Hogtown Harmonics Volume V

I briefly mentioned Blocks Recording Club in my post about no-wavers Brides, theorizing that the band's upcoming proper LP may be released by the Toronto co-op label. My half-baked conspiracy theory (based entirely on the fact that Brides are set to play Blocks' showcase at Pop Montreal in a few weeks) may have provided some with the misguided notion that Blocks is a record label that signs artists and releases, distributes, and promotes their albums. This is not quite the case. Blocks Recording Club is a co-op. The artists who release albums through Blocks in fact are part owners of Blocks. How does that work? Honestly, I don't really know. How does one get involved with Blocks? Yet again, I don't know. Believe me, I've tried to find out. Regardless of the cloak of magical musical mystery that Blocks is covered in, it is one of the more novel musical collectives in Toronto—not just in terms of organization, but the artists that are involved. Blocks has released albums from such notable Toronto avant-garde artists as Final Fantasy, The Creeping Nobodies, Fucked Up, and Nifty (Nif-D, Nifdee, Puff Dee Dee?) to name a few. To date, 57 albums have been released under the Blocks banner. This post shall focus on a few of those artists.

Ninja High School

I hate to be a standard middle-class caucasian (or do I?), but when it comes to hip-hop, I find myself with a rather limited knowledge and opinion. Sure, I can recognize that most mainstream hip-hop is awful, insincere, and part of a larger viral marketing campaign, but the same goes for mainstream music of all genres. However, even when it comes to more alternative hip-hop, I still cannot get my head around much of it. Upon my first listen to Ninja High School's We Win! EP, I could recognize the sincerity and the uniqueness of it, but dismissed it to an extent as "party music."

Subsequent listens have provided me with a better appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic NHS strove towards (I use past tense as the group broke up in 2007). The delivery of the vocals on We Win! are like a hip-hop version of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum. They are not particularly pleasant simply for what they are, rather they are enjoyable because they are so raw and sloppy.

The EP is quite a contrast to the group's initial release, Young Adults Against Suicide, which incorporates multiple vocalists, more intricate and varied samples, and more of a feel-good "party" vibe. The group chanting gets a little repetitive at times, but it still brings a smile to my face and that is one of the goals NHS had in mind, as they strove to create positive hip-hop music.

Young Adults Against Suicide

We Win!

Katie Stelmanis

At Fucked Up's most recent 4-day stint at Sneaky Dee's (last October), I neglected to pay close attention to the openers of the Thursday night show. I mildly enjoyed Final Fantasy's looped violin dittys, avoided One Hundred Dollars completely, and seem to recall heading downstairs for nachos during Katie Stelmanis' set. Well, after having seen a full Stelmanis set last week, I regret opting to punish my bowels rather than reward my ears last October.

Stelmanis was a member of now-defunct gritty girl group Galaxy and indie-gospel collective Bruce Peninsula. On her own, Stelmanis employs an idiosyncratic, almost conflicting style that pits computer-based instrumentation against operatic vocals. However, rather than battle, the two find a middle ground to work together and complement each other in a quirky and satisfying way.

In a live setting, Stelmanis performs as a three-piece band, with her on vocals and keyboards, and friends Carmen Elle on guitar/backup vocals and Maya Postepski (another fellow Galaxy alum) on drums/xylophone/backup vocals. This live setup allows Stelmanis' songs to possess an intensity that is not present on record, primarily due to the usage of triple vocals and Postepski's impressive multitasking on drums and xylophone (arguably stealing the show as she simultaneously drummed with her left hand and played xylophone with her right).

Stelmanis' debut album Join Us was released on Blocks, but her recent Believe Me EP was put out on, gasp!, Vice Records. Feast your eyes on the charming video for "Believe Me":