Pop Montreal 2007 has kicked off in fine form. The rain came, but only for so long. The rest of the evening was open to a clear sky and a half-cresent moon. As it was clear above, the city began with people roaming below, heading to their respective shows and events all over town. From Saint-Lauren all the way over to Papineau, Pop Montreal 2007 was ready to show off its ability and fine muscular toned body.

The whole of the evening began and concluded at La Tulipe, an old theatre-turned-music venue (from the looks of it) with a balcony, a dance floor (standing room) and tables for drink service. The venue had professional lighting and sound equipped. I was rather impressed.

Miracle Fortress were THIIIIIIS close to winning the Polaris Prize. Graham Van Pelt's stunning release of 2007 has begun to turn people's heads to The Beach Boys and Brian Eno all over again. Playing for the hometown crowd, Miracle Fortress simply owned everyone. Having seen Miracle Fortress as a solo act first, then as a band, the project has come a long way in such a short time. Every show they play, they seem to inch closer to greatness. Also, I love watching drummer Jordon Robson-Cramer stand and drum. I'm not sure if this is for any particular reason or if it's just to look cool. Regardless, Cramer is a stellar percussionist and brings the band to a new level. His solo project, called Magic Weapon, performs tomorrow at CODA.

Born Ruffians have recently finished recording their new record and are to tour it across parts of the United States. From those who have heard the high-pitched, floor-rattling trio, Born Ruffians have shifted their approach with the same style of song but with more depth in their songs. The band performs more in unison, changes tempo a little less, and usually gives you something you probably haven't heard before. This is good. Everyone likes something new, right? Well, no. That's not true. However, if you're the type of person who likes new things, new concepts or something that will just make you want to hear/see/involve yourself with it again, then the Born Ruffians are successful in that department.

Caribou are phenomenal. I always say that a band is as good as their drummer. Caribou have two (2) drummers including Daniel Snaith (Caribou on his own initially) who is a gifted percussionist. The band played in a square formation, with both drum kits at the front of the stage facing each other, while the remaining two members were in the back, handling bass and electric guitars. Although the beginning of the set didn't' intrigue me much, the following songs had picked up the set in steam and kept blasting forward. The drumming was definitely the highlight. So much power and intensity rose from the percussion, I thought I was going to fall into a comfortable trance because of how good it was. By the end of the set, my jaw had dropped. I couldn't move my arms and hands to applaud because of the insanity that I had just saw. Caribou are most-definitely a force This band has been touring Europe for the past few months and are about to tour North America and Europe (again) until the end of November. How they do what they do, day in and day out, is beyond me. See this band.

Night Two could involve Ohbijou, The Luyas, Man Man, Bruce Peninsula, Dishwasher, Magic Weapon & We're Marching On...

Photos: here