More Pop Montreal 2008

10/06/08 3:54pm

by Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

MONTREAL — The second day of Pop Montreal was personally cut short, but not before getting a chance to catch Toronto dancehall duo Bonjay recast some of the best indie rock hits with a bouncy, soulful groove at the Portuguese Association. Singer Alanna Stuart packs the attitude of M.I.A. or Santogold with some serious pipes, as evidenced on the group's fantastic covers of TV On The Radio's "Staring At The Sun" and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps." The headlining set by British DJ Bug was marred by an annoying hissing sound early on, although Bug remains a force in unique dancehall/dubstep electronic music.

Friday (day three) promised to be one of those nights where hipster Pop Montreal patrons clashed with the chic, club-hopping crowds on Saint-Laurent for one big distillation of everything that makes Montreal such a varied nightlife city. Even at last call at 3 a.m., Saint-Laurent was packed with young people hardly interested in calling it a night.

7:15 p.m.
I saw Saul Rubinek leaving Schwartz's with two huge bags of food. If you don't know who Saul Rubinek or what Schwartz's is, explaining either will do nothing to pique your interest.

7:30 p.m.
From there, I took a quick stroll past clothing store Preloved, who were also getting in on the Pop Montreal action with a show starring secret guest Donzelle — a saucy franophone rap vixen. Local television station MusiquePlus made an appearance (adhering to a new policy of supporting local music), and the VJ/reporter was wearing the most ridiculous two-sizes-too-small red sweater. I think I preferred it when MP ignored anything that wasn't punk music.

8:20 p.m.
Calgary-based math/post-rockers Women were opening for Chad Van Gaalen and Julie Doiron at the Ukrainian Federation. I never really understood the appeal of performing in churches. They're built with acoustics in mind, but when it comes to rock concerts, the uncomfortable seating, reduced sightlines and spaciousness on the floor area tend to reduce any cataclysmic/spooky vibes one is supposed to feel. That being said, I was told The Dears' set at Masonic Temple on Thursday was quite ominous.

8:45 p.m.
Of all the Television-inspired bands out there, Women are one of the best when it comes to imitating the dual lead guitar structure of the famed '70s New Yorkers. Sure, songs like "Shaking Hands" sound like a more alternative take on Joy Division, but in a live setting Women pack a lot more musical punch — especially the guitar interplay.

9:47 p.m.
It was a genuine, honest to goodness kick-ass hip-hop show at Jupiter Room, starting with now Montreal-based More Or Les. He performed tracks from his excellent The Truth About Rap from 2006 and a couple of collaborations he did with The Herbaliser. Les, along with DJs Fresh Kils and Peter Project, brought some serious old-school-style hip-hop to an extremely receptive and large crowd. Les rapped about food, including a terrific song about the most underrated meal of the day, "Brunch."

9:57 p.m.
Les inexplicably kept changing his shirts. Then he played another excellent Herbaliser track, the accordion-sampling "Game, Set & Match."

10:20 p.m.
London, Ont. rapper and Polaris Music Prize nominee Shad took the stage at Jupiter Room. "I feel like Morrissey when I should be feeling Warren G," he rapped at one point on "Out Of Love Pt. II," a rap song about not being in love (a subject which surprisingly got the crowd really excited).

10:40 p.m.
Shad has always been more nerdy than his rap contemporaries, so it should perhaps come as no surprise that he ably rapped over a sample of The Cure's "Close To Me." The guy loves rapping about basketball, as evidenced by the line "Michael had a Grant like Horace."

10:50 p.m.
Shad's DJ, Toronto DMC champ TLO, spun and scratched old-school-style to a UGK beat, "Int'l Players Anthem."

11:04 p.m.
Shad's set finished, but the crowd refused to let him leave. He proceeded to freestyle a capella. His line about being compared to K-OS pretty much encapsulated why the always self-aware artist is always two steps ahead of his audience. The club was completely silent for 10 minutes as Shad upped the ante after every verse. It was an impressive display from Canada's far-and-away best MC.

11:35 p.m.
I ran to Club Soda to catch New York's Ratatat. My interest in the group had gone slightly wayward after their debut album, but this set was an excellent re-introduction to a group that logic would dictate had pigeonholed themselves a long time ago, yet have managed to evolve.

11:57 p.m.
With hip-hop, hair metal, and now a strong dub reggae influence, I don't know whether to air guitar or dance at a Ratatat show. "Lex" sounded like the unlikely combination of a N.W.A. track and the final boss music from Castlevania.

12:08 a.m.
If you haven't seen the frightening video for "Flynn" yet, please check it out. Watching Paul Simon and Chevy Chase slither around in the edited version of Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" video sums up Ratatat's new spaced-out, dub influences.

12:15 a.m.
By this point, Club Soda was a sweaty, steamy mess, yet it hardly compared to the deafening crowd reaction when the cat scream from "Wildcat" started.

12:20 a.m.
Perhaps the only video creepier than "Flynn" is Ratatat's "Shempi," which does some similar tricky editing to an old Abba video.

12:35 a.m.
With the number of traditional concerts dwindling and the daunting lineup outside Socalled's Porn Pop! show, Pop Montrealers began to combine forces with club-goers for a few hours of guilt-free dancing and socializing. TTC MC Teki Latex celebrated Foufounes Electriques' 25th anniversary, while Acadian rappers Radio Radio were playing a DJ set at Petit Campus. I also received word that the Burt Bacharach show featured Broadway-trained singers instead of old pop/big band types. That's a shame.