Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Today's Tune: Erin Passmore - "Downtown"




"Time to find a new interest in a town with nothing to do" sings Erin Passmore at the outset at the eponymous first single from her debut Downtown EP.  Recognizably about Passmore's hometown, Regina, this telling lyric is enough a justification of her continued pursuit of music as anything I've ever heard in a song. Besides, the song is as catchy as anything Passmore has released with her band, and must-see-live party-in-band-form Rah Rah. There's some more justification right there.

The Downtown EP comes out February 28 on Hidden Pony Records. You can stream the entire thing, with flavours of soul, doo-wop, bossa nova and folk at Erin Passmore's site, and you can download "Downtown" for free in exchange for an e-mail address (I suggest your own) below.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Today's Tune: Patrick Watson - "Into Giants"



When Patrick Watson sings the refrain "Started as lovers / Don't know where it's gonna end" on "Into Giants", off the upcoming album Adventures In Your Own Backyard (out on April 17th in Canada on Secret City Records, on Domino elsewhere), it feels painfully bittersweet. The plaintive repetition evokes the best kind of passionate relationship, whether it be a romantic one between two people or that between a musical artist and their most ardent fans. As can now be expected in Watson's songs, the unexpected rears it's head. In this, it's in the form of a fanfare-like trumpet that turns this adorable but otherwise ordinary pop gem into something altogether more anthemic and celebratory. Stream the song and download it for free at Patrick Watson's official site.

Green Eggs and Ham: Faster, Harder


This morning started, as perhaps all should, with a drum-and-bass flurry courtesy of Björk. From there, I plugged the upcoming house concert with The Low Anthem, explored how many downers I could play before feeling depressed, rocked some local colour with Powder Blue, danced, drank wine and rocked my body. Lots of stuff happened. Not all of it was memorable. Here's the playlist:

Björk - "Crystalline"
Doug Hoyer - "Oh, the Wind Will Blow"
Trailer Trash Tracys - "Dies In 55"
DJ Shadow - "Give Me Back The Nights" (economics version)
Rheostatics - "Who is that Man, and Why is he Laughing?"
The Low Anthem - "To Ohio"
Broken Records - "I Used To Dream"
Drawn Ship - "Silent Auction"
Nordic Nomadic - "Worldwide Skyline"
Powder Blue - "I Can Go On Forever"
Shigeto - "Huron River Drive"
Blondes - "Wine"
Shadow Dancer - "What Is Natural"
The Darcys - "Peg"
Steely Dan - "Peg"
Twin Sister - "Kimmi In A Rice Field"
Weed - "With Drug"
The Deele - "Body Talk"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Royal Baths - "Faster, Harder"
Shimmering Stars - "When I See You Again"
Paper Beat Scissors - "Rest Your Bones"
Patrick Watson - "Into Giants"

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Today's Tune: Paper Beat Scissors - "Rest Your Bones"



I have a man-crush on Tim Crabtree. Originally from England, the one-man heartmelter known as Paper Beat Scissors now calls Halifax home. I'm happy, because we Canucks can now pretend to claim him as one of our own (we like to do that here). He's a legal citizen. It's cool.

It's been a couple of years since the Paper Beat Scissors Flicker EP came out, and Crabtree - road warrior that he is - has been touring Canada relentlessly behind it ever since. It must have caught the attention of Michael Feuerstack (Snailhouse, Bell Orchestre) because his label, Forward Music,  is releasing the debut self-titled album (which he co-produced) "around 01 March" on CD and limited edition LP.

Take a listen to the album version of "Rest Your Bones", a favourite of mine. Live, PBS loops himself to create the glorious vocal harmonies. One can be a bit more expansive with recordings, and the song has been augmented with restrained horns and ethereal (I might even go as far as to say "Bon Iver-esque") backing vocals. Also below, the Here On Out video for "Rest Your Bones", made by Phil Creamer last year.




 

Monday, January 23, 2012

On the DL: The Darcys - AJA




If you're a critically acclaimed prog-folk band from Toronto, how do you follow up your excellent debut album (on Arts & Crafts, no less) that - in addition to selling physically - you gave away for free digitally?



Apparently, you strap on the guitars and record every song from the 1977 Steely Dan album AJA and give it away for free digitally. Bad business plan? Maybe not. As it says on The Darcys' website after the AJA download link is clicked,  "It is very important to us that this album is accessible and can be enjoyed easily. We are eager to have the world hear what we have spent a great deal of time creating. We would rather have you as a fan tomorrow than have a little of your money today." Absolutely amazing.

It's a fascinating tribute. Upon first listen,  AJA proves itself a worthy adaptation of a seminal work. It'll end up being a collector's item, too, as this second of 3 planned albums from The Darcys is also out today on limited edition coloured vinyl. Get downloading.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Green Eggs and Ham: Edge of Darkness


Everything old is new again. This week featured new tunes from the likes of Bear In Heaven, Teledrome and Rae Spoon mixed in with oldies/goodies from The Diodes, Eno & Cale and Cracker. That's right, no theme. But sometimes you've just gotta play 2 hours of solid music and hope for the best. Here's the playlist:


Eno & Cale - "Spinning Away"
Ferriswheel - "Feed Your Lion"
Young & Sexy - "The Fog"
jj - "Ice"
Miracle Fortress - "Tropic of Canada"
The Diodes - "Edge of Darkness"
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "Bottled Up In Cork"
The Deadly Snakes - "High Prices Going Down"
Each Other - "Odd Body of Water"
Black Dice - "Pigs"
D-Sisive - "The Unkown" (ft. Birdapres & Cadence Weapon)
Himanshu - "Computers"
Miike Snow - "Devil's Work"
Manitoulin - "The Grotto"
Rihanna - "We Found Love" (Star Slinger refix)
Bear In Heaven - "The Reflection of You"
Sans AIDS - "These Eyes"
Teledrome - "Dial Tone"
Laura Branigan - "Self Control"   *this week's Slice Of Cheese
Austra - "Lose It" (Paper Bag Sessions)
Eight And A Half - "Scissors"
Rae Spoon - "I Can't Keep All of Our Secrets"
Cracker - "Sweet Potato"
Yuck - "Stutter"
EMA - "Milkman"

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Video Diary: Sled Island 2011 Part 1

It's bone-chillingly cold in Saskatoon right now, so in an effort to warm you and keep your circulation going I've decided to share footage from Sled Island 2011 with you. Funny thing about going to a crazy jam-packed festival and bringing a video camera: a person might get a little carried away with the beers, might get a bit too endorphin-ey. So it looks like I suffered from an inability to hold the camera still, opting instead to rapidly zoom every 10 seconds. It's like watching a Shaw Brothers movie without any of the awesome fight scenes. You can also check out my Sled aftermath essay from back in the summer here. Huge thanks to CFCR for making this possible in the first place. Check back for future instalments.


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Today's Tune: Kathleen Edwards - "Empty Threat"



It's interesting that the cover art for folk/country/adult-alt-saviour Kathleen Edwards' new album Voyageur (out today) features the shape of the great lakes. These massive bodies of water spanning a significant (at least in terms of significance) piece of the USA/Canada border could almost be seen as a metaphor for Edwards herself. She is one of the rare artists (and one of the even rarer good artists) who has "crossed over", enjoying success in her homeland and the fallen empire below the 49th alike.

Interesting, too, that in the opening song on the album, the titular "empty threat" is that she is going to move to America. After recording an album this fantastic with somebody as influential right now as Bon Iver (née Justin Vernon), after transforming her already punchy sound into something as ethereal as the memory of her impressive vocal ability after the last note has faded away, she's bound to multiply her cross-border appeal by at least an order of magnitude.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday Finisher: Teen Daze - "Let's Groove"



One wouldn't expect B.C.'s Teen Daze, one of the artists initially saddled with the "chillwave" tag, to craft a disco pounder. It seems that's exactly what has happened. Not just any horn-blaring, undeniably catchy number will do. It's almost a perfect exploration of the genre. Billed as a new year's gift to his fans, Teen Daze posted the track up on his bandcamp right around the turn of the year. It's not just an NYE jam.  It'll do for just about any party. Get groovin'!


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Green Eggs and Ham: Peer Into The Crystal Ball




This week's show was a look ahead at 2012: music from releases coming out in the next few months by bands as diverse as Bidiniband, Frankie Rose and The Shins. I also paused to look at some of the bands we lost in the past year, with Broken Social Scene, C'mon, and Moby Dicks leading in to this week's slice of cheese, a miserable (ahem) classic from Soul Asylum. Wrap it up in a neat bow, call it the future. Here's the playlist:

Islands - "This Is Not A Song"
Georgia Anne Muldrow - "Seeds"
Cold Specks - "Holland"
Memoryhouse - "The Kids Were Wrong"
Joel Plaskett - "You're Mine"
Bidiniband - "Last of the Dead Wrong Things"
The Twilight Sad - "Another Bed"
Ceremony - "Hysteria"
Frankie Rose - "Know Me"
La Sera  - "Please Be My Third Eye"
Plants and Animals - "Lightshow"
Tanlines - "Brothers"
Grimes - "Genesis"
Trust - "Bulbform"
Broken Social Scene - "Sentimental X's"
Moby Dicks - "Spiders"
C'mon - "Too Bad For The Tin Man"
Soul Asylum - "Misery"    *this week's Slice of Cheese
The Shins - "Simple Song"
John K. Samson - "Stop Error"
Kathleen Edwards - "Change the Sheets"
of Montreal - "Dour Percentage"
Mac Demarco - "Baby's Wearin Blue Jeans"

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Today's Tune: Trust - "Bulbform"



If you saw my year-end best of list, you know I love Austra. Since I can only listen to that album so many times before craving at least a new scrap or tidbit, I was happy to be exposed to Trust's  "Candy Walls".

The duo of Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski (who happens to be in another band by the name of... Austra) fashion mid-tempo minimal techno like dark chocolate truffles: bittersweet and bracing with a glisteningly moist centre. After their 7" release of "Candy Walls", the excellent Sacred Bones Records (home to Zola Jesus, among others) released a second 7" single: "Bulbform". Darkly erotic dance music won't be ignored for long, though, so it looks like Trust have been snapped up by Arts & Crafts and are set to release their debut full-length, TRST, on February 28th.


Trust - Bulbform by Arts & Crafts

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Green Eggs and Ham: There's A Secret To Your Pleasure


Alarm clock woes and that thing where you try and get 5 minutes of extra sleep made me late this morning, but that didn't stop me from playing the crap out of the stuff I came to play. A look at Mates of States' "10 Years Later" 10 years later, daytime drama from our favourite sneering bottle-blonde, music from Quebec, B.C. and New Jersey, among other places. Here's the playlist:

Doug Tielli - "Riversea"
Daredevil Christopher Wright - "Darkness Darkness"
Sebadoh - "Give Up"
Big Troubles - "Minor Keys"
Kalle Mattson - "Thick As Thieves"
Islands - "This Is Not A Song"
d'Eon - "Transparency" (How To Dress Well rework)
We Are Wolves - "Y a longtemps que je couche par terre"
Teen Daze - "Let's Groove"
Siskiyou - "Dear Old Friend"
The Fresh & Onlys - "Do You Believe In Destiny?"
The Barmitzvah Brothers - "Little Sister"
Billy Idol - "Daytime Drama"   *this week's Slice of Cheese
Rich Aucoin - "Undead Pt. 1 - Estrangement"
Rich Aucoin - "Undead Pt. 2 - Reconciliation"
Mates of State - "10 Years Later"
Paper Beat Scissors - "Back Out"
Youth Lagoon - "Cannons"
Slim Twig - "There's A Secret To Your Pleasure"

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Top 11 Albums of 2011

Year-end lists have never been my forté. Lists in general are something I tend to agonize over for much longer than is sane. Yet, here we find ourselves at the beginning of a new calendar year. The holidays are over, the hangovers have been recovered from and there are just enough brain cells left to contemplate the music of the last 12 months. Truly full of future classics, this past cycle.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

 Sloan - The Double Cross


A lot of people like to hate on these guys. They've managed to rock pretty relentlessly for 20 years, long after most bands would have given up. Sure, not every one of their 10 albums has been outstanding, but this one certainly is. Four songwriters blend together on one of the most immediately replayable discs of the year.

Radiohead - The King of Limbs


This is by Radiohead. That lone fact is enough to allow it's presence on the list. There's more. It's self-released, experimental, funky, craggy art. These Brits have balls.

Active Child - You Are All I See


I guess you could call this moody white-boy nü-R&B. I call it an album that is affecting as it is danceable, perfect for blissed out summer beaches and chilling winter walks alike.  One listen to "High Priestess" and my mixture of hope and despair is enough to make me want to create through destruction.


Miracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?


This one took me by surprise. I remembered how much I loved the Miracle Fortress album The Five Roses, so I went to seem them/him back in the spring. The new batch of melancholic tunes, like the Talking Heads if David Byrne had been more into rave culture, caught me off guard and had me reaching into my wallet to make sure this would be in my collection immediately.







TOP 11 ALBUMS OF 2011



11. Das Racist - Relax


There's nothing I can say about Das Racist that hasn't already been said. Suffice it to say that in a year of pretty spectacular rap music from the likes of the Odd Future collective, Drake and Nacho Picasso, these guys managed to shoulder above the rest and put their unique brand of crazy on a slab of wax that will be on heavy rotation at my house for a long time to come. Greedhead, people. Watch out.

10. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong


That thing where I put on a record and get instantly transported to the mindset of my teenage self: when everything was much simpler but SO MUCH more difficult. When a glance, a brush past in the hallway of high school, or a few words could turn my whole consciousness inside out and the only way to think about it is to rock out in my room. That thing.

9. Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On


Not only did Timber Timbre perform one of the best live shows I was able to bear witness to this year, but this album proves both that the last one wasn't a fluke, and that people like supernatural swampy doo-wop music a whole heckuva lot. I want this album to be played at my funeral, not because it's morbid, but because it's so damn life-affirming.

8. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient

Everything on the album is impressive. The production, the songwriting, the musicianship. All combining to make me feel like I'm listening to Bruce Springsteen on hallucinogens from the other side of a wall in a dirty basement. This album takes hold.

7. tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L 

Merrill Garbus is a genius. It would be very easy to assume she is insane. Unfortunately, not the case. Merrill Garbus is just a genius.

6. Bry Webb - Provider

This unexpected gem from Constantines firebrand Bry Webb came, for me, out of nowhere. In hushed tones, sometimes even difficult to hear, Webb unfolds songs of fatherhood, love and the burden of responsibility that pack enough punch to leave the testosteroniest among us blubbering in a ball on the floor. More of this, please.


5. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

2 discs of lush, mostly dancefloor-ready crowdpleasers. Sure, they're aimed at the cheap seats. But sometimes it's in the cheap seats that you end up making out for the entire show and have an even better time than when you paid way too much money and ended up right next to a total bro who tried to sell you meth. My point is that this is an excellent album full of excellent songs.

4. Austra - Feel It Break

From the first time I heard "Beat and the Pulse", the first taste of this electro-goth project from Katie Stelmanis, over a year ago I had a feeling whatever full-length followed would end up being one of my favourite records. I was right. Turns out I know what I like, and what I like is dark disco.

3. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne

Wasn't sure if I should include this. I mean, it's pretty underground. Most people haven't heard of these rappers and they'll probably just end up being flashes in the pan. Oh well.













2. BRAIDS - Native Speaker


These upstarts from Montreal-via-Calgary have managed to create something so absolutely unique that not only does it defy classification, but I can say that with a straight face. Best live act of the year by far, BRAIDS will seduce you and then leave you feeling kind of dirty afterwards. Hypnotic, angelic, flirtatious, anthemic polyrhythmic proto-post-punk for a new generation. Or something.


1. Shotgun Jimmie - Transistor Sister

Finally busting out of the scrappy mold he had long been placed in, Shotgun Jimmie delivers a tight set of sugary power-pop that deserves to be heard by everybody. This is top of the heap for me simply because of the many things I found myself listening to in 2011, Transistor Sister was the album I found myself turning to the most. Now let's get drunk and flip the record over again.