Prog: no longer a four-letter word

Before I hip you all to the week’s best shows, let me go through my stack of new wax and pull out a few records that are just too good not to mention.

First up is the sophomore record from Winnipeg prog kings Mahogany Frog: Senna. If you were lucky enough to catch this four-headed hydra at the last two editions of Pop Montreal or their stellar show at the long-gone Bar St-Laurent II, you probably already know that the Frog is Canada’s best-kept secret. As “prog” loses its odious connotations and “punk” slips into  pointless retread, this record couldn’t come at a more perfect time.

Mahogany Frog forge their own path with a decidedly modern take on complex and truly progressive music. Although the band clearly has the chops, they don’t rely on them as a safety net and lay down every note with true artistic and tasteful expression and purpose. If you are tired of prog bands needlessly wanking off (see Dream Theater), the Frog should delight with a truly cinematic approach to composition, and psychedelic flourishes to spice things up. If the local wax shacks ain’t holdin’, you can order it off their Bandcamp page. Highly recommended!!!!

Next up is the 12″ debut from O Town miscreants the Dagger Eyes. Put out by Germany’s P. Trash and sporting a fetching pen-and-ink cover by Dead Wife’s Lisa Czech, this 45-rpm blaster is pure punk rock raunch that’s tighter than a chicken’s bum in a hail storm. Snotty and screamed vocals cascade over slash-and-bashed guitars and trashy drums with psychedelic oscillations sending the whole thing through the stratosphere.

Last up is the latest co-release from local label Psychic Handshake (with Instant Pleasure Records), Sex Church’s Somnambulist. This three-song EP is a marked change for Psychic Handshake, with a decidedly more goth/industrial/early 4AD/Rough Trade sound. Reverb tanks are set on kill on the epic “Wrong Side” as the band plod along at a Flipper-like pace with their mesmerizing repetition to send their message home. On the flip side, Sex Church pick up the pace a little bit while letting everything ride in the red and get almost downright catchy. An angrier Television Personalities or a more psyched-out and lo-fi the Saints? Fuggit, just grab it and figure it out.

If your local rekkid stores aren’t stocking these, demand ’em!

Okay champs, on with the shows:

Wednesday – Giallo horror fans are not going to want to miss a screening of two of Dario Argento’s truly creepy and mesmerizing classics, 1977’s Suspiria and 1980’s Inferno at Cagibi. The Goblin soundtrack to Suspiria is reason enough not to miss this screening. The night is put on by cinephile elf Vade Retro, starts at 7 p.m. and will only set you back a measly $2. See ya there.

A perfect capper to your Wednesday night after a spine-tingling start would be Friends of Hell Club hosted by DJ Satannick at Katacombes. You may recognize DJ Satannick as the person behind the Morbid Tales zine as well as the amazing Hellbent for Cooking cookbook. When it comes to spinning the best of NWOBHM, doom, black metal, death and thrash, she is unbeatable.

Friday – One of Montreal’s most devastatingly heavy bands, the Great Sabatini, celebrate five years of crushing craniums at Katacombes with help from their heavy friends, Toronto’s Godstopper and instrumentalists Luther Higgs. Expect a smattering of songs from their lengthy discography before the band pounces on their stellar Matterhorn LP in its entirety. I’ve been pounding the pulpit about the Great Sabatini as being one of the best bands in the city for a while now, yet they’re otherwise criminally unsung, so show up and thank me later.

Also happening on Friday is the ultraviolent (albeit self-inflicted) hardcore of Massachusetts band Hoax with New York City’s Creem and Nuclear Spring and local sluggers Proxy and Thee Nodes at Casa. Be very afraid.

Saturday – On Saturday night, don’t miss the chance to catch a super-rare set by Mark Sultan (aka BBQ), who will croon like only he can at Casa with the stellar support of ex-Sunday Sinners Lunar Exile.

Monday – Finally, don’t miss a night of improvisational jams at Casa with Lori Freedman, Alexandre St-Onge, Charity Chan and Thierry Amar. Expect different combinations of the aforementioned musicians, including duos and a full quartet. ■

Current obsession: Goblin, Zombi

Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com