The Disraelis Might Not Be So Bitter

Just when fans were beginning to think that Toronto post-punk shoegazer band The Disraelis might be dead, one curmudgeon caught them playing the Piston in Toronto on Dec. 4, a tribute to Spaceman 3/Spiritualized and benefit for former founding member and artist Natty Brooker.

They performed a spirited cover of the 13th Floor Elevators via Spaceman 3 cover of Roller Coaster. The appearance is one of the first indications that they might be resurrected in the near future after coming thisclose to a split.

Even their label, Optical Sounds, had splashed that "while the band is close to a split, we're hoping some months away from each other will bring them back better than ever," leaving their debut EP Demonstration the only real remnant of their work.

The Disraelis deliver gruffly sung vocals with stripped down instrumentals.

Formed in 2006, The Disraelis consist of Cameron Ingles (bass, vocals), Dave Barnes (drums), and Colin Bowers (guitar). However, before anyone gets too excited, Bowers' name is absent from the band's Facebook and MySpace pages (but Bowers still calls himself a "Disraeli" on his page). You can find a rough single there called Secret, but it's not as dynamic as anything on Demonstration.

The album received a lukewarm reception for the Toronto underground darlings, with early critics calling them too closely tied to the cool English bands of the 1980s but without anything original. But that's the way it goes sometimes. Early reviews are dismissive, leaving the band to work that much harder up hill to get under people's skin.

And then, after a few months or years when the band builds its own following, the same boneheads who dissed them start scrambling back saying they miss them. Let's keep it real. The reverence makes them relevant. And they don't fit in all that tightly to most floated comparisons.


The best songs from Demonstration are The Bitter Ash and Blackmail, but the entire five-track EP is worth the download if for no other reason than to support the band. Maybe you'll even help convince them to get back to work.

If you still need more convincing, you might still be able to find The Bitter Ash as a free download via bandcamp. Just remember to contribute something if you like the single.

The Disraelis' Demonstration Makes The Grade At 7.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

Named after the Cream album of the same name, the band originally set out to be creative with a more stripped-down guitar, bass, and drums sound. And they never let a synth line take charge of everything or anything they were trying to produce, making them a great pick for the slowest new release weeks in the music business.

Demonstration can be dowloaded from iTunes. Demonstration by The Disraelis is also on Amazon.

Your 33 Black Angels Paint A Bleak Near Future

A few years ago, Your 33 Black Angels (Y33BA) caught fire when David Fricke of Rolling Stone called them a "treasure" after picking up planted copies in a local record store. That was enough for a few diehard fans to bang on bloggers' doors to help spread the buzz.

And then what happened? Y33BA quickly self-produced a second and third picked up by a handful of reviewers who could mostly muster Your 33 Black Angels "sound like..." and Your 33 Black Angels "sound like..." and Your 33 Black Angels are "a mix of..."

It's all anyone can stand. Bands written up in such a fashion accept the compliment, but only a few realize that all anybody remembers is who they sound like but never who they are. The result is what you might expect. They remain relatively obscure outside of New York and unsigned.

Songs From The Near Bleak Future delivers a few choice picks.

Their newest album, Songs From The Near Bleak Future, has started out as a release as quiet as Lonely Street. It's the fourth release from the Brooklyn-based band who won't say die. Some people wonder how long they can keep aiming high, while the rest of us can only hope they keep doing it.

There wasn't a video suitable from the newest album worth sharing. So here is something from their third album.


For anyone liking Lovers Limbo except the rough chorus, it will be easy to find a few tracks off Songs From The Near Bleak Future. Modern Girl is their strongest effort of all nine tracks. Other standouts include the somber and slow The Trouble King, steady Persistence of Vision, and upbeat lo-fi driver I Had A Modern Night Last Night. Some people like Dead Like Me too.

Skip A Song About A Car, which was a mistake; Bad Dream because it has the right vocals and the wrong arrangement; and I'm A Fool For Funtown because ... well, because its sounds like filler before a headliner takes the stage. All three provide a glimpse into why Y33BA just hasn't struck another lucky break. They need a producer to kick them up a notch and a stronger onstage presence.

Y33BA's The Near Bleak Future Rips A 3.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

Your 33 Black Angels is the kind of band you want to succeed in the studio and on the stage. Sometimes there is a fine line between wanting a band to find greatness and whether or not they can. Here, Songs From The Near Bleak Future paints up potential while reminding us why they hold themselves back.

They need a clear band roster, photos, and some aggressive live performances to keep people engaged, especially given their name is so painfully close to The Black Angels. Still, four of their songs, especially Modern Girl, truly deliver. Get those.

Songs From The Near Bleak Future by Your 33 Black Angels is on iTunes. Songs From the Near Bleak Future is also available on Amazon. You can learn more about the eclectic mix of members who helped with this album on Facebook.