Tiger Trap - C/D?

I'm not sure how much of a band project this is actually turning out to be. Brave Irene did one low-key gig here last year as a "here we are" thing, but I later heard that the drummer had left shortly afterwards and now another member is apparently out now too - the keyboard player I believe. Now there is an EP launch party advertised in a couple of weeks but with Rose Melberg being billed as the performer, not Brave Irene. Even if they do it as a three piece they will have trouble recreating the sound of the EP. Too bad.

Hate to say it, but of the 3 bands Rose has been in I've found none of the other band members all too essential. One of my main gripes with Tiger Trap's self-titled is just how lackluster the drumming is (I make clicking sounds with my mouth to give the drumming a little boost) , and I assume it is largely Rose behind the real melodic footing anyway.

But wow! Glad I caught this thread. I've been on a weird Merlberg kick these past 3 months, p. much resorting to them whenever I need a quick & easy music fix outside my usual slow-movers. I really dig that sample upthread, tho it kind of has that vague, singular musing that was my main gripe w/ Go Sailor upon first listening. I've gradually grown to love that band but it's disappointing to me how completely lacking in dynamics near all their songs are.

i know yr probably trolling but there's a good reason that every band she's been in are way way way better than her solo things and oddly enough it's not because her other band members are inessential

Real tiring being called a troll whenever I say anything w/ a remote semblance of opinion.

The one thing that unites all of Rose's bands under a banner of at least being passably good (emphasis on "at least" - Tiger Trap is above) is Rose's real instinct for melody. I mean, in Go Sailor's case, she can take a very simple, almost monochromatic riff and put her vocal stylings upon it and just totally transform the song.

Like in this case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M0asv_oe_k&feature=related
The karaoke version of this song could very have been well been rapped over, it's so singular and restrained. That Rose actually is able to produce melody out of nothing but background noise I find to be one of her prime merits.

While Tiger Trap certainly featured a proficient group of musicians, I've always been under suspicion that Rose's delivery came first before the rest of the song was created.

Well, I have to say I'll be a little disappointed if this band becomes a flash in the pan. I really like the sound on these new tracks (though I've still not heard the whole thing yet). It seems like a refreshing step forward for an artist who I was hoping would keep coming up with more stuff. Without a solid band Rose is more of a singer-songwriter and I'm a bit picky about that kind of thing.

Honestly, the scene in Vancouver that Rose is kind of an elder statewoman of is so marginalized, unsupported, flaky and goddam unambitious right now. Everyone's in about three bands that are continually breaking up or shifting around in some way; the venues are terrible - the old venues have all closed down or are going for the $12 martini crowd so there's lots of gigs in ad-hoc venues like practise studios, boring cafes or unpopular restaurants that are willing to give anything a shot to bring in some business; the local papers that used to give props to local bands have shut up shop or are simply unread through being irrelevant; gigs are badly advertised - forget about posters or doing any press stuff, if you're not in the facebook group you'll not hear about it. So many great shows have about 30 people there. It's sad. This gig that Rose is doing to launch the e.p. is an 8pm show in a little African restaurant that holds about 40 people. She's better than that.

not minding this brave irene ep. nice to hear rose's voice again. and weird to hear this sort of record in 2011, not smothered in reverb..

Actually just got it yesterday as well... nice, full sound & really dig the organ. Funny how this literally feels like a bridge between Tiger Trap and Go Sailor... a little more dynamic than the latter, but not so riot-grrl (ish) as the former.

Didn't get the cream vinyl tho which made me go wtf til I realized that was probably an online exclusive.

tiger trap is super awesome. i've been going through all of rose's stuff lately; haven't really gotten into the softies yet, and go sailor are kind of boring, but i really really love gaze's first album mitsumeru. the second is decent but that debut is where it's at, man. <3

the brave irene ep is really good too.

yeah rose melberg is a beast.

With Go Sailor it's all about "I'm Still Crying" for me. Played that one to death.

I love TT so much but I am surprised I never got into her other groups. I would prob dig them.

Sour Grass off the 10-inch was my jam in college

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0voDonqtBVY

about half of my favorite Melburg songs are on the Softies' Winter Pageant, but yeah "Sour Grass" is my #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKepe2tAm1E

sometimes this one feels like a novelty, but other times it really hits

The Softies were fantastic. I probably like them more than Tiger Trap, but only because TT only released one album.

I'm pretty sure Brave Irene is already a done deal. I most recently saw Rose playing bass in a quite boring Vancouver indie band called Bleating Hearts.

I've been waiting for ilx to come back online to post this. It's a nice article about Rose from a Vancouver-centric blog which rounds up various folks' opinions of her.

Nice. Meanwhile guess who finally actually GOT the Tiger Trap album for the first time after all these years -- and only a dollar via Amoeba clearance in SF.

That's a good one dollar disc that one. I don't have it myself any more - it was in a box of "all good stuff" cassettes I gave to a friend a few years back.

I saw the Bleating Hearts and really enjoyed it. Rose is the Kim Deal of the band. Plays bass, does significant backing vocals and takes the lead now and again but is not the band leader. They are indie and have a horn section.

Recently saw Rose in another great new band called "Puppies" but I think they are now called "Pups". It's Rose on drums/singing with two girls about half her age on guitar and bass/singing. Very much more in a Tiger Trap vein than the previous and very enjoyable.

I feel like the Rose street-team here but I'm truly not. But it does feel like she has been playing so much recently - solo, and in at least 3 or 4 bands - that she's reaching some kind of peak as a musician and a performer. Anyway...Pups are playing tomorrow night in Vancouver (@ Pats) if there are any local ilxors jonesing for that kind of thing. As I mentioned above, they are very good and worthy of her legacy! Plus two other all-women bands who are pretty popular here so it oughta be a good scene.

New EP out this Friday. I think the tags say it all: #Vancouver #jangle #jingle #dreampop #Rose
https://soundcloud.com/#greenburritorecords/pups-pop-song

THIS IS SO GOOD. So weird and good!

Right on! Phew, I was begining to feel lonely on this thread. I'm not sure if this release will make much of a splash. The label seems like a shoestring operation and as I mentioned upthread a couple of years ago, this scene continues to be rigorously low-key which is to me irritating. The Pups show I saw a while back was in a room behind a shop. The other time was in someone's garage. That one was great. Anyway, it's a split with another local all-girl band, Movieland who are superb fun. Finally saw them a couple weeks back in a real venue with proper amps and lights and things and it was raging.

i like that

Caught Rose playing in a duo called Imaginary Pants. Usual story - I had no idea this band existed and was just randomly checking out one of those multi-band local shows having no idea what most of it was about. Saw her in the audience and think "oh that's nice she's here supporting the youngsters" then shortly after she's getting up on stage and hammering out 20 mins of what is generally termed "blistering indie-pop". A lovely surprise. She's singing and mostly on drums (she's good!) and there's a feller on guitar and a little keyboard who does harmonies. They have a tape out which doesn't quite do them justice IMHO - not as forceful as they are live. They're doing some dates in California next week. http://imaginarypants.bandcamp.com/

ooh

https://februaryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/constant-and-true-a-tribute-to-the-songs-of-rose-melberg

also, rose's newish band knife pleats is a+

https://knifepleats.bandcamp.com/

I think Winter Pageant was her peak

knife pleats are so good!

here's a 1993 show at the middle east:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYzxGN3SSNA

Awesome! Loved when Rose made appearances at Chickfactor a few years ago.