Last night was the CD release party for Christopher Smith's latest offering, Earning Keep. He was joined at the Waldorf by fellow Vancouverites The Belle Game and, a last minute addition to the show, Toronto's Snowblink. They were supposed to have a show at the Rickshaw on the same night, but I guess something happened and they were added to this bill.

Starting off the night was The Belle Game, the six of them (seven when Andrew Lee was out to play trumpet) packing the stage of the Waldorf. They filled the room with their indie-rock-slash-chamber-pop sounds and Andrea Lo's powerful voice -- even though they admitted she was feeling under the weather -- with songs from their upcoming album Ritual Tradition Habit.
Highlights included "Wasted Light" and the powerful "River", and the whole set was brought to an explosive climax with the first single from the new album, "Wait Up For You"; which, despite featuring the ever-prevalent singer-on-a-floor-tom for the intro, had an amazing energy & soared to an ending with Alex Andrew hopping off stage to finish off his frantic solo in the crowd.

Next up was Christopher Smith, joined by a few familiar faces; including Peter Carruthers on bass and Michelle Faehrmann out for a few songs on cello. He had a folksy, yet lush, rock sound, though a lot of the set was about the same tempo. It picking up slightly towards the end, with the last song, "No Light Could Pass Though Me so I Have a Shadow", being the highlight of the set, and definitely having highest energy, building to a grand crescendo of the band rocking out.
There wasn't much interaction through the set, a couple "thanks", here and there, but he preferred to let the music speak for itself.
It was a perfectly enjoyable set, but he was overshadowed by the other two acts of the night.

And finally, Snowblink took the stage to round out the night. I'm not sure if it was because it was pushing midnight on a Wednesday, or that they were a last minute addition, but sadly a lot of the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a couple dozen people. But that was their loss, as from the moment they hit stage, the duo of Daniela Gesundheit -- whose guitar had antlers mounted on it -- and Dan Goldman -- also on guitar -- were amazing. Daniela had a great presence and charisma on stage, as well as a stunning voice, and their ethereal dream-pop was captivating.
Even though the set wasn't technically "perfect" -- they had a couple issues throughout the night -- it felt very natural and loose, with them playing off the glitches perfectly and connecting with the small audience; at one point handing out bells so they could ring them on cue during one of their songs, and almost chatting one-to-one with people.
Highlights of the set included current single, the infectiously catchy "Black and White Mountains", which had Daniela on a drum pad, and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper", which was introduced with Daniela simultaneously apologizing and saying "you're welcome".

All in all, it was a great night of music, with the acts being different enough, but still working perfectly together. I would see any one of the three again, especially Snowblink, who I hope is back soon for a longer show.

I don't know how it happened, but this last week has been amazing, concert-wise. Ending the four-shows-in-five-days was Owen Pallett, a show I have been looking forward to since he had to cancel his show back in September.

Being another curfew show, the opening act came out a little after 8. Snowblink consisted of Daniela Gesundheit and Dan Misha Goldman, both on guitar but they had a few other instruments around. Like a rope with bells tied to it that they passed out to some people in the front row to help out. They had a kind of typical indie-folk-pop sound, one that was perfect to open for Owen Pallett, but it wasn't generic or cliché. They pulled it off really well, and Gesundheit had a really nice voice. There was also a nervous charm about them when talking to the crowd, at first at least; by the end they were joking with us, even throwing an impromptu raffle when they found out the show was assigned seating. Among their own songs was also slipped in a cover of "Human Nature" by Micheal Jackson, and by the end of the set, I was left wishing I had enough money to pick up their album. I just hope they're back again soon.
And yes, those are antlers on her guitar in that picture.

And then at around 9, Owen Pallett hit the stage. Sadly, there was no overhead projector, like some of his past shows, but he more that made up for it with his amazing music. Most of the set he was out there alone, with his violin (and sometimes keyboard) but for a few (mostly the newer ones) he was joined by Thomas Gill on guitar and drums. And even with one other, it is incredibly impressive what he can do alone, through the use of his looping. There were times where you would have sworn there was a whole orchestra of people on stage, but nope, it's just Owen.
He played mostly from the new album, Heartland, but of course there were of course some older ones, too. "This is the Dream of Win & Regine" was pretty incredible, as was "Many Lives -> 49 MP", but the new material was where he really shone. "Midnight Directives", featuring his rapid plucking and dense, building crescendo. And the set-ending "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" was simple amazing, just going crazy by the end of it. He also, as he usually does, slipped in a cover song. This time was "Interview" by Simon Bookish.
The encore was just a couple more, including "This Lamb Sells Condos" before leaving the packed Vogue in awe.
I have seen him twice before, but those were both back in 2007, so I am incredibly glad I had the chance to see him again. He is one of the most interesting and talented live acts I've seen.

Again, I tried to take a few videos, via uStream during the night, so here is "This Lamb Sells Condos". It's a little dark, but it's still good.
I also have half of "Win & Regine".
They're not the best quality, but not too terrible either. The audio is okay, and that's all that matters, really.

Christopher Smith CD Release w/ Snowblink & The Belle Game @ Waldorf -- 09/12/12

Owen Pallett @ The Vogue -- 05/09/10