Pop stops

by JACK OATMON

There are so many fantabulous things going on in and around Pop Montreal that it would be a fool’s game to set plans in stone, but here’s a little rundown of some promising gigs to cut a rug and score some shimmy shugah on the dancefloor. Check it.

Tonight, Thursday, Oct. 4, the obvious choice is Club Soda. Medhi’s the tightest on the turntables in the Ed Banger crew, and he squares off against A-Trak alongside some oft-dropped names. But these cats are regularly around, meaning that you’ve probably already partied with them in a more intimate setting, or will at a later date. That said, the alternative is to hunker down at 3Minots for the ramshackle bubbly dub of Seattle’s Library Science and ensemble’s sedate symphonic synthesis. Then you have the choice to either stick around for the indelible charm of the Unsettlers or cruise up to Academy for some off-kilter mashing, remixing and digital dissection by Daedelus. I’m gonna try to squeeze Man Man in there somehow too.

Friday’s all about catching Bocce and Telefauna robot-rockin’ My Hero Gallery, then bouncing off to Zoobizarre for Why Alex, Why?’s Poussez, Poussez Pop edition with Optimo and Sons of Warsaw.

Aside from the afternoon booking of Zoobombs with Thunderheist at Divan Orange (if you tragically haven’t heard these two acts, their band names pretty much describe their performances to a T), Saturday sees Megasoid shock the pavement with Glitch Mobsters edIT and Boreta, ground zero TBA. Not to be missed. If you’re in the Hémisphère Gauche vicinity, peep Reykjavik’s Reykjavik!. You might also want to cruise through les Saints around 1 a.m. just to hear Yelle sing that one wondrous hit where she shit-talks Cuizinier. Locals be sure to hit the Notman House party to tilt a snifter with Sean Kosakhstan before he moves to Kazakhstan (straight from the horse’s mouth), not to mention Socalled and Think About Life. Kazam!

If you’re still standing on Sunday, you might want to go to Club Soda for the other ex-DFA1979er, SebastiEn Grainger doin’ some twinkly pop thing. That is, if you can stomach the Hot Hot Heat crowd. Really though, Sunday’s all about the sweet action at Puces Pop and Film Pop, sneakily located around the corner from each other, near Rachel and St-Urbain.

Most importantly, keep your ear to the ground for some of the many after-parties that will be erupting, carry a flask or a hipper at all times, don’t sniff yellow snow, holler when you see me and forget everything I just told you.

Ben non, la! jack.oatmon@gmail.com