Away from the heard

>> Unsung sounds you need to
know about at Pop Montreal

BIG BANGARANG THEORY: Bonjay

By RUPERT BOTTENBERG,
LORRAINE CARPENTER,
JOHNSON CUMMINS
and JACK OATMON

The spread at Pop Montreal this year offers enough shows with known-quantity names atop the bill, but the true strength of such a festival is the opportunity it affords to discover acts and artists whose monikers haven’t made it to the tips of everyone’s tongues (yet). Here’s a bunch worth taking note of:

Bonjay: The Toronto-based twosome, originally from Ottawa, marry the savvy stylings and stuttering beats of Pho behind the decks with the luminous vocals of singer Alanna Stuart. Their new mix CD Bangarang Business tosses their own tracks in amid jams from Lady Sovereign and Bonde Do Role, T.I. and TLC, Bounty Killer and 4Hero, which should hint at where Bonjay are coming from. They’d better perform their inspired cover of TV on the Radio’s “Staring at the Sun,” because it’s a gem, dammit. (RB) At Divan Orange on Sat., Oct. 6, 4 p.m., and with Yelle, Let’s Go to War, Peer Pressure DJs at les Saints, 10 p.m., $15

Glitch Mob: These West Coast pretty boys are bona fide masters of digitally discombobulated dancehall and cyber-crunk experimentation. Glitch Mob unites the nitpicky minimal production of Hawtin’s M_nus label with a peppering of Hollertronix-style thug-rave. And it kicks ass. Expect a visit from two of the four-man crew, including burgeoning net-nerd phenomenon edIT, who’s about to drop his tweaked-out new full-length, Certified Air Raid Material. (JO) With Megasoid, Daedelus at Weapons House, Sat., Oct. 6, for info and location go to www.weaponshouse.com

Jade McNelis: From Taiwan to Tallahassee to la belle province, McNelis has come a long way over her 20 years, falling in with a band of merry Montrealers to make an excellent debut EP, All the Fables, released by local label Good Fences earlier this year. A gifted pianist, violinist, singer and songwriter, her songs marry classical composition, pop melody and atmospheric electro, and feature a who’s-who of local indie rock talent. (LC) With Krief and special guest at the Portuguese Association (4170 St-Urbain), Sat., Oct. 6, midnight

Library Science: This Seattle trio offers what they call “post-dub,” a sound you can effortlessly ease into, somewhere between the bass, the vibraslap and the melodica. And if the cover art for their latest album, The Channellor, is anything to go by, expect some friendly surrealism from their full-on audio-visual spectacle. Also note that one of the band members is a boy named Sue. (LC) With the Unsettlers, Ensemble, Juta at les 3 Minots tonight, Thurs., Oct. 4, 10 p.m., and with Slim Twig and the Nymphets at Divan Orange, Fri., Oct. 5, 2 p.m.

Live Fast Die: Local promoters Pirates of the Lachine Canal have outdone themselves with a ton of weird punk, noise, and loud, young and snotty rock ’n’ roll filling up the days of Pop Montreal. NYC’S Live Fast Die definitely fall under the latter heading. Their tune “Fat Guy (with an iPod)” is highly downloadable (especially if you’re a little on the hefty side, apparently) and it spits and snarls in lo-fi glory, just like the good ol’ days of Dead Boys and Crime. (JC) With Galaxy, the Confusers at l’Escogriffe tonight, Thurs., Oct. 4, 10 p.m.

Reykjavík!: I don’t know if it’s the weather over there or the fact that hard booze was the only available liquor until beer-prohibition finally ended in 1989, but there’s something bloodthirsty about these Icelandic art punks who just don’t quit. Throaty hollering, swaggering riffs and cacophonic arrangements, reminiscent of the mid-’90s East Bay hardcore scene, are offset by a refreshing sense of humour and just enough clever musicianship to make you wonder how serious they really are. (JO) With Team Robespierre, DD/MM/YY, Germans, Bonk at l’Hémisphère Gauche, Sat., Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

THROAT SPECIALIST: Tanya Tagaq

Tanya Tagaq: A one-time Montrealer, Nunavut-born Tagaq is that rare artist whose work—in her case, a customized extension of Inuk throat singing—is not only uniquely original and carefully considered, but also transcendently intense and profoundly gripping. Intuitive, intimate and even frightening at times, this stuff guarantees goosebumps—no wonder Björk and the Kronos Quartet have tapped her for collabs. (RB) With Girl Nobody, Ndidi Onukwulu, Kim Barlow at O Patro Vys tonight, Thurs., Oct. 4, 8 p.m.

There Were Valleys: Soft, slow and troubled, this local unsigned duo conjures delicious melancholy with “synths, guitar and broken things,” so they say, ie. ornamental glockenspiel, mournful strings and the Volvo station wagon they often call home. Colorado gal Tillie Perks and Québécois guy Marc St. Louis got together in 2005 and released their debut album, Night War, last year. Expect previews of their impending follow-up. (LC) All of Your Friends, Brent Gorton and the Tender Breasts, Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts, King Bochek at Barfly, Sat., Oct. 6, 9 p.m.

Turpentine Brothers: These Boston garage rockers are probably the elder statesmen on the Pirates of the Lachine Canal’s four nights of shows, and are definitely not to be missed. The Bros are all about Nuggets and Pebbles comps, with Rolling Stones swagger added for good measure. If you dig the second wave of Beantown garage rock—the Real Kids, DMZ, the Lyres—Turpentine Brothers keep the tradition alive. (JC) With the Hipshakes, Cococoma at Quai Des Brumes, Fri., Oct. 5, 10 p.m.

KIM JONG ILLIN’: The Two Koreas

The Two Koreas: Sporting three writers from Toronto’s Eye Weekly, this quintet effectively answer anyone they’ve critiqued who might have said, “I’d like to see them do better.” With muscular basslines, growling guitars and soapbox vocals (finessed by Shadowy Man Don Pyle’s production on their latest, Altruists), the Two Koreas draw almost exclusively from the well of U.K. post-punk—the Fall being the obvious starting point. (RB) With Slow Six at Saphir tonight, Thurs., Oct. 4, 9 p.m.

For more info go to
www.popmontreal.com