The Toronto Star Reviews Dog Day's "Deformer" • 08.17.11

Halifax’s Dog Day is a decidedly different band these days than the spooky post-punk outfit responsible for 2009’s smashing Concentration, having lost half its membership last year and pared the lineup back to just the husband-and-wife core of Seth Smith and Nancy Urich. The scruffy, home-recorded Deformer finds the pair in fighting form, however, and Dog Day reverting to an appealingly primal and pugilistic punk-rock state.

Lo-fi bashers such as “Nothing to Do” and the charging “Scratches” rock out as hard as the band ever has, while there’s a bleak heaviness to numbers like “In the Woods” that would seem to indicate that Dog Day’s clear veneration of the Rick White catalogue is tilting a bit more towards Elevator than Eric’s Trip these days.

Nevertheless, despite the extra layer of fuzz, the melodies remain uncommonly rewarding — “Eurozone” is a pop hit that will, unfortunately, never happen – and Smith’s withering wit has resulted in perhaps his most literately disenchanted lyric sheet yet. I’m pretty sure even the Dog Day kids are a little weirded out by my fanhood at this point, but they’re still my favourite Canadian band right now.

http://www.toronto.com/article/694938–ben-rayner-s-reasons-to-live-dog-day-weird-owl-fruit-bats

Skeleton Crew Quarterly Reviews Dog Day's "Deformer" • 08.17.11

Anyone who has caught Dog Day live knows that the punk spirit inhabiting the fringes of their gloomy, controlled records frays apart onstage. From statesmen of gloom to hell-bent revelers in a snap, the band’s raw performances became expositions on how to hear an album like Concentration or Elder Schoolhouse in an aggressive new light. So when this spring’s Scratches EP all but erased the contrast to Dog Day’s duality by presenting their noise-band rep on record, complete in raw recordings and compressed textures, it seemed as though the newly minted duo (core members Seth Smith and Nancy Urich) was self-imposing itself into a corner.

Deformer, despite bearing a similar home-recorded approach as Scratches EP, promptly incinerates those fears with a line-up of killer tunes with real songwriting depth. From the rallying call of ‘Daydream’ and rhythmic intensity of ‘Part Girl’ to ‘I Wanna Mix’’s autumnal guitar tones, Smith and Urich get the obvious out of the way; that losing half the members of their band hasn’t diminished the restless creativity at the heart of Dog Day. And as Deformer branches into menacing riffs (‘Positive’) and affecting atmospherics (‘Mr Freeze’), it becomes clear that the Nova Scotia-based duo has stepped further, somehow channeling the unhinged spirit of a band basking in the limelight for the first time. The scrappy yet magnetic energy displayed on Deformer seeks not to pedestal its qualities on Dog Day’s string of successful releases, as most artists would be content doing, but instead provides a blank slate – for both fans and themselves. It’s the same Dog Day you’ve always loved, just hungrier.

On a personal note, I’d be remiss not to mention how much I enjoyed Dog Day as a fearsome foursome. Part of the reason Concentration became Skeleton Crew Quarterly’s Top Album of 2009 was because the instrumentation posed so many intriguing questions; elegant bits of distortion melting into one another and songwriting that benefitted from different pens to the paper. No one really doubted Smith and Urich’s roles as the key ingredients to that stew but I’d wager a lot of fans hardly expected Deformer to make such a fine point of it. A passionate and ferocious return.

http://theskeletoncrewquarterly.blogspot.com/2011/08/deformer-dog-day.html

Round Letters Reviews Dog Day's "Deformer" • 08.17.11

Dog Day is back. Halifax howlers Seth Smith and Nancy Urich have finally released their anticipated album that first fully sees them as a duo after last year’s split from Chrystal Thili and Robbie Sheddon. Deformer is that look we’ve all been waiting for closer into the duo’s dynamic. It’s refined but messy, sour but oh so sweet and droney but full of melody.

Dog Day’s sound hasn’t changed much, it’s just become a bit simpler, what with only four hands. You can barely tell though, as this married couple makes a lot of noise and sometimes adds some effects.

They both still have their trademark singing drones, which is interesting for the fact of how well they pull it off. I’m willing to bet if I heard many other acts sing like this, I wouldn’t be so pleased to the ears. But I can’t get enough of their vocals that flow so well together as Seth goes low and Nancy gets high, like in the point-blank “Nothing to Do.” (But when Seth works the notes up high on a ladder, it’s one of the finest points, like in the stellar ‘Part Girl” and “Scratches.”) Seth still rips at his noisy guitar, but now Nancy’s plodding away on the drums and even singing more lead parts (“Blueish Grey” is like that summer thunderstorm you’ve been waiting out). They’re shoegaze but starting to let more obvious fun slip into the cracks, whether it’s recording their dog Woofy while he yips during dreams or through the lyrics that are smart, tender, happy, honest, conscious of anything and everything.

Deformer is a really enjoyable listen for multiple moods and headspaces. Seth and Nancy live in a forest, raise chickens and are actually two of the sweetest rockers you’ll meet. They’ve created something that both encapsulates their environment but is also accessible to those not living in the bubble.

I’ve been waiting for this album since 2009′s Concentration kicked things up a notch, but especially since I saw the duo play at Sneaky’s last summer, when it was clear they were pleased as their plump chickens to be in a space they wanted. Deformer is the confidence to their former shakiness, and Dog Day are all the better for it.

http://roundletters.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/album-review-dog-day-deformer/

Noisography Reviews Kuato’s “Summer” EP • 08.17.11

Kuato‘s Summer EP starts off with their trademark dramatic guitar chords before a power beat comes in and lifts the track up, almost reminiscent of BSS or the Arcade Fire. So called “post-rock” bands have always relied on the most melancholy of melodies, so it’s nice to hear a band branching out. “Iraqnaphobia” still mixes sounds and style from across the board, with the looping drum beat holding it all together. A climatic chorus carries to song until the crushingly heavy ending crashes out in waves and moves straight into “Afganistan Rogers.”

The song starts on the same note, and the tones and feeling are predominantly the same with another rolling jungle drum beat taking over the crunchy guitars and soaring melodies. To be honest the two tracks run together somewhat, though there are different themes and progressions on this track that call to mind later period Mogwai. It still delivers on the giant, punishing sound that Kuato is known for, with plenty of tight rhythms and catchy guitar work.

The final track on the EP, “Frances The Mutant,” moves further toward the trademark Summer EP sound with more pounding drums, grinding bass, and nice fractal guitar melodies. The track grows in intensity towards the halfway mark and the band just keeps piling on more layers, with crash symbols and dirtier and dirtier bass, while still finding room for the clean guitar melodies that keep the track from getting lost in mud.

The production and recording are perfectly suited as always to capturing the variety of sounds the band evokes, but it would be interesting to hear some more variation, even if it did bow to cliché – strings, effected vocals, synths? Over all the band captures the perfect epic summer vibe – I picture the finale of “Frances The Mutant” playing while soaring away on a helicopter in the sunset from a tropical island that’s, well, exploding.

http://noisographyreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/album-review-kuato-summer-ep.html

The Broken Speaker Reviews Kuato’s “Summer” EP • 08.17.11

Halifax based band Kuato are back with the Summer EP, their third release in under a year. The four piece band create intricate post rock instrumental tracks that have the ability to transport you to another place. The three tracks that make up the EP clock in at just over twenty minutes, but honestly it is easy to lose track of time when listening to the songs. The slow build up of “Iraqnaphobia” that eventually erupts into a burst of emotion carried by soaring guitars and clashing cymbals. While post-rock may not be a genre that the Broken Speaker is a particular expert on, it is easy to see that these songs combine the best elements of power and passion to create an uplifting musical experience.

http://thebrokenspeaker.com/2011/08/04/album-review-kuato-summer-ep/

Grayowl Point Reviews Kuato's "Summer" EP • 08.17.11

It only makes sense that the follow-up to instrumental post-rock band Kauto’s Winter EP would be the Summer EP.

This EP is also three songs, though it’s about ten minutes shorter than the previous 30-minute EP. And there are still awesome song titles: “Iraqnophobia”; “Afghanistan Rogers” and “Frances the Mutant.”

The shorter songs of the Summer EP are just as potent as their predecessor. Though Kuato uses the standard bass, guitar and drums, the melodies they craft are very unique and fascinating to watch unfold.

The first song is the seven-minute “Iraqnophobia” which could very well be two songs due to a melody change halfway through. The first half of the song starts with sparse and distorted guitar riffs, which then adds drums. The song is fairly high energy, and then the guitar riffs change in the second half. You’ll likely double-check to make sure you’re still listening to the same song.

“Afghanistan Rogers” was my favourite of the three, mainly for its fuzzy-sounding guitar riffs and its military-sounding drums.

Finally there’s “Frances the Mutant” which is a solid seven minutes of upbeat craziness, with too many guitar solos to count.

Kuato have proved once again that post-rock is their thing. It’s surprising that their atmospheric instrumental sound hasn’t been included in cinema or TV yet. But it may end up being included in a remake of Totall Recall- check out that tidbit here.

http://glasspaperweight.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/review-summer-ep-kuato/

Herohill Reviews Banded Stilts’ “By The Back Stair” • 08.17.11

It’s almost too easy to hear a band like Banded Stilts and dismiss them with a lazy list of sonic comparisons. The Amherst outfit earns their keep with picked acoustic roots melodies bulked up with keep time drums, harmonies, mandolin, and banjo. Fans of the Great Lake Swimmers could embrace their sound openly, but the more interesting comparison is how easily Stephen’s deep (and at times surprisingly gritty) voice could front the fantastic West Coast collective, The Great Outdoors.

But the thing is, it’s the story not the familiar sounds that accompany it. By the Back Stair tells Canadian stories driven by honesty, broken hearts, and the freedom of youth. Haley doesn’t turn clever phrases, force metaphors or rely on stock imagery. He writes what he sees and that authenticity shines through. It might not be a reinvention of sound, but it’s an EP of enjoyable songs you can sing along too. Most times, that’s all you need.

http://www.herohill.com/2011/08/quick-hitters-banded-stilts-by-the-back-stair.htm