Gonzales - The Sugar Club, Dublin, Nov. 13

Patrick Pentland of Sloan is Canadian but born in Belfast. In an interview I conducted with him once I asked him what his Irishness brought to his music. He replied that he felt Europe informed his music more than Ireland.
The Guess Who sang "American Woman get away from me" back in 1970.
40 years later Chilly Gonzales declares I Am Europe.
Canadian rock 'n rollers lean East not South. The Demics (ironically from London, Ontario) wanted to go to New York City but Peaches, Feist and Gonzales chose Berlin.
Gonzales chooses Dublin on November 13. He plays The Sugar Club.

Holy Fuck - Whelans, Dublin, Nov. 19

1MB, which eases the listener into Latin, the new album from Toronto's cantronica outfit Holy Fuck, seems to reference one of Canada's finest bands, The Rheostatics and one of their finest records Whale Music, in particular the track What's Going On.

Its a curious thing as that's the first thought that pops into the head listening to Holy Fuck, well the second really, the first is Holy Fuck!, then Whats going on?

Incidently Dave Bidini spent sometime in the early 80s at Trinity College. Upon his return home he formed the Rheostatics. Just saying.

1MB fades into Red Lights, a four minute soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever if Joe Strummer had written and starred in it. Its a dubtastic groove. Latin America brings out the teutonica splicing Kraftwerkian optimism with Happy Mondays menace. Stay Lit continues the trans-european express but thats trans as in Neil Young. Silva & Grimes picks up the pace and it's a run past motel money murder madness cities at night. SHT MTN ups the menace meter and Stilleto unhinge that Neil Young/Kraftwerk express and send it hurtling down the side of the mtn, hly sht! Lucky takes the deep groove dub rhythms and places them among the swaying Cars of Gary Numan. P.I.G.S. the longest track at six minutes updates the beats into N.I.N. territory.

Latin takes the listener deeper into the groove, deeper until the scape is inverted like an hourglasss and one is then rising, rising, rising, the euphoria, the joy, the escape into the space, the light, the vastness of the soundscape around you. Holy Fuck is uttered in all its reverence.

Holy Fuck are Brian Bordschedt, Graham Walsh, Matt McQuaid and Matt Schulz. Originally Kevin Lynn of King Cobb Steelie and Glen Milchem of alt-country act Blue Rodeo were involved which points to the organic ad-lib approach of the band.
Holy Fuck enjoy a campfire singsong as much as anyone. However these kats bring duct tape, a solar panel, and whatever can be found around the cottage workshed prior to nightfall to the circle. They make electronica without the electrics for the most part.

Others in the Cantronica camp include Caribou, Black Mold and Woodhands.

Holy Fuck have made something as obtuse, as obscure yet as important as Latin.

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