Provocatively Evocative

VIDEO: Jacques Greene - Another Girl

2011-03-20T13:06:00.002-04:00

Majestic.

VIDEO: Royal Canoe - Nightcrawlin'

2011-03-07T12:09:00.000-05:00

It's nice to talk about good Winnipeg music for once, as I was telling some friends recently after a lengthy conversation on the latest buzz from the scene there. Royal Canoe is one of these bands we discussed at length, as we watched this new video shot at Privateer Studio last month in Winnipeg. The slow buildup leading to the thundering finale makes this one of Matt Peters and co.'s finest yet. Good luck at CMW and SXSW guys!

The Blisters - Insects EP

2011-02-15T14:02:00.001-05:00

Brand new EP from upcoming Winnipeg based indie label Woven Records. The Blisters is a band of young musicians that embodies the long lost spirit of youth culture. Download the EP for free at the band's bandcamp or from soundcloud bellow. This is a free home recorded preview of things to come as the band is set to enter the studio within the next few months.

The Blisters - Insects EP by Woven Records

The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young

2011-02-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

The Raveonettes are set to launch a new record, Raven In The Grave, via Vice Records on April 5th, and as a preview have offered this mp3 for fan to enjoy before the LP drops...

MP3: The Raveonettes - Forget That You're Young

Sinjin Hawke - Sparklers (ft. Zora Jones)

2011-02-14T03:19:00.000-05:00

Like John and Yoko, creative musical duos feed off eachother to elaborate concepts. In this case, my friend Sinjin Hawke and his girlfriend Zora Jones hit a serious note with this new free download of a track called Sparklers. Enjoy, seriously. Juke me all night baby.

Sparklers (ft. zora jones) by Sinjin Hawke

Royal Canoe - Today We're Believers

2011-02-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

Royal Canoe embodies what I would consider an all-star team of Winnipeg's most creative indie, rock and pop musicians. Composed of members of The Liptonians, Tele and The Waking Eyes, the band released its debut record Co Op Mode last summer.

Check out their latest single bellow, a laid back and groovy track - Today We're Believers.

MP3: Royal Canoe - Today We're Believers

Jacques Greene - Tour Teaser

2011-02-10T19:07:00.000-05:00

Just pure #based goodness. JG is about to head out with a couple other fine folks, such as labelmates Lunice and Ango. Looks like I'll catch these guys live 3 times in the next month. Yes. Big win.

Here are the dates:

Thursday, February 17 – Winnipeg, MB - Ozzy's
Friday, February 18 – Golden, BC - The RockWater
Sunday, February 20 – Fernie, BC - Bulldog's
Tuesday, February 22 - Banff, Alberta - HooDoo
Wednesday, February 23 - Calgary, Alberta - HiFi
Thursday, February 24 - Edmonton, Alberta - The Common
Friday, February 25 – Saskatoon, SK - Scratch Club
Saturday, February 26 - Whistler, BC - The Village
Sunday, February 27 - Vancouver, BC - The Waldorf
Monday, February 28 - Victoria, BC - Touch Lounge
Wednesday, March 2 - Kamloops, BC - The Commodore
Thursday, March 3 - Kelowna, BC - Doc Wiloughby's
Friday, March 4 - Quebec City, QC - Le Cercle
Saturday, March 5 - Ottawa, ON - Ritual Nightclub
Sunday, March 6 - Toronto, ON - WrongBar
Monday, March 7 - Halifax, NS - Tribeca
Tuesday, March 8 - Montreal, QC - Le Belmont

Lunice - Astronamus

2011-02-04T21:11:00.000-05:00

Whoa. Another new track from Montreal's Lunice. This one's a glitched out trip that would make Flying Lotus proud. (Via Safewalls)

MP3: Lunice - Astronamus (in 128kbps...)

Theophilus London - Why Even Try (featuring Sarah Q)

2011-02-04T20:10:00.001-05:00

February 8th is when Brooklyn's Theophilus London will drop his first EP after three amazing mixtapes. Here's the first track of the record Why Even Try (featuring Sarah Q). I'm a big fan of his hip-hop sound and his affinity for writing great pop songs. Can't wait to hear the rest of Lovers Holiday! Also, check out Lowefactor's piece on him.

VIDEO: Echo Lake - Young Silence

2011-02-01T13:02:00.001-05:00

Apparently the first music video shot with Microsoft's Kinect (by Dan Nixon of 20jazzfunkgreats), this is Echo Lake's video of Young Silence, first single off upcoming No Pain In Pop Release. These fuzzed out images match well the dissonant reverbed-out sounds of the piece. The band recommends you "watch in full screen!". Young Silence 12" drops on Valentine's day this month.

(Via Altered Zones)

VIDEO: Lunice - The Stacker Upper

2011-02-01T02:21:00.003-05:00

#respect

Tory Y Moi - New Beat

2011-01-31T22:28:00.001-05:00

Wow. More late 70s disco influenced material from Toro Y Moi. New record Underneath The Pine drops later this month via Carpark. Dope. (via Gorillas Vs Bear)

Toro Y Moi "New Beat" by carparkrecords

VIDEO: The New Spring - The Glow

2011-01-31T20:48:00.001-05:00

Danish imprint Tambourhinoceros has been on my radar ever since I heard and wrote about Treeflight For Sunlight's delightful record, intriguingly named, A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull last fall.

They come this time promoting a new self-titled release by The New Spring, the solo project of a certain Bastian Kallesøe. Above is a video of the first single - The Glow, a cute acoustic guitar driven indie-pop track, and features some strange interpretive dancing. Very nice.

Of this project, Bastian had the following to say:

”Through the last couple of years I have wanted to write love songs with a starting point in, not the break up, but the beginning or the leap. In a way my project is a humble corrective to the love song as a genre. Only a few love songs make you think of what you need to let go to enter love. What I am trying to explore is the love you experience through a whole life, from the very first crush to the very last. My project is not about a certain love, but about being in love. The crush is the beginning of love and the duality of hope and despair it implicates.”

I love artists. And I love love. The New Spring is set for worldwide release March 28th via Tambourhinoceros.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

2011-01-31T20:23:00.000-05:00

Fleet Foxes made a splash in 2009 with a great folk-pop record and it looks like they may be set to repeat the exploit, this time with many eager fans! Helplessness Blues, which is also the name of the brand new single, is out May 3rd on Sub Pop.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

MP3: Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

James Pants - Alone

2011-01-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

James Pants is one of those guys that's so cool he can take a strand of popular underground music and mash it into something of his own choosing, transcending stylistic and aesthetic boundaries. At least that's how I felt after I heard his New Tropical EP in mid 2010, where he singlehandedly destroyed post-hip hop sounds and modern dance music. Now Stones Throw is set to release a full length self-titled record April 19th. My time machine is set to that date! Who's with me! LET'S GO!

In the following track - Alone, James Pants fuses lounge-rock familiar to the sounds of Canadian instrumentalists The Hylozoists and strange Ariel Pink-ish vocals.

MP3: James Pants - Alone

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (New Slang Remix)

2011-01-29T23:02:00.006-05:00

My friends Mike B(dj/producer/promoter) and Alex Sannie (producer and MC of The Lytics) of Winnipeg have recently teamed up as a production duo called New Slang. Their first foray together is a nice spaced out rehash of Toro Y Moi's Still Sound. And here it is!

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (New Slang Remix) by thenewslang

FROM THE VAULT: Stevie Wonder documentary by the BBC, circa 1981

2011-01-28T13:15:00.001-05:00

This rare documentary was broadcasted for the first time in 1981 by the BBC. It's is about the 1980/1981 USA tour by Stevie Wonder looking at his musical insight and his preparation for a concert, and his appearance at a Washington Rally to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King.

Amazing. This video was recently dug up and exposed on youtube for all of us to enjoy. A mix of social politics, music and mainly a rare glimpse of a Stevie Wonder interacting with people. <3

VIDEO: Metronomy - She Wants

2011-01-26T19:19:00.001-05:00

English popsters Metronomy enlisted the services of reputed french cinéasts Jul & Mat to create this surrealist/mesmerizing music video of first single off upcoming record The English Riviera - She Wants. The record drops sometime in April... Hopefully it's as good as the last...

Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972

2011-01-25T12:38:00.003-05:00

Montreal is not only home to some internationally acclaimed musicians in the fields of indie rock and electronic music, but also in the abstract world of ambient musics. As Montrealer Tim Hecker is set to release his 8th record in 10 years, his name has become synonymous with the genre.

Via Insound:

Recorded over the period of mostly one day & assisted by Ben Frost in Reykjavik, Iceland & using a pipe organ as the primary sound source, this new piece exists in a nether world between captured live performance & meticulous studio work, melding the two approaches to sonic artifice as a unity. The album is partly an attempt to confront a pervasive negativity surrounding music. Historical rituals of destroying pianos, mountains of pirated CDRs pushed by bulldozers in Eastern Europe, or the melancholy of the digital music era began as sideline motifs which quickly informed the work on this record. Despite that the context is wide open in such a form of musical abstraction, the substance of these immersive compositions showcases Hecker's continued mastery of organizing sound into a visceral near entity.

Montreal's own Professor of Sound Culture at Mcgill University and internationally revered ambient music composer is set to release his new record Ravedeath, 1972 on Kranky February 14th (preorder here).

MP3: Tim Hecker - Hatred Of Music I

(via Altered Zones)

VIDEO: Visions Of Trees - Sometimes it Kills

2011-01-25T11:48:00.001-05:00

Visions of Trees - Sometimes It Kills from lewiskylewhite on Vimeo.

As we gleefully await the debut Visions Of Trees LP to drop early next month (via Moshi Moshi), we are teased with this new video of song Sometimes It Kills. There's an old saying that says: beautiful song? beautiful video. ;)

VISIONS OF TREES BLOG & MYSPACE

VIDEO: Two Door Cinema Club Unplugged

2011-01-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

The thought of hearing Two Door Cinema Club's electronic pop music stripped down and re-hashed with the help of simple stringed instruments known as guitars was endearing enough for me to peep these. They did not disappoint! Must see for fans of the band.

Recorded recently in Toronto before a gig at the Kool Haus, at the Gibson Guitar HQ by Blare Magazine.

VIDEO: Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Live)

2011-01-24T18:17:00.000-05:00

Toro Y Moi performed last week at New York's Mercury Lounge, where local blogger Hippies Are Dead recorded part of the show and earlier today released this video of Still Sound, off upcoming album Underneath The Pines. Read a full show review here!

Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

2011-01-22T01:32:00.023-05:00

It’s not unusual to get lost in music, and certainly not when listening to Nicolas Jaar. He somewhat embodies where I see Patrick Watson sitting in five years if someone gave him Space Is Only Noise. It’s the music I’ve been secretly yearning for years.

I had listened to several EP’s and singles before this album, my long-standing favourite track being this Love Potion #9 edit, but I was always looking forward to his first full length, my most anticipated electronic album of this year.

Space Is Only Noise delivers a journey through a good collection of Nico’s original tracks, broken up by a stripped down Ray Charles classic. Samples, loops, random sounds, children laughing, sublime piano, sax, synth and well delivered beats permute as you pass through the fourteen tracks. No one is dancing to this stuff, it's made to sit back.

Nico lives in Rhode Island; born in NY before he escaped to Chile, he was back in the US when he started recording. He owns his own label, Clown and Sunset, and also has releases on the excellent Wolf + Lamb. I’m going to guess that he loves the French language.

Clown and Sunset, February 14, 2011

MP3: Nicolas Jaar - I Got a Woman

Braids Interview on Side B

2011-01-20T18:24:00.006-05:00

Tonight, Calgary natives Braids are set to release their new album Native Speaker to a packed house at Montreal's Sala Rosa. Needless to say, I'm excited for this as Native Speaker's been on heavy rotation in these parts for the last couple of days. Its ethereal experimental dream pop magic makes this a potential Album of The Year contender! Seriously, must hear.

Above is a short interview where the young band members talk about their sound, being on the road and the intense relationships they must learn to harness between eachother...

Buy the record from their record labels - Flemish Eye (Canada) or Kanine Records (USA). Also, check out this massive north american tour and catch this hot act live!

MP3: Braids - Lemonade
MP3: Braids - Plath Heart

Lunice - Freaky

2011-01-19T15:29:00.001-05:00

Lunice's young creative spree continues today as he unleashed a new track to the world via twitter. Freaky is yet another post-club rap masterpiece - a must hear for fans of his recent critically acclaimed Stacker Upper EP.

MP3: Lunice - Freaky

VIDEO: Simian Ghost - Hammock Sessions

2011-01-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

Swedish, unplugged, cheeky. Check this out indie kids!
Go buy their album on bandcamp!

REVIEW: Woods - Echo Lake

2011-01-18T01:49:00.012-05:00

I know nothing about Woods. Echo Lake says nothing to me, apart from the delay bouncing from channel to channel in my headphones. (1) But whoever they are, as Pick Up hits its midpoint, I do know they pluck chords, sing harmonies and play a kind of folk/pop music that holds a love/hate relationship in my mind. Tonight, it's love. Picture this: the catchy chorus, vocals and sounds of your favourite 60s psychedelic band, coupled with experimental sounds only found in an array of instruments and pedals, all of this recorded underwater. I swear, these guys were on the Magical Mystery Tour. From the Horn, a full instrumental that leads into the middle of the album, is followed by Death Rattles, a lo-fi, guitar riffing track that stands as my favourite. The next five tracks share ten minutes between them, a neatly broken up ode to the end of rock n' roll. Another victory for country... Til the Sun Rips, of course.

I'm sold on saving these Woods. As I head towards 2011, they are still near the top of the '10 heap.

Best enjoyed lost in a forest, or while writing a music review.

(1) Brooklyn, of course. Woodsist Records, 2010

MP3: Woods - Suffering Season

Drugg - Crooks (Visions of Trees Remix)

2011-01-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

This remix is quite odd, Visions of Trees bring their sunshine and fuse it to the otherwise pitch black undertones of the original recording... Interesting, if you're ears are open to it, that is. Drugg's first EP of atmospheric bass doomscapes, Shackled, is set to drop on Less Music January 31st.

MP3: Drugg - Crooks (Visions of Trees Remix)

Drugg - Crooks - Forthcoming On less Music by This Is Music

While we're at it, preview the two tracks of the upcoming Visions of Trees single coming February 7th on Moshi Moshi. Deep pop :

Sometimes It Kills by Visions of Trees

No Flag by Visions of Trees

VIDEO: Eagulls - Maida Vale

2011-01-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

Eagulls - Maida Vale - Wednesday 12th Jan. 2011 from Chris Ranson on Vimeo.

Brand new short and sweet video from the UK's Eagulls - boys making rock music. Reminds me of me when I was their age... Except they actually got a record deal, as reported earlier, with Not Even; the strange new Moshi Moshi sub imprint... More details here.

boomclap.

2011-01-17T11:14:00.000-05:00

After last Friday's monster set by the master chef Lunice and his #based friend and Lucky Me label mate Jacques Greene left me glowing in glee, It is has become clear that this new Montréal weekly boomclap, Friday nights at the Blue Dog Motel, is unmissable.

Lunice + Jacques Greene

Candles, vintage analog synths, wild dancefloor, tasty selections and all around good vibrations made this a night to remember. Expect big things in the coming months as booking team consisting of maestro Sinjin Hawke and IndecentXposure master mind Nick Younès bring us the best and brightest names in forward thinking electronic music. L.A.'s Samo Sound Boy this Friday and NYC's Brenmar February 4th? It's all I know at the moment folks. Woo. #boomclap.

Dark Captain Light Captain - Ex-Detective

2011-01-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

London's Dark Captain Light Captain are prepping a record launch for this summer and decided to tease us with this sunny psych-pop track, Ex Detective. Preview bellow! As with 2008's Miracle Kicker, will they release their sophomore effort through LOAF? Details are sketchy...

Ex-Detective (Rough Mix) by dclcpromo

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Teen Daze Remix)

2011-01-16T02:45:00.001-05:00

Brand new remix of a track by South Carolina's Toro Y Moi! Still Sound is a dancefloor friendly pop track, with that catchy bass line and milky reverbed synths. Teen Daze decodes the track by adding a healthy dose of arpeggios, meanwhile bumping up the bass to make this more of a house synthpop track, fit for a Valerie Collective compilation, perhaps.

Keep your eyes peeled as Toro Y Moi is set to release Underneath The Pines, a follow up of one of last year's best records, on February 2nd through Carpark Records.

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Teen Daze Remix) by teendaze

MP3: Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Original Mix)

Via Planetshhh.

James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream live on BBC Radio 1

2011-01-15T22:03:00.002-05:00

Long Over Due

2011-01-15T03:56:00.002-05:00

Kanye West apologizes to George W. Bush from Jaimz Asmundson on Vimeo.

Virtual Boy - Symphony No. None EP

2011-01-14T18:07:00.001-05:00

First taste of the upcoming Virtual Boy EP is massive. The record's 4th track, Mass, is an anthemic bassy orchestral bliss of a tune. Must hear! The EP drops February 1st on L.A.'s Alpha Pup Records.

MP3: Virtual Boy - Mass

Virtual Boy: Mass by ALPHA PUP

Eagulls - Council Flat Blues 7"

2011-01-13T13:34:00.001-05:00

Moshi Moshi's obscure sub-imprint, Not Even, recently announced their second release. After Becoming Real's sinister grime, make place for Eagull's hardcore pop noise. After a year of hard gigging and successfully selling out their limited edition tape, Songs Of Prey, Not Even will release the band's first 7" single February 14th called Council Flat Blues. Preview the two selected tracks bellow and pre-order this wax if you like!

MP3: Eagulls - Acrostical pt. 1

Council Flat Blues – Eagulls

Eli Escobar - Love Thing Remixes

2011-01-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

Eli Escobar's Love Thing EP gets remix treatment with a little help from the likes of Ed Bangin' DJ Mehdi and Italians Do It Better curator Mike Simonetti.

MP3: Eli Escobar - Love Thing Part 2 (DJ Mehdi Club Mix)
MP3: Eli Escobar - Love Thing Part 1 (Eli Rework)

Hear the rest of the tracks here. EP available on itunes, Juno, Beatport and Amazon. Via Plant Music.

Holy Other - Yr Love

2011-01-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

More Transparent Records love! This time Holy Other gets video treatment(by Brkln blog Butter Team), merging Yr Love's majestic shamanic glee to psychedelic visuals pulled from Gaspar Noé's Enter The Void... **BEST VIEWED IN FULL SCREEN**

MP3: Holy Other - Yr Love

Boy Friend - Spirit Burner

2011-01-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite 7" of 2010 was from an obscure dream pop band called SLEEP OVER and it now appears some two of the three members of this band have started another project under the guise of Boy Friend. More spaced out drums and ethereal atmospheres that I love. Four track EP available up at the band's bandcamp, check it out!

MP3: Boy Friend - Spirit Burner

Two new tracks from Montreal's Prince Club!

2011-01-12T13:23:00.001-05:00

Montreal has emerged on the international scene as home to a slew of young talented producers. Here's a brief list of them: unsigned phenom Sinjin Hawke, inseparable LuckyMe duo of Jacques Greene and Lunice, Hippos In Tanks' D'eon... And of course Discobelle Records' Prince Club as they deliver today two stellar productions for free!

Both these tracks are just deadly tech house that I will most certainly hear played loud sometime this week at a slew of parties and as Igloofest starts Thursday!

MP3: Prince Club - Humpty Dumpty
MP3: Prince Club - 303s & 808s

Therapies Son - Over The Sea EP

2011-01-12T12:47:00.000-05:00

West London based Transparent Records pick up yet another interesting artist in the 19 year old Californian known as Therapies Son. In their own words:

"[we] were immediately taken with the innate classiness, fearless weirdness and brilliant colour of his strange, stately orchestral pop imaginations. That initial intrigue has since bloomed into a pretty severe obsession and so we’re rather ecstatic to be able to announce the forthcoming release of his first EP, “Over The Sea”, due for daylight in March. Full release details and more music to emerge shortly, but before: a teaser of what’s to come – the indefatigably catchy lazy-day superjam that is “Touching Down”"

Keep your channel locked to Transparent Records in 2011!

MP3: Therapies Son - Touching Down
MP3: Therapies Son - Rose Red Rose

Better late than never: My 2010 Best Of

2011-01-11T17:28:00.001-05:00

As the post holiday haze slowly thins out, I reluctantly decided to compile my annual best of . To come to these conclusions in a scientific way, I studied my last.fm stats of the last 12 months to see what I actually listened to, instead of just following said party line...

It was a pretty decent year for new music, we saw the emergence of the lo-fi madness pioneered by Not Not Fun and Olde English Spelling Bee. The saving of indie rock by Captured Tracks. The UK based #based Night Slugs movement and the continuation of progress in the post-dubstep world. Cheers to 2011!

Here we go:

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (4AD)

One of the year's most ambitious sounding collection of bizzare proto-pop gems takes the cake for me. Ariel Pink's comes to a full apex as he finally gets a band to back him up, shedding most of the lo-fi tape mystery of his previous releases. The outcome is a late night retro AM radio adventure.

Scuba - Triangulations (Hotflush)

Scuba, as the name suggests, offers a sound submerged in low frequencies, swirling in the deep sea tentacles of dark rhythms. This record converges on the fringes of uk garage, uk-funky, dubstep and house music to create some of the most memorable sounds and atmospheres of the year in the greater spectrum of electronic music.

Wild Nothing - Gemini (Captured Tracks)

I first heard Wild Nothing's stunning debut as I was really getting bored of most indie pop stuff coming my way. Luckily for myself, I found a record full of youthful acapellas, chiming guitars and 80s drums. Pop music with a touch of shoegaze aesthetic, where melody is everything. My favorite record this year!

Mount Kimbie - Crooks And Lovers (Hotflush)

This Brighton duo craftily executed eleven tracks of far reaching IDM music that tunnels through some clear dubstep and even post-rock influences. Post dubstep IDM anyone? While Field (track #9) is a clear ode to Swedish counterparts The Field , Mayor (track #10) happens to be of the finest tracks I've heard all year!

The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme (Labrador Records)

Scandinavians make better pop* music than anyone else on the face of this melting planet. The Radio Dept. is no exception, as Clinging To A Scheme is exactly that, a pop tour de force. The gentle album opener Domestic Scene gives birth to a Thurston Moore quote intro to the record's finest moment: Heaven's On Fire. Other highlights include Never Follow Suite, A token of Gratitude, David... Who am I kidding, the whole record is impeccable, really. A must hear! See them live in Montreal on February 5th at Petit Campus!

*Definition of pop music: melodic and catchy, not to be confused with top40!

Deehunter - Haclyon Digest (4AD)

As Deerhunter's most accessible record to date, Haclyon Digest is a flawless expression of future/retro art-rock. Again, lost in a cloud of boring indie rock this year, I was eager to sink my teeth, this fall, into something this tasty!

Peter Broderick - How They Are (Bella Union)

Every year I get lost in a sea of super boring singer-songwriters that often leave me disgusted. But when I heard Peter Broderick's How They Are, I was hooked within seconds of hearing the first track on the record, Sideline. Candid, melodic and thoughtful, How They Are is a definitive soundtrack to Sunday afternoons spent in bed.

Woods - At Echo Lake (Woodsist)

Psychedelic half-assed twangy folk rock is how I would describe the peculiar sound of this Woodsist staple. Big love to the sunny sounds of Woods and their flowery singalongs!

Autre Ne Veut - Autre Ne Veut (Olde English Spelling Bee)

The first time I heard this record I remember telling myself that pop music can't sound stranger than this. This sounds like it came from an parallel universe, like from the red velvet alternative reality of Twin Peaks. Without these Brooklyn eccentrics (like OPN), Music today would be pretty fucking boring! Must hear!

Balam Acab - See Birds EP (Triangle Records)

The easy choice here would be to chose Salem's King Night, but to me the sounds of Balam Acab are a definitive step up from their drag house elders. This 5 track EP is so bizarrely strewn with other worldly pitch bent vocals, sluggish dream-hop rhythms and heavy heavy synth lines that it stands out very far from the pack.
Take the trip into a land unseen in this See Birds EP.

oOoOO - oOoOO EP (Triangle Records)

Again, the mastermind behind XXJFG, Robin Carolan and his sub imprint of Triangle Records successfully released not one but two of this year's most compelling EPs. Under the guise of theses chop and screwed rhythms, the Salem influence here is very clear(see Burnout Eyes). The main difference is in the ethereal female vocals that remain generally untouched throughout the EP. There's even a sprinkle of Johnny Jewel sounding production in Hearts, Glass Candy anyone? It is with glee that I await future releases by Triangle Records!

Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)

Like many bands on my favorite label of the year 2010 Captured Tracks, Beach Fossils makes lo-fi indie pop/rock. But this is who stands out the most, with simple and catchy hooks and an ode to surf rock aesthetics, this self titled debut is a definitive winner!

Whew. There it is! Thanks for reading (and I know I missed alot of things...)!

The Spirit of Christmas is in Music

2010-12-13T16:42:00.004-05:00

Christmas for me is less about shinny lights, decorations, gifts, and all that jazz - but rather about the songs that help carry these wholly traditions and memories year after year. Oh and the food and the family, obviously. As I ready myself to spend the holidays away from my folks stranded here in Montreal, I thought I'de comb over some music I have and share some with you, my friends, on this modest "music blog".

Let's start with this high energy Phil Spector penned piece called Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by one of my fav boy-girl folk duos from Sheffield, Slow Club! This is off the Christmas, Thanks For Nothing EP that is due to drop in North America via the venerable Moshi Moshi imprint December 14th.

Slow Club - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Sung over the original Vince Guaraldi instrumental, Mayer Hawthorne earlier today offered this MP3 gift to his fans on the Stones Throw web site. Very nice.

Mayer Hawthorne - Christmas Time Is Here

The UK duo of Summer Camp decided to cover a song by The Waitresses titled Christmas Wrapping. The outcome is a spacey synth driven ditty of a track.

Summer Camp - Christmas Wrapping (The Waitresses)

Earlier this month, New York's synthpop duo The Golden Filter offered fans a free download of a cover they made of Psychic TV's White Nights. From the press release: "The Golden Filter brings festivity to this Psychic TV cover, which originally pulled the verses from the Rev. Jim Jones' death tapes. The chorus - "Santa Claus is checking his list, going over it twice, seeing who is naughty and who is nice" - was a rhyme used by Jones to teach children paranoia." Weird/good.

The Golden Filter - White Nights (Psychic TV)

And last but not least: Sony recently reissued my new favorite Christmas album ever, Elvis' Blue Christmas. The record ends with a little message from the God himself. That voice... THAT VOICE! Wow.

Elvis Presley - Christmas Message From Elvis

That's it.

Happy Holidays ya'll.

P.S. If you feel like sharing your favorite Christmas tracks, post a youtube link or an mp3 in the comments! Would love to hear em :)

This week's DJ gigs!

2010-12-12T18:03:00.000-05:00

I'll be here Friday night doing an opening set before the legendary Silver Door original duo of Wilcox & Promise and rez dawg Fox News take the stage.

favorite songs of the year?

2010-12-12T14:40:00.001-05:00

Hold on; I obviously forgot some because, let's get real here - 2010 was pretty amazing for new music. I will spend the next few days combing over my last.fm stats and music librairy to come to some more concise retro-perspectives on the year that was. Until then, here's some of my favorite tracks of 2010:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

There you go. Ten songs I really liked this year with no explanation. Straight up. Get with it.

VIDEO: OESB's "PLEASE REMEMBER TO REWIND"

2010-12-04T03:19:00.000-05:00

"PLEASE REMEMBER TO REWIND" menus & excerpts from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.

Olde English Spelling Bee's at the center of the new american underground. Above is a preview of a limited edition DVD that all households must have for the holidaze.

VIDEO: Jacques Greene - The Look

2010-11-30T02:03:00.003-05:00

Jacques Greene - The Look from LuckyMe on Vimeo.

Jacques Greene is yet another #based Montreal based producer making waves in the world of electronic dance music. Back to back comes his hotly tipped track, (Baby I Don't Know) What You Want, on the freshly pressed and very hyped Night Slugs Allstars Vol 1. compilation, followed by his big debut EP scheduled for worldwide release December 14th on LuckyMe. Huge. The above video is of The Look EP's title track and features two gorgeous babes, nice photography and of course a great track- signature vocal samples, vibrato synths, offbeat snare rim shots, arpegs - the louder the better. Jacques Greene brings the ruckus with a variety of influences, mostly celebrated this year through labels like Night Slugs. Boomkat calls it "Lazer Soul" and LuckyMe calls it "RnB inflected modern house". Needless to say, Jacques Greene, at the rype age of 20, is not done yet. This is just the beginning.

Follow Jacques Greene on Twitter and check his soundcloud for more previews of the impending EP.

P.S. I stole that #based based word game from Tim "Co-op" Hoover.

VIDEO: d'Eon - Keep The Faith

2010-11-27T18:47:00.001-05:00

d'Eon "Keep the Faith" from Megazord on Vimeo.

Out of nowhere, a Halifax born Montreal resident has created one of the year's most interesting records. Check the video, then check the record. Palinopsia out now on Hippos In Tanks!

VIDEO: CMJ recap on FUSE TV with Class Actress, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Wild Nothing... etc

2010-11-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

Music journalism is often too serious for its own good. Always asking the same questions, everyone does the same god damned thing. That's why I was happy to see FUSE TV's Julian McCullough injecting a good dose of comedy in the brief encounters with a bunch of great bands, documented in the video above. YES!

Saturday

2010-11-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

Friday

2010-11-23T16:24:00.002-05:00

M pour Métropolis: 6 bands in 4 hours!

2010-11-22T02:06:00.002-05:00

Gene Simmons? WHERE?

Here is a brief roundup of what I witnessed Saturday night at the Metropolis, closing night of the M for Montreal weekend. I was there at 8pm and left shortly after midnight. Six bands, 4 hours, in order of appearance:

La Patère Rose - This summer's Waikiki EP offered some very interesting production sounds and vibes but their set was unfortunately: unmemorable. But my first beer of the night during this set was memorable, at least.

Pascale Picard Band - I really don't get the hype surrounding this bland pop-rock band. Their short set was unappealing to my ears and I couldn't really wait for it to stop. There were some ok moments though, like when, sonically speaking, the musicians created something moderately interesting in between Pascale Picard's run-of-the-mill girly singer-songwriter lyrics and vocal style.

Screenings of locally produced short films between bands = WIN!

Priestess - Boy, was I glad these guys performed at the time they did. Finally there was something with real energy on stage. Obviously, their trash metal / hard rock sound isn't particularly my cup of tea, but I can always find things to appreciate in such a powerful live sound. I also made the terrible mistake of not bringing ear plugs. They were LOUD.

The Dears - This Montreal power pop staple (set to release a new record titled Degeneration Street in February via Danger Bird Records) offered a high energy set, but unfortunately sounded empty musically and lyrically. Sorry guys, I don't mean to talk shit, it's just my honest opinion, and I'm entitled to it. Let's move on:

Misteur Valaire!

amazing.

Misteur Valaire - Hightlight of the night right here! This extremely dynamic quintet offered one of the most compelling performances I have seen in recent history. Not only are they accomplished and imaginative musicians, but also deliver a very entertaining stage performance. Their unique brand of space-electro funk-rap is complemented by onstage antics that many many bands should take notes from. Doing jumps off benches, synchronized dancing and matching costume changes made this a real pleasure to observe. Music should be fun, and it was with glee that I applauded this second last performance of the night. Can't wait to see them live again and actually get down on the dancefloor!

Poirier with MCs Boogat and Face-T, mid air!

Poirier - This guy is world renowned for his skillfully produced and executed electro-world-fusion tracks often complimented by some very talented MCs (see: Face-T and Boogat). A great way to finish the night as the bass was cranked and the dancefloor jumped. See you next year, M for Montreal!!

Photos by Philippe Sawicki.

MONTREAL FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-17T18:55:00.001-05:00

Join me at the Belmont Friday night to bask in the presence of some great chillwave indie dance acts followed by a Seb Diamond explosion.

DELOREAN – http://myspace.com/delorean

LEMONADE – http://myspace.com/bananasandecstasy

SMALL BLACK – http://myspace.com/smallblacksounds

CLASS ACTRESS – http://myspace.com/elizabethharper

+ DJ Sets from Seb Diamond + Guests

holy shit

As a well known Justin Bieber lookalike, I am slightly offended by this.

After the Belmont, the Sextape Fridays weekly Friday night foray into the future will serve as a quick pit-stop until this:

then sleep 'til you wake up!

VIDEO: Outer Limits Recordings - Plastik Child

2010-11-16T02:34:00.004-05:00

The hazy lo-fi 80s revival some call "hypnagogic pop" is fully displayed in this amazing amazing track by one of OESB's finest: Outer Limits Recordings. Slightly more accessible than this summer's Foxy Baby LP, the new tracks are groovy and catchy on top of sounding absurdly surreal.

Boomkat had this to say about OLR's sound:

His label sums Foxy Baby up as an "esoteric glam-damaged concept record about Berlin nightclubs and foxy ladies", and that 's quite on the money, except this Berlin is in an alternate dimension where Ariel Pink sits at the head of the Reichstag and instead of amphetamine sulphate, everyone necks handfuls of valium and and the pilsner is standardly spiked with codeine.

oh yes.

VIDEO: Simian Ghost - Transparent Is Ok

2010-11-15T20:03:00.002-05:00

Sweden's Sebastian Arnström and his music under the name of Simian Ghost has repeatedly, this year, surprised me with thoughtful dream pop gems such as the singles Star Receiver and Sequenced Dreams Of Independence.

It is with great pleasure today that I realized his LP is Infinite Traffic Everywhere is dropping via swedes Nomethod November 29th and can be streamed on the artists's official website! The above video is of upcoming single Transparent Is Ok. Tasty! Don't miss this one folks!

VIDEO: Moderat October 23rd In Mexico

2010-11-09T03:51:00.003-05:00

Bar Américas is a club in Guadalajara, Mexico which is celebrating in 2010 it's 8th year anniversary. Exactly a year ago I was there and let me tell you; Mexicans know how to throw good parties. Just ask any of the guys who routinely fly out there from all over Europe and North America to perform. November looks pretty good to me so far with performances by Berlin staple Ellen Alien along with Thomas Müller and THE Carl Craig the following night! Holy Shit. I really wish I could be there...

For the occasion of this 8th year anniversary, club owner Ramon brought over the trio of Moderat [Modeselektor + Apparat + Pfadfinderei] to perform at the Foro Alterno on October 23rd. Here is the resulting video, which reminds me a lot of when I saw the band perform for the first time on North American soil in 2009 at Mutek in Montreal.

Happy birthday Bar Américas!

Silly Kissers - You Could Even Like Me (Video)

2010-11-07T03:06:00.002-05:00

Out of the scene that evolves around Arbutus Records in Montreal comes this brand new video of the Silly Kissers interpreting their latest single You Could Even Like Me (brought to us by mangetaville.tv). This unusual lo-fi pop is tinged with shinny 80s references all over. Check the tracks on their myspace to see what I mean. I'm a big fan. Let's keep this going folks!

EDIT: Found this download link for the original song in MP3 format on the Arbutus blog. Very nice!
MP3: Silly Kissers - You Could Even Like Me

REVIEW: Peter Broderick - How They Are

2010-11-06T17:04:00.001-04:00

How They Are is a collection of candid explorations into the mind of a very talented singer, songwriter, composer and musician. At the bright young age of 23, Peter Broderick's career is already imposing, having released material on UK based modern classical soundtrack imprint Erased Tapes, Swedish indie label Kning Disk, veneered avant-ambient imprint Type Records and most recently on indie label Bella Union.

It is in Berlin alongside labelmate Nils Frahm that Peter now evolves after leaving the US west coast looking for something else, like many artists. After prepping and planning a big studio album for 2010, a knee surgery kept Peter crutch ridden and worst of all, stuck at home. Clearly this wasn't enough to stop this ever creative young man. How They Are was born this way. Locked away, home alone. Armed with his piano, guitar, violin and of course his voice, Peter recorded the seven tracks that populate this record, longing for a faster recovery.

The record opens with Sideline, where Peter's sings alone - unaccompanied and vulnerable, reminding me of old English folk songs, that I've never heard. That is until piano chords intervene 90 seconds in. Human Eyeballs On Toast is another great song where indeed Peter's earnest and soulful vocals are the fucking truth, man. Guilt's Tune is built around a nice acoustic guitar progression that reminded me of Fleet Foxes. Peter's imagination shows great maturity in the orchestration of the modern classical piece When I'm Gone, which is an instrumental piano exploration of great melodic eulogy, of sort. The album ends on Hello To Nils, a track about being on the road that even features a little spoken word.

All in all, How They Are is a beautifully executed, candid and warm record by one of the most prolific young artists of our times. Peter Broderick is young and full of creative gusto and I can wait to hear more of his sounds in the future. Highly Recommended

How They Are was issued by Bella Union September 2nd!

PS I Love You - Facelove (Video)

2010-11-05T13:41:00.002-04:00

Brand new video from hotly tipped Canadian indie rock band PS I Love You. Mediocre video but it gave me a first glimpse of who these people are. Debut record Meet Me At The Muster Station's been out since October 5th through Toronto's Paper Bag Records.

EDIT: Turns out this is a tribute to Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart video...

Flying Lotus - Kill Your Co-Workers (video)

2010-11-05T12:43:00.003-04:00

"thinking about giving up weed for a month as a creative experiment. but i'm high"
-FlyLo, earlier today on twitter

EDIT: He later adds "weed is cool ! im usually pretty stoned and manage to get lots of stuff done. Theres just SO much to do now."

Beauchamp - Slow Burn (Demo) (Video)

2010-11-04T18:35:00.000-04:00

Winnipeg's Mike Braun aka Mike B aka Beauchamp comes up with this interesting video for one of his latest concoctions. Some sort of Finnish disco instructional video gone... awry. Big Up!

The Year's Worst Record Ever: Diamond Rings - Special Affections

2010-10-27T17:38:00.001-04:00

Isn't she... erm, he cute?

Once in a while I get offended by music that in theory I should like. I want to like it. I tell myself "no, come on Jesse, it's not that bad." But alas, it is that bad. Of course all the art-fag bloggers of the world love this guy, so I will disassemble and expose the lies. There was a time when I really enjoyed writing about really bad music. I will revisit those days right now.

Dubbed "unique lyrical brand of pop songwriting" by the label Secret City, Toronto's Diamond Rings annoys the fuck out of me. Special Affections which retailed yesterday, opens with one of the most painfully difficult tracks I've ever had to listen to, Playfull By Heart. One blogger calls it "an epic piano pop ballad". There's nothing epic, pop or ballad here folks. Diamond Rings tries to be dark and melancholic, but instead ends up sounding like a recent post-pubescent teen age boy's first foray into song writing.

John O's singing sounds forced and aimless. Sometimes he's Ian Curtis, sometimes he's Julian Cassablancas. He has what experts call vox schizophrenie, or vocal schizophrenia for short. Clearly John O doesn't even have a creative identity so he doesn't know who to be when he sings, adopting voices we've all heard before instead of finding his own.

Some people will say "but he has alot of great music videos on youtube"!! I honestly don't give a fuck about videos on youtube, unless they're from musicians I appreciate. So fuck you blogosphere for proping up this bland and mediocre act on a pedestal like you did with Die Antwood or whatever the fuck it's called.

Here's the bottom line: Diamond Rings is melodically unimaginative, vocally handicapped and covered in bad make-up. Next time he should let someone good handle production and let a skilled singer take charge vocally. Oh but that would leave him out of the equation! OOPS!

Skip it and wait for the next Secret City release, which will hopefully be good this time.

And that is why Diamond Rings - Special Affections is the year's worst record.

Apparat does DJ-Kicks

2010-10-13T09:22:00.004-04:00

As what will probably be this year's last installment to the DJ-Kicks series, Berlin producer Apparat joins Juan MaClean, James Holden and Kode 9 as the 2010 lucky few who get to be part of this legendary K7! mix cd series (which turns out to be one of their busiest years in recent times!). Less known as a DJ, but more as a producer and more recently for his collaboration with Modeselektor, as Moderat. This DJ-Kicks compilation comes as Apparat unveils some new work in the track Sayulita. Named after a quaint Mexican surfer hippie town north of Puerto Vallarta's loud tourists and mega-hotels (where Sascha's Mexican friends have clearly taken him before). Sayulita is a great track, technically and melodically; proving once again that those who seek the most forward thinking music in the world, need to look no further than Berlin.

Featuring favorites Martyn, Joy Orbison, Fourtet, Ramadanman, Burial, Autechre and Tim Hecker: the mix itself is a carefully orchestrated collage of tracks representing the modern state of affairs in IDM and post-dubstep future bass uk garage etc etc etc.. Tracklist in comments.

DJ-Kicks: Apparat is out on webshops and your indie retailers on October 25th and Sayulita can be downloaded for free at the official web site!

REVIEW: Treefight For Sunlight - A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull

2010-10-05T21:22:00.000-04:00

It rarely happens; when upon first listen of a new track or new artist you find yourself grappled by the grandiose beauty of what you are hearing. Like, for example, when I heard Of Montreal's Satanic Panic In The Attic years ago. Even further back; my first time hearing Radiohead as a teenager. Music that represents in essence; what life is and should be - beautiful. The following is the product of such an experience.

A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull is a newly released album by Danish quartet Treefight For Sunlight and is jammed with ten tracks of pure pop genius. These Danes not only sing like sirens (...or the beach boys?), but know how to play their instruments too. A youthful blend of uplifting hooks and complex avant-pop arrangements create memorable tracks on every level while three lead singers bounce off each other in a never ending vocal power struggle of epic proportions. The production is so tasteful - they make no mistake in their medium, as richly woven instrumental interventions keep the ears endeared to no end.

The record's third track, The Universe Is A Woman, takes anthemic proportions as voices become interweaving pieces of a complex yet beautiful melodic puzzle. Riddle In Rhymes and Facing The Sun expose the quartet's pop power, with the eloquence and unabashed attention to detail reserved for perfectionists of the worst(or best) kind. With every aspect of their sound carefully calculated and brilliantly executed, A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull is surely one of this year's best indie pop records.

After many many listens, A Collection Of Vibrations For Your Skull is exactly what it claims to be and much much more. Vibrations for the skull, food for the soul, medicine for the ears. Highly recommended.

This record is out October 4th on Danish imprint Tambourhinoceros and can be digitally purchased here.

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INTERVIEW: Chic Gamine's Andrina Turenne

2010-09-27T18:26:00.000-04:00

Alexa Dirks and fellow Chic Gamine vocalist Andrina Turenne, somewhere in Montreal's Mile End.

The Montreal/Winnipeg based quintet of Chic Gamine has a new album hot and ready to hit the shelves, so I linked up via e-mail with Andrina Turenne, one of four vocalists in the group, which is currently touring Alaska. Here's what she had to say:

How's the tour going in Alaska? See any crazy stuff? GRIZZLY BEARS??????

The touring has been really great so far. We've played a show every night since our arrival (4) and have done a couple workshops in high schools. Today is our first day off, we're gonna go to the Chena hotsprings I think. One of the presenters is also having us over for dinner later. The people we've met are amazing and so welcoming. We haven't seen any grizzlies yet but the land here is simply breathtaking as the leaves are turning red, orange and yellow and the sky is clear and sunny. Alaska in the fall is exploding our hearts.

Otherwise, How's the band doing? You guys seem so busy all the time we never get to catch up.

The band is doing great. We've been working on the new record for roughly a year now, so we're really excited for the big release, Oct 12th in Montreal. The release show will be Oct 13th at Club Soda! We can't wait. We've had a busy year playing the Olympics, taping some tv shows in Montreal, playing for the Queen, doing the TRC event in Winnipeg, going to California and Kansas and touring around the Great Lakes... we're very grateful for what we do and where it takes us. It's a constant adventure.

How's the new album going to sound compared to 2008's self titled debut?

Well, it's been 3 years now since the start of Chic Gamine. The first record was made 3 months in and the second after 2.5 years of touring and playing together. Needless to say, our sound has matured and we've grown into it. On "City City", we introduced new elements such as keyboard bass and (on the title track) drum sequencing. We wanted the freedom to record each song as we heard it without limiting ourselves to what people were used to. The songwriting leans towards an urban feel this time around while the first record maybe had more world elements. I think any record is a reflection of where a band/artist is at the time, and it's no different for us. Who knows what the next one will sound like.

You guys have managed to win the accolades from all sectors of the industry including a 2009 Juno win. How important is it for Chic Gamine to remain independant of a "strings attached" record label relationship and stay 100% in control of their business?

Everyone in the band has a role on the business side of things and and we work well as a team. We really like the fact that we run our own band and business (with the support of our manager and agents of course). It allows us all the freedom to choose who we work with, how we make our music, how we present ourselves and how we grow. This is important to us because we want to build a long-lasting career where each of us is happy and fulfilled on and off the road. It's a challenging life as it is, we don't want anything imposed on us that we're not comfortable with. This being said, we're not adamant about remaining independent forever. It's just what has felt right for us from the start. If a great offer came along that suited our needs and vision, we'd definitely consider it.

While everyone is trying to move to Montreal, what made you, Andrina Turenne, change your mind and move back to Winnipeg from Montreal after only a few years?

I was in Montreal for 2 years. I moved there because I wanted the adventure and the experience. Of all the Canadian cities, I knew long ago that I wanted to live there at some point in my life. I had a great time and I love Montreal very much (especially Marché Jean-Talon at harvest time!). Truth is, my heart is a prairie heart. I missed the skies, the woods, the smell of fall, the twinkle of winter... I also wanted to be closer to my family and friends. Being on the road so much, it's nice to be home when it's time to go home, you know?

Any new music you've been digging lately?

I was just turned onto Aloe Blacc recently. Wow, how did I not know about him until now? I've been a fan of Stone's Throw Records for a while, so I'm surprised I never came across it before... but hey, it happens. He's got a great voice and is like a Bill Withers/Isaac Hayes/Donny Hathaway hybrid. haha. Love it.

What was the highlight of your summer?

We played the Montreal Jazzfest on Canada Day and that was probably one of my favorite shows of all time. The crowd was amazing, the weather was awesome and we were on a huge stage. We played once at 8, then again at 10. Playing twice is the best because you get to tweak all the things that didn't go so well the first time and rock out full confidence the second. We dialed it in and it was such a high. I'll never forget those shows.

What's next for Chic Gamine?

The road is long my friend! haha. I guess what's next is launching the new record and seeing how people react to it. Our life is a constant adventure. We have a vision and a plan, but it's constantly changing as new opportunities present themselves. It's all about assessing the risks and taking chances. That's our philosophy anyways, let's see where it takes us...

Awesome.

Catch the CD release parties of City City in Winnipeg November 13th at the WECC and October 13th at Club Soda in Montreal ( << I'll be there)!

REVIEW: Solar Bears - She Was Coloured In

2010-09-27T14:17:00.000-04:00

After hearing the memorable Inner Sunshine EP last month, these brand new Planet Mu signees(from Ireland of all places) were instantly penciled in for regular hearings. A month later, She Was Colored In, the subsequent LP dropped.

Solar Bears offer a sound woven in unpredictable mystery. John Kowalski and Rian Trench's sensibilities are translated in their approach to music, taking us to a post-rock psychedelic I.D.M. world like none other.

She Was Colored In (above) opens with warm Boards Of Canada synths, then takes an unexpected turn towards post-rock-sound-trackism; ripe with twangy Fender Telecaster leads backed by symphonic strings. There, simply, lies the beauty of this music. Surprising yet tasteful. Music extracted from the nectar of the heavens, no doubt.

Highly Recommended.

Out on Planet Mu today.

REVIEW: Aloe Blacc - Good Things

2010-09-24T15:32:00.005-04:00

Aloe Blacc - Good Things (Stones Throw)

After hearing the majestic pop grooves of single "I Need A Dollar" as the intro song of HBO's How To Make It In America last spring, I was hell bent on hearing what else this modern yet classical sounding Aloe had to offer.

Finally this week, Stones Throw Records pre-released this much anticipated record and I got to listen; and it's great. From the slower soulful meanderings of Femme Fatale to the more upbeat Green Lights and Good Things. Aloe draws from a very nostalgic american RnB sound but adds elements of afrobeat and hip-hop. Production by Truth & Soul(Lee Fields, El Michels Affair) is impeccable, invoking the sounds of motown and all things great in this world. Ultimately, Aloe's eloquent vocals remain at the center of the equation, lyrically taking listeners to the heart America's current burdened political and social context.

Highly Recommended.

MTV MUSIC AWARDS MASSACRE

2010-09-13T12:42:00.000-04:00

It's always funny to see these annual gatherings of major label goons for a good ol' circle jerk of gargantuan proportions. This is even worse than the Grammys. Famed humorist Neil Hamburger was on fire posting some inspiring updates throughout the evening on twitter, ending the night on this note:

The Center For Disease Control issued a list today of diseases that urgently need eradication:

End scene.

Cover Arts II

2010-05-11T03:13:00.000-04:00

MARCEL DETTMANN - DETTMANN

Dark textures swirl and whirl on the first long player by this Berghain staple, making it THE techno album of the moment. Out now via Ostgut Ton.

THE ALPS - LE VOYAGE
Le Voyage is jammed packed with field recordings, sitars, minimal prog, and many other great things that will remind listeners of Brian Eno's early work, Goblin and more early 70s obscurities... A must. Out now on Type Records.

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI - BEFORE TODAY
Ariel pink's eclectic take on pop music takes him (and us listeners of course) on a journey through the late 70s and early 80s. One of the year's best albums! Retails June 8th via 4AD.

SHY CHILD - LIQUID LOVE

This New York City duo takes Oracular Spectacular songwriting styles to new levels. (R.I.P. MGMT). Get ready to dance to these jams all summer! Out now on Wall Of Sound.

Cover Arts

2010-05-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

TAME IMPALA - INNERSPEAKER

Finally, after Modular Records brought this band to light in 2008, Innerspeaker brings Australian psych rockers Tame Impala to the full length club. Highly Recommended. Due June 8th via Modular.

WOLF + LAMB - LOVE SOMEONE

Dropping later this spring, Love Someone by the Brooklyn duo of Wolf + Lamb is composed of real 100% american house music. Really, really good. Due June 14th on Wolf+Lamb music.

WALLS - WALLS

The London based duo of Walls make post-rock infused IDM, with a clear The Field influence. Again, Highly recommended. Out now via Kompakt.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - PRODUCER 2

This amazing compilation from Fat City records showcases some of today's best beat wizards of the post hip hop movement. For fans of Flying Lotus.

FLYING LOTUS - COSMOGRAMMA

Flying Lotus is related to the Coltrane family. Should we then consider his work future-jazz, future-music even? Most definitely. This album is amazing amazing amazing. Out now on Warp.

Starkey - Ear Drums And Black Holes

2010-04-19T11:09:00.005-04:00

After hearing the brilliant single Stars (featuring Anneka) earlier this month, today I was finally treated to the rest of the much anticipated Starkey full length, Ear Drums And Black Holes (Planet Mu). Stars, a most sublime of production, focuses on Anneka's angel-like vocal performance, and left me wanting more.

See what I mean right here:

This track really sets the pace on what is another great post-dubstep record this year, following Scuba's latest Triangulations. On Ear Drums And Black Holes, this Philadelphia native explores a rather dreamy synth driven narrative, as boomkat puts it; "[most of] the album comes off like he's spent the last 12 months listening to The Dream". Productions here sometimes sound otherworldly as Starkey takes us on a sonic adventure through what often sounds like a futurist role playing game soundtrack from beyond.

Highly recommended

SHORT AND SWEET: Fortune and Plants & Animals reviewed

2010-04-06T23:55:00.004-04:00

Fortune - Staring At The Ice Melt

The first full length by this French trio is a careful mix of dance floor friendly tracks that will undoubtedly be remixed to death in view of the impending summer dance party season. Stylistically, Fortune stands on the edge of synth pop that often finds itself flirting with rock sensibilities. Staring At The Ice Melt is a contemporary pop album very much worth listening from start to finish. Out now via French imprint Disque Primeur

MP3: Fortune - Gimme

Plants And Animals - La La Land

Parc Avenue was without a doubt my favorite Canadian albums of 2008. So, needless to say: expectations for La La Land were high. Maybe too high? Nope. You just come to expect at least the same level of ingenuousness and creative production that you are used to. Instead, on La La Land we are treated to empty, bland and boring tracks.

After the first piece, Tom Cruz, the album seems to progressively get more and more uninteresting and all too familiar sounding. Clear production failures come into direct blame, as for example, we hear a saxophone lead a trio of horns through the album's third track American Idol thus butchering what was perhaps once an interesting song. Ultimately, the material speaks for itself, but it is even worse when the production can't even help your songs sound better.

La La Land is overall listenable, but you may simply want to skip it and go back to Parc Avenue, and pretend this new one never existed. Perhaps two years of intense touring has sucked the creative juice out of the Montreal trio, leaving La La Land sounding like a forced collection of mediocre tracks.

La La Land is out April 20th on Secret City Records

MP3: Plants and Animals - The Mama Papa

"Get In My Ears And Stay There" Vol 1: Wonder

2010-04-03T17:33:00.008-04:00

(by Kate Banazi)

To coincide with the impending return of life and harmony through the advent of glorious spring; here's a mixtape full of songs of wonderful wonder. Each track was handpicked after a thorough evaluation, for our listening pleasure. Watch out for many more keyword based mixtapes.

Enjoy!

Tracklist:
01. Euros Childs - Hard Times Wondering
02. Christine Fellows - Yours, And With Ever Grateful Wonder
03. Headlights - Teenage Wonder
04. Hello Saferide - I Wonder Who Is Like This One
05. The Beach Boys - Please Let Me Wonder
06. James Brown - Wonder When You're Coming Home
07. The Kinks - Wonderboy (Stereo)
08. The Flaming Lips - (What A) Wonderful World
09. The Ruling Class - If You Wonder
10. The Clientele - I Wonder Who We Are
11. Elias and The Wizzkids - Wonderwall
12. The Smiths - Well I Wonder
13. Louis Armstrong - I Wonder
14. Quincy Jones - They say it's wonderful
15. Sonny Rollins - Wonderful! Wonderful!
16. Stanley Turrentine - I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
17. M. Ashraf feat Ahmed Rushdi - Dama Dam Mast Qalandar (The Sound Of Wonder)

Download Here

"Get In My Ears And Stay There" Mixtape Series

2010-03-29T18:55:00.005-04:00

Announcing the "Get In My Ears And Stay There" Mixtape Series!

My friend Gabriel Cazes, who is currently recording an album in Montreal, recently recommended I start making mix tapes for whoever may feel tempted to explore the limits of music. So here I am, planning a series of themed mixtapes in specific genres of music. I will post tracklists, descriptions and other various interesting key words. This week: disco and the new school. Stay tuned.

Expect a full review of Gab's EP, which is being launched April 30th over in the Mile End @ Dépanneur Café, 9 PM. I'll be there. You should come too.

SHORT AND SWEET: ALBUM REVIEWS Vol. 2

2010-03-12T09:52:00.008-05:00

Upside of not having a job? Listening to obscene amounts of musics. Here's more reviews, crafted with care atop Mount Royal and re-imagined infront of my computar screen.

Yukon Blonde - Self Titled

This, ladies and gents, is what Rock music should sound like. With lead guitar licks, 3-way harmonies and catchy pop touches, this Kelowna trio brings unpretentious fun back to rock. A definite Canadian album of the year contender. Out now via Bumstead

John Zorn - In Search Of The Miraculous

Zorn's prolific creative sensibilities are once again exploited as he leads a quintet of talented musicians over nine sublime melodic compositions, apparently inspired by ancient esoteric mysticism. A meticulous work of melodic aesthetic and improvisational musicianship makes In Search Of The Miraculous another must hear new-jazz staple. Out now via Tzadik

Toro Y Moi - Causers Of This

"South Carolinian Chaz Bundick's one-man lo-fi project" had quite the endearing effect on myself. Spacey side-chained RnB on one track, then electro-pop throwback on the other, Causers of This is full of bass heavy ditties that sound best loud. Out via Carpark on March 23rd

This Is Head - 0001

Eerie vintage synth powered post/kraut-rock goodies with a Swedish touch are always welcome to my ears, er... arms! This Is Head takes a syncretic approach to their decade spanning influences that guarantees this auspicious debut a place in my tiny heart. Out via Swedish imprint Adrian Recordings on March 17th

SHORT AND SWEET: ALBUM REVIEWS

2010-03-06T17:33:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy week at the office folks, albums dropping left right and center. So much that I can't get out. I'm stuck here working my way towards the door, having to listen to every album blocking my way.

Nice Nice - Extra Wow

This glitchy noise pop voyage into the deep reaches of psychedelia is the equivalent of expensive caviar, but for my ears. It is said that listening to this album 34 times in a row will induce a hallucinogenic trance... I'm at 23... fingers crossed! Out Arpil 6th via Warp Records

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

This collaborative concept album is so saturated with talent that in the end it loses all cohesion. Plain and silly. Only track that stands out for me is the instrumental version of Stylo, which isn't even on the album. Out now via Parlophone/Virgin

Bradley - MountainTigerWolf

Vancouver's Bradley shines most when his song writing talent is unleashed without the help of violent drum machines. That being said, MountainTigerWolf's electro/acoustic schizophrenia will definitely stand out as one of the more interesting Canadian listens this year. Out now via Drip Audio

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune

Featuring seven previously unreleased tracks, Valleys of Neptune offers an interesting glimpse of Jimi's unheard treasures, albeit post mortem. I'm just happy about this 8 minute version of Red House, classic. A must listen for any fans the genius of Hendrix! Out via Legacy on March 9th

Sambassadeur - European

Continuing in the Swedish pop tradition and within the artistic precedents set by their Labrador Records peers, this Gothenburg quartet simply write good songs. Carefully orchestrated strings, ever clever production and Anna Persson's vocals all play pivotal roles to this album's success. Out now via Labrador Records

Lightspeed Champion - Life is Sweet Nice to Meet You

Following 2008's Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, Dev Hynes is back with his Sophomore effort. Unfortunately Life is Sweet, Nice to Meet You falls short of earning the praise I expected to give it. The songs aren't as good. The saving grace here however is track number three, There's Nothing Underwater, which in true pop fashion, will definitely be one the year's best tracks. Out now via Domino Records

That is all for now.

INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE: Jason 'JPEG' Shields

2010-02-22T18:29:00.007-05:00

To some, Jason 'JPEG' Shields is known as a lanky, mustache fronting and long banger hair coiffed character. But those who know him personally will be able to attest that a certain artistic fire burns inside of him. For a few years now, Jason's been passing around small tracks he had been working on, or edits and remixes of certain tracks he found interesting. He recently completed a full length dubbed "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished". It is a collection of electronic musics, spanning many genres and influences. Here is an interview JPEG answered for me earlier today, to answer some pressing questions I had about this new milestone, as an upcoming producer.

In "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished", you explore a wide variety of sounds. From oldschool house, to heavy electro, to hip hop, and even experimental ground. What made you want to explore all of these musical contexts without sticking to one specifically?

I have been experimenting with DAW production for many years as a personal hobby. I think the first DAWS I had encountered as a teen were Sonic Foundry (Not SONY) Acid / Sound Forge as well as Cool Edit, years and years ago (wow how things have changed for me). Initially, when I had started producing, most of my productions had what I would call a “hip-hop vibe”, it was soon after I had begun to incorporate aspects of minimal electronica.

Many subtle inspirations can be found within the work, occasional samples, symphonic video game synth lines, and much more are found within the walls of UUU.

Within the recent years, heavier electro and experimental work has been incorporated into my productions, mainly influenced by what I had been listening too at the time. Many of the musical contexts I choose to explore come from what I am currently listening too. A perfect example is some of the latter tracks (the some what more experimental hip-hop tracks in the UUU album), I had recently listened to some older hip-hop vinyl's, reliving some favourite music, and was then quickly inspired to work out some new productions that would follow a glitchy electro hip-hop feel. In all honesty about seven songs were done in a mere few days, but it was this inspiration from relived music that helped fuel that fire.

Sticking to one genre simply feels too confining for me. Music production today allows for experimentation, and this is something that intrigues me most. New additions of hardware or software applications are something I enjoy tinkering with, and sometimes the result is terrific, and sometimes it is a horrific disaster. For example, the song The Magic of Being Fucked, I personally think sounds like fucking shit, why did I include it? Because it was an experimental piece that deserves some merit. I remember the raw energy that was involved in the creation of that song, then I remember listening to it and thinking ... Wow this is shit. Then I remember putting it on UUU.

What kind of equipment and software did you use to uncomplete this unfinished collection of tracks? Can you describe your creative process?

Equipment wise things vary on this “release”, as it is really a mix of random material from different projects. A MPD32 USB MIDI does most of the drum work, while a drum loop or sample is used here or there. An EDIROL PCR-M30 which was purchased years ago from an unbelievable underground hip-hop producer named Maki, does piano/synth/effect triggers/a million other things on this release. The Korg KP3 does a variety of effects and is pretty evident in the glitch hip-hop tracks, definitely a fun tool to produce with. All this is brought together using Logic for MAC, Sound Forge for PC, Adobe Audition for PC, as well as AudioMulch for MAC, which I have most recently been experimenting with. Phatmatik Pro has recently come into the arsenal of tools that I enjoy playing with. This AU combined with the MPD32 has garnished some interesting results. To be honest, I have already begun slicing tracks within the AU for live remixing purposes. Of course there are a few more tools used to create UUU, but something has to be left to the imagination.

Could you clarify exactly what "Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished" is and means to you?

To me it means material which literally is not polished. This “release” is not a cohesive piece at all. All the songs are taken from different projects which are most likely, never to see the light of day. Going over some of the tracks, many of the levels are not properly mastered, tracks end suddenly, things sound bad, and some songs do not even start when they were intended too (Ex. Battery).

Unreleased is now a flagrant lie.

When compiling these tracks I felt as though some of the tracks were fragmentary and not at all personal favourites, but I soon came to the realization that I should not let them simply collect hard drive space, only to disappear forever after the next reformat.

What's next for Jpeg?

Currently I am working on a few random project’s, a new sample/break based project spanning a variety of genres and musicians is in the works (currently 8 tracks are in progress). The final track on UUU is a very early demo rendering from the sessions. Material with Hip-Hop artists/crews Carpe Diem Records, Radioactive Productions, and Grubbs are in the works. Some new electro stuff with the talented and up and coming local DJ Ohh My James (James Mcnabb) has already begun. Together the two of us form the Mobile Hypeness Unit (MHU), and currently are working on some “tropical electro jams” as well as a variety of other original productions and a new Wolfgang Gartner remix

What else is next... Probably more random productions, possibly more treble. I hope to incorporate a “live set” soon involving a variety of the equipment spoken of earlier. The framework for live sets has been made for most of my projects within the DAW, so keep an eye out in 2010 !

Enlightening words, those are! Download link for the UUU album plus Bonus tracks below! DIG IT FOO!!!

JPEG - Unreleased Unmastered Unfinished (DOWNLOAD HERE)

JPEG - UUU Bonus Tracks! (DOWNLOAD HERE)

JPEG on MySpace

Fela Kuti re-masters spark parties in Williamsburg

2010-02-11T15:23:00.004-05:00

With a potential New York trip planned for a few days later this month, it upsets me that I could miss this chance to celebrate one of Africa's, and the world's, most interesting and original artists of the last century. Knitting Factory Records have decided to, out of the blue, re-master nine of Fela Kuti's albums from the 1969-1974 time frame.

During this era, Fela created the sound he was to call Afrobeat, a music he saw as a modern form of danceable, African classical music, created out of a cross-breeding of funk, jazz, salsa, and calypso, with juju, highlife, and African percussive patterns. These titles illustrate the evolution not only of his new Afrobeat sound and his experiments with lengthy improvisation, but also his emerging political voice, which was to become more scathing and direct as he got older.

The nine album collection is called Chop N' Quench and we have been provided with a virtual sampler for us all to enjoy. Even a free mp3. Sweet! For purchase links and more details check the Knitting Factory records website here.

Rob Vilar's 'Sympathy For The Arp' mix, is edgy!

2010-02-10T19:33:00.006-05:00

Pete Townshend has alot of sympathy for his Arp, do you?

Rob Vilar is someone who likes to teeter on the edge. Not too much! But just enough. This brand new Sympathy For The Arp mix is an example of such. Mr Vilar's music taste is obscure and often surprising, which makes listening to his newest mix all that much more interesting. There are no flavors of the month here folks; simply one man and his music.

Sympathy For The Arp is an edgy genre crossing mix that Rob needs to make more often...

Download it here : Sympathy For The Arp

Tracklist:

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM- Beat Connection (DFA)

STREETHEART- Hollywood (Atlantic)

MIRO MIROE- Nights of Arabia {extend version} (CBS)

SOLANGE- Robots are Un-American [DJ version] (Italians do it Better)

BRONSKI BEAT- Smalltown Boy (CBS)

LEMONADE- Big Weekend (True Panther Sounds)

NEW ORDER- Round and Round (Factory)

SEVERED HEADS- Greater Reward dub [Betty Botox edit] (Nettwerk- Endless Flight)

JUAN MCLEAN- Simple Life (DFA)

BEE GEES- You Should Be Dancing (RSO)

MUSIC GO MUSIC- Warm In The Shadows (Secretly Canadian)

SPARKS- My Other Voice (Oasis)

GIORGIO MORODER- Night Drive (Polydor)

SISTERS OF MERCY- Lucretia My Reflection (Elektra)

BLURT- Enemy Ears (Salamander)

KILLING JOKE- Turn to Red (EG)

ELTON JOHN- Don't Go Breaking My Heart (MCA)

THE BEATLES- Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Apple)

THE ROLLING STONES- Sympathy For The Devil [live- Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!] (Abkco)

Thanks Roberto!

Rob Vilar is Winnipeg's premier underground party DJ specializing in disco and its sub genres, but his musical appreciation hears as far as the ears can hear. Catch him next week at the Lo Pub along side Goodform resident hoodlum Mike B (who is my celebrity look alike, by the way) and guest Pete Samples, this Thursday.

INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE: Daniel Roa

2009-12-30T22:34:00.006-05:00

I caught up recently with my cousin Daniel Roa aboard his intergalactic space yacht. We talked about the year that was, post-Socrates existentialism and time travel. Just over a year ago, Dan jumped from being one of Winnipeg's most in demand session drummer to attempting to pierce through the saturated and competitive Québec francophone signer-songwriter scene. The result is an accessible yet creatively interesting product that has garnered some attention in Québec. Here are his answers to my MANY questions:

Dan, 2009 saw you complete the transition from being one of Winnipeg's most in demand session drummers to taking on the role of band leader to execute your creative visions en français. How did this happen and where are you today in relation to your goals as a singer-songwriter?

I think the transition between drummer/backup musician to the role of frontman was something of a artistic necessity, although with anything I do, I like to take calculated risks. I had (secretly) been working up song ideas with no concrete goal in mind since the early 90's - actually, one of my first musical memories as a child is of singing some kinda melodic hook!

That said, I needed to get kicked in the ass and motivated to make the leap to the front, cause I was getting quite comfortable with the life of a session player, although it was starting to wear on me (quarter life crisis ;P). Thanks to my lady friend some close friends in the biz who had heard my tunes, I mustered up the courage to do a few local shows, and reception was good. I then gained a lot of experience as a frontman and bandleader with the band "Johnny Cajun" - a zydeco/funk/cajun party band that still performs.

All of that encouragement, and more importantly, the need to express something deeper than paradiddles forced me up there. I fell in love with the songwriting process, and la langue française keeps wooing me (I have regular dates with Petit Robert - not a small hairy frenchman with a moustache, but a dictionary!).

As for goals, well, I just wanna make the best music I can. I want to be uninhibited, free to say and play what I want, how I want to. Hence the reason why the first album is all over the place stylistically! But if that's the worst criticism I get, great! I'm really excited about this next record, I want it to move and groove, but of course, I won't shy off any subject matter!$#@!
... and other than making great music, getting out there is my goal; more inroads in Québec and especially francophone Europe where we're headed this spring.

You've had the chance of touring with Daniel Lavoie across the province of Québec recently amongst many other gigs around the country. What are some of your best memories from being on the road this year?

Some of my best road memories this past year... hmmm... I have to say the beautiful rooms they have in Québec. Places like L'Anglicane in Lévis, le Domaine Forget on the north shore of the St-Laurent, oh, and the amazing cheeses they make out there!!! Look out France, y'all got some competition!

There is one great road story that sticks out: we played two nights at the Place des Arts in Montréal, and when my bass player Gilles Fournier opened the door to his hotel room, he was greeted by two middle-aged naked men sitting on the bed watching the hockey game - can't get more Montréal than that! He turned around to see the receptionist running down the hall with a panicked look on his face; too late, but no one got hurt. Who knows, maybe they were expecting a third party, a troisième étoile!

You and only a handful of others over history have ever been able to export their craft to the french speaking Québec masses. To what do you attribute your success in the 'oh-so-hard-to-breach' franco Québecois market for an outsider such as yourself?

Success exporting my product to Québec might be more a of goal than a realization. True, (some) industry folks know I exist, and some peeps from the general public do too, but it's so easy to get lost in the sea of great artists there, especially when you're not physically on the scene more than a few times a year. However, I have had the good fortune to play all of the major francophone showcase events in the last two years, and was able to participate in some major festivals. As for radio play, it's only the beginning; we're working with a new radio tracker to try to crack commercial radio (difficult when you're not on a major label, and you're an "outsider").
It is a very closed market, but if you find a way in with the public, they are very loyal and still buy more records than anywhere else in North America. So I only see the work that needs to be done, and it's going to be over the long term, with many albums, many shows, many interviews, and hopefully some lucky breaks!

How have your years of being right behind the spotlight; on the drummer's stool, helped you get you where you are today?

I'm very fortunate to have gained a ton of experience as a drummer and studio musician - skills and knowledge that I'm able to apply confidently as a frontman, bandleader and songwriter. A lot a young artists haven't spent much time in the studio environment, and therefore feel uneasy and fearful in such a setting - it's really unnerving when you have to put all your trust into the hands of others when recording songs that are so close and personal to you, especially when you don't have the language to communicate what you want. So on that front, I'm really fortunate, although I still have tons to learn.

During live performances, I really thrive on connecting with the audience and making it clear that it's a two way street, a shared experience. Years on the bandstand has definitely given me a comfort level on stage - I love it!

What's next for Daniel Roa in 2010?

You ask what's next for 2010? A showcase in Ottawa in mid-January, tons -o-gigs around Winnipeg during the Festival du Voyageur, we're opening for Ariane Moffatt in Vancouver at the Place de la Francophonie 2010 in late February (near the end of the Olympics!!!), and then a tour in Switzerland and France starting mid-March. In between all that, I'll be spending most of my time writing tunes for the next album, due out sometime in the future!
Sounds exciting to me! ;)

Check out Daniel Roa's website at http://www.danielroa.com/ and his facebook group here.

...And Then Nothing EP review

2009-12-16T22:32:00.012-05:00

Saint-Boniface's French music scene is quite awry in the sense that it is a self-absorbed vacuum, so to speak. This is one of the things that makes ...And Then Nothing quite interesting; these traditionally Franco sceners are gathered to make music. Simply, the linguistic stigmas that they usually proliferate are nonexistent; only the urge to create something anyone with working ears can enjoy.

Founded some years ago in Saint-Boniface by Derrick Finch (bass) and Stéphane Oystryck (guitar), ...And Then Nothing had been slowly evolving in the shadow of many other bands and projects. Finally, they have something to show for years of development of their post-rock sound.

ATN's philosophy is quite clear: axis y = melody and axis x = rhythm. Now add as many variables as band members there are and you have music like this: layered, textured and dynamically driven, leading to great adventures into frequencies unknown...

Most pieces start off slow. Quietly, softly almost. These low key experimentations most often lead to incredible transitions and unpredictable twists, like a Coen brothers movie. For example, the EP's first track Care Bear Stare evolves into a break-beat crossover track, out of thin air. Interesting.

The later portions of these tracks become a loud storm of distorted guitars. Getting lost in these massive crescendos this conclave creates can be overwhelming, yet it remains a central part of the thrilling ATN experience. Not to mention, there is always calm, after the storm...

Like mermaids off in the distance, Danielle Burke and Nadia Gaudet come add a very interesting dimension to the ATN equation. Their voices often take the center piece, melodically leading the charge.

All in all, ATN offer a very accessible and contemporary sounding EP. Melodically rich, ATN has something for everyone. Spacey experimentations, amazing vocal harmonies, metal-esque distorted guitar storms, epic guitar lead lines, dual bass magic, etc. Also, it is nice to see these musicians come out in such a liberating fashion, where they are only fulfilling their manifest destinies; that is to step outside their boxes and into a realm where there are no taboos.

The EP launches officially December 28th @ The Academy (437 Stradbrook Avenue, Winnipeg, MB) with special guests AMUSE and visuals by local filmmakers! Doors open at 8:00pm. Show starts promptly at 9pm. Cover 5$. Be there to witness the end and the start of something that has been a long time coming.

Tracklist:

1. Care Bear Stare

2. Je Noue

3. Thinking @ 11

4. Super Happy Fun Song

5. The Fifth Estate

EDIT: I've been told this is no longer a farewell show! ATN have decided to keep going. Excellent. More on that, after these messages from our sponsors

Ok Fine, Here Are My Favs of 2009

2009-12-16T16:55:00.009-05:00

I have to admit I am a little late on this as I've recently had the pleasure of observing Resident Adviser's top 10 and also the extent of the boomkat top 10 compilations. That being said, I will remain as true to my experiences with music in 2009 as possible.

From UK future-dub to Brooklyn indie to Candiana to Euro electro, 2009 was a good year. Here we go:

MODERAT - MODERAT (BPITCH CONTROL)

Hearing this for the first time really opened my ears to a whole other spectrum of electronic music that I had thus far neglected. The bassy melodic landscapes painted by this German trio remain a treat of utmost delight of my ears, and will be for a long time. Until the cows come home. Also the best live show I've had the pleasure of witnessing this year.

SLOW CLUB - YEAH SO (MOSHI MOSHI RECORDS)

Very little known outside of the UK, Slow Club has undoubtedly stolen my heart this summer. This boy-girl duo have written the best pop song's I've heard all year. There are no bells and whistles here folks, these songs are simple, clean and fun. He plays guitar, and she plays the drums (standing up!) while weaving intricate vocal harmonies.

THE FIELD - YESTERDAY AND TODAY (KOMPAKT)

This Swedish project kept evolving in an interesting direction as they unleashed Yesterday and Today in the spring of 2009. The Field offers a dynamic and visceral experience through the stories its layers of samples and loops tell over what is very dance-floor friendly techno rhythms. Somehow, Alex Willner can connect the dots on what could easily be a real messy cutting floor, over saturated and cluttered, and for that, we certainly are very very thankful. Also in my top 5 live shows this year.

PEVERELIST - JARVIK MINDSTATE (PUNCH DRUNK)

As this album enters it's first phase, we assume what we are getting into is another typical sounding future-bass album. But as the saxophone intro fades out on the first track Esperanto, we enter a realm where the artist really explores new ground, ignoring the trends set by his peers. Lovely.

DESIRE - II (ITALIANS DO IT BETTER)

Montreal based bilingual production from Italian's main man; Johnny Jewel, appropriately has him keep his creative streak of oldschool inspired space disco in the A+ category.

THE JUAN MACLEAN - THE FUTURE WILL COME (DFA)

Epic scale dancefloor disco inspired concoctions here. Great production and great live too (THEREMIN!!!!!!)

RJD2 - TIN FOIL HAT EP (RJ'S ELECTRICAL PRODUCTIONS)

Heeeee's back! After his experience with song writing , the turntablelist we grew up with is back doing what he does best. An amazing array of sampled goods are brilliantly organised into some of the funkiest hip-hop breaks I've had the pleasure of hearing in recent history.

JJ - No 2 (Secretely Yours)

the Swedes have a knack for making catchy pop music that doesn't sound lame. High instrumental production value and gorgeous vocals make this one of the year's best.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - 10 YEARS OF BPITCH CONTROL (BPITCH CONTROL)

My favorite compilation this year by far. Revisiting the 10 years of this now legendary German imprint made me wish I was born in Europe.

Favorite scene of 2009: LOW END THEORY CLUB

LA's Low End Theory club has attained mythical proportions in my mind as some of music's most forward thinking prophets converge there in weekly residencies. To Nosaj Thing, GLK, Flying Lotus, Daedalus, Jogger and the rest of the crew; live long and prosper my friends!

Labels of the year:
1. KOMPAKT

2. Moshi Moshi

3. Hyperdub

4. Paper Bag Records

5. Perlon

6. Bpitch Control

7. Labrador

8. Domino

9. Warp

10. DFA

INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE: Grant Paley aka DJ RPG

2009-12-13T15:12:00.011-05:00

I'M BACK! After thirty days of feeling uninspired, I had a moment of brilliance earlier this week over a cup of coffee with... my mom! The end of 2009 is around the corner so I've decided to interview key personalities of the Winnipeg music and night life landscape to see what was, what is and what will.

We start this great adventure with Grant 'DJ RPG' Paley. Grant is a veteran of the Winnipeg music scene and is one of the minds responsible for Moses Mayes and more recently Lebeato. Grant took some time out of his busy schedule as a Paquin Entertainment agent to answer the following questions on Moses Mayes, Lebeato and his slowest year on record as a DJ...

The year 2009 was another step in turning the page on your flagship musical project, Moses Mayes, and ushering in a new concept composed of the same creative cores, Lebeato. How did this come about?

It started out with myself, Mark Penner and Nathan Reimer filling a void of writting new music for Moses and the fact that it became harder and harder to have the full band around as often to compose new music. We found ourselves with our horn section relocating to Toronto, the need for a break from touring and something new musically for us to explore. Not having the band around full time (from a break in touring), we started experiementing with programs like Ableton Live - Nathan was the driving force behind the electonic music being created, which in turn became LeBeato. He came to us one night with about 7 songs he wrote, me and Mark dug it and we got to work on it. We also saw this as an opportunity to start a project with just 3 members, not 8. It was a project where we only had to depend on 3 people to commit and spend time on - much easier to maintain and move forward with.

Was Lebeato the result of a changing music scene, where perhaps the full band of the 90s is replaced by a more contemporary smaller group of creative minds more focused on production and computer driven elements?

Perhaps, this certainly played a vital role in the creation of LeBeato. We received alot of postive feedback like 'Moses is great, don't get me wrong. But this has a lot of potential to become something bigger then Moses could ever be'. Moses has its sound, its loyal fan base and it is what it is. I can confirm that even Moses' sound was evolving into more of electronic based dance sound, but LeBeato certainly embraces a much more contemporay dance music vision. What we struggled with was what LeBeato exactly was - are we a band? are we producers? are we DJ's? The live show, as we saw it, had to encompass something more then us behind laptops pressing buttons (which is part of the show). So we added elements of guitar, bass, keys and turntables to conincide with the Ableton Live sequencing. However, even the sequencing can be changed, altered, remixed, extended....so in fact, its a very live part of the show as well. Really, LeBeato just happened out of need for us to explore something new, not depend on large group of people - however, the wave of electro and indie electronic influenced us all. I can say we have always been into dance music, this was just another exstension we had never explored. It took us well over two years to have confidence in the music we were making and performing it live. I think we really have it together at this point...

You guys have been pumping out a few remixes here and there, released a track on the POP ET CETERA! compilation, opening for some touring bands and such; what's next for Lebeato? Album? Tour?

We have been debating that as we are producing electronic music, yet we are band. The models to expose your music are quite different between DJ/Producers and a band, because of that we struggle with what exactly is the right path to take. We plan on official releasing BBR (on the compliation) soon, along with some other marterial. We just released to the web a remix of a song by Maiko Watson (today actually). An album is certainly a goal, but primarily our vision is to get as much exposure for LeBeato as possible which means releasing singles digitally at the moment as free downloads on blogs, websites, etc. We are aiming to release an EP type record in 2010 with much of the material we have been performing around Winnipeg and plan on getting out to play in other markets - as for a full blown tour, we'll see what happens. We see more one offs of 3 gigs on weekends as more of route to take due to our 3 member configuration - much easier to plan smaller tours with. We have a big show coming up at Festival du Voyageur with the Good Form DJ's and Mr.Ghosty doing visuals the entire night.

On a more personal level, your alter ego DJ RPG keeps tearing it up at parties and venues on various stages. Even though you slowed down, what were the most memorable moments of the year 2009 as a DJ?

2009 had to be my slowest year DJing, I took a little sabbatical from the DJ scene for a good portion of the year to concentrate on LeBeato and Moses, plus taking a position as an agent at Paquin Entertainment took up alot of my time (which I have enjoyed a lot). But the 80's vs 90's parties at the Pyramid have been my fav events, by far.

What are your favorite albums of the year 2009?

Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy

Empire of Sun - Walking on a Dream

K'Naan - Waving Flag

Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract (entire record, love it)

Deep Dark Woods - All the Money I have is Gone

As an agent of Paquin Entertainment, which bands or artists should we be on the lookout for in 2010?

K'Naan

Fat Freddie's Drop

the Angry Kids

Hannah Georgas

Parallels

Joy Orbison

Thanks Grant!

Check out the latest Lebeato remix on Planetshhh and the next Moses Mayes show December 28th at the Pyramid Cabaret.

Commentary on the state of the Canadian film industry

2009-11-11T18:53:00.006-05:00

Earlier today CBC reported a drop in Canadian film market share, for the third straight year.

A new report by Telefilm Canada reveals that Canadian movies took only 2.9 per cent of box office receipts last year with movies out of Hollywood continuing to dominate the market.

This is not surprising at all! Canada's cultural global impact is becoming less and less important as our government's lack of perspective over the years has helped foster this decline. We can also blame the CRTC for allowing the nation's leading private media outlets, such as Global and CTV, to use content provided by American networks CBS, NBC, ABC, etc., therefore outsourcing the development and production arm of the networks. But is it too late? Is the Canadian public too locked into Hollywood hype?

A fundamental policy shift is needed to curb this trend. By demanding more Canadian produced content, our representatives could help foster a scene of Canadian actors, writers, writers and producers. Instead CTV and Global simply rebroadcast what our culturally dominant neighbors to the south create. In the process they help assimilate the broader Canadian perspective on our own culture!

Not only do we echo dramas and comdey shows, but even Hollywood cultural magazines to keep the masses up to speed on what's going on in Hollywood. By doing this for many years now, CTV and Global can partly be held responsible for the decrease in market share. Canadians aren't even made aware of Canadian cinema when Entertainment Tonight airs everyday, simply echoed from an American Network. Even Canadian versions of such shows fail to create interest about Canadian productions.

Québec's industry can thrive because they have media support. Everywhere you look in Montréal or Québec city, local celebrities are present in the news, written press, television and even billboards.

Some will say Canadian stories are boring. A commenter on the CBC article even said:

Too often I have heard the lament that no one is interested in Canadian stories - if it happens in Toronto or (God forbid) Winnipeg or Regina, then no one wants to watch it - especially not Canadians. I am tired of hearing that. If the story is interesting, the characters engaging, then does it being set in Chicago make it a better story? Is Boston inherently more interesting than Ottawa or Halifax? (For example, The Stone Angel was a wonderful story as a film.)

Clearly this person has never seen such movies as Fargo, Academy award winning feature set in the desolate winter of Minnesota. Or 2007's excellent underdog film, shot in Manitoba, The Lookout. Location has nothing to do with anything. Having some familiar faces like Steve Buscemi or Jason Gordon-Levitt helps. But at the end, story and substance goes a long way.

It is true however that Canadian luminaries such as James Cameron will always be snatched up by Hollywood interests, because only american producers have the capital to invest in large scale concepts such as Terminator and The Titanic. Canadian producers need to harbor these ideas and keep them here.

On the other hand we do have the Egoyans, Cronenbergs, Arcands, Maddins, etc, who continue to create in Canada while being widely appreciated on the world scale. Their movies however are rarely big box office hits.

At least the CBC has a strong development arm, helping foster Canadian made content, aptly filling their mandate

I believe that with the combined efforts of the Canadian government and the private sector, efforts could be made to salvage our Canadian cultural industry and help it blossom in the future. Until then, Hollywood will keep eating up the market share and key talented individuals will abandon ship for a sunny Hollywood.

We have the crews, we have the talent. What are we waiting for?

Oh and, at least we have the Trailer Park Boys! (Thanks Showcase!)

Remember Amp Live?

2009-11-11T16:38:00.006-05:00

When Radiohead released In Rainbows, an obscure hip-hop producer unleashed a critically celebrated unauthorized remix album called Rainydayz Remixes shortly after, free of charge. His name was Amp Live and the EP featured guest spots from Too $hort, MC Zumbi of Zion I, Chali2na of Jurassic 5, Codany Holiday, and Del The Funky Homosapien. A cease and desist order almost killed the project, but with the help of blogs and certain relevant cultural ouposts, the project saw the light of day finally as Oakland native Amp Live reached a settlement with Radiohead. You can still download the album free of charge on this web site, if you haven't heard it yet!

This brings us to today's topic, a track that Amp Live issued last spring is brought back into the spotlight due to an amazing remix EP launched yesterday on junodownload. Gary Is A Robot is a hip-hop club banger, with a auto-tuned poisoned chorus. But at least there's a vocoder the rest of the time. It's track infatuated with futurist ideals of spaceships and space travel, aptly reminding me of certain Brooklyn based Kapt10kurt productions. The track also features microphone interventions by MCs Micro Jaxson & Trackademicks. Needless to say the above isn't quite my cup to tea. However a brilliant set of remixes on this new EP rekindled my appreciation for epic scale eletro-house.

San Fransisco's Al Vellila's remix was the first track I listened to and after hearing the rest, it still sticks out as my favorite. It is a track that is ripe with Valérie collective throwback antics. But with MCs. Space age synths and 80s percussive fills carry the track until the galaxy shattering arpeggio comes to punch it up. A guaranteed dance-floor pleaser.

Other highlights include the James Curd remix, bringing a more downtempo approach to this track with an octave skipping bass line punctuated by a vibraphone maintained melody.

MP3: Amp Live - Gary Is A Robot

MP3: Amp Live - Gary Is A Robot (Al Vellila Remix)

Web Site: www.zionicrew.com

Twitter: twitter.com/amplive

Release Date: November 10th 2009

Label: Child's Play

Purchase Link: Juno Download

Watch for Amp Live's solo debut sometime in 2010 called Murder at the Discotek.

Brownstone Megaphone: Nylon Sound

2009-11-09T20:39:00.006-05:00

Sunday I received an e-mail from a certain John Whitlock from Brooklyn who is a talented graphic designer and musician. He self-released an album, Nylon Sound, late last August under the moniker of Brownstone Megaphone. For a self-released project, Nylon Sound is rather impressive. Building a hip-hop foundation, over which, layers of syncopated effect ridden samples make for an interesting listen. Subtle melodies still manage to pierce through the dystopic arrangements on most tracks, however. Giving experimental I.D.M. to the masses, Brownstone Megaphone and his Nylon Sound would fit nicely on the Ninja Tune or Warp Records imprints.

Stream the whole album from his web site: www.brownstonemegaphone.com

Website: www.brownstonemegaphone.com

Label: Self-Released

Release Date: 24th of August 2009

BBC's The Great British Synth Documentary is on Youtube!

2009-11-09T14:41:00.002-05:00

Stumbled upon this somewhere on facebook! This is great, giving us a history of the early days of electronic music and the pioneers who developed what is today such an important cultural movement!

Warp Unleashes Bibio's Next Album

2009-11-05T18:18:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting at my favorite spot downtown Guadalajara with my headphones on listening to Bibio's new album The Apple And The Tooth set for release on November 9th. Bibio, also known as Stephen Wilkinson, was signed this summer to prestigious British label Warp Records, at the same time he issued his 3rd album Ambivalence Avenue. The Apple And The Tooth full length features some new tracks and some reworks/remixes from the last album. A great soundtrack for where I am as the sun sets down and I nonchalantly observe a beautiful girl sitting a few tables away from mine...

Bibio's songs can be melancholic, manic or downright strange. Rooted in downtempo, Wilkinson isn't afraid of displaying his instrumentalist skills in guitar based ambient tracks such as Haikuesque ( The Gentleman Losers' Whispers In The Rain Mix). The first four tracks, presumably the new original material on the album, remind me of Black Moth Super Rainbow, psychedelia done with a Warp Records twist. There are even touches of dubstep bass with breakbeat madness on Steal The Lamp. With all these different flavors, Bibio stands out as a producer that doesn't want to be part of a specific scene, and whose appreciation for a broad range of music permeates through his work.

My favorite track is a self remix of an Ambivalence Avenue track and last on the album, Palm Of Your Wave. It's lush dual guitar intro leads into an unfamiliar dreamscape. Wilkinson's vocals lament over some sampled flutes while rhythmically, only a tambourine echoes on every 3rd beat. Simplistic magic.

To see what I mean, check out the streaming songs on Bibio's Myspace page.

TONIGHT!: MODESEKTOR @ BAR AMERICAS

2009-11-02T16:29:00.002-05:00

Holy Shit! FIELD MUSIC IS BACK!

2009-11-02T16:05:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite bands of the mid 2000s, Field Music, announced a few years ago that they were planning to split up after 2007's Tones of Town. Their jangly, precisely produced, brand of harmony-pop had me hooked. Needless to say, I was left devastated. In 2008, Not even a solo album by the band's David Brewis as School of Language could make me feel better.

Today I am proud to learn via MFR, that the band is back!! LET THERE BE JOY TO THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD!! FIELD MUSIC IS BACK!!!

Here is an MP3 off their forthcoming Memphis Industries record, due sometime in early 2010.

Field Music - Measure

Technologystolemyvinyl

2009-10-30T14:38:00.002-04:00

Technologystolemyvinyl from Steve St.Louis on Vimeo.

Big up to my Winnipeg brethren on this nice little doc about the changes in DJing over recent years. Here they are stirring the debate over Vinyl and Serato. So which one is it?

L.A.'s LOW END THEORY Club: Where IT is Happening

2009-10-29T16:12:00.007-04:00

Lately my passion for cutting edge music has brought me to L.A. where, unknown to me, there are amazing things happening in music. I was already familiar with the works of the likes of Flying Lotus and Daedalus, but what I discovered was something that went much deeper than those two. They, along with many others, are part of a scene of forward thinking artists that are truly exciting and bringing everything we know about music to the next level. Here I will examine WHO and WHAT is going on at the Low End Theory club that is central to this scene, and why a pilgrimage, so to speak, will be of utmost necessity to those who seek to be enlightened by true visionaries. These creators are taking a syncretic philosophy to their music, destroying boundaries and trends (mainly propagated by their distant east coast Brooklyn hipster types), making music that fits no specific temporal reference, genre or system of beliefs.

Why not start by talking last night's CD release party at the Low End Theory Club by a duo long in the coming, Jogger. Their album, This Great Pressure is a creative tour de force. Annihilating everything every boundary you can imagine, by summoning a monster list of genres and influences, glitch, hip-hop, drum and bass, metal, indie-rock, electro, guitar solos, folk, psychedelia, with vocal harmonies to top it off. Hard to imagine until you hear it, obviously.

The duo is composed of Amir Yaghmai (violin, guitar, vocals) and Jonathan Larroquette (laptop, controller, vocals) and signed on to non other than Daedalus' new label Magical Properties (part of Alpha Pup Records). They mark another step in to the burgeoning L.A. scene and in the process unleash one of this year's best records!! A must hear for anyone ready for the mental and emotional assault that is Jogger. Get it at boomkat and read Shiloh Urban's review at Glitch.fm!

Now let's talk about the motherfucking Gaslamp Killer. I started listening to his mixes back in September and only yesterday saw the guy's live clips on youtube. Wow. I have a new hero. His mixes are dark and contemplative, very brilliantly orchestrated with elements of kraut rock psychedelia, dubbed out electro, swedish rock ( DUNGEN!!!), funky hip-hop breaks, and other obscurities. Just when you recognize the track, KAPLOWWW, next! He also knows how to scratch his needles!

All in all, I was immediately a fan. His live act takes these concepts a step further. He becomes a monster, taking lead of his crowds like a King before his royal subjects, or maybe more like a King Buffoon. You be the judge. Needless to say, he does "slay his audience" wherever he goes. Sticking to no formulae, his live mixes take on the shape of a mutating radioactive monster, summoning old classic rock, juxtaposed with some bassy garage-dub, and so on, all the while going absolutely apeshit behind the turn tables. He is a master and I am his humble disciple.

In a recent interview given to Fabric London, GLK had this to say about the L.A. scene:

We in LA are at the beginning of the road with this beat shit - there is gonna be a lot more stuff coming out of LA in the future - everyone is inspired & excited & competitive as hell!

Excellent. I look forward with glee, GLK!! HAIL!!

Obviously, I have only scratched the surface of who is involved here. I hope you are now curious enough to go discover who else is doing what!!

Bless.

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-27T18:28:00.005-04:00

Over the few last weeks, a few important record labels have celebrated the ever evolving existence of their catalogs and progression of their respective scenes, with delicious compilation albums. This is to hoping these outfits keep thriving and prospering!

BPitch Control was founded by prominent Berlin based DJ Ellen Alien in 1999. This year, after over the years launching the careers of Modeselektor, Apparat, amongst others, the label celebrated its 10th anniversary with a string of parties throughout Europe ending the 8th of August at legendary Berlin club Berghain/Panoramabar. Two months later, the label issued a 10th anniversary compilation with old and new contributors. This is more the celebration of the great Berlin scene that BPitch and associates have been part of. Check boomkat for tracklists and purchase link.

The label that brought us so many epic albums from Boards of Canada, Autechre, Aphex Twin, The Born Ruffians, Grizzly Bear, Broadcast, LFO, Squarepusher, Flying Lotus, !!!, Prefuse 73, Nightmares on Wax etc, Warp records, is celebrating it's 20th birthday by issuing a monster of a box set with insanely sick content. Get all the gory details on their web site. Highlights include a 2CD compilation of Warp artists covering each other (sick!) , called Recreated, and fans also had the chance to vote on Warp20.net for the tracks they wanted to see and hear, which composes the content for the Chosen 2CD compilation. Buy some Warp 20 releases at boomkat.

Hyperdub is a London based dubstep label formed by Kode 9 himself in 2004. After receiving accolades from The Wire, Pitchfork and Mixmag over the years, this month the label celebrates its 5 five years of existence with a heavy duty compilation featuring the many artists it has worked with over the years:

*32 TRACK DOUBLE CD PACKAGED IN CARTRIDGE-STYLE CASING INCLUDING CLASSICS, NEW, EXCLUSIVE, RARE AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL FROM BURIAL, COOLY G, ZOMBY, KODE 9, DARKSTAR. FLYING LOTUS, JOKER, IKONIKA, THE BUG AND MUCH MUCH MORE....

That's right. Some of the most celebrated garage/dubstep artists of recent years, all in one.

Check boomkat for more in details, tracklist and purchase link!

Thank you Bpitch Control, Warp and Hyperdub for all the great music! As the vulcans would say, "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER"!

New Music Madness

2009-10-27T16:05:00.008-04:00

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm wired on coffee, sitting at a small bistro downtown Guadalajara, semi distracted by the parade of gorgeous girls strutting by... oh I'm excited about, well, mainly alot of new boomkat postings. Seems like it's become my main source of listening lately as I explore the darker ends of the very wide electronic music spectrum, steering away from convention and certain party lines very much alive, and blindly enforced, throughout the blogosphere...

Fuckpony - Feel The Love

I have to admit, I really like the name of this project by American ex-pat Jay Haze. Issued on Berlin based BPitch Control (home of my favs Moderat, Modeselektor, Kiki, Telefon Tel Aviv, Ellen Alien, etc), this album delves in minimal house territory, often flanked by the warmth of crispy synths and vocal samples. If properly used, there are some great dancefloor friendly romps here, like the 5th track, Orgasm On the Dancefloor Saturday Night. Nine minute epic I'm Burning Inside builds up into a synth arpeggio climax perfect for for when you have your special someone within arms reach... you know what I mean, ladies. Steer away from the two tracks that feature vocals from Chela Simon, however. I find her voice unfit for such an experiment, and the tracks very mediocre.

All in all, if I played a house dj set, I would definitely include a few of these special very original tracks, as minimal as they may be.

Label: BPitch Control

Web Site: http://www.myspace.com/mylittlefuckpony

Release Date: Oct 2009

Junk Culture - West Coast

Rather short, but oh so very sweet, this new 9 track project by a certain Deepak Mantena on Illegal Art offers an unpredictable hip-hop odyssey into the obscure. Cut. Copy. Paste. Overlay. Repeat. STOP. Restart! This album is one ever expanding adventure in sample land that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats. Boomkat compares this to the hip-hop version of The Field, a comparison I have to agree with. Oh, and it's no coincidence that Illegal Art has already published works by the likes of Girl Talk. But the samples here are not popular songs, or they may be, we just don't know it. Samples are so skewed and rapidly collaged that you barely have the time to analyze; what is actually going on?

Of West Coast, Illegal art says:

On “West Coast,” Deepak's samples are all run through a handheld recorder that gives his constructions a gritty lo-fi loop-based sound, mixing fractured vocals, pop hooks, and an overall euphoric warmth.

Explains everything!

Label: Illegal Art

Web Site: http://www.myspace.com/nojunkculture

Release Date: Oct 27th 2009

Weekly Playlist: Oct 22nd

2009-10-22T17:17:00.008-04:00

What follows is a brief preview of the ear tickling goodies that have been inside my head lately.

Said The Whale - Islands Disapear

This Vancouver based 5 piece writes songs that are fun, pop oriented, Canadian indie rock. The new album is a nicely produced little dandy of a project, that should propel this lesser known band to higher levels of prominence, hopefully. Check em out live as they are currently on tour across Canada.

Label: Hidden Pony Records

Web Site: www.saithewhale.com

Release Date: October 2009

Pablo - Turntable Technology

When I found out this guy is the hands behind Butch Cassidy Sound System, it became clear to me that this project a sure shot. Pablo delivers 27 tracks of hip-hop/funk/breaks spanning over 2 CDs, woven with great latin, surf, jazz, etc., samples. Varied production styles is what makes this release so interesting. Surprisingly not on Ninja Tune, where the sound would have been familiar amongst the likes of Coldcut, Amon Tobin and Kid Koala, but rather on scottish electro label SOMA.

Label: SOMA Records

Web Site: www.pabloslab.com
Release Date: November 2009

Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

This album is one that delighted me upon first listen. Through the layered noise and heavy percussive production, emerges blissful melodies, like if you could see the dreamscape of endless stars beyond black clouds of terror... Reminds me of The Field with a more progressive line and, well, more NOISE! Check out Daniel Marner's in depth review of this album at The Line Best of Fit.

Label: All Tomorow's Parties

Website: www.fuckbuttons.co.uk

Release Date: ??

Music I Hate But That Everyone Else Seems To Love

2009-10-15T22:51:00.011-04:00

I'm not even going to waste my time with clever intro to this because, fuck it, I don't want to skew the message. Because intros can some times drag on, uncontrollably, like Tool's Eulogy track, droning for three minutes until Maynard finally starts belching out some jesus loving lyrics. In my case, there is no Jesus, but there is droning!! Fuck. I just pulled a Tool. Let's get this over with. Here's music I hate, but that everyone else seems to love. Reader beware: I'm about to take a proverbial diarrhea like shit on some of your favorite bands.

COLDPLAY

Why does everyone love this god damned band? We all remember Yellow, back in 2000. Alot of young, insecure and daft youngsters could identify with this lament(able) song. Like many of my generation, I was once a brief Coldplay fan. But then I quickly got over my insecurities and stopped humming the Yellow chorus because I realized life isn't so bleak after all! Coldplay left my my life as quickly as it entered it!

Or so I thought... Every now and then I would overhear people talking about Coldplay "Oh My GAWD I can't wait to go see Coldplay at the MTS Center in 10 months". Such discourse was becoming way too common. I realized that greater forces were at play here. A quick internet search revealed to me that Coldplay is part of EMI Records, a most powerful music marketing machine. It was clear to me that the opinions of people on the matter were being molded by some powerful Satanic forces, masquerading as the marketing arm of EMI records. Finally EMI had a big hit in North America they could cash in on. Radiohead only appealed to stoners and hippies, but Coldplay really reached the coveted 12 to 25 year-old market, composed mainly of girls. Wallets of EMI leadership and EMI stockholders rejoice!

After the Yellow album, Coldplay's sound deteriorated with every new release. Up to the point where they are today. Even the legendary Brian Eno, the producer of last year's Viva La Vida can't make them sound good. Not even learning from Latin sensation Ricky Martin, a close relative of Chris Martin, by naming their album 'Viva La Vida' can save their faltering relevance.

Luckily for Coldplay, teenagers and insecure single girls in their twenties still love them and I'm sure they will keep polluting the airwaves for years to come.

THE DEAD WEATHER

This band of merry mercenaries proved to me that rock and roll is as dead as it was in 1970 when I recently saw them in Mexico. This band is composed of boring, uncreative types that out of the blue decided to record an album at Jack White's studio. Jack White would this time play the drums, but when he would get up and go to the mic to sing a song, the crowd made sure to go apeshit, because "oh my fuck it's Jack White!". The people going bat-bonkers, obviously, were the 90s leftover crew I was surrounded by. They had long greasy hair, baggy jeans and Led Zeppelin t-shirts.

The Dead Weather represents exactly what their name suggests, something that is DEAD. Power-chord driven drivel pseudo-rock, which is far too 90s nostalgic and executed so poorly they could very easily be compared to your local cover band which for the first time since their beginnings in the early 90s, record an album of originals. Years of covering Rage Against The Machine, Alice In Chains, The Foo Fighters and Everclear would ultimately have a huge impact on their sound and would end up sending the 200 copies of their album straight to the bass player's parent's basement, where the whole experiment would soon be forgotten.

But NAY! This band has Jack White and a couple other jack-offs from other failed experiments such as The Kills, Queens Of The Stone Age and The Raconteurs (don't even get me started on this crap!). SO IT MUST BE GOOD RIGHT!? Such a line-up will blur the critical senses of most easily influenced and gullible human beings. So as a result almost everyone I Know loves this band, even though it sucks way more than The Raconteurs.

Daily Political Commentary: Tory Gulag

2009-10-15T01:05:00.007-04:00

Every day, things happen. It's true. For example today my friend Mario came over and we had some brews. Not a joke. Things also happen on the polluted political landscapes of America and Canada. It's not pretty folks. When something happens, there's usually mud slinging involved. I, am here, to set the record straight.

TORY LOGO ON CEREMONIAL FEDERAL GOV CHEQUES

The Story:

Federal opposition MPs are taking aim at the ruling Conservatives over the appearance of their party's logo on ceremonial cheques at funding announcements.

An oversized $300,000 cheque was handed out last month by Gerald Keddy, Conservative MP for South Shore-St. Margaret's in Nova Scotia. The money, from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is for an upgrade to a rink in Chester, a community in Keddy's riding.

(via cbcnews.ca)

I read this CBC report earlier today and was quite frankly left disturbed by the comments left by CBC readers. Even though these are 'ceremonial', I think people have a right to be concerned that the government of Canada emblems are being replaced by Tory logos. Ethically, this is unacceptable. Instead the comments section turned into a partisan bickering festival, skewing the fundamental issue in the process. Seems like Canadians are becoming more and more polarized like our neighbors to the south.

What's next? Tory logos on our military uniforms? That's a scary thought.

HEALTH CARE REFORM PLAN WILL BRING RUSSIAN GULAG'S TO AMERICA!

A few days ago, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ), unleashed the truth about health care reform in USA on the floor of the House of Representatives:

SHADEGG: You know, it occurs to me, and I’ll go through these other scandals very quickly, but what we’re really getting here is we’re not just getting single-payer care. We’re getting full on Russian gulag, Soviet-style gulag health care [...] It appeared in last Friday’s Wall Street Journal. You can Google it. You can pick up the phone and call Kim Strassel. You can ask her about Soviet-style gulag health care in America, where powerful politicians protect their constituents.
(via thinkprogress.org)

HOLY BATMAN! Russian style gulags??? Really???? Gulag's had health care? wait a minute... THIS MAKES NO SENSE!

It is getting more and more obvious that the corrupted members of congress are willing to go to any length, even if it makes them look like complete morons, to curb health care reform.

After "death panels" and many other lies, this comes as "a new low" for opponents of the proposed legislature.

Which label is putting out the best music lately?

2009-10-07T13:47:00.005-04:00

With the constant bombardment of music I willingly subject myself to on a daily basis, I decided today to study which labels I listen to most, based on the quality and originality of their roster.

Paper Bag Records (Canada)

Why not start with Canadian underdogs Paper Bag Records, which have been pushing Canada's best for years, but seem to have taken a more important role recently. For me, Amon Tobin and Joe 'Double Click' Chapman's Two Fingers project has been heavy on rotation, especially the instrumentals EP that was issued September 8th. Dope dub d&b fused hip hop breaks. More recently, Montreal's CFCF is issuing his hotly anticipated debut LP Continent on October 27th. This one promises to be jammed packed with psychedelic space disco jams that would make The Junior Boys bow in shame. Otherwise recently, the label also issued the new You Say Party! We Say Die! album, XXXX, and is also charged of taking care of Sweden's italo disco Queen Sally Shapiro in Canada. Other honorable Paper Bag roster members include Woodhands, Stars, Fembots, The Acorn, Winter Gloves, Rock Plaza Central and Slim Twig!

Moshi Moshi Music (UK)

The U.K. is home of some of the most cutting edge music in all fields. Moshi Moshi embodies the above statement in all aspects of the artists they sign. This summer I was lucky enough to catch the 10th Year Anniversary tour of Moshi Moshi Records in Montreal at the Sala Rosa. Incidentally, they had three of my favorite summer of 2009 Moshi Moshi bands performing. First up we had The Wave Pictures, a rock 3 piece featuring David Tattersall's low frequency falsetto, giving it somewhat of a trademark sound. Second was my favorite two piece band so far this year (with their album Yeah So released in June), Slow Club, a husband/wife creative duo singing about a variety of love related topics over his reverb infested accoustic guitar and her stand-up drum percussion madness(a recipe for something beautiful). Last but not least, Norwegian party music specialists, Casiokids, put up a solid closing performance. By that point I was pretty drunk and dancing to these clowns and their electro funk, with guitars, synths and high pitched vocals. I left the venue that night with a Casiokids T-Shirt on my back. There were only about 40 people at the show, clearly because no one distributes these bands in Canada yet, meaning that there is no press or marketing on them in the region.

Those are but a sample of the great depth featured on the Moshi Moshi roster. James Yuill's album last year, for example, was one of my favorites, featuring electro acoustic pop that rivaled Jose Gonzales and Fink. Otherwise, other bands worth mentioning from the Moshi Moshi roster are... Late of the Pier, Kate Nash, Au Revoir Simone, Fanfarlo, Hot Chip, Friendly Fires, Florence and the Machine and Architecture in Helsinki!

Labrador Records (Sweden)

Indie-pop is not better represented in the world than by Labarador Records. Through their solid roster of varied sounds, they've established themselves as a house hold name in quality. This year, important releases by The Legends, The Radio Dept. and The Sound of Arrows only reinforced that fact. Not to mention the signing of Little Big Adventure 2010 looks promising as twee pop veterans Club 8 are set for a release in April and a The Radio Dept. LP to follow this year's EP.

So there you have it. Notice I ignored American based labels? That's because they all get enough press already. Keep reading pitchfork media to stay in that mold...

Hey Youtube: Why should Barack Obama be impeached?

2009-10-03T14:17:00.005-04:00

Obama and Osama at Michelle Obama's birthday last year. Two thumbs up!

As a guy that seeks to understand as many point of views as possible, I decided earlier today to ask youtube a difficult question.

Why should Barack Obama be impeached?

Perhaps I made a mistake by asking this. Because it revealed a world built on fringe ideals that teeter, often, on the brink of pure hate and madness.

At least when Bush was there, some people were legitimately concerned as he and his cabinet blatantly lied to the world about WMDs in Iraq. But who says new President says new reasons to cry IMPEACH!!!

Let's dive right in shall we? Welcome to the Retard Gallery!

Our first commentary comes from a disgustingly obese southern guy who clearly fits our stereotypical redneck cliché. He is angry today. Very angry. Because Obama apparently plans on banning chewing tobacco. Here is a hilarious remix of the original youtube video. Beware however as chewing tobacco for all those years clearly has created some sort of cancerous ball of hate in his throat, something he is trying to unleash in this very video!!

Yikes. This guy, like many other fear mongers out there is quick to deface Obama as another Hitler. The health care reform bill will contain provisions similar to the Nazi T-4 program.

What is the Nazi T-4 program you ask? Well Hitler was ok with killing off those his staff deemed unworthy of life, and those who didn't have the right "racial hygiene". Clearly Obama is trying to do the same thing. He hates white people and gas chambers are coming to hospitals near you! Because only good genes should prevail in this overpopulated world! Come on! Who actually believes that! Lunatics of the far right, that's who. Obama has many faults, don't get me wrong. But I think that maybe we could engage in a real debate over these issues instead of smear campaigns and propagating hatefully lies.

But there is no end in sight. The whole conservative movement is sponsored by those who invest hundreds of millions of dollars in public opinion shifting operations, those who control the Hospitals, Health Care Inssurance companies and Big Pharma, all of whom who wish to keep the status quo; profits at record high.

Meanwhile, America remains the laughing stock of the rest of the developed world.

As a closing statement, make sure you get your IMPEACH OBAMA T-Shirts from the Impeach Obama Store, before the novelty runs out!!!

Jupiter One: Sunshower

2009-09-11T02:37:00.006-04:00

Needless to say, those of us who have somewhat lost faith in indie rock will breathe a sign of relief as they hear Jupiter One's sound...

This is more than your average 80s tinged love affair. There are no odes to The Smiths, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth or anyone else traditionally associated to indie rock!

Jup goes the length and offer a rather unpredictable sound. Sometimes they venture the same way Go Music Go has recently gone, reviving the arena rock sound of the 70s but with 'indie' aesthetic, which is perhaps the most surprising aspect of their music. They aren't afraid of the opposite end of the spectrum, though. While most of the album seems to ride a high energy dragon of calculated arrangements, the two end tracks offer a more mellow sort of campfire experience. This only goes to show that this band is versatile and dynamic, instead of keeping to one formula.

Kudos to them for their brilliantly composed and orchestrated album, which has in a sense, reinstated my faith in indie rock, by breaking tradition and barriers set forth by their peers and certain members of the press...

Jupiter One - Flaming Arrow

Brooklyn's Jupiter One is set to release their sophomore album "Sunshower" via Ryko on September 15th and are scheduled as opening act for Regina Spector across the US starting September 24th.