Land Of Talk @ the Horseshoe, Toronto
- Jan 21, 2009
One has to wonder if there's a scoreboard in Land Of Talk's Montreal rehearsal space wherein they keep a running tally of all the great and awful things that have happened to the band. In the 'pro' column, you'd find achievements like 'got one of the big stories of 2008 ⓠBon Iver's Justin Vernon ⓠto produce debut full-length in Some Are Lakes', 'toured North America as support for Broken Social Scene' and 'lead singer Liz Powell joined Broken Social Scene'. But in the 'con' column, you'd find setbacks like 'went through three drummers in a year and a half', 'lost bassist to The Dears', 'had to cancel entire Fall 2008 tour because of lost voice' and most recently, 'have to go on hiatus because of need for surgery on Powell's throat'. Cursed? Maybe just a little.
But last Thursday night at the Horseshoe in Toronto, the middle date of an ultra-brief southern Ontario tour before the aforementioned hiatus, there was no curse ⓠonly triumph. Accompanying them for the three dates were two more Montreal acts ⓠLittle Scream, who was far more compelling and unsettling than the 'girl with an acoustic guitar' descriptor might imply, and Zeroes, who combined the creative restlessness of Wire with a deep sense of groove and danceability. Both excellent warm-ups, but the packed house hadn't trekked out to the 'Shoe in the middle of a bitter cold snap just to warm up. They were there for some explosiveness, and Land Of Talk delivered.
It's a bit cliché to suggest they were playing like it was their last gig, but it wasn't far off. While Some Are Lakes showcased the band's range and developed their softer side, the live show channeled the white-hot intensity and aggression of Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and applied it to all the material, new and old. Powell certainly didn't sing like she was under doctor's orders to preserve her voice ⓠher distinctively yearning rasp sounded marvelous overtop her spidery guitar parts and the driving foundation laid down by drummer Andrew Barr and bassist Joe Yarmush. Though both were relatively new to the band ⓠYarmush having only joined in the last couple months ⓠthey locked together like they'd been together for an age.
Land Of Talk have always been good live, but this show brought them to another level entirely, obviously more than ready to take their place amongst the best new bands in Canada â“ whenever they come back from hiatus, that is.
