New Dodos

The Dodos are set to follow up last year's spectacular Visiter with Time to Die. It's apparent they took a slightly more fine-tuned approach with getting the production and mixing exactly on point, a very subtle improvement (or simply a difference) in that department compared to Visiter which was a bit rougher around the edges. It's definitely not a massive departure from Visiter, if you loved that record you should enjoy this one about the same. At least that's my first impression. See for yourself:

The Dodos - Fables

Look out for the official digital release on July 27th/28th (UK/US), or a month later for the physical copy. Stream the album here. "Two Medicines" is an early standout. Tour details here.

Let's Pretend It's Friday Five

A few tracks I've been listening to lately:

Bibio's album Ambivalence Avenue is one of my summer favourites. Remember Badly Drawn Boy? This track is like that, but better.

Bibio - Lovers Carvings

Slow Club's much-anticipated album Yeah, So was released on Moshi Moshi earlier this month. It's really good.

Slow Club - Trophy Room

Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig finally teams up with Esau Mwamwaya for his project The Very Best - how amazing is this album going to be?

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

You can take the boy out of Canada but you can't take Canadiana out of the boy. I'm a huge fan of the Tragically Hip's more recent work; it seems they've really hit their stride since In Violet Light and new album We Are The Same is incredible.

The Tragically Hip - The Last Recluse

You'd be forgiven for assuming that three white Australian dudes would create god-awful hip hop. Hilltop Hoods are happy to prove everyone wrong. State of the Art was released last month and it's actually very, very good.

Hilltop Hoods - Still Standing

MIIKE SNOW

Gotta say this is my new favorite video. Hands down. Having been to Varanasi in April, there are so many snapshots in this clip that are unmistakable. The old radio repair joints, STD/ISD call shops, guesthouse and bakery signs painted on walls of the labyrinthine alleyways, kids, motorcycles, holy men, and especially the sunrise on the ghats as morning boatmen row back and forth on the Ganges. There were plenty of Swedish travellers in India, I'll have to find out more about the connection, if any, but the band clearly have some affection for the subcontinent. Go if you can, it's a one of a kind place.

Stockholm's Miike Snow has been making tons of noise with the brilliant pop songs on their self-titled Downtown Records debut. Chances are you've heard a single floating around online already. Much thanks to BTA scoopmaster a.m.p.m. for getting me to listen to the DJ Mehdi remix of "Burial" a while back. Check out some more goodness, "Silvia" especially with its piano intro and builds:

Miike Snow - Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)
Miike Snow - Animal
Miike Snow - Silvia

Lord Cut-Glass

Love woes in sepia tone = my favourite animated video this week.

The Art of The Music Video

Last week, I stumbled into a rather unconventional art gallery in my neighbourhood. Set up in an old house's living room and curated by Scott Cudmore, the exhibit was devoid of any paintings, sculptures or photography. Instead, the frames contained television screen playing music videos. Each display presented 3 different videos on a steady loop and provided a pair of headphones for visitors to listen.

Featuring a slew of amazing Canadian bands and filmmakers, this event gave the music video the attention it deserves. With Much Music and MTV straying from their mandate and YouTube changing well, everything, the purpose of the music video has had to be redefined.

A fantastic exhibit, these videos were amazingly strange, enthralling and creative. To my delight, most of them contained elements of animation, when not completely animated. Here is a particularly vibrant example by Toronto outfit DD/MM/YYYY.
Enjoy!

Julian Casablancas

Here's the "trailer" for the inevitable side-project from the Strokes' frontman. We've seen Albert Hammond's eponymous work, Little Joy, Nickel Eye, and now we have Julian's Phrazes for the Young. If the preview's representative of the majority of the record, I'm excited. The teaser video looks like its modeled after the work of Casablancas and Roman Coppola on the video for "Hard to Explain."