Le Diamant Brut: Cadence Weapon & Moth! Fight!
What’s the Deal: These local musicians with a appreciation for all things Victorian mix keys, samples, autoharp, guitar, banjo, violin, sleigh bells, trumpet and several voices to create a sound that changes abruptly from the melodic to the cacophonous, and all the while keeps eyes and ears perked toward their performance. Every member plays at least two or three instruments. Their music is a cascading, clamourous, curious sound that at times sounds a bit like the noisy crashes heard as a cartoon character tumbles down a flight of stairs. Then, at other times they sound as if they could play right alongside the Danielson Famile.
“Springtime Haunted House” has a calming, eerie feeling to it that’s constructed by the layers atmospheric sampling. “Birdsongs Hopscotch” begins with a similar creepy feeling and the moans of a Halloween sound effects tape, but that’s just an intro to a song that’s full of appealing experiments in indie pop noise. Male and female vocals harmonize as an arsenal of instruments swirl around them in a spectral spectacle.
Something Interesting: They played a show last month at Mohawk that they called a “Fortean festival/Victorian Pageant”. It featured a number of other acts including a barbershop quartet as well as a spirit photography booth, phrenology readings, a startling display of oddities, and other unorthodox interests.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Hopscotch pt. 2"
What’s the Deal: Cadence Weapon, a much cooler name than his actual one, Roland Pemberton, is part of a very select group of Canadian hip-hop artists who have made names for themselves in America. The only other ones that immediately come to mind are k-os and Swollen Members. His rhymes are intelligent and fluent, and his beat-maker, DJ Weez-l, impresses with his superb scratching skills and beats that are fun and fresh. His 2005 debut CD Breaking Kayfabe was nominated in 2006 for the Canadian Polaris Music Prize, but lost to friend and tourmate Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) for his album He Poos Clouds.
On “Sharks” he chooses video game beeps and noises for background beats, and likewise the video for the song has him facing Donkey Kong and darting around cars in Frogger. “When I take you to the lake to find out if you’re water-soluble” and “...consider my style metric” are some of the track's more memorable moments.
Something Interesting: He briefly studied journalism in college, and he’s written hip-hop reviews for Stylus and Pitchfork. Also, he’s a big fan of Guitar Hero II. Aren’t we all?
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Black Hand” and “Canadian Dream”
