Mute Sounds hit the stage of the Bovine to debut their new offering, “Resilience”. If you do not know this band you will find out who they are soon. They have been on the Toronto scene for just over a year, but the noise they are making is just getting louder. Before I get into their performance, they invited two other bands to celebrate their release with them.
We finished Hump day with Rock day, according to the lead singer of Rumble Son . They are an Indie band that has 3 chords and straightforward easy rock songs. Their music seems to play it safe and is easy to listen to. After their easy Rocker “Times goes by”, it seemed that the edibles the guitarist consumed kicked in and they began to pick up steam. “Remedy” started off strong, then stalled for a bit only to find it footing again. The songs come off as a little dry but still retain a fun attitude. The highlight was the song, “Pulling teeth” because the riffs on this piece have a lot of sweetness to it. They finished off their set with both a Weezer and a Foo Fighter’s cover.
Here are a few images of Rumble Son:
The Bovine also got a taste of the band The Howlin’ Gales. I don’t know if this is a music industry thing or I am seeing this in Toronto more often, but they are a two-piece band. I was told by another band, there is less fighting over creative control and you make more money. These two have a great hard-rocking Indie sound that is fully immersed with a Canadian vibe. They have a nice blend of Neil Young meets BTO meets The Sheepdogs. They are loud and assertive and have a very well-balanced sound between them. They Covered “Ain’t no Sunshine”, by Bill Withers. At the end of the evening no one wanted to leave so we got a new singer up and did a cover of Twist and Shout! These guys are worth checking out!
Here are a few images of The Howlin’ Gales:
Now onto the Main Stage, came a new and slightly leaner Mute Sounds. They are leaving behind the keyboards and pursuing a more Raw Rock and Roll sound. This is not because the keyboardist sucked and they fired him. He even showed up to the gig to play on two songs. Sorry, no Rock and Roll drama here. I know that is sooo boring. You want to know, what is not boring, the new album from Mute Sounds!
Resilience is the title and for many reasons. The obvious is lead guitarist Rui Pedro, who lost his voice over 5 years ago, but didn’t give up. He reinvented himself and created an all-instrumental band. The results show because these pieces are filled with emotion that gets painted inside each and every one who is listening. They just lost their keyboardist, so they reinvented themselves again. It is an uphill battle that is fought head on and it seems like they are always winning.
The show started with what felt like a dark sunrise and was overrun by a herd of wild running animals. Then you end up freefalling into a spiraling abyss of a trance-induced fear. This is just the opening song. We are then run over by a juggernaut of pure happy sounds. By the third song they become a high aggressor that can spin into a flight of elation only to crash and plow into your personal state of being: very metaphysical stuff for a band with no words.
As the show progressed, I thought I heard a little Tragically Hip influence with a good old straightforward rocker. Having seen this band before, I can tell you, they have become more aggressive with their new sound. It can be quite boisterous, filled with pride like a gorilla beating his chest! They also have plenty of moments of being light-hearted and a little bouncy. They can fill the air with some nice psychedelic passages. I also noticed their experimentation of throwing in some new ideas and sounds.
They reached their crescendo when they played the very large sounding epic- Rise! This could be the beginning of true growth for this band as the crowd chanted along with the song and it just built into a beautifully frenzied finish. Mute Sounds are out to change the musical landscape by painting emotions with sounds and letting the audience experience it any way they wish. I look forward to hearing more from this band that can constantly reinvent itself.
Here are a few images of Mute Sounds: