A Little Ditty

On Friday, I went to the Tranzac for some "Party Time". Perhaps the final band The Jackets brought the upbeat mood because the first two performers had quiet sets. Emilie Mover was up and she played her melancholic numbers like Pain and Regret. She did do a few happier songs like Chove Chuva and Stevie Wonder's You And I (which she winkingly noted was his version of "Pain and Regret", but more positive). But it's always the new songs that make you immediately want to own a copy. Tonight, it was a classical-sounding instrumental and one of the longest Mover song I've heard about the Universe, molecules, and life.

Julie Arsenault was up next. I've seen her do back-up for other bands. So unsurprisingly, she recruited a few friends to play with her tonight. She admitted her admiration for Mover, but her own songs were quite good too including Let You Down and Good Mourning. There was a Bjork-esque hitch and softness in her voice. Unfortunately, she didn't seem comfortable on stage. Between mumbles and sentences that trailed off, it was approaching open-mic awkwardness. If she wants to keep performing in public, Arsenault has to develop a more assured stage presence.