Thu, Oct 29

MUSKOX with CANAILLE and DAMIAN VALLES at Music Gallery Rating: NNNN

Album release shows are fun, since the bands involved try to make them extra-special. On Thursday, the Music Gallery was home to three of them. Kawartha Lakes sound explorer Damian Valles, who released Count(r)ies, began the night with a rare solo guitar performance involving ambient looping and laptop manipulation.

Led by humble reed man/guitarist Jeremy Strachan, Canaille followed with complex experimental jazz tunes that at times hinted at a big-band sound and were propelled by Michael Smith’s double bass and drummer Dan Gaucher’s polyrhythmic brush work. Gaucher flew in from Vancouver for the release of their Potential Things debut album.

But the night belonged to Muskox. The church, with its warm, clear sound and hushed ambience, was the perfect backdrop for their nuanced, impeccably arranged jazz-folk tunes. The Smith-led six-piece uses unusual instruments – banjo, harmonium, alto sax, cajón – in surprising ways, and the one-off inclusion of both a second percussionist and a five-octave marimba was genius. Run out and buy their new 5 Pieces disc.

CARLA GILLIS

Fri, Oct 30

SALEM with DJS WILL MUNRO, RORY THEM FINEST and LYNNE T at Lee’s Palace Rating: NN

Chicago’s Salem seemed like a good choice to headline Vazoween, the Halloween edition of long-running queer-punk party Vazaleen. They make creepy, gothic electro tunes with occasional hip-hop nods, and are getting press from all the right places. 

Unfortunately, what sounds intriguing on record didn’t translate onstage. The packed crowd of costumed partiers were clearly ready for a good time, but Salem’s dark, synthetic dirges were like the soundtrack to a really bad cough medicine and PCP trip. As performers, they come across as heavily sedated, and that’s being generous. Stripped of tripped-out studio effects, the vocals were gratingly off-key and monotonous. 

A small handful of fans were clearly into it, but even they couldn’t deny that Salem cleared the room and killed the buzz. Thankfully, those chased away by the band reappeared when DJs Will Munro, Rory Them Finest and Lynne T took over again. Party recovered.

BENJAMIN BOLES

Sat, Oct 31

JAY-Z at Air Canada Centre Rating: NNNN

Few rappers can control a stadium full of fans the way the Springsteens and Bonos of the world can. Even fewer have 11 consecutive number-one albums. Actually, there’s just one: Jay-Z. And he destroyed ACC on Halloween.

To put his success in perspective, Jay-Z’s chart-topping run breaks Elvis’s, a fact the New York rapper – after a misty speech about pursuing your dreams – reminded us of before bringing out local pupil Drake. Fittingly, the duo performed Drake’s Successful.

Despite leaning heavily on new material from Blueprint 3, one of his canon’s weaker entries, he still powered the audience into clothing-waving hysterics (prompted by his towel twirls), especially on Empire State Of Mind, which featured Bridget Kelly’s soaring vocals and the NYC skyline as a backdrop.

But nothing set things off quite like Big Pimpin’s flute intro, when the arena lost its collective mind. As Jay-Z said earlier in the show, “Elvis has officially left the building.”

JASON KELLER

PROMISE WAREHOUSE HALLOWEEN at the Pia Bouman School for Ballet Rating: NNNN

If you missed out on the rave era’s heyday, you can get close to that crazy vibe by hitting up a Promise party. And by “crazy vibe,” we don’t mean “crystal-meth-addicted teenagers stealing your shit” but rather the idealistic, peace-and-love side of the scene that we sometimes forget about.

The appeal of Promise’s warehouse parties has little to do with superstar DJs (they prefer to book lesser-known local talent) and everything to do with the event as a whole. Hell, it took us at least 45 minutes to get close enough to the DJ booth to see who was playing, unusual in an era when turntable guardians perform under spotlights like rock bands.

The combination of good music – Azari & III and Kevan Fraser deserve special mentions here – imaginative decor and a friendly, up-for-it crowd made for a memorable party.

BB