"But there was nothing about the little, low-rambling, more or less identical homes of Northumberland Estates to interest or to haunt, no chance of loot that would be any more than the ordinary, waking-world kind the cops hauled you in for taking; no small immunities, no possibilities for hidden life or otherworldly presence; no trees, secret routes, shortcuts, culverts, thickets that could be made hollow in the middle – everything in the place was right out in the open, everything could be seen at a glance; and behind it, under it, around the corners of its houses and down the safe, gentle curves of its streets, you came back, you kept coming back, to nothing; nothing but the cheerless earth."
Thomas Pynchon, "The Secret Integration"
This is Ian Mathers' Tumblr. I live in Canada. I've written about music and other things for Stylus, PopMatters, Resident Advisor, the Village Voice, and a few other places. Hi.
imathers@gmail.com
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Leverage Models — “The Chance to Go” (Off the Avenue)
I may have forgotten last time, but I certainly won’t again. Leverage Models are playing the Drake Underground (wonderful venue) with these guys tomorrow night here in Toronto and I can almost guarantee two things:
- It’s going to be amazing
- Not enough people are going to be there
If you’re in Toronto, I cannot possibly recommend you come to this show any more than I am recommending that you come to this show. If I had any money at all in the world, I would try and bribe you with a beverage of your choice to get you to come out (as it is, I’m not going to a show tonight, one I’ve been anticipating since it was announced last year, one where this may be my only chance ever to see a band I really love live, because I can’t afford the ticket). But believe me, the show will be reward enough itself.
Reblogging this because the show is tonight! It is going to be great! I hope people go to see it!
I truly enjoy seeing my bro friends on here calling out shitty male behavior but don’t get too cocky about it. Constant vigilance is needed. The second you become smarmy about it, that’s the second you become a ~good guy~ who really isn’t all that good of a guy. So save your pats on the back.
(corollary to my last post)
Not not saying that a small but significant chunk of the crowd at Loop made me feel like this.
(Source: flushwithcash)
Loop — “Forever”
So Loop played in Toronto last night; I’d been planning to go ever since the tour announced, then realized I didn’t even have the spare money to buy a ticket, then my saint of a dad heard about that and gave me a bit of money so that I could go. I am so, so grateful that he did; it’d been 24 years (by Robert Hampson’s estimation) since they’d been in town and who knows if they’ll make it back? And the show was… fairly monumental. As I mentioned last night, I should have worn earplugs, but honestly it was only during the encore that my ears started actively feeling it (I’m sure some damage was done before that, but…) and it just sounded so incredible. I’m not going to get too much into why I think Loop are a great band here; I’ve written enough about that already.
It was pretty much everything I could have wanted from Loop live; endless bad trip nirvana, so deep in the pocket they formed their own gravity well. I know they’re influenced as much by Krautrock as anything else, but except for the brain-frying Can cover I don’t hear much of a literal influence in most of their songs. Stuff like “Forever,” especially live, I hear more as almost proto-doom metal, honestly. I don’t know if I even would want to hear new material from Loop (although certainly more from them than, say, the Pixies). But then again before last night I would have said the last thing I needed from Loop was Hampson being personable, even impish, but a very drunk older guy who had ALL THEIR RECORDS and loved them SO MUCH and felt like between every song he had to be THE MOST IMPORTANT GUY IN THE ROOM gave him plenty of opportunity to be so, and it was delightful. And of course, every time the band was ready, they were instantly so loud we couldn’t hear drunk mr “I’m a REAL FAN” guy anymore.
The setlist was pretty evenly divided between their albums and had a healthy amount of nonalbum material too; I didn’t walk away wishing they’d played x or y, because everything they did play was so great. And one reason I hope they do make it back, and soon, is that Loop could easily have played a completely different set of songs and it would have been just as great a show. Bummer jams forever.
Set list:
(“Shot With a Diamond” taped intro)
Soundhead
The Nail Will Burn
Straight to Your Heart
Pulse
Forever
Collision
Arc-Lite
Fever Knife
Vapour
Burning World
Breathe Into Me
Mother Sky (Can cover)
I HAVE to start wearing earplugs more often. Even when it feels really good not to in the moment, I pay for it later. I can barely hear the text alerts from my phone right now, and it’s sitting on the desk a few inches from me.
