Category: Tunes Talk

After a 4-year wait electro-indie pioneers AWOLNATION have returned with the new album Run, and familiarized the city of Toronto with it at Sound Academy on June 22nd. Supporting them were Parade of Lights and Family of the Year.

Parade of Lights kicked off the night with their brand of energetic electro-pop, pumping up the crowd with hits like “Golden”, which you’ve probably heard in one commercial or another.

Following them were Family of the Year, which seemed like a strange choice for a supporting act considering their biggest hit to date was the wistful, yearning alternative country hit “Hero”. Used extensively as promotion for last year’s award-winning film “Boyhood”, it’s not exactly the sort of song you’d put on a playlist with AWOLNATION. However the band’s newer material proved to be much more beefed up, bringing to mind a synth-tinged version of Tom Petty. They were still an unconventional choice of opening act, but unconventional is AWOLNATION‘s game.

It’s not at all hyperbolic to say that AWOLNATION are one of the most influential bands of the 2010’s. If you recall the halcyon days of 2010 you’ll realize that modern rock was caught in a loose, directionless void that wouldn’t gel until the spring of 2011 when “Sail” came onto the scene. It wasn’t so much of a direct influence sonically as it was behaviourally. “Sail” redefined what “rock” meant in the new millennium and broke down borders between nearly every genre imaginable. Prior to the song’s release, acts that were primarily synthesizer-based were relegated to the fringe; now they’re the norm. Bands are experimenting with every style of music imaginable, and scoring huge radio hits with these styles.

AWOLNATION‘s latest record switches things up again. Frontman Aaron Bruno showed a penchant for raucous, frenetic arrangements on the first record but things have gotten wild on Run, as seen and heard at the show. For every moment of danceable indie-pop at the concert there were two metal breakdowns, replete with hardcore-style screams and muscular guitar riffs. Adding to the dissonance was the fact that despite all the flashing lights, the band remained cloaked in shadows for the whole set. Aaron Bruno threw in some more genre mash-ups; songs like “Windows” merged prog-rock with nu-metal, while “Dreamers” sounded like a punked-up version of Mindless Self Indulgence. “I Am” was another confidence anthem sure to be a single down the line.

Of course the hits were present. “Not Your Fault”, “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)”, “Kill Your Heroes”, and “Sail” all made an appearance, albeit in much louder forms. “Sail” was the obvious closer, topping off a night that left the crowd sweaty and satisfied. Looks like AWOLNATION‘s bold experimentation paid off yet again.

Despite the intensely frigid weather Sound Academy was packed to see post-grunge veterans Bush take the stage. Supported by Stars in Stereo and Theory of a Deadman, it was a night of hard rock that heated up the winter-weary crowd.

Stars in Stereo were the first to take the stage. The L.A. based group recall the hard rock heyday of the early 2000s, complete with high-octane riffage and “pump-you-up” stage banter from frontwoman Becca and guitarist Jordan McGraw. Reminiscent of acts like Kittie and Flyleaf, the band tore through a brief but energetic set comprised mostly of songs from last year’s Leave Your Mark.

Canadian active rock mainstays Theory of a Deadman were on second, playing mostly newer songs in support of ther 2014 album Savages. In fact the only song from before 2008 was the 2005 ballad “Santa Monica”. While their peers Nickelback have opted for a more poppy approach in recent years, Theory have continued with their sludgy, Alice In Chains indebted direction. Frontman Tyler Connolly was full of impish energy the whole night, throwing out quips and good-humoured observations about hockey throughout the scuzzy, muscular set. The band even performed a truncated version of “Sweet Home Alabama”, tailored to an Ontario audience and filled with local references.

Bush took the stage to huge cheers and started off their set with their 2011 single, the appropriately titled “Sound of Winter”. This was the single that officially declared the band a reunited presence in the world, meticulously crafted to recreate the sound Bush became famous for. A sound that the audience became reacquainted with over the course of the night. The chunky riffs, the serrated lead guitar and unabashedly big singalong choruses reminded the crowd that frontman Gavin Rossdale has always been a talented songwriter who knows a good hook when he hears one, and has written a huge amount of them. He’s also a very gracious, humble man who repeatedly thanked the crowd for coming out to see the band.

The set was largely comprised of older material, with a few songs from last year’s Man on the Run thrown in. Everything got a good reception but it was the singles from the 1994 breakthrough album Sixteen Stone that drove people ecstatic. It cannot be stressed enough how excited the crowd got when the first of that albums FIVE (!) massive singles, “Everything Zen” was played. 1996’s “Swallowed” also got tremendous cheers, as did its album mate “Greedy Fly” and the 1999 single “The Chemicals Between Us”. The new material was also received well, as it sounded like vintage Bush with a few modern augmentations here and there. “Bodies in Motion” and “Man on the Run” in particular sound like they will fit well on a future greatest hits compilation, with big brash guitar riffs kicking them off.

Many bands save a one-two punch for the encore, but Bush gave the crowd a one-two-thee-four-five punch in the form of the remaining singles from Sixteen Stone, as well as a left-field cover of the Talking Heads new wave classic “Once in a Lifetime”. The set ended with “Comedown” and its snaky bass groove and massive crescendo of a finale. And so the audience did come down from their clouds, back into the cold night but hopefully with a little fire in their hearts thanks to Gavin and his boys from London.

When they inevitably remake the Lord of the Rings series after the Hobbit’s wrapped up, here’s a bit of inspired casting.

Ok no but serious, you think now that the Hobbit‘s done, New Line is going to let a moneymaker like the Middle Earth franchise go?? I guarantee you a Silmarillion adaptation is being planned. It’ll be a Maleficent inspired trilogy about the untold origin of Sauron, his relationship with Morgoth, his uprising and rule, and his downfall. Teenage Gandalf and teenage Saruman will be bffs and fight against him.

AND THERE WILL BE SPECTACLE.

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