Paul Georges . Alterego Construction

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, for the lack of recent updates on the blog. I had a bit of a busy weekend and didn’t really have much time to spend inside with my laptop.

So let’s get down to business! Elliott Brood, Wilco, together at la scène Molson Dry on Friday night. Not many people were present to hear what both groups had to offer, what a shame. The night started off with the sounds of Elliott Brood, an Ontarian three-man orchestra classified as, and I quote, “Death Country” by the folks running the festival. I’m a bit hesitant to declare that Elliott Brood fits into the whole “Death Country” genre. However, I do know that they rocked out live and that they did a great job up on stage.

“Elliott Brood call their music Death Country – dark, gritty folk music built around whiskey-drenched vocals and lyrics evoking images of love, loss and murder. In their soul-thumping bluegrass songs, banjo keeps time to a strange and chunky angular stomp, with vicious Kentucky-hardcore acoustic guitar and somber, achingly confessional vocal harmonies.”

Ahhhhh I see! The Death Country genre is self-acknowledged! That makes much more sense. I guess Death Country has got to work then… after all, it is their music, they know best what it sounds like. So the description says it all: dark, strong vocals and lyrics, lots of strings and, most importantly, great stage presence. Elliott Brood did their best to get the crowd going but the vegetative spectators seemed unable to respond. I had a lot of fun anyways. If you like your music grim and acoustic, you should definately check out Elliott Brood.

Although the crowd was pretty passive towards Elliott Brood’s performance, one could not say the same for Wilco’s. Fans were screaming with anxiety from the very opening; one girl almost broke down crying upon the band’s arrival.

“Wilco is an American contemporary rock band. While originally known for its alt-country roots, it is now mostly known for its rock or alternative rock style. Primary songwriter/singer Jeff Tweedy was a member of the seminal 1980s and 1990s alt-country group Uncle Tupelo. Tweedy shared songwriting and singing duties with bandmate Jay Farrar, who later formed Son Volt. Tweedy formed Wilco with Uncle Tupelo drummer Ken Coomer and session musicians featured on the last Uncle Tupelo recording ‘Anodyne’ (bassist John Stirratt, and string player Max Johnston). The band was named after the voice procedure term ‘Roger Wilco’, an expression that means ” and session musicians featured on the last Uncle Tupelo recording ‘ player Received, Will Comply”. Jeff also once noted that when Jay Farrar left Uncle Tupelo, Jeff was left with nothing to do but comply. Hence, ‘Will comply–Wilco.’”

Wilco defines the alt-country genre. Their vibe is melodic, easy to listen to, meaningful and just sounds great. Although I enjoyed Wilco’s performance on Friday, I must admit that I was expecting a whole lot more from the band. Wilco is reknowned for their talent and especially for their accurate live sound… but throughtout the entire show I found myself comparing the band’s performance to that of Feist’s, BSS’ and Calexico’s… Wilco just didn’t make the cut. Wilco live was enjoyable but could have been much better.

Le Soleil’s review here.