Booche Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Please, tell me some of you people are going to this aside from myself, Douglas, Jaimoe and The Vick. I am loving their new album, Origin Vol. I If you want a killer album by them then get Behind The Music. I grabbed the following (thanks to Jaimoe) from www.music.ign.com : The Soundtrack of Our Lives: Local-eyzed If you aren't familiar with The Soundtrack of Our Lives, then you should be somewhat ashamed of yourself. While the garage-styled theatrics of The Hives tends to dominate the world's perception of Swedish rock, TSOOL have quietly been building a rabid following since the domestic release of their third album Behind The Music back in 2002. Thanks to epic songwriting and a genuine arena rock presence, the 6-piece combo puts on a rather enthralling live show. I should know, I've seen 'em three times over the past three years. Now I'll be frank and let you know that I've been operating on the DL for the past several months, completely abstaining from live shows, mostly because there haven't been that many acts swinging through town that have lit a fire under my belly. However, when I saw that TSOOL was coming to the fairly recently renovated venue within walking distance of my house and that one of my favorite new bands of 2004, Inouk, were opening, I decided to throw my concert going abstinence to the wind, shove some ear plugs into the old aural receptors, and enjoy some loud, rocking tunes and a cold beer or two. After scoring a pair of tickets, I hollered at my neighbor Mark and enlisted him to tag along for the evening. Since I was providing the tix (thanks to the label) he was responsible for the beverages. Nice trade-off, huh? At any rate, we sauntered over to the club around 9 P.M., scoped out the scene, grabbed a couple of cold ones, and staked out our space. By 9:30 Inouk had taken the stage, unleashing their 3-guitar ambiance on a surprisingly packed house (usually clubs don't start filling up until the headliner is on, especially on a Tuesday, a rainy Tuesday night at that). I wish I could say that Inouk blew me away (their debut album certainly did), but for some strange reason the band live sounded way too crisp and clean, almost overproduced. Their album resonated with me so strongly because it had a nice underpinning of grit and raw, unfiltered umph! to it. Brothers Damon and Alexander McMahon provide the centerpiece of the quintet; one warbles, the other flaunts a hairdo straight out of the Flock of Seagulls salon. Add to that a bald bassist and a drummer who looked like Chuck Mangione and they were a sight to behold. They told humorous stories in-between performing the songs from their recent release. Said stories ranged from tales about how they had eaten tacos at one of the venerable Mexican joints in The Mission district of the city to getting stuck in the raging storm that has eclipsed the East Coast and Central parts of the U.S. And while the bulk of their set was just a tad to squeaky clean sounding, they did manage to deliver some haunting twang and vintage indie rock jangle, not to mention a few shifts of jam based skirl in their roughly 45-minute set. TSOOL took the stage roughly 15 minutes later, with frontman Ebbot Lundberg decked out in his familiar shamanistic Viking robe. They started off with a new tune entitled "Believe I've Found," which unfolded with a craggy, dusted rock sound that seemed more in tune with the desert expanses of the Midwest than the frigid environs of Sweden. The augmentation of "doo-doo-doo-doo's" shifted the structure of the song, turning it into a strange windswept doo-wop configuration. Lundberg's voice sounded a bit thrashed on this first song, but he gradually seemed to work his chords into shape, obviously getting them warmed up as the night progressed. As for the rest of the band, they were on point from the get-go, lashing out with a big rawk sound that wouldn't be out of place reverberating through the vast expanses of an arena sized venue; crunching guitars, thunderous drums, atmospheric keyboards, all of it was in place. By the time they hit their second song, "Infra Riot," the band was in full gear, delivering a sound was nothing short of a wallop upside the stomach. The guitarists wind milled in tribute to Pete T., the drummer twirled his sticks, and Lundberg unleashed his quirky charisma onto the crowd. The energy was so amped up that the song sounded more like an encore than the second song of the set. From there on out a good portion of the show focused on material culled from Behind The Music, evened out by some older tunes from their first two Swedish-only releases, as well as a smattering of new tunes from their latest album Origin Vol. 1, the rolling bass and honky-tonk piano filled "Heading For A Breakdown" being one of the earliest examples of the latter. For those unfamiliar with the troupe and their vibe, it's something akin to The Animals, The Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, The Faces, and a wee bit of Hawkwind tossed in for good measure. Yet despite those comparisons, they never quite sound like any of those bands, rather it's as if they borrowed their equipment permanently and then went on their own merry musical journey from there. For the older material the band dipped into their Extended Revelation for the Psychic Weaklings of Western Civilization period to deliver "Century Child," which starts out with the enigmatic lines "Forget your past just for a while…" before slipping off into astral projection-filtered-through-classic rock intoned territory. Then they slipped into the stellar "The Flood," with the wonderful opening lines "They say we're all back dated, well you know it's true..." After the total mash out of this selection, they slipped into another new track, "Midnight Children." Then Lundberg asked if there were any requests, then after indulging the audience's cat calls, he quipped "Here's kind of an old one…" The band kicked up a wall of raking guitars and a full bore steam roller groove then psyched the audience out by jagging into their new single "Big Time." For the last song of the set they went with "Sister Surround," another epic from Behind The Music, juicing it up with slashes of grind and a "Cat Scratch Fever" inspired flair of riffage. The band returned after about a 3-minute break to deliver the encore, starting with another new cut, "Transcendental Suicide." The entire band, sans Lundberg gripped the crowd with a long instrumental overdrive before the frontman returned to belt out the lyrics. Then it was back to Behind The Music for "Nevermore" and a few other numbers before they wrapped it up in a wash of cool calliope keyboards, lurching rhythms, and a swaying, thick wall of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 ok, I'm not in a proper state to read through all that...especially it being a cut&paste job....but I'll be there with my smiley face on! Must....go....listen...to....new ...tsool album.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazlo Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Now I'm definitely not going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Katie and I are seeing them in New York in less than week. Giddy up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 What's with the hate, Laxative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I aint ashamed of Ahess!Awesome man. I cant wait to hear about youse's trip. The new album is one cool cat, dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 A few more of my T.O. friends will be going. March 26th is my birthday night afterall. It's an early show, with Moses Mayes opening ( along with two other bands ). The new album Origins Vo. I is very good. Even more of a 60's Who, Pink Floyd, Beatles vibe than their last album, the seminal Behind The Music. The scary thing is that they are even better live than on album. No small praise! See them. Pre-party at my place on Saturday afternoon - March 26th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I wish I was there! I saw them in Brighton last month, and in Paris two months ago, and they definitely try VERY hard to get the crowd into the show. Good times ahead folks! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I don't think I will be going to the show (got a few trips coming up that will eat a lot of cash) but if you want some bashing at your pre-party let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 You WILL be at the pre-party. We have an exchange to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 I thought we were gonna meet up Friday night. Or is there another "exchange" I am not aware of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 i liked what i heard off their website you might just see me there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak By Night Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Enjoy that show March 26th in T.O. - I would go but I'm gonna be partying in Miami Beach that night.... The Soundtrack of our Lives showed me the funniest - and the best - moment I've ever seen at any concert... the first time they played at Barrymore's... the singer ran into the audience during a song, ran all up and down the stairs greeting people, then back to the stage, up the stairs and fell flat on his face! Really looked like he hurt himself. He got up in time to sing the next verse... didn't miss a beat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 A few more of my T.O. friends will be going. March 26th is my birthday night afterall. It's an early show, with Moses Mayes opening ( along with two other bands ). No sh!t, Dave, 'tis my birfday too. But Dave & I'll be outta town (too bad). We should definitely plan to meet up soon though, re-acquaint, meet your soon-to-be-Missus, and have a post-birthday brew!! have you been going to the gypsy coop thing on Monday nights? Dave's been enjoying himself immensely and if we can figure out where to stash the kids, we'll both be there this coming Monday. How about meeting us there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Hey Deb, I will be taking it easy this Monday since I'm going under the dentist's knife on Tuesday. I haven't been to the Gypsy Co-op for their jam nights, but I've been to that fine establishment a few times in the past. I do want to check out the Gypsy jam. Maybe I'll join in one day, as long as a blues element gets sorted-out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I've listened to the first 12 songs of Origins Vol. I and I'm impressed. It's more 60's Who meets The Stooges than their earler albums. It's a strong album with more than a few anthems. Bless those ugly Swedish bastards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I've listened to the album three times since yesterday and I am digging it, baby. I cant wait for this show! They write great songs, its that simple. I certainly hear more of a Who vein on this album, and more of a Beatles sound on Behind The Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 They write great songs, its that simple. I certainly hear more of a Who vein on this album, and more of a Beatles sound on Behind The Music. Agreed. You will love their first album " Welcome To The Infant Freebase ": Sgt. Peppers Beatles meets 60's Pink Floyd, with a dash of Who. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Another HUGE thing to mention about next Saturday's concert is that TSOOL loves playing Toronto, and the Toronto crowd loves them right back. The crowd went nuts of over two hours when I saw them 2 years ago at The Opera House. That was one of the best rock concerts I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I am blindly assuming most crowds give them the love. They are that good. I wish Luke was still around. He would be all over this like a fat kid on an Oreo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I am blindly assuming most crowds give them the love. They are that good. I wish Luke was still around. He would be all over this like a fat kid on an Oreo. Kung is lurking no doubt, still wearing his gay Phil Collins t-shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 i bought origin vol 1 on the weekend and have listened to it 3 times now since this morning ::it's greati'm sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 i bought origin vol 1 on the weekend and have listened to it 3 times now since this morning :: it's great i'm sold You should get their last record, the equally good Behind The Music. TSOOL will be playing a lot of songs from both albums. I highly recommend their first album too: Welcome To The Infant Freebase. It's more psychadelic, but contains some of their best anthemic rockers: Mantra Slider may be their best song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bONES Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 i just called rotate this and they have LOTS (so he put it) of tix left for this show. I think i'll take your advice and look for both of those discs while i'm there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 This show may not sell-out because it falls on an Easter weekend. However, they've sold-out their last two shows in T.O., so I'd get tickets soon... plus they got a big write-up in the weekend Sunday Sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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