Wherever You Go

I decided to have a staycation in Toronto. But instead of lazing around, I am taking a self-improvement class of sorts. With so much material to absorb, I've been feeling totally beat at the end of the day. But Thursday night, I ventured out to The Burdock for some music to clear my brain.

Opener Carew had a nice indie pop sound with interesting lyricism. I didn't love the looping violin at the beginning of some songs. Even without the mistakes, often the loops weren't quite in sync as they were laid down which became more apparent as the playing progressed, they didn't add much to the song. Maybe this string ornamentation sounded better on the EP.

The Burning Hell seem to tour constantly in North America, UK, and Europe. I wouldn't be surprised if they have done close to 50+ shows annually for the last several years. So it was no surprise that they were tight and in the groove on stage. They played several new songs and some quite oldies, all of which featured Mathias Korn's brainy lyrics. There was a melancholic feel to some numbers including an ode to Nigel The Gannet and a beautiful love song about Maurice Sendak and Eugene Glynn featuring Ariel Sharrat on lead vocals. But with bass clarinet solos (Sharrat), bouzouki and guitar virtuosity (Darren Browne), no Burning Hell show is really a downer. So for the encore, Browne took the mic and they gave us a shaggy but feel-good cover of ABBA's S.O.S.