TR-808 drum machine, the cowbell rings clearly while square wave synth pads (a soft wide sound that is used in the background) envelop the entire song.
Halfway through the song, Kiedis commences a monologue, not unlike what the late Prince would do in his 1999 album. He continues it in a second verse toward the end of the track which ends up sounding like he is talking about nothing and everything at the same time.
Did I like Return of the Dream Canteen? Yes, a heck of a lot more than the previous Unlimited Love LP. There were a lot more memorable songs and they shook off the rustiness of not having Frusciante in the group for more than a decade. No hating on Josh Klinghoffer though, he was a gem on both I’m With You and The Getaway. Definitely check out the new release once you’ve read this!
Trial track: Eddie
Rating: 8.5/10