CODE fest is code for shmoozefest

for Exclaim!

Upon hearing that LA Riots, the Golden Filter and a special DJ set from Junior Boys were set to play together, who would expect that it could be a disappointment? With less than a week to go before the 2010 Olympic games begin, the Vancouver live music scene has exploded with musicians from all over in collaborative musical mischief, but Saturday’s show proved to be a less-than-perfect operation.

Taking place at Great Northern Way campus, a technology school located in the heart of Vancouver’s industrial playground, the sense of estranged abandonment carried through in the performances. Waiting in line for half an hour to get a drink, I caught Jeremy Greenspan’s set, only at the end of his performance, and it sounded nothing like Junior Boys. Instead of an expected synth-funkiness, the venue throbbed with a sexed-up, generic clubsound you’d expect to find everywhere else on a Saturday night.

In its defense, the Golden Filter put out a mad decent performance. Vocalist Penelope Trappes was alluring and thought provoking , and the blonde bombshell dressed in a way that reminded us of the best of the 1980s. Quirky and intelligent, their upcoming album Völupsá is based on the Nordic poem about the creation and impending end of the world. Full of energy and electro-eccentricity, the Golden Filter was by far the standout performance of the evening.

This concert was part of a series called the Cultural Olympiad’s Digital Edition (CODE). Originally intended as a means of showcasing Canada’s talented DJ culture, the event itself was more of a shmoozefest than an actual concert experience. Here’s hoping the next CODE event will be times better spent.

Here’s the teaser for the Golden Filter’s new album. It looks really good.

iTunes releases pre-order for “Hope for Haiti”

In the wake of a devastating earthquake that hit Haiti nearly two weeks ago, iTunes is pre-releasing a compilation in order to raise relief funds.

Among a stellar list of talents including Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Sting and Bono, the album is beautiful, tragic yet hopeful — just what we need. The telethon already raised $58 mil and the CD is topping iTunes currently.

Canadian guitar legend Neil Young and Dave Matthews teamed up to record “Alone and Foresaken,” a Hank Williams original. Also, a riveting performance by Emeline Michel is on the album — a native of Gonaïves who’s been dubbed the “Joni Mitchell of Haiti.”

Come look at highlights from the telethon.

Spoon Releases New Album

Spoon, photo courtesy from an emo blog

They’re starry eyed, attractively geeky and downright infectious. Let’s forgive them for being featured on the O.C.’s soundtrack in 2004 because I’ve tried my hardest to forget that.

The Texas-based alternative rock group has released their seventh studio album Transference, a follow-up from their acclaimed 2007 album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. While their trademark sound is typically pared down, simple beats and catchy guitar-heavy riffs, Transference points to something a little more complex — the introjection of a misdirected feeling at someone or something. Maybe the boys are growing up.

Here’s a taste of the new record, released by Merge Records. Enjoi.

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