Plateau Doors

Got some fresh new doors from the Plateau . These are great namely because of the layers of paint that have accumulated over the years.
Most of these doors are from back alley's behind St. Laurent and Mont-Royal, just a sliver of the plateau but a good one.
Some of these doors still had tags and characters from a few years back, plus plenty of new hits. Plateau doors are always soaked in paint, they represent some of the most organic, flowing surfaces in the city.
Whenever I need a good dose of graff these back alleys are a solid reminder of the grimy character of writing in Montreal.

George Usher Group - Days Of Plenty - 2001

New York's George Usher Group opens Days of Plenty with the Big Star-sounding "Smoke That Kiss," with Usher playing the role of Alex Chilton. The song's quirky stops and starts and relentless jangly guitar get the disc off to a rollicking start. Using a rich array of instruments -- including mellotron, organ, French horn, violin, and cello -- the group assembled 12 varied pop songs on their sophomore disc. "Channel 104" features some of the warmest pop hooks on the disc, offering up the liveliest harmonies and guitars of the album. Guitarist Doug Larcey and bassist Dennis Ambrose assist Usher on vocals. Drummer John Bellon rounds out the main quartet featured on the disc. The disc's pace slows down on the title track, a fresh, easy listening triumph that sounds wonderfully effortless. As the disc continues, many of the songs sound familiar, as the group utilizes some time-tested rock/pop conventions, all the while making them their own. Despite the undeniable pop influences throughout the record, the band never uses them as a crutch, instead embracing them and adding their own signature sound to the mix, like on the steady toe-tapper "Crowded Mind" and the relaxed poetry of "Our World." Throughout the peaks and valleys of the album, Usher adds a soft, personal touch to the songs, never hiding behind a wall of sound, instead taking enough musical risks to keep it all interesting. "Baby, Where'd You Go?" and "Unfinished Prayer" offer up Usher's most sincere and heartfelt lyrics of the disc, as well as some of the simplest and most satisfying instrumentation. "Long Long Never" concludes the disc with an extended jangle rock roller-coaster ride. Recorded in New York City and New Jersey and mixed by Mitch Easter, Parasol Records released Days of Plenty in 2001. -AMG



George Usher Group - Days Of Plenty - 2001/rs
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George Usher Group - Days Of Plenty - 2001/sb

The Layaways - We've Been Lost - 2004

The Layaways started off as the solo project of David Harrell, but with the addition of Nathan Burleson on drums and Mike Porter contributing bass guitar and vocals The Layaways became a full band. Now, while there aren't any overtly 'synthy' songs presented here, each and every track is pure pop, with the occasional synthesizer playing a role in the music. The songs may be pop songs, but none of them are particularly aggressive or ultra-danceable. They're more of the gentle popsongs that linger in the back of your mind for days, popping up at unexpected places and times. The Guitars that lead most of the songs are very smooth, gently gilding the melody along through the songs. The muted vocals don't leap out from the songs, but blend in as a contributing element to the whole, rather than leading them. The only exception to that is "Lying And Stealing", which has the lead vocals take on a 70's rock flavor that's.. interesting. Of the 11 tracks presented here, "Silence", "Nothing Left To Burn" and "Bombs Away" are the three that I found myself going back to the most often. But if you're in the mood for something a little more downtempo that has a folksy/New Wave feel to it, this will be right up your alley. - Jason Baker @ Synthpop.net



The Layaways - We've Been Lost - 2004/rs
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The Layaways - We've Been Lost - 2004/sb

Fresh Paint from the Plateau

I went on a flic mission to the Plateau last Sunday as it had been far too long since I had stomped about to see what was up. I missed the alleyways and rooftops off the main streets that I used to frequent when I was living on Henri-Julien and Mont Royal a few years back. The rooftops would have to wait, however, as Sunday was strictly a street mission. I started at Mont-Royal Metro and snaked my way through alleys and side streets up to St. Laurent then made my way down towards Prince Arthur doing the same. I only had a few hours so I was trying to get as much as I could out the time and light that I had left in the day. I got plenty of shots including a lot of new doors, plenty of tags and throwies, and even a few nice pieces. Here they are. Hopefully I'll be able to hit the Plateau up again before the snow drops and cover some more ground.

I'll post some door shots soon.