Did made said thought

Living up to their past shows here in Montreal, Toronto collective Do Make Say Think yet again razzled and dazzled on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the first set of their sold-out two-night stint at la Sala Rossa. Their current masterstroke, Other Truths, is easily their best yet, but as good as they are at capturing their dizzying spills and chills on two-inch tape, this eight-piece band really has to be seen stomping the pines, awash in full dynamic decibels, to be fully appreciated. The backpacked, bearded brethren and myopic nerd girls were all crossed arms and smiles as the band rose up and out of typical post-rock dark-recess trappings. Two trumpets and an alto sax spilled out joy, two drummers added a tapestry of primal thump, two Polvo-esque guitars glistened and bass both anchored and led the pack. Over just shy of two hours, the band kicked out the family jams, digging deep into their discography, but it was the recent classics like “Say” and the mesmerizing encore of “Do” that really sparked with new life. If you haven’t picked up the stellar Other Truths yet, drop this rag right now and get yer grubby mitts on it pronto.

Another killer show happened just across the street from la Sala Rossa at the world-famous VLT hotspot, Casa del Popolo, last Saturday. Nadja’s Aidan Baker was paired up in a duo setting with Animal Hospital’s Kevin Micka laying down the backbeat, and local supergroup Ghidrah (members of Aun, TQA, Maggot Breeder and Squalor) taking the headlining spot. Baker resides in the nebulous place between lucidity and the land of nod, weaving soft soundscape loops that go from a gentle murmur to a warm wash. His hushed vocals were safely tucked under his loops while brushed beats provided the perfect grounding. Go grab his split EP with Noveller, Colorful Disturbances, chase it with a bottle of Robitussin and thank me later. Ghidrah provided the perfect counterpoint to Baker’s warm comfort and set their phasers on kill with loud power drones that rattled the fillings in your teeth. Although the mix definitely favored Aun’s Martin Dumais, this was all about extreme frequencies interwoven with each other as projected visuals matched geometric shapes with snowy and barren landscapes. The improvement over their last show at Green Room a couple of months back was immense, so drone druids should definitely catch them the next time this three-headed monster plays in town.

A good night of solid metal this week at Katacombes when author Annick Giroux launches her heavy metal cookbook, Hellbent for Cooking. Giroux may be better known as DJ Satannick, host of Katacombes’s Heavy Metal night every Wednesday, but on Saturday she’ll don her chef’s hat. Hellbent for Cooking is the perfect stocking stuffer for the molten metalhead in the family, with over 100 recipes culled from members of Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, Sepultura and more, running the gamut from simple mac and cheese to Yorkshire pudding, and an amazing layout and photos to boot. Helping sling the book will be Beehler (ex-Exciter), Metalian and Orodruin. If you can’t make the launch, you can order the book at hellbentforcooking.com.

EAT TO THE BEAT…JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM