Pop Montreal Day Two: The Stills Are Somewhat Surprising

ChartAttack reporter Erik Leijon is hitting the clubs for the annual Pop Montreal festival. Here's his report from Thursday:

As one might expect, day two of Pop Montreal truly dwarfs opening night in terms of volume. Every venue seems is with journalists, industry types and locals either looking for the next big thing or unabashedly promoting their favourite band that no one has ever heard of (where typically a sibling or loved one is involved).

9:15 p.m.: I exit the Mont-Royal metro station and make my way a block west to Quai Des Brumes, a small local bar that I didn't even know held concerts until tonight. Jesse Dangerously, a self-proclaimed indie rap legend from Nova Scotia who bears a resemblance to director Kevin Smith, is supposed to take the stage at 9 p.m. By the time I arrive, Dangerously, his backing vocalist and two DJs are still soundchecking.

9:35 p.m.: OK, so maybe Pop Montreal's start times are more of a recommendation than actual gospel. Dangerously still hasn't started and I become impatient. After all, there are at least five or six other shows within spitting distance of this one, and maybe they aren't marred by technical difficulties. The Beastie Boys house music comes on and I take the opportunity to head to Casa Del Popolo.

9:50 p.m.: I arrive at Casa Del Popolo, supposedly 20 minutes into C:Be's set, so naturally they're in the midst of soundcheck, too. For an unbiased review, the girl working at the group's merch table tells me they're awesome.

10:03 p.m.: C:Be finally start their set. They're a French group who sing in English. It's a mix of Portishead-ish trip-hop with more of an indie, electro-pop vibe. Vocalist Christine Maisonneuve brings almost a new jazz singing style, while multi-instrumentalist Eric Auclair plays samples from his laptop. There's a drummer, too. They have a song that sounds a bit like The Rapture's "Sister Saviour," and they end the set with two pretty quiet songs.

10:45 p.m.: C:Be finish their set and I stumble out with the intention of going to the nearby Arts & Crafts showcase. I'd like to return to Casa Del Popolo to catch Montreal's Code Pie at 12:30 a.m., but I know who the not-so secret guests are at the A&C showcase and I won't miss them.

10:50 p.m.: I walk past Divan Orange and it looks packed. I decide to check out who the commotion is for and push my way through an incredibly steamy and sweaty room. I'm shocked to find the group these people are going crazy for is some dude in a bear costume singing a nerdy song about his girlfriend. The group/person is called Mathias Mental, and his schtick is comedic indie pop. "She's A Character," an English song sung in a thick Quebecois accent, showcases the kind of odd brilliance that only a truly warped mind could come up with. So why am I not surprised that he has a dedicated fanbase already?

11:10 p.m.: Mathias Mental finishes his set and I walk down Rachel Street to Gymnase, a venue so new (in this case resurrected) that it's not even listed on the Pop Montreal map. The show was originally supposed to be at Main Hall, but a cranky neighbour had the place shut down in July. That's a shame, since it was the only reason to visit the Mile End area other than the ice cream place near Ubisoft. The Arts & Crafts showcase promises to be a close-knit affair, with Young Galaxy and the "surprise" headliner. The Gymnase has two floors for separate shows, and it looks like the ill-conceived venue was made for The O.C. — built more to look photogenic on television than for actual practicality. I doubt that it holds more than 200 people, and only about 50 of them will have an unobstructed view of the stage (which is actually the floor in the middle of the room). I do like a venue with couches, though.

11:15 p.m.: Young Galaxy come on, and the early part of their set has a few technical glitches. Still, the group pack a much tighter punch on stage than their at-times dreary debut album indicates. I'm not digging the mesquite-scented smoke coming from the stage, though. Young Galaxy's show tends to be tambourine-heavy, which I also like. The crowd is already pretty familiar with YG, so the show is more about a triumphant return to Montreal than anything else.

12 a.m.: Young Galaxy finish and recent Arts & Crafts signees The Stills prepare to take the stage. Everyone sarcastically mutters "surprise," but we're still happy to see them.

12:30 a.m.: The Stills begin. Without Feathers may not have been a well-received follow-up album, but it was an important transition for The Stills to move from being labelled Interpol copycats and delve more into jam-rock territory. After starting with "O Shoplifter," most of the material is from Logic Will Break Your Heart. Without Feathers may be destined to become their Be Here Now.

12:55 a.m.: The Stills roll out four new songs in succession from a new album that apparently won't come out for some time. The songs are called "Rooibos" (named after the African tea that Sam Roberts introduced them to), "Being Here," "Snow In California" and "Eastern Europe." They're definitely indicative of yet another style shift for the quintet, as they feature quick-paced guitar work and sound way more entrenched in classic rock than anything they've done before. On "Eastern Europe," a song about "everyone's obsession with going to Eastern Europe," Tim Fletcher provides some nice yodelling as part of his lead vocals. In fact, Fletcher handles the vocals for all four new songs.

1:20 a.m.: Bassist Olivier Corbeil quasi-jumps on to a stack of speakers next to him, sending a half-empty cup flying in the direction of The Dears' Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak. They head for higher ground for the final jam.

1:40 a.m.: There's An Arts & Crafts after-party somewhere, but instead I make my way down to Petit Campus, where Bionic should still be performing. Jonathan Cummins' flowing red beard burns like the depths of hell itself. All memories of what occurred next get lost in the heavy riffs and relentless headbanging of Bionic's set. So, until tomorrow, I shall have ringing in my ears.