More of the same from Apollo Ghosts

It’s only been six months since Apollo Ghosts released their debut, Hastings Sunrise, an album that still stands out as one of the year’s best albums. Forgotten Triangle comes hot on the heels of that release, offering more of what made Hastings Sunrise so likable. Like its predecessor, the EP was recorded live off the floor by the production duo JC/DC (the New Pornographers, Destroyer), and features an infectious mix of Ramones-inspired punk and ’80s college rock jangle.

Opening track “Palm of My Hand” begins quietly, but its jazzy, whispered verses bely the upbeat chorus, which is easily the catchiest thing the Vancouver trio has ever done (and that’s saying something). In its final minute, the song suddenly busts into a thundering coda with squalling guitar, wailing saxophone, and a euphoric refrain of “I want you in the palm of my hand.”

That song sets the unpredictable tone for the rest of the EP, which ranges from sweet and funny to raucous and abrasive without ever departing too from the group’s usual slacker-rock ethos. “Shaolin Barhop” tells the story of a motocross champion, Adrian Teacher’s soft vocals punctuated by fractured blasts of start-and-stop guitar. After this noisy offering, Apollo Ghosts strip things down for “I Won’t Support Your Love,” a gentle ukulele ballad with a whistling solo.

The highlight of the collection is “Shanghai Alley,” an RnB groove that gives bassist Jay Oliver to lay down one of the slinkiest basslines in recent memory. With airy girl-group harmonies, a piercing guitar solo, and sultry sax leads, it’s a remarkably convincing modern take on ’60s soul.

Closer “Scott, Painter” is the most straightforward rock song of the EP, poking fun of its titular character with the hilarious opening lyric “Disappointed with your sideburns / Shouldn’t have shaved them off / Now you look like your mother don’t you?” It would be tempting to describe the song as vintage Apollo Ghosts, except for the fact that the group’s entire recording history only spans half a year. With such a distinct style already established, Forgotten Triangle shows that Apollo Ghosts have plenty more offer.

The entire EP is currently streaming from the band’s MySpace. It’s also available from Catbird Records on CD (for $5) or as a digital download (for $3).

Clues @ the Biltmore Cabaret, 5/30/09

Clues and Apollo Ghosts are responsible for two of my favourite records of 2009, so last night’s show at the Biltmore seemed like the perfect pairing. Unfortunately, however, poor promotion meant that the venue was only half full, a problem likely accentuated by the early start time (there was another show starting at 11).

Apollo Ghosts took the stage at 8:45, immediately kicking into high gear with “Little Yokohama.” The band’s energy was relentless, especially singer/guitarist Adrian Teacher, who thrashed around the stage and made Iggy Pop crazy-eyes at the audience; within the first two minutes he had already climbed onto the risers at the side of the stage to perform a guitar solo, crouching slightly so as not to bang his head on the low ceiling. In keeping with Teacher’s manic intensity, the set emphasized the band’s punk influence, eschewing quirky ballads in favour of Ramones-inspired stompers like “Land of the Morning Calm” and “Bad Apple.” The trio scarcely paused between songs, and this blistering pace meant that Apollo Ghosts were able to play almost half of Hastings Sunrise, as well as several cuts from their brand new EP Forgotten Triangle. Of the new songs, the standout was the set-closing “Palm of my Hand,” during which Teacher led the audience in a Congalaise Flea Dance, as well as performing a guitar solo while crowd surfing.

After the party atmosphere established by Apollo Ghosts, Clues’ brooding art rock was an anticlimax. The performance began with the creeped out drone of “Elope,” featuring frontman Alden Penner’s half-whispered vocals and bandmate Lisa Gamble on musical saw. The rest of the set emphasized Clues’ abrasive tendencies, with squalling feedback and thundering dual percussion; “Haarp” was an explosion of noisy crescendos and jagged guitar riffing, and even the bouncy “Perfect Fit” was overdriven and harsh.

The five members switched instruments on nearly every song, all joining in for shouted group refrains on “Ledmonton” and “Approach the Throne.” It was an impressive show, but the group’s stage presence was haughty and withdrawn; audience interaction was kept to a bare minimum, and Penner & co. seemed eager to leave the stage, wrapping up almost half an hour before the 11pm curfew. Perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed so off-putting if not for the contrast with the energy-filled Apollo Ghosts.

Collected works

Today I’m preparing for an interview with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, which I’m writing for next month’s BeatRoute. In the meantime, here’s a brief roundup of some recently published works:

I interviewed Apollo Ghosts for BeatRoute. I had a chance to ask them about their (awesome) debut LP, Hastings Sunrise, as well as their lounge rock roots and self-described “musical ADD.” Read the article here.

For this month’s Discorder, I reviewed the Reds‘ Early Nothing (here) and Clues‘ self-titled album (here). Clues sound a lot like the Unicorns, which makes sense since the group is fronted by Alden Penner. I also blogged about Clues last month.

And here’s something new for the day: the Streets released a new music video called “He’s Right Behind You, He’s Got Swine Flu.” Pandemic humour is always hilarious, especially when it involves zombies and excessive slapstick gore. It’s not exactly Beethoven, but you’ve got to admire the quick turnaround on this one.

I didn’t know that girl was loaded

If brevity is the soul of wit, then Apollo Ghosts are the funniest people in the world. On their debut album, Hastings Sunrise, they blow through 14 songs in just 27 minutes, meaning that each track averages at around two minutes long. It’s a pace that would make Robert Pollard proud (or, at least, would have made him proud 15 years ago), especially since the album shares the lo-fi aesthetic of classic Guided by Voices—producers David Carswell and John Collins (Tegan and Sara, the New Pornographers) recorded the band live off the floor without the assistance of a click.

With bite-sized track-lengths and lo-fi production, the songs on Hastings Sunrise have a tendency to sound tossed off. But thanks to the band’s sharp pop hooks and often-hilarious lyrics, songs that might be throwaways for a lesser band become the highlights. The opening track, “Dobermans,” is a tongue-in-cheek ballad about a troupe of Chinese acrobats; with a pump organ set to sound like an accordion, the song’s gorgeous melody evokes Brian Wilson, making an otherwise goofy story sound almost heartbreaking. Similarly, on “Angel Acres,” singer Adrian Teacher’s fragile vocals give the hilarious lyrics an unexpected poignancy (“And in my defense, I didn’t know that gun was loaded / And in my defense, I didn’t know that girl was loaded”).

On Hastings Sunrise, Apollo Ghosts tackle a wide range of genres, from Ramones-inspired punk (“Land of the Morning Calm”) to folk (“Hastings Sunrise”) and even lounge rock (“While You’re up There”). The overall result recalls the jangle of ’80s college rock and the ’90s slacker ethos of Pavement. Still, despite outdated influences and archaic production, Hastings Sunrise never sounds like a throwback record, since its eclectic mishmash of styles is distinctly 21st century.

The group has shot three videos, the best of which is for “Angel Acres,” and features the band squaring off against pro wrestlers from the BC-based federation ECCW.

Apollo Ghosts are selling vinyl copies of Hastings Sunrise for a measly five dollars, and the first pressing is almost entirely sold out. The album will soon be rereleased on coloured vinyl and CD by Catbird (in the US) and Geographing (in Canada). In the meantime, it can be streamed in full here.