Milk & Bone Live at the Bootleg Theater
Friday night and whatcha gonna do? Watch the team known as the Kobe Bryant Contractual Obligation Tour get slapped around (yet again) at the Staples Center or turnout to support any number of talented musicians at one of the many venues that call the City of Angels home? Unfortunately, it's probably only a couple of miles from the self-proclaimed "sports and entertainment centre of the world" to the cosy Bootleg on Beverley Boulevard. May be a chance to pay top dollar for a seat in the nose bleeds and drink watered down beer was too strong a call, but it's fair to say I've seen bigger crowds at the venue for what turned out to be an extraordinary evening of synth and electro-pop from three incredibly talented acts; whom it has to be said were warmly appreciated by those of us who made the effort. But hey Angelenos your loss...
It's not every day that one of your favourite bands from Montréal, QC, rocks up in LA and so when Milk & Bone, - who also happened to have released one of this Blog's albums of last year in the shape of "Little Mourning" - announced a short tour South of the 49th, it's a date more than worth fighting you way to LA via the freeway system from Hell for...
There's a smattering of a crowd milling around as the evening's opening act, the androgynous DANKE takes to the stage and proceeded to wow us with an unnerving set that combined electronic loops, beats, sequences and effects alongside the most crystalline and melodic of voices. It's as if this Venice Beach resident deliberately aims a disconnect between the experimental electro-pop rhythms and what is her incredibly soulful voice. In fact it's during "Isn't it" - with it's haunting sampled piano keys - that you could quite easily imagine her as a torch singer playing alongside just a simple piano accompaniment.
It's a short set, but one which deserves and gets our rapt attention. Not only because Danke has this ability to pull a song in several directions at the same, but because through the power of her voice she makes everything sound cohesive.
Speaking with Danke after her set, I asked about this jarring juxtaposition between her compositions and her voice. Turns out that in part this is because she wants to make her audience 'uncomfortable' or at least not get too complacent. On tonight's performance it's a policy that should reap dividends. There's an album "Mouth Confetti" available via Bandcamp and if she's playing a venue near you, is seriously worth checking out - I hope to again...
On any other night Sara Winters aka Vōx would - should - probably have been headlining. Opening her show with her face fully covered by a veil - à la Sia - forced us to focus (quite rightly) purely on the voice; one for which the phrase "crawling over broken glass" was invented. For the most part over a darkly electronica soundtrack - haunting beats and loops are occasionally punctuated by bright synths 'pings' - her spellbinding voice - powerful, bluesy, emotional and with deep breathy vocals which bring to mind Lorde - packs a punch that belies her slender frame and floats seemingly detached above the moody and evocative soundscapes.
But it's when songs are stripped of all their electronic frippery that the sheer majesty of her voice shines beacon-like through the gloomy lighting of the Bootleg's Bar Stage. None more so than as she closes with an a cappella version of the Julie London standard "Cry me a river" - we stood there transfixed and you could have heard a pin drop... Indeed, the first thing I did when I started writing this post was to hunt out her music - there's a couple of singles on iTunes - and more importantly a veritable treasure trove on her SoundCloud page. Vōx takes her stage name from a Latin phrase "vōx et praetereā nihil" - "a voice and nothing more..." Take it from me - this woman can sing.
There's always that anticipation and excitement when you get to see a band you've been yearning for the first time and it's safe to say that Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin more than lived up to my expectations. On an intimate stage - no fancy strobe lighting or smoke machines - with just keyboards, synth drums / samplers, a ukulele and the most harmonious of vocal pairings, these two talented musicians projected a sound which was so flawless that outside of the El Rey I don't ever think I've heard such a pitch-perfect live performance.
Unsurprisingly the night's set leant heavily on the album (we're treated to every track - such is the strength this debut opus) but there were also a handful of new songs being tried out, a collaboration and a remarkable cover of Sufjan Stevens' "Death with dignity."
Opening with those chilled 'pings' and bright synth stabs, "Coconut water" sets the tone for an hour of haunting, symphonic and ultimately soulful electro-synth pop. In fact nearly all of the songs from "Little Mourning" sound - for the most part - remarkably faithful to the album cuts, enabling us to marvel at the faultless synchronicity of the pairs vocal harmonies. As Vōx floats above her soundscapes so Laurence and Camille voices' swoop, dive and soar through swirling synths, beats and sequences.
Indeed the track off of the album that I'm most looking forward to hearing is "Tomodachi" - not because it's my favourite song (suspect that it's still the haunting and evocative "X" - gives me goosebumps every-time I hear it...) - because I'm wondering how they'll present the song's male perspective and balance (provided on the album by Toronto rapper Terrell Morris' machine-gunned lyrics). Here, the rap is replaced by sampled strings, which heightens this feeling of emptiness that unrequited loss leaves, lending an even more mournful eloquence to the song.
But to be honest, every track off of the album just sounds flawless; the chilled and relaxing vibes of "Elephant", Laurence's ukulele on "Easy to read", the thematic middle-eight of "Pressure" and the set's closer, the tear-jerking "New York..."
We're also treated to "Am I OK?", their collaboration with Montréal-based producer François Bélanger (Rivver) and another slice of the gourmet synth-pop that has been coming out of Montréal of late. However, the surprise of the evening has to have been the duo's version of Sufjan Stevens' "Death with dignity" from his highly autobiographical album "Carrie & Lowell." It's already a beautiful - if heartbreaking - song, but OMG, having compared Laurence and Camille to those reines of the spotless harmonies, Stéphanie and Mélanie Boulay, if the sisters were ever to sing in English I imagine they'd sound something like this. Part acoustic - again there's that ukulele - this is both a love song and a eulogy, the pair add their own signature touch as they seamlessly segue into haunting and sombre synths that are punctured by bright, percolating flourishes.
Now I've been torn between buying the new single "Poison" or waiting to see whether it appears on the new album; a sombre yet sensual tale of toxic love, it's arguably - alongside "New York" - their darkest song to date. Live, the song's fatalistic lyrics resonated alongside the gloomy synths. It's actually proceeded by one of their new songs "Trust" which continues - or in terms of the set, introduces - these darker themes. Here ominous synths add to an air of menace. The newer songs aren't all dark and mysterious however; "Day dream" features heavy beats alongside glorious and uplifting harmonies as lyrics plead "...why don't you stay tonight?" Meanwhile "Shore" could perhaps be Québec's dance floor filler for this summer. It's bright, breezy - perhaps the most outwardly pop-song the pair have written - yet just as I'm thinking that in-places the song sounds a bit like Fanny Bloom, there's a noticeable change of direction mid-song. If these three tracks are featuring on the new album, it's going to be a guaranteed hit.
Post gig I manage to grab a quick word with the pair - primarily to thank them for playing LA and for the fact that "Little Mourning" was one of my albums of the year. Now of course, if I was a real music journo I'd ask them why there is so much great electro and synth pop coming out of Montréal. But I didn't. Next time perhaps...
Still, this was a great night - an excellent showcase of three immensely talented female acts - all for a tenner, at one of the great hidden gems of the LA gigging scene. Just time to grab a coffee from the 24 hour donut joint on the corner before heading back to the comforting surrounds of Ventura County with the music of Milk & Bone ringing in my ears... Hey, Laurence, Camille. Let's do this again sometime?
It's not every day that one of your favourite bands from Montréal, QC, rocks up in LA and so when Milk & Bone, - who also happened to have released one of this Blog's albums of last year in the shape of "Little Mourning" - announced a short tour South of the 49th, it's a date more than worth fighting you way to LA via the freeway system from Hell for...
There's a smattering of a crowd milling around as the evening's opening act, the androgynous DANKE takes to the stage and proceeded to wow us with an unnerving set that combined electronic loops, beats, sequences and effects alongside the most crystalline and melodic of voices. It's as if this Venice Beach resident deliberately aims a disconnect between the experimental electro-pop rhythms and what is her incredibly soulful voice. In fact it's during "Isn't it" - with it's haunting sampled piano keys - that you could quite easily imagine her as a torch singer playing alongside just a simple piano accompaniment.
Speaking with Danke after her set, I asked about this jarring juxtaposition between her compositions and her voice. Turns out that in part this is because she wants to make her audience 'uncomfortable' or at least not get too complacent. On tonight's performance it's a policy that should reap dividends. There's an album "Mouth Confetti" available via Bandcamp and if she's playing a venue near you, is seriously worth checking out - I hope to again...
But it's when songs are stripped of all their electronic frippery that the sheer majesty of her voice shines beacon-like through the gloomy lighting of the Bootleg's Bar Stage. None more so than as she closes with an a cappella version of the Julie London standard "Cry me a river" - we stood there transfixed and you could have heard a pin drop... Indeed, the first thing I did when I started writing this post was to hunt out her music - there's a couple of singles on iTunes - and more importantly a veritable treasure trove on her SoundCloud page. Vōx takes her stage name from a Latin phrase "vōx et praetereā nihil" - "a voice and nothing more..." Take it from me - this woman can sing.
There's always that anticipation and excitement when you get to see a band you've been yearning for the first time and it's safe to say that Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin more than lived up to my expectations. On an intimate stage - no fancy strobe lighting or smoke machines - with just keyboards, synth drums / samplers, a ukulele and the most harmonious of vocal pairings, these two talented musicians projected a sound which was so flawless that outside of the El Rey I don't ever think I've heard such a pitch-perfect live performance.
Opening with those chilled 'pings' and bright synth stabs, "Coconut water" sets the tone for an hour of haunting, symphonic and ultimately soulful electro-synth pop. In fact nearly all of the songs from "Little Mourning" sound - for the most part - remarkably faithful to the album cuts, enabling us to marvel at the faultless synchronicity of the pairs vocal harmonies. As Vōx floats above her soundscapes so Laurence and Camille voices' swoop, dive and soar through swirling synths, beats and sequences.
Indeed the track off of the album that I'm most looking forward to hearing is "Tomodachi" - not because it's my favourite song (suspect that it's still the haunting and evocative "X" - gives me goosebumps every-time I hear it...) - because I'm wondering how they'll present the song's male perspective and balance (provided on the album by Toronto rapper Terrell Morris' machine-gunned lyrics). Here, the rap is replaced by sampled strings, which heightens this feeling of emptiness that unrequited loss leaves, lending an even more mournful eloquence to the song.
But to be honest, every track off of the album just sounds flawless; the chilled and relaxing vibes of "Elephant", Laurence's ukulele on "Easy to read", the thematic middle-eight of "Pressure" and the set's closer, the tear-jerking "New York..."
We're also treated to "Am I OK?", their collaboration with Montréal-based producer François Bélanger (Rivver) and another slice of the gourmet synth-pop that has been coming out of Montréal of late. However, the surprise of the evening has to have been the duo's version of Sufjan Stevens' "Death with dignity" from his highly autobiographical album "Carrie & Lowell." It's already a beautiful - if heartbreaking - song, but OMG, having compared Laurence and Camille to those reines of the spotless harmonies, Stéphanie and Mélanie Boulay, if the sisters were ever to sing in English I imagine they'd sound something like this. Part acoustic - again there's that ukulele - this is both a love song and a eulogy, the pair add their own signature touch as they seamlessly segue into haunting and sombre synths that are punctured by bright, percolating flourishes.
Post gig I manage to grab a quick word with the pair - primarily to thank them for playing LA and for the fact that "Little Mourning" was one of my albums of the year. Now of course, if I was a real music journo I'd ask them why there is so much great electro and synth pop coming out of Montréal. But I didn't. Next time perhaps...
Still, this was a great night - an excellent showcase of three immensely talented female acts - all for a tenner, at one of the great hidden gems of the LA gigging scene. Just time to grab a coffee from the 24 hour donut joint on the corner before heading back to the comforting surrounds of Ventura County with the music of Milk & Bone ringing in my ears... Hey, Laurence, Camille. Let's do this again sometime?
Setlist:
- Coconut water
- Am I OK? (Rivver collaboration)
- Day dream
- Elephant
- Tomodachi
- X
- Easy to read
- Death with dignity (Sufjan Stevens cover)
- Watch
- Pressure
- Trust
- Poison
- Shore
- New York
- Day dream
- Elephant
- Tomodachi
- X
- Easy to read
- Death with dignity (Sufjan Stevens cover)
- Watch
- Pressure
- Trust
- Poison
- Shore
- New York
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