LOVE IT ON TUESDAY: BOB DYLAN

 

Bob Dylan is old. I don’t know his exact age, but, since his first album, he’s lived more than twice what I’ve lived since I’m born. His career was so long that it would nearly be impossible review it honestly. Let’s just say that he was a genius in the 60s and for the most part of the 70s, that he turned pretty bad in the 80s and the 90s and that, with Love and Theft in 2001 and Modern Times in 2006, critics made things appear like Bob Dylan was a genius again. He sure did better than during the two last decades, but he’s still far from being the musician he once was.

The truth is that Bob Dylan has some of the most talented musicians in the world around him, and this is enough to fool the average music critic. But it’s far from enough to fool the amateur who listens to music with his heart. I’m even tempted to say that Bob Dylan’s new album Together Through Life sucks, arguing that it’s full of well-executed songs with no soul. That’s what I would say if it was the work of a young new band. I would be wrong to say that though, cause we’re talking about Bob Dylan here: like Jesus, we gotta respect him, even if he’s just a has-been.

Of course I’m writing too fast, cause some songs on Together, like the broken-hearted Life Is Hard, the cool I Feel A Change Comin’ On and my own favorite, the bluesy It’s All Good, are actually honest pieces of music made by a real old man. But overall, I mean… The genius of Bob Dylan was to always challenge our expectations, in order to never become a cliché. With Together, not only is he not surprising us anymore, but he’s become the caricature of the old man he is. Come on Bob, take back your acoustic guitar and your harmonica, I know you can do it.

Buy It's All Good on 

I LOVE SWEDEN

You all know that I love Sweden, and I love it even more when it comes to Montreal. It’s true that Peter Bjorn and John's last album is very unequal, but with the low points come some very high points, like Just The Past and I Want You! - that still have a Writer’s Block feeling to them -, and Nothing to Worry About and Lay It Down - that are dirtier, but still ultra-catchy pop. However, I would bet most of songs they're gonna play tonight will come from Writer's Block, so even those who are not fond of Living Thing will find something to enjoy. Don't shout it out loud though, cause they showed up not being as nice as we first thought.

With the cool Brooklyn band Charlift at Le National tonight, 8 PM, 23$ + fees, Buy your ticket on admission

Download Peter Bjorn and John - Just The Past Buy it on 

Les Oiseaux Exotiques Interviews... Starfucker

Starfucker was playing at Il Motore last Sunday. I had my last exam the next morning, but I knew I’d regret it if I missed their show... and I had scheduled an interview with them so I would have been stupid not to go.

They played one of the best show I had seen in a long time. It was a scandal that there were so few people though, but Simian Mobile Disco and Bell Orchestre were playing at the same time, so it was just a bad time I guess.

They released a self-titled album last November, and it’s so great that I decided to officially give it a 10. If you all buy it, they promised they’re gonna come back to Montreal to play a house party where you’ll all be invited. What are you waiting for? It's right here: 

... and their mini-album Jupiter will be out on May 5.

Thanks to Catherine for the great camera work, to Eve for the cool pictures and to my sister for having nice friends such as them… and for chronometring the interview.

LOVE IT ON TUESDAY: DEPECHE MODE

As you already know, at Les Oiseaux Exotiques, we’re always trying to offer a more interesting product. Did I say that word? I think I did. So here’s the point: on every Tuesday, there are like hundreds of albums coming out in the US and Canada. To help you sort out which one you should hear, we’ll start a new tradition here on Tuesday, which will consist of writing a full review of what other blogs call the album of the week. You’ll be able to easily find the reviews of the past weeks under the label LOVE IT ON TUESDAY, cause that’s exactly what’s gonna happen: you’ll love it on Tuesday.

Kraftwerk were playing with machines way before them, but Depeche Mode could be said to be the first band to make electro-pop - compared to the electro-prog of Kraftwerk - without making crappy disco. Now you’ll tell me that Just Can’t Get Enough is pretty close to being disco. True, but think about their later stuff, like Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence and Black Celebration: it's definitely pop, but it's too bad ass to be disco. And believe me, these electro dudes that fill our Top 25 Most Plays, like Boys Noize, Crystal Castles and even Justice sometimes, all owe a lot to these guys.

To be honest, you won’t be able to find anything comparable to Personal Jesus on Sounds of the Universe, but you’ll be fucking surprised how these guys totally own most of nowadays’ bands even after 29 years of existence. First, they managed to sound like 2009 rather than like 1984 and second, they haven’t lost their touch in making scary dance music. Wrong, the first single, will not only scare the shit out of you, but would also make you dance like hell if played very late in a club. There’s also Fragile Tension, probably the best song of the album with the distinctive guitar sound, In Sympathy, that could be a Crystal Castles song if it wasn’t for the voice, and the closer Corrupt, that sounds like 2099, a minute before the earth explodes.

Of course, this album also gets his share of cheesiness, with Peace, Perfect and Jezebel, but these three songs are cheesy in a good way you know, like in a funny gentle way. And they're just weak compared to rest, that's just catchy without being cheesy. When old bands try to reproduce the past – U2 can tell you about it – the result is usually pretty bad, but Depeche Mode did not seem interested to make a Personal Jesus # 2, and they got something interesting with Sounds of the Universe. There may be no instant classic on it, but we can definitely put it on top of our old band's best album of the year list.

Jesus Please Help Us

The Bruins just blew the Habs away last night. If they win two more, we can say goodbye to our rich lazy bastards who will be on a plane to their respective homes in Russia, Finland or anywhere far from Montreal. That's why we must be happy that there are still many people who actually care about their fans and that some of them are in town tonight. The veteran producers Simian Mobile Disco will be practicing their magic at Metropolis. Our own Bell Orchestre – the string section of Arcade Fire - will reproduce the weird sound of their new record at La Tulipe. But the ‘aubaine’ of the night is definitely Starfucker, who will be rocking Il Motore for the ridiculous sum of 10$. Apparently, they’re pretty amazing live and I’m looking forward to see them. By the way, I’m really sorry that I missed three days of posting and I hope you’ll accept these three excellent tracks as an excuse.

Download Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation Buy it on 

Download Bell Orchestre - Throw It On A Fire Buy it on 

Download Starfucker - Isabella of Castile Buy it on 

GO HABS GO!

Last year, it was absolute craziness. The chances you would see a car with a Habs flag were around one on two. Do you remember the riot when we won the seventh game against the Bruins? Crazy! Tonight, we're playing our first playoff game against the Bruins (again) and nobody really cares. We may as well say fuck off and watch the free concert Metric are giving in front of the Apple Store tonight from 8 PM to 9 PM. They're probably gonna play the songs from the album they released last week. I haven’t heard it entirely, but judging by Help I'm Alive - the first single -, it’s probably not very good. I mean, the intro is ok what’s that chorus? My favorite Brazilian producers The Twelves still managed to make it more than listenable, exactly like Justice did two weeks ago with 'Get On Your Boots'. Here’s my prediction for tonight by the way: Habs: 3, Bruins: 2. 

Download: Metric - Help I'm Alive (The Twelves Remix)

Best New Band Since Mozart!

 

Almost all the good band names have already been taken : Velvet Underground, Joy Division, Sonic Youth… That’s why nowadays some bands have to choose a name that's still available just because nobody wanted it, like Suckers. They're from Brooklyn, they're friends with Yeasayer and they're fucking cool. I got to know them because Pitchfork put one of their songs called It Gets Your Body Movin' in their best new music list. It’s actually one the best - if not the best - song I’ve heard this year so far. It’s not the kind of song I usually like : really slow, really progressive, really indie. But what is disguised behind this experimental mask is a really good pop song. And guess what : if you're in the US, you can now buy it on iTunes, along with all the excellent songs of their first EP. You should buy it. They’re the next big thing.

Download : It Gets Your Body Movin' Buy it on: