earbuds & ticket stubs

Rose Cousins - “Go First,” from her latest album We Have Made A Spark. A gorgeously shot video of a couple’s heart breaking and tender moments accompanies Rose’s immaculate voice.

See Rose Cousins on tour. She comes through Fredericton tomorrow night.

4/27 Saint John, NB - Sanctuary Theatre
4/28 Fredericton, NB - Charlotte Street Arts Centre
5/3 Toronto, ON – Rivoli
5/4 Waterloo, ON - First United Church
5/5 Wakefield, QC - Black Sheep Inn
5/6 Montreal, QC – Petite Campus
5/8 St. John’s, NL – The Rocket Room

Dan Mangan - “Post-War Blues,” from his Polaris-nominated and Juno-winning album Oh Fortune. In this video, Vancouver’s bearded bard gets political. Happy 30th birthday, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, don’t cut arts funding, and for God’s sake, don’t press the button!

This video make me crack out into a big smile, and I hope it does for you too! Calgary’s Samantha Savage Smith, who recently put on a charming show in Fredericton during her first jaunt through the east coast, has released the music video for “The Score.” Watch the band and their friends get pelted by food and other objects in slo-mo in the video.

Winnipeg’s Royal Canoe have released a new music video to go along with their infectious single “Hold Onto The Metal.” It’s imaginative, gorgeous, and colourfully textured, much like the band’s music. You can read my review of their latest and excellent EP Extended Play here.

Upcoming Canadian tour dates:

5/1 Hamilton, ON - The Casbah
5/2 Toronto, ON - The Garrison
5/3 Ottawa, ON - Raw Sugar
5/4 Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
5/18 Regina, SK - O’Hanlon’s
5/19 Saskatoon, SK - Amigo’s
5/22 Vancouver, BC - The Waldorf
5/23 Kelowna, BC - Habitat
5/25 Calgary, AB - Palomino Social Club
5/26 Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop
6/16 Winnipeg, MB - Old Market Square (Winnipeg International Jazzfest)

Great Lake Swimmers - “New Wild Everywhere.” It’s spring time for Great Lake Swimmers and Toronto! (10 points to whomever gets the reference.) 

Digging this new Cadence Weapon tune “Conditioning,” which comes off his upcoming album Hope in Dirt City. Look for it when it drops May 29.

Feist - “Bittersweet Memories.”

Library Voices will be playing at the Capital this Thursday. This sprawling Regina band recently won the SiriusXM Indie Award for Favourite Alternative Artist/Group of the Year, beating out other worthy contenders such as Grimes, Destroyer, Braids, and Sandro Perri.

To prepare you for the sheer riot that their show will be, here’s their latest video for “If Raymond Carver Were Born In The 90s.” It was made from spliced footage from the 80s cult BMX movie “Rad” that was filmed in Cochrane, Alberta.

Whoa— where in the world did these guys come from? Answering my own rhetorical question, Montreal’s Half Moon Run have released the video for single “Full Circle” from their debut LP Dark Eyes. It’s stellar. From the sounds of this, we should be hearing way more from this trio in the future.

Below is the track list for Dark Eyes, which will be released March 27.

1. Full Circle
2. Call Me in the Afternoon
3. No More Losing the War
4. She Wants to Know
5. Need It
6. Give Up
7. Judgement
8. Drug You
9. Nerve
10. Fire Escape
11. 21 Gun Salute

Rae Spoon - “Ocean Blue.” Read my review/opinion piece of their latest album I Can’t Keep All Of Our Secrets.