If you dig power pop/punk, then What R U Waiting 4?
Nobody in Vancouver’s Autogramm is a newbie to indie rock. That’s probably why they went from an idea to a group with a full-length debut on tastemaking Canadian indie label Nevado Records in less than a year.
Guitarist Jiffy Marx, bassist CC Voltage and drummer The Silo have long histories in the local, Canadian and international music scenes. Among the past projects the members have been in are:
Jiffy Marx: Hard Drugs (Brooklyn),
■ Blood Meridian
CC Voltage: Dysnea Boys (Berlin),
■ Loyalties (London), Black Halos, Spitfires
The Silo: Black Mountain, Lightning
■ Dust, Destroyer
No, they don’t all wear black all the time. Just most of the time. Here are five things to know about the album, What R U Waiting 4?
1
Jessica Don’t Like Rock ’n’ Roll This super catchy single was the first salvo from the trio. Released as a 45 on Party Product with an accompanying video, it’s something of a calling card for the group’s uptempo, vintage new wave sound. The Cars, Gary Numan and others have been mentioned by international reviewers and you can hear it. This is the kind of single that gets you a record deal.
2
Happy, or not so happy
For every upbeat party tune like the tambourine and bass bouncer Small Town, there are an equal number of far more melancholy songs such as Bummer Party or Wandering Eyes.
3
Spoon-style songwriting Because they are a power pop/ punk trio, Autogramm don’t allow too much excess. Guitarist Marx also plays the keyboard, while the bass and drums are lockstep to the song ’s rhythm and melody line. In this way, the band isn’t unlike Spoon, which uses the same less-is-more approach to songwriting.
4
Cool Kids Radio
If you are going to title a song this way, it should be the next single, right? The keyboard riff and handclaps in the “Calling all the cool kids/cool kids” chorus is perfect for stamping your sound and name on listeners’ ears.
5
What is an Autogramm, anyway? CC Voltage lived in Berlin and played in the vintage hardcore band Dysnea Boys before coming back to Vancouver. In German, an autogramm is an autograph. Goes well with the kind of German new wave vibe of songs such as Peter Pan. It sort of reminds me of After the Fire’s Der Kommissar. Autogramm performs Nov. 8, Fortune Sound Club with Needles//Pins on Nov. 8. Tickets: $14.65 at ticketweb.ca
ALSO SPINNING:
Ghostland Observatory: See You Later, Simulator (Trashy Moped Recordings)
It’s almost a decade after Codename Rondo came out. However, this Austin duo of Aaron Behrens (vocals/guitar) and beatsmaster/ producer Thomas Turner sounds cool as ever on the Suicide-esque title track, or getting a bit of a mutant disco thing happening on Miss Abyss. Fans of LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk and the
like will find plenty here. Open Wound is something of a broken electro-soul classic.
Jean-Michel Jarre: Planet Jarre (Sony)
Does Jarre need to remix/ remaster 41 songs from his extensive catalogue? From Oxygene onward, his production values were never less than staggeringly spot-on. So what this package really serves as is an introduction to his music for the generation blown away by the French electronic composer on his recent sold out North American tour.
It’s also a worthwhile purchase for longtime fans. It turns out there was a fair amount of underlying orchestration on songs such as Millions of Stars that might not have made the grooves of your vinyl copy. It’s also interesting how Jarre has sequenced the album to break up Oxygene, Equinoxe, and other albums to sort of flow into a single listening experience.
The Shifters: Have a Cunning Plan (Trouble Mind Records)
If you like your garage psyche/ punk as rudimentary and driving as possible with lyrics to paste a smile on your face, this Melbourne quintet is your drug. To be fair, they sound like they might enjoy some recreationally on occasions, such as waking up in the morning, after coffee, etc. Their own press describes “10 new tracks by the band at their best: scrappy, self-destructive, stumbling and brilliant pop music that seems tossed off of nonchalant on the surface.”
Gym Etc is an instant earworm, (as are Straight Lines and Pyramid Scheme). Miles Jansen’s erudite lyrics simultaneously celebrate and decry the banality of life, while also tackling larger issues of all types on pieces such as Boer Hymn, or the decidedly subversive Pyramid Scheme.
Steven Page: Discipline: Heal Thyself, Pt. II (stevenpage.com)
Blessed with a really great voice, it’s nice to hear Page get the kind of big band production around his instrument again. Opening with the Beatlesque Nothing Special, he’s right on point with his signature knack for subverting the pop genre. There you are tapping your toe and then realizing that upbeat chorus is about “children starving in the desert sun ... everything is fine.”
Songs such as Where Do You Stand, You F’ed Yourself and the single White Noise make it clear he has a social conscience and feels like it’s time to speak out. Snarky Page has always been more fun than twee Page and he’s in a right mood on this 11-track album. Musically, it’s what you would expect. From the jazzy ballad A Failure to the offbeat orchestra of What I Got From You, the songs all work. While it’s not a competition, he’s eclipsed his Big Bang-ing former bandmates with this record.
The Steven Page Discipline Tour comes to town May 31 at the Commodore Ballroom, Tickets from $32.20 at livenation.com