aRTIST oF tHE yEAR

Montreal based band, aRTIST oF tHE yEAR, is certainly one of the stranger groups out there. Just by looking up a couple of videos on Youtube, you'll find out what I mean (although they can be hard to find--but their Youtube channel is called cHEEZYsOUNDZ). They dress up in spandex, unicorn costumes, sombreros and lace dresses for their intense live performances, have a strong propensity towards nudity, singing in harpy-like screeches, and their music is somewhere in the middle of an all-out war between Justice inspired electronica, a Commodore-64, and a porno soundtrack.

Everything about them is a rejection of conventional music, while still attempting to be danceable and groovy. The way I understand things, the way they compose their songs is by writing a few lines on their instruments, recording it, then they sample, splice, and cannibalize the entire thing and re-learn the new song on their instruments. When I heard that, I was immediately reminded of legendary jazz composer, Raymond Scott--the man who arguably laid the groundwork for all this electronic music stuff in the first place. I decided to give them a look-see and was not disappointed.

Although obviously sounding nothing like Raymond Scott, they were still just as unpredictable yet infectious. Their music is catchy and groovy enough to be hold the casual listener's attention yet also frenetic, different and weird enough to satisfy somebody who's looking for something new and interesting.

The purpose of their first album, Le Gala, by their own admission was to, "crash the computer." You get the sense that they were putting their feelers out to see what they could do. Their next album, Cut Disco, began to develop a more solid sound. They got to play at festivals like Mutek and Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and then released wRECK lA dISCOTHÈQUE, vELOUR bRIGADE, and finally their fifth album, "uP yOURS" which is mainly what I'll be talking about today. Their newest creation sounds like they've sussed what little sloppiness they had left and have managed to strike a balance between the dance element and the electrified spaz-outs that makes their music their own--the result is a great, smooth album.

The track "i jUST wANNA rIDE a uNICORN" is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. You could blast this track on your sound system and it would be fun to dance to, or you could plug in your headphones and you'd notice all the layers and little bits that make it worth really sitting down and appreciating--which speaks to the album as a whole. It's rapid-fire dance tracks are well spaced out between little breaks that aren't quite songs, but rather extra-short little jams that slow the pace down and get you ready for the next track. Actually, the flow of the album in general is really well plotted out. By way of example, the speedy and exciting "rADIANT eNERGY kINKY dEVICE" is immediately followed by the slightly more easy going but still upbeat "bLOW tHE hOUSE dOWN," which is then brought to a full halt by an unexpected acoustic jam entitled "cOMET" then is thrown right back into the heavy bass-thumping rhythm of "fIST rIDE" (arguably the most accessible track on the album, and also one of the last)--which is the sort of song you and your friends would crank up and sing along to while on a long car ride.

In a world where much of dance music is beginning to get a bit up on itself, uP yOURS is a breath of fresh--albeit goofy and sweaty--air. If it were a person, it would be a flashily dressed charmer with more than just a tiny bit that special brand of sleaze factor, a fistful of gold rings and a head full of coke, out dancing every night but who occasionally decides to take it easy the odd weekend and instead spends the night indoors to watch cartoons in his underwear. - INDIE ROUND TABLE

...but the bottom line is always body moving fun. With this release, the band fine tunes its longstanding cross-pollination of frenetic cut'n'paste and frivolous party jams into an intelligent yet raunchy boogie down bonanza - T'cha Dunlevy

"Such heavy-duty disco damage traipses pretty close to Parisian turf, and several tracks on vELOOUR bRIGADE could pass for Ed Banger product. But for the most part, a firm foundation in the live-band setting and an obtuse sense of lascivous, lowbrow humour make aOTY distinct." - Ruppert Bottenberg

Background/ Composition:
Four cross-dressing dudes with more talent than sense.

Grade: 98

Comment:
"Everybody's ready? I hope so, 'cause we're drunk and high on shrooms."

That's pretty much how you have to kick it off when you hit the stage in gaudy dresses, gold masks, and neon afro wigs. With their eye often closed in concentration — who knows what they were seeing — Artist Of The Year delivered the heaviest funk jam possible. Their music ventured into filthy raw techno and heavy fuzz hard rock, but stayed rooted to an ass-shaking core that shook the crowd into a sweaty frenzy. If only their clothes had stayed rooted to their bodies.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronunciation: G
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: E
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
The bass player and primary squeak vocalist tore his dress off before the second song was over. Before long he was ripping into his band mate's evening wear. It was a semi-nude kind of feeling.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
The air-tight, bone-hard electro funk these guys spewed out grabbed my throat from note one. I've never heard a band move so smoothly from hip-grinding grooves to massive fuzzed out rock noise. It was spectacular.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposable Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: E
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
As we were jumping up and down with our arms around each other, my pal Trevor shouted in my ear, "They're too good for costumes!" He's got a point there. At NXNE bands tend to go over the top because they know they have to stand out to be noticed. For Artist Of The Year, their music is already a spectacle. - ChartAttack

Pour André Ménard, cofondateur et directeur artistique du Festival, les coups de cœur se nomment Stevie Wonder, Brian Setzer, Bill Charlap, Miles From India, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Rocksteady, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Jamie Cullum, Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, High Tone, aRTIST oF tHE yEAR, sans oublier la Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan et sa salle L’Astral - une révélation ! - et la Place des Festivals.

Laurent Saulnier, vice-président à la programmation, a quant à lui beaucoup aimé Erik Truffaz, Julie Lamontagne Trio, Mélissa Laveaux, Neil Cowley Trio, Pink Martini, Estelle, Rocksteady, Patrick Watson, Souljazz Orchestra, Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves, Alice Russell, Curumin, The Bug, The Dears, Misstress Barbara, aRTIST oF tHE yEAR et Bonobo. - pat white

Remember when June 23 was always the last day of school?

The occasion brought out mixed feelings — even though 3 p.m. marked the beginning of freedom for elementary school kids across the country, it was also the day final report cards were passed out.

Sometimes well-meaning teachers would take it upon themselves to read the names of students who had risen well above their peers in the grades department. This was an awkward procedure for everyone involved — if your name wasn't called, you fell into the "big dummy" category, and if it was, you were labeled resident class browner for the entire next year.

Here at CHARTattack, we'd like to continue the tradition by listing the 10 performers with the highest scores on our NXNE 2009 Report Cards. Each of these keeners blew us away by going above and beyond our Rock 'n' Roll standards. Take them as examples, kids — you might learn something.

Go here to visit the NXNE 2009 Report Card Index page to find the links to every review we put up over the weekend.

And now, the top ten...

9. Dan Mangan @ C'est What – 90 per cent
9. Entire Cities @ Mitzi's Sister – 90 per cent
7. Said The Whale @ Reverb – 91 per cent
7. Hot Panda @ Horseshoe Tavern – 91 per cent
6. The Dudes @ Reverb – 92 per cent
3. Japanther @ Yonge-Dundas Square – 95 per cent
3. Young Rival @ El Mocambo – 95 per cent
3. Spiral Beach @ Yonge-Dundas Square – 95
1. Artist Of The Year @ Wrongbar – 98
1. Band Of Skulls @ El Mocambo – 98 - ChartAttack NXNE