Antipode mode

Australia’s hot. Duh, you say? Well, I don’t mean hot in the “sunnies” and “shrimp on the barbie” sense so much as the Mad Max outfit sense. The badass, retro-futuristic, high-speed chase sense. Hot in the sense of Cut Copy’s new album. I got the disc, In Ghost Colours, last weekend and was blown away by the slick flow, sharp songwriting and enormous genre bandwidth of it, evoking all sorts of stuff, from Buddy Holly’s upbeat romanticism to the saccharine glamour of new wave acts like Animotion, with subtle touches of krautrock and a heavy sheen of modern psychedelic club production, thanks to Tim Goldsworthy’s tried and tested hand.

It’s not just those guys. Modular Records groups like the Presets already have an audience in Montreal, but newer acts like Fool’s Gold signees Bag Raiders and the obscure but amazing Theatre of Disco have recently popped up, making me wonder if we’re in for a mini Aussie invasion. It’s not uncommon to hear Van She Tech remixes played out on the town in Montreal, and the new Crystal Castles album features “Vanished,” a remix of Van She’s 2005 track “Sex City.” Crystal Castles appear at Studio Juste Pour Rire tonight, March 27, by the way.

So make sure to get those tickets for Cut Copy’s May 10 Cabaret Juste Pour Rire show in a flash, and in the meantime, catch a little bit of the Aussie wave as Benny Single and Joel Dickson, aka Riot in Belgium, hit Coda on Friday, March 28—something of a follow-up to their friends Bang Gang’s recent visit to the same venue. Riot in Belgium are the dudes behind the greasy glitch and anthemic chorus of last year’s “La Musique.”

In other news, those of you who use, or want to use, Gerhard Behles’ fantastic music performance and sequencing program Ableton Live might want to head down to the SAT this evening between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for a workshop in the art of Ableton given by Alex McMahon, keyboardist of local electro-jazz trio Plaster, and Merlin Ettore of Blandilo. Stick around afterwards for a MixSession with the folks from Moment Factory on the pretty sounds and lights. It’s a little pricey, with tickets ranging from $30–$60, but likely well worth it for serious performers.

On Saturday night, be sure to hit up Academy Dancehall for the final edition of tech-house/acid/electro-house night Un Zoo La Nuit, featuring Geneva’s Water Lilly as guest DJ alongside locals Clifford Brown, Marinelli and Romeo Kardec.

And finally, I suggest you attend the album launch party of Montreal’s premier whiskey-drinkin’, anti-folk, saloon-punk orchestra, the Unsettlers, at Club Lambi on Tuesday, April 1. These guys are known for a riotous, festive live show with eclectic instrumentation, detailed songwriting and an unparalleled intimacy, with wardrobe and demeanours to match. I also recently got an earful of the new album and it sounds like an apt adaptation of the lunacy of their performance. That should be some serious fooling around, with the Cockroaches and Maurice Benjamin filling out the bill. It’s a slight departure from my usual fare, but rest assured, there will be plenty of dancing. Not to mention merriment. Heavy on the merriment.

YOU’RE NOTHIN’ BUT A BUNCH OF BOONERS AND
BOGONS! jack.oatmon@gmail.com