On Sunday night, there's usually not a whole lot of stuff going on, even in a hot city like Montreal. Last Sunday was an exception to the rule: for the last day of the MEG Montreal festival, things went out in a bang. For a solid three and a half hours, lucky cruisers bounced along the St. Lawrence to the expertly mixed tunes of Beat Torrent, Black Devil Disco Club, The Juan MacLean and last-minute addition Bonobo aboard the MEG Boat. If only my colleague Valerie hadn't gotten stuck in the mess and mayhem of Osheaga, she would've been able to testify to this: being on a boat is damn cool.

This week, Luc has defected to get himself all fixed up, and the girls are on their own. They are so distraught by Luc's absence that they forget about proper recording protocol. We hope that you will forgive us for our (read: Gabby's) poor GarageBand editing skills. On the bright side, the music sounds perfectly fine thanks to Greg Bouchard, who might be on the American side of the border, but still loves Montreal and its music scene unconditionally. Thanks Greg!



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Photo: "Quai des brumes - 27 septembre 200", by Julie Gauthier, taken from Avec Pas d'casque's MySpace.

This week in concerts: If Emmanuel's post taught us anything, it's to take maximum advantage of any place or anyone who has air conditioning when it's that hot outside. The good news is, most venues have plenty of AC and refreshments to offer. The bad news is, there's so much going on this week that you won't want to miss anything at all.

Monday, July 12:
Passion Pit w/ Woodhands, Le National
I can't begin to express just how much of a crazy show this is going to be. Passion Pit's synth-pop, incredibly catchy as it is, would make an insane show by itself, but the gods of rock have made it so that they are playing with Toronto band Woodhands, who are a force to reckon with when it comes to frantic drumming and making people dance.

Photo: "Borgore/Koi", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler StacyannLee.

This week in concerts: While we acknowledge that Isis is playing their last show ever in Montreal on Wednesday, we believe that there are more pressing matters to discuss, such as the impending apocalypse brought about by the energy of various local music festival acts being simultaneously unleashed. And also a bunch of really cool indie shows coming up. That's important.

Tuesday, June 22:
Ted Leo + the Pharmacists w/ Screaming Females, Il Motore
While it gives me a headache to think of such a well-known band as Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, who I've seen open for Death Cab, playing in such a teensy-weensy venue as Il Motore, I'm also thankful. You know why? Because they're so damn catchy. The opening band, New Jersey's Screaming Females, is equally catchy, although I do believe there's only one screaming female. How disappointing.

Photo: "Grand Trine/ Friendship Cove", by Midnight Poutine flickr pooler StacyannLee.

This week in concerts: In case you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you'll have noticed that the most glorious time of year is about us: Festival Season. Suoni Per Il Popolo, Mutek (although that's sadly already over), MEG, Jazz Fest, Francofolies... take your pick!

Wednesday, June 9:
The Junction w/ Dirty Wedding and Paramedics, Jupiter Room
The Junction might come from Toronto, but their music doesn't bear an ounce of the pretentious hipster sounds the city tends to breed - instead, it's honest, uplifting and darn catchy indie-pop. Paramedics, from Ottawa, and Dirty Wedding, from Montreal, complete this geographically amusing and musically dynamic lineup.

On Thursday night, in a Sala Rossa that has finally acquired air-conditioning but hidden most of its seats, post-rockers Mono and The Twilight Sad performed a set that would've rendered sensitive people completely deaf - but fans left sated and buzzed, with that distinct ringing in their ears and a little bit of a heavy heart.