earbuds & ticket stubs

Hermetic is made up of two friends from BC, Eric Axen (baritone...

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:52:33 -0400

Hermetic is made up of two friends from BC, Eric Axen (baritone guitar, vocals) and Bart Newman (drums, backup vocals), who have been playing music together since their preteens. Their self-released album Civilized City draws from a wide variety of influences from grunge, lo-fi pop, to surf rock. Their sound is impressively full considering there’s only the two of them. Throughout, the album is filled with seamless tunes bolstered by rollicking drums and catchy guitar riffs, which are occasionally crisp and occasionally dirtily distorted.

Take a listen to Civilized City above, and grab it over on Hermetic’s Bandcamp if you like what you hear.

Cold Specks - “Winter Solstice.” A quivery, soulful...

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:56:29 -0400

Cold Specks - “Winter Solstice.” A quivery, soulful voice that drills into the depths. Her debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion was released on May 22nd, and you can stream it over at Exclaim!.

wearethecity: This past Saturday in New Westminster. Photo by...

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:43:34 -0400

wearethecity:

This past Saturday in New Westminster.

Photo by Linus Wong.

Contest: See David Simard on his east coast tour!

Mon, 28 May 2012 11:01:00 -0400

Contest: See David Simard on his east coast tour!: Back in March, I posted a glowing review of David...

Arcade Fire performs “The Last Time” (The Rolling...

Sun, 27 May 2012 10:37:18 -0400

Arcade Fire performs “The Last Time” (The Rolling Stones) on Saturday Night Live with Mick Jagger.

Upcoming Canadian Releases for Summer 2012 (CBC Radio 3)

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:58:00 -0400

Upcoming Canadian Releases for Summer 2012 (CBC Radio 3): Which ones are you most excited about?

Brian Dunn - “Radios (CBC),” from their upcoming...

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:49:02 -0400

Brian Dunn - “Radios (CBC),” from their upcoming sophomore album TVs and Radios, which is due out June 19. Talk about ear worms that get stuck in your head after one listen. “Turn the CBC back on…”

Brian Dunn Tour Dates:

June 14 - Toronto ON @ NXNE
June 15 - Sudbury ON @ Townehouse
June 16 - Sault Ste Marie ON @ Lop Lops
June 18 - Thunder Bay ON @ The Apollo
June 19 - Kenora ON @ Shooters Pub
June 20 - Winnipeg MB @ Pop Soda’s
June 21 - Regina SK @ The Exchange
June 22 - Lethbridge AB @ The Slice
June 23 - Edmonton AB @ The Black Dog
June 28 - Vancouver BC @ The Cobalt
June 29 - Calgary AB @ The Palomino
July 6/7/ 8 - Sudbury ON @ Northern Lights Fest. Boreal
July 10 - Kingston ON @ The Mansion
July 11 - Peterborough ON @ The Spill
July 12 - Ottawa ON @ TBA
July 13 - Montreal PQ @ TBA
July 14 - Guelph ON @ TBA
July 15 - Toronto ON @ The Garrison

Wow. Here’s a track to listen to over and over again....

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:52:00 -0400

Wow. Here’s a track to listen to over and over again. Stream Del Bel (ft. Bry Webb)’s nostalgic, boozy “No Cure for Loneliness” (B-Side) above, and download it for free over on Soundcloud.

Recorded in a lofi environment on a 4 track cassette tape player to capture the aesthetic of a 1930’s recording, Guelph-meets-Toronto collective Del Bel offers their new free tune featuring former Constantines frontman Bry Webb singing alongside Del Bel frontwoman Lisa Conway.

Stream the new Metric track - “Speed the Collapse”...

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:46:02 -0400

Stream the new Metric track - “Speed the Collapse” from upcoming Synthetica. The album will be out on June 12. Check out more album details and the previously released single “Youth Without Youth.”

So, a few musical news of note happened over the last three or...

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:46:01 -0400

So, a few musical news of note happened over the last three or so weeks while I was on vacation, one of which was the death of Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch. Toronto emcee D-Sisive has released a bumpin’ and apt tribute track to Yauch’s life and music named “Adam,” which you can stream above and download over on Soundcloud.

I knew I had to create something for him. I didn’t want to record the typical tribute song. MCA wasn’t typical and deserves better. I wanted to take it back to my childhood. The childhood they had impacted so heavily. I wanted to take it back to me, rapping Pass The Mic in a comb in front of a mirror in my bedroom, hat backwards, in my father’s work jacket. These were the moments that drove me to become an artist. And MCA helped me steer.

Thank you, Adam.

Congratulations to PEI’s Paper Lions for cracking one...

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:47:27 -0400

Congratulations to PEI’s Paper Lions for cracking one million views on their 2007 video for “Travelling”! Considerably bigger Canadian acts, such as Arcade Fire, Sarah McLachlan, The Tragically Hip, and Sam Roberts have yet to hit that milestone. Read more about their accomplishment over at CBC. Celebrate their slow and steady road to internet stardom by seeing them on tour:

Paper Lions Tour Dates:

June 1 @ Seahorse Tavern, HALIFAX, NS

June 15 @ El Mocambo, TORONTO, ON (**North by Northeast Festival Showcase)

June 22 @ Dragonboat Festival, OTTAWA

June 29 @ Yonge and Dundas Square, TORONTO

July 1 @ Follyfest, GAGETOWN, NB

July 13 @ The Capital, FREDERICTON, NB

July 14 @ Peppers Pub, SAINT JOHN, NB

The 2012 Wolfe Island Music Festival line-up announced

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:01:11 -0400

The 2012 Wolfe Island Music Festival line-up announced: Wolfe Island Music Festival 2012...

Album Review: Kalle Mattson find a happy medium on Lives in...

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:02:00 -0400

Album Review: Kalle Mattson find a happy medium on Lives in Between EP

Kalle Mattson, a five-piece folk pop group hailing from Sault Ste. Marie, tap into the purgatorial space between the shining goal in the distance and the disappearing horizon from which one has arrived. Their Lives in Between EP, which follows two full-length albums, sounds like the lament of a weary traveler, but more so, the exploration of a band that has found themselves exactly where they should be at a moment in time.

Bookended by “Someday” and “Miles in Between,” two melancholy acoustic numbers, Mattson and his band probe their goals— home. The homes they will make and the homes they’ve left. For a man “who’s sick and tired of bars and shitty rock & roll,” and sick and tired of watching the sun set, knowing it’s yet to rise on the face of his lover’s. These two tracks are adorned with some lovely plucked guitars, strings, and harmonica, making for beautifully layered folk-pop gems.

Mattson and his band are not content with dwelling in either longing or nostalgia, however. Nor do they dwell in the easy category of folk/singer-songwriter. The five-track EP have plenty of playful and experimental twists. “Sun Is Gone” has a Matt Costa-ish vibe, using horns and the tinkling of a xylophone to great effect. “The Shore” is the biggest departure in the EP, pairing distorted vocals with spacey yet jarring guitars, all driven by some insistent drumming. It’s definitely the most cacophonous and experimental of the bunch.

Kalle Mattson are recording their third full-length this year, and the Lives in Between EP serves as an excellent teaser and road marker for where their sound is going. Good places. But lives are all about the journey— and they sound fantastic right now.

Kalle Mattson are offering up all three of their albums, Whisper Bee (2009), Anchors (2011) and Lives in Between, for free download on their website. Go and grab it and do your ears a favour. Then make sure you catch them on tour. Dates are below.

May 9 - Sudbury, ON - The Townehouse
May 10 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Loplops
May 11 - North Bay, ON - TBA
May 12 - Sarnia, ON - Paddy Flahertys
May 15 - Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
May 17 - Moncton, NB - Plan B Lounge
May 18 - Sydney, NS - Govenors Pub
May 19 - Fredericton, NB - The Capital
May 20 - Halifax, NS - The Carleton
May 22 - Kingston, ON - TBA
May 23 - Toronto, ON - The Supermarket
May 24 - London, ON - The Brass
May 25 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
May 26 - Peterborough, ON - The Spill

Wind Up Radio Sessions - “Little Bird.” This...

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:02:34 -0400

Wind Up Radio Sessions - “Little Bird.” This Montreal quartet will be releasing their sophomore album Bird Eyes on May 22nd. Stream the single above, grab it for free over on Soundcloud, and check out the album and the band on tour if you like what you hear!

Wind Up Radio Sessions Canadian tour dates:

May 24: Ottawa, ON – Raw Sugar Cafe

May 25: Hamilton, ON – The Casbah Lounge

May 26: Guelph, ON – The Cornerstone

May 27: Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge

May 30: Thunder Bay, ON – The Apollo

May 31: Winnipeg, MB – Frames Arts Warehouse

June 1: Saskatoon, SK – Lydia’s

June 2: Calgary, AB – The Palamino Steakhouse and Social Club (afternoon show)

June 3: Edmonton, AB – Wunderbar Hofbrauhaus

June 5: Kamloops, BC – The Art We Are

June 6: Vancouver, BC – The Railway Club

June 7: Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar

June 8: Duncan, BC – Garage Showroom

June 9: Kelowna, BC – Streaming Cafe

June 20: Quebec City, QC – Coop l’Agitée

June 21: Fredericton, NB – The Cedar Tree

June 22: Halifax, NS – TBA

June 23: Charlottetown, PEI – Baba’s Lounge

June 24: Moncton, NB - PlanB

The Crackling - “Keep Me Drunk.” Loving his gritty...

Sat, 05 May 2012 11:02:20 -0400

The Crackling - “Keep Me Drunk.” Loving his gritty voice, and the angelic accompaniment by the Vancouver Children’s Choir near the end. Kenton Loewen, best known for being a part of Dan Mangan’s band, will be releasing Ashen to follow his debut album under this moniker. The EP will be released on May 22nd. In the meanwhile, listen to the single streaming above, and download it over on Soundcloud.

Brian Borcherdt (of Holy Fuck fame) has teamed up with producer...

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:00:52 -0400

Brian Borcherdt (of Holy Fuck fame) has teamed up with producer Leon Taheny (Final Fantasy, Bruce Peninsula) to form Dusted. Their debut album Total Dust will be released July 10th, and the duo has released a teaser video for single “(Into The) Atmosphere,” which you can see above. It’s a serious piece of expansive elation. You can stream the whole track over on Exclaim!, and if you like what you hear, pre-order the album from label Hand Drawn Dracula.

TOTAL DUST Track Listing:

1. All Comes Down
2. (Into The) Atmosphere
3. Cut Them Free
4. Low Humming
5. Bruises
6. Pale Light
7. Property Lines
8. Dusted
9. Long It Lasts
10. There Somehow

Album Review: Long Distance Runners hit all the right notes on...

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:32:27 -0400

Album Review: Long Distance Runners hit all the right notes on Tracks

Many people have the three strikes rule for dates— c’mon, admit it. If someone flaked out on me up three times, they’re not getting another chance. I think it’s time the flip side of that coin was instituted, as in, if someone does three things incredibly right, they’re good as gold.

If Newfoundland’s Long Distance Runners were my date, we’d be solid. Firstly, “Election Day,” the single from their debut LP Tracks, piqued my attention the second it landed in my inbox. Check. I then saw them play at the Cedar Tree Cafe in Fredericton last week, where the band put a perpetual smile on my face and caused my date to proclaim that they reminded him of the Beatles and Kinks… “but more progressive sounding.” Check number 2. Lastly, I just threw a housewarming this past weekend, and several Tracks tracks (“Election Day,” “If I Forget To Say I Love You,” “Credits Roll”) landed on the dinner party playlist. High praise for an album I hadn’t even had time to review yet!

In short, let this catchy, completely enjoyable and excellent album woo you. I see myself listening to this one a lot as the weather gets warmer. Grab Tracks over on Long Distance Runners’ website.

exclaimdotca: Kingston, ON hometown heroes PS I Love You are on...

Wed, 02 May 2012 16:28:51 -0400

exclaimdotca:

Kingston, ON hometown heroes PS I Love You are on the cover of Exclaim! this month and their new album Death Dreams is streaming over on exclaim.ca now.

Here’s last year’s video for ‘Get Over’ off PS I Love You’s 2010 debut, Meet Me At The Muster Station.

Shameless plug: I was an extra in this video and you can see me for about a second around the 0:34 mark wearing plaid and playing pool! -JM

Album Review: Half Moon Run display dramatic flair on Dark...

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:57:02 -0400

Album Review: Half Moon Run display dramatic flair on Dark Eyes

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a well-worn cliché. Sometimes, however, the cover art and illustrations of an album inform hazy impressions of the music, shaping them into into something concrete. (No better way to advocate for buying music in physical form, right?) This was the case for Dark Eyes, the debut album from Montreal’s psychedelic pop trio Half Moon Run. On the cover, the embers of a dying fire smolder in the dark, charcoal smoke wafting up to hands reaching for— yet avoiding— its heat. Similarly, there’s subdued tension within the 11 tracks of atmospheric, textured rock. Deft and insistent drums are paired with aloof falsettos, spacey synths, and echoey three part harmonies. The result is a pulsating, glittering 40 minutes of tension and elation.

As listeners flip through the included illustrations, we see the three band members, scantily dressed, shooting streams of sparks into the night sky, using the powers of fire to both illuminate and conceal, simultaneously fearing the ferocity of its presence and the chill of its absence. On one hand, tracks “Full Circle” and “Judgment” are sparkling pop tunes that sound instantly familiar. On the other, those seeking to back away from the fire into the shadows will enjoy moodier tracks like “No More Losing the War,” “Give Up” and “Fire Escape.” And with tracks “She Wants to Know” and “Drug You,” listeners experience layers upon layers of sonic expansion until they dissipate into the night sky. It’s apt that closing track “21 Gun Salute” sparkles, flares up, scatters, then fades off into silence.

You can stream Dark Eyes over on Half Moon Run’s website here. You can grab the album over on their Bandcamp… and may we recommend the physical album?

Metric have finally released the first single from upcoming...

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:02:50 -0400

Metric have finally released the first single from upcoming album Synthetica, “Youth Without Youth.” It’s a guitar-driven rocker, a departure from the dreamier synth pop aesthetic of Fantasies. Synthetica will be out June 12th.