Hot Chip, Hot Single

There is much that can be said about this five-piece from London. Headed by 8-bit star Alexis Taylor and certified beat muncher Joe Goddard, Hot Chip has eased their way onto dance floors around the globe. And when I say "eased their way" I really mean it; Hot Chip does not have the super fast dance sound that seems to be popular these days, but they take it easy. The first few lyrics of their 2006 smash hit Over and Over start with Alexis muttering "Laid Back / Laid Back / I'll give you laid back". Early in 2008 they are releasing a new disc entitled Made in the Dark to follow their well received The Warning (coming in fourth on NME's best of 06) and it seems like they're taking it even easier. The first single entitled Ready for the Floor is very laid back and plays into the dualities that Hot Chip have expressed over their 2 disc career.

My chips are melting already.

[MP3] Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip

[MP3] Shake A Fist - Hot Chip

[MP3] Kids with Guns (Hot Chip Remix) - Gorillaz


[VIDEO] Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip


Cheers,
MF Blaz

The (Real-Life, Emotional) Teenagers - New Album Countdown

As a socio-demographic, teenagers are acknowledged to be hormonal, dramatic, and generally irresponsible, but a shit ton of fun. In fact, most any washed-up, fattened middle-ager has no qualms about admitting that being a teenager is certainly as good as it gets.

Carrying those same stereotypes to their keypads and distortion pedals are Paris, France's the Teenagers. Unless you're a rarely-to-never music blog frequenter, there's a solid chance you've caught wind of these characters at some point in 2007, likely as providers of some of the sweetest remixes of some pretty stellar bands. BTA first reported on some of these mixes in April of this past year, and they're in absolute abundance on hype machine and others. But January 15th sees the digital release of their debut album, Reality Check and subsequent North American touring, followed by the worldwide physical release March 18th. Their 12-stop jaunt across North America begins on the 18th of January in Vancouver, their first of three Canadian dates.

January 18 - Vancouver - Richards on Richards
January 27 - Toronto - Social (tickets)
January 29 - Montreal - Just For Laughs

The album seems to be made up tracks previously available on the interweb, but may serve as a mainstream introduction to the crude, ironic electro-pop that has already caught the attention of many o' youth and young adult.

01) Homecoming
02) Love No
03) Feeling Better
04) Starlett Johansson
05) Streets of Paris
06) Make It Happen
07) Wheel of Fortune
08) Fuck Nicole
09) Sunset Beach
11) III
12) End of the Road

Plus, a brand new track, which isn't included in the upcoming release.

Teenagers - Tiger

- bbbykmbrly.

Best Hip Hop of 07

My more committed BTA brethren have promptly contributed great selections of 2007's best, with one category left largely untouched: Hip Hop in '07. If we are talking the best, all aspects considered, then the self-proclaimed best rapper alive is king. Neither Kanye, nor Common, T.I., or anybody else could even touch Weezy F. Baby this past year, which he so eloquently articulates by saying "I'm so motherfucking high I can eat a star." Better yet, "Understand I am Michael Jordan ballin'." Bold, yes...from anybody else these bars would sound plain horrible, ignorant even. But he's not bullshitting you, because when your 2007 mixtape record reads like the following:

Bad Ass Grasshopper, The Beast and The Hustla, The Best Rapper Alive, The Best Rapper Alive Vol. 2, The Best Rapper Alive Vol. 3, The Best Rapper Alive Vol. 4, The Best Rapper Alive Vol. 5, Carter Files, Carter vs. Carter, The Carter Meets The Cartel, Da Drought 3, The Drought Is Over Pt. 2, The Drought Is Over Pt. 3, The Drought Is Over Pt. 4, From 9/11 to Katrina Vol. 1, Jackin for Beats, Lil' Wayne vs. Weezy F. Baby, Lyrical Homicide Pt. 1, Lyrical Homicide Pt. 2, New Orleans Nightmare Pt. 1-7, R & Weezy, The Rapper Eater, SQ7, Wayne's World Part 3, Wayne's World Vol. 2, Where's My Crown At? Vol. 3, Young Money (The Best of Lil' Wayne), Young Money Millionaire, Young Money Millionaire Pt. 2, Young Money Millionaire Pt. 3, Young Money Millionaire Pt. 4

...and you are, like Wallace and Carter before you, known for writing nothing...and your freestyles are limitless...and Pitchfork digs you as much as those in any hood...and you came out with "Upgrade," which contains:

It's a new game and I'm the coach like Avery
Leave it to the flow we getting dough like a bakery
I don't really want to but these niggas makin' me
Put a motherfucker on ice like the Maple Leafs
That's a hockey team and I ain't on no hockey team
But I'm a champion, where's the fuckin Rocky Theme
Damn...rest in peace Apollo Creed
I'm a monster. Everyday is Halloween

...then you win. The most notable Toronto sports reference in hip hop history comes courtesy of the New Orleans quote machine, go figure. The Carter III reportedly drops February 15, 2008.

Lil' Wayne - Upgrade

Enough praise for one talent, check out also some other standout tracks of 2007, a short list the BTA writers will pad as needed (minus Soulja Boy, which yes, was fun, bet let's move on). Paper Planes is on everybody's radar, rightly so...how about the remix with Bun B and Rich Boy?

M.I.A. - Paper Planes feat. Bun B & Rich Boy
El-P - Dear Sirs
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
UGK feat. Outkast - International Players

- B.A.

Smashing Pumpkins release American Gothic EP; no one really cares.

Alright, so I might get some flak for the title of this one (especially from bbby's better half) but it's true. No one really cares about the Smashing Pumpkins anymore. Sure they released a full length back in the heat of '07 that surpassed all expectations for the newly reformed Pumpkins, but did that really catch the attention of the music world? Not really. The LP was only slightly better than expected but it still wasn't that great an album. Not only that but the "new" Smashing Pumpkins are just a different reconfiguration of Zwan...so in fact you can say that the "new" Smashing Pumpkins are actually just a "new" Zwan playing Smashing Pumpkins covers...does that make sense?

Anyways, yesterday they released a short 20-minute 4-track EP entitled American Gothic and it's...uh...well...it's actually alright. The lyrics still lack the torment of old Billy; the first lines of track Again, Again, Again go "I love you / I don't even care." - masterful Bill, masterful. The lyrics, although shitty, do work well with the sound but is it just me or do they sound like they're trying to be the Foo Fighters? Anyways, the EP is worth the 20 minute listen but don't expect too much.

I'm going to throw on Mellon Collie and cry over spilt milk.

Smashing Pumpkins - Again, Again, Again

Smashing Pumpkins - Pox

Cheers,
MF Blaz

Best of 2007 Volume 2

a.m.p.m.'s 2007 mix:

01 Franz Ferdinand - All My Friends
02 Okkervil River - Unless It's Kicks
03 M.I.A. - Paper Planes
04 Justice - Valentine
05 Yeasayer - 2080
06 The Tough Alliance - Looking For Gold
07 Handsome Furs - Dead + Rural
08 Band of Horses - The General Specific
09 Black Kids - Listen To Your Body Tonight
10 Feist - My Moon My Man
11 Spoon - Rhthm & Soul
12 Of Montreal - She's A Rejector
13 The National - Slow Show
14 Radiohead - Faust Arp
15 Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
16 Tokyo Police Club - Box
17 Crystal Castles vs HEALTH - Crimewave
18 Rigas - The Hardest Pocket To Pick
19 Tullycraft - The Punks Are Writing Love Songs
20 Architecture in Helsinki - Heart It Races
21 The Weakerthans - Night Windows
22 Seabear - I Sing I Swim
23 Calexico - Ocean Of Noise

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE MIX HERE

My 2006 mix is also still available here.

- a.m.p.m.

(thanks again to tapedeck.org for the image)

MSTRKRFT: Doing big things in 2008

The other night I had the chance to help a friend out by covering a MSTRKRFT show and interview. Now, I feel I shouldn't say too much about it as it hasn't been aired yet, but we did get the chance to talk about the ever changing electronic music scene, the art of remixing, and what the guys have in store for the new year. The guys explained that they were going to try to stay away from the remixing for a while to focus on other things. We then asked them if they ever wanted to dabble with any hip-hop remixes, as their tracks to date are almost exclusively indie rock or dance groups. They revealed that they had in fact been recently approached by a hip-hop artist, not really indicating though if this would be a remix or collaborative effort. When we tried to get the name of the artist out of them they kept quiet, but did say that to do something like this, it would have to be someone fairly significant in the game and a means to move them forward as artists. I like to think it's going to be with Kanye with the whole A-trak connection. As for the set itself, I had heard mixed things about their performance, but I was pretty into the show. In between filming I was able to dance to a great remix of 'Genesis' by Justice along with some other unheard goodies. Too bad the girl beside me kept calling me a Unicorn..and other various mythological beasts.



- Matty B.

MSTRKRFT - Paris

Looking Forward: 2008

Above Photo by No Pattern
So I hope that everyone got belligerently drunk last night and had an excellent new years eve. Bbbykmbrly, a.m.p.m, and myself headed over to the party at Sneaky Dee's and had a most excellent time; even running across the street to Bistro at two in the morning to catch some eight dollar pitchers. But now let's put the past behind us and look towards the future. The future of rawk and roll. There are some releases coming out in the next few months that are worth noting and I'll provide you with a little list of the sound that is to come.

Looking Forward 2008
Please note that all release dates/album titles are subject to change.

January
[Artist/Album/Label]
08th Syclops / Where's Jason's K? / DFA
15th Constantines / Hard Feelings, Easy Money 7" / Arts & Crafts
22nd Cat Power / Jukebox / Matador
22nd MGMT / Oracular Spectacular / Columbia
22nd Steve Aoki / Pillowface and his Airplane Chronicles / Thrive
22nd Times New Viking / Rip It Off / Matador
29th Helio Sequence / Keep Your Eyes Ahead / Sub Pop
29th Louis XIV / Slick Dogs and Ponies / Atlantic
29th The Mars Volta / The Bedlam in Goliath / Universal
29th Sons & Daughters / The Gift / Domino
29th These New Puritans / Navigate, Navigate 12" / Domino
29th Vampire Weekend / Vampire Weekend / XL
29th Xiu Xiu / Women As Lovers / Kill Rock Stars

February
[Artist/Album/Label]
05th Hot Chip / Made in the Dark / DFA, Astralwerks
05th Jason Collett / Here's to Being Here / Arts & Crafts
12th British Sea Power / Do You Like Rock Music? / Rough Trade
19th 65 Days of Static / The Fall of Math / Monotreme, Cargo UK
19th Crystal Castles / Crystal Castles / Last Gang Records
19th Joy Division / Let The Movie Begin LP / Ozit, Cargo UK
19th Ravonettes / Lust Lust Lust / Vice
26th B-52's / Funples / Astralwerks
26th Born Ruffians / Red, Yellow & Blue / Warp
26th Del the Funky Homosapien / Eleventh Hour / Def Jux

March
[Artist/Album/Label]
18th Be Your Own Pet / Get Awkward / Ecstatic Peace, Universal
18th Destroyer / Trouble in Dreams / Merge
18th These New Puritans w. Silver Mt. Zion / Beat Pyramid / Domino

April
[Artist/Album/Label]
08th Animal Collective / Water Curses / Domino
08th Breeders / Mountain Battles / 4AD
08th Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds / Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! / Anti-

Cheers,
MF Blaz

Mixed Tapes: Best of 07

You can download the individual tracks or download the zip file provided below.

The Snob Machine Presents: The Best of '07
Hello! - Junior Senior
Hip Hop A Lula - Junior Senior
The Year Before the Year 2000 - Les Savy Fav
Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
Labyrinthian Pomp - Of Montreal
Ddiamondd - Battles
$20 - M.I.A
Driving Me Wild - Common feat. Lily Allen
D.A.N.C.E (Mstrkrft Remix) - Justice
Kiss Kiss - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
McFearless - Kings of Leon
Mistaken For Strangers - The National
Don't Make Me A Target - Spoon
Wet and Rusting - Menomena
All I Need - Radiohead
Northern Whale - The Good, the Bad, and the Queen
We've Got Everything - Modest Mouse
Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
Box - Tokyo Police Club
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend
My Body is a Cage - The Arcade Fire

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE COMPILATION HERE.

Cheers,
MF Blaz

Klezmer...wtf is Klezmer?

[Video]: Socalled - You Are Never Alone

Cheers, Happy New Years
MF Blaz

It's Hard to Admit Sometimes...

/start rather pointless ramble...

nerd:

1.	a stupid, irritating, ineffectual, or unattractive person.

2.	an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.

Ok, well, the definition of "nerd" is one that isn't as pleasant as I expected. I was going to write "Hey, look, I'm a nerd." But now, it's hard to justify that title with a definition like that. But alas, I am a nerd, a geek, a gamer and internet whore. I like video games and MMORPGS, I like reading about wormholes and about the possibility of life on other planets. But I also like music. One of the reasons I began to really listen to whole albums as opposed to single tracks is because when I played World of Warcraft (yes, WoW, I played it. I played it hard.) I would throw on an album and just leave it. By doing this I discovered an untold amount of music by just letting my playlists play or letting shuffle do the work for a couple of hours.

Ok, so now you might be asking, "why the fuck is Blaz (which happened to be my name for two years on Azshara/Mug'thol [70 Warlock]) admitting that he is a loser?". Well, it's because I recently fell in love with a song by the artist known as Datarock.

/end rather pointless ramble...

So I know that Datarock has been around for some time, their debut album Datarock Datarock was released in 2005 on the band's own label YAP (Young Aspiring Professionals) and was met with generally favourable reviews; the deities at Pitchfork gave it a 7.8 which isn't so bad. One of my favourite Datarock tracks, and the one that caused all this rambling, is entitled Computer Camp Love and is probably the best pseudo-cover of a song from the movie Grease. Yes, you read correctly, it's a pseudo-cover from the movie Grease. It's not a true cover but it uses elements of the song and you can tell it's sort of a tribute to Summer Lovin'. Rather brilliant if I can say so myself. So, if you are a self respecting "nerd" I urge you to listen to the track below and have yourself a laugh.

Listen, life's alright outside the screen...it's just better inside.

Datarock - Computer Camp Love

Cheers,
MF Blaz

oh oh wait, and ps.
if you act now you can get this really great fan-made music video for the incredibly low price of free ninety-nine.

Happy Festivus for the rest of us...

So it's christmas time and everyone is probably opening presents and getting nice and toasty with their families and bottles of spiced rum.

Spiced rum, Santas favorite. Speaking of favorites, one of my favorite groups, Belle & Sebastian has been a bit quiet since their last record The Life Presuit and they finally have released some new music just in time for the holiday. It's even holiday flavoured! Are You Coming Home From Christmas is avaibable only for the next 24 hours at Belle and Seb's website here and it's a nice little holiday diddy.

Cheers, happy holidays.

-MF Blaz

Family Time

French-Israeli duo Winter Family represents the type of cultural fusion that often works suprisingly well musically. Israeli artist Ruth Rosenthal supplies vocals and French musician Xavier Klaine creates the music; the result is quiet magic. According to Sub Rosa Records, the 14 tracks on their debut double album (released back in August) were recorded in three apartments, a parking lot, a club in Tel Aviv and a church in Lorraine.

Winter Family will be at the Horse Hospital in London in May, and I will be there.

- a.m.p.m.

Winter Family - Auschwitz
Winter Family - Garden

Archangel of London

If you haven't heard Burial's new album Untrue yet, check out the track below. Any fan of this dubstep shizz will find that the rest of the disc is equally tight, so ask for it for Christmas or go buy it or something. It's well worth it.

- a.m.p.m.

Burial - Archangel

Ice Cream is Going to Save the Day...

Let's look back to what I refer to as the golden years of my music listening career. I was young, I was bold and I certainly would never dance at a disco. If you were to hand me tracks from Girl Talk or The Knife I would scoff at you and give you an At the Drive-In record or the DFA '79 (RIP) demo. Fast-forward a few years and I can dance with the best of them. In fact, dancing to the likes of Justice or MSTRKRFT has become a well-enjoyed weekend pastime for me. I have no one else to thank but my dance-loving friends from university and a little place in Ottawa called Zaphod Beeblebrox. Don't get me wrong, bands like ATDI and DFA still top my favourite artist lists, but dance artists have become a mainstay on my ipizzle.

The electroclash/dance artist from Melbourne, Aussieland known as Muscles is the latest addition to my ever-expanding music collection. His late 2007 release Guns Babes Lemonade is an eclectic mix of pop songs and dance floor anthems, all with brilliantly laid out tongue-in-cheek sing-alongs that blur the line between laptop pop and arena chanting. On the album's stand-out track (and my personal favourite, the song that got me hooked) Ice Cream, Muscles juxtaposes club violence "he could have a knife / stab me in the gut / bleeding on the floor / shoulda kept my mouth shut" with dancing with our shirts off " i just wanna dance with my shirt off".

Bloody brilliant. Electro-pop may be on its way out but it's albums like this that will make me fondly remember the days when I was just another sweaty body in a sea of happy, sweaty people.

Muscles - Ice Cream

Muscles - Sweaty

- MF Blaz

Daft Punk: Electroma

Two Fridays ago saw Vice Canada (and perhaps others) presenting a midnight screening of Daft Punk's feature film, Electroma at the Royal Cinema, conveniently located a half-block from my house. Given that it was a one-time only showing, it was so close, and Daft Punk made a movie that I hadn't yet seen, there was only one Friday night option: get baked and go see this 1-hour long offering from France's favourite robot brothers.

I'll be honest - my expectations weren't that high. I already knew the premise, read some lukewarm reviews, and knew that sitting through a silent film at midnight while high without falling asleep was going to be a chore. But I did it, and I'm a better person for it.

That isn't to say it was particularly good. In fact, had I known that IMDB's eight-sentence plot summary was actually a fully description of literally everything that takes place in the film, I may have stuck around the homestead.

But given that I can't take back the 74 minutes, I opt instead to think of what was good about the flick: a diverse and fitting music soundtrack, scenes of dramatic robot suicide, and the hilarity of drastically oversized human heads.

Actually, writing off the remainder of the film as mediocre-to-terrible is probably unfair. Instead, Electroma's failure lay almost exclusively in the Vincent Gallo-esque pacing - each scene realistically could have been portrayed in one-fifth the time it took to actually unfold. Instead of being captivated, the audience felt more like with the beginning of each scene came the understanding that they could rest their eyes for the following 7 minutes and still awake in time to gather the gist of what happened in time for the next scene change.

But yes. Robots do melt and explode, and their human-replica heads are reminiscent of a bobblehead come to life (think: the ever-amusing "big head" option in NHL 2005 for PS2). So in that, Electroma can't be that bad. And, the music really shines.

Somewhat surprisingly, the soundtrack is comprised of nothing Daft. Instead, it includes everything from Chopin to Curtis Mayfield and psych-rock forefather (and Liv Tyler's adopted father) Todd Rundgren, as well as a signature ethereal offering from Brian Eno. Each track does its best to bring a sense of identity to otherwise bland series of scenes that are at times difficult to sit still through.

From the Electroma OST

Todd Rundgren - International Feel

Sebastian Tellier - Universe

Curtis Mayfield - Billy Jack

Bonus: from Alive 2007

Daft Punk - Robot Rock/Oh Yeah

- bbbykmbrly.

Free Black Kids Shows

Yes, you read correctly. Our friends at VICE are giving away free tickets for their live tour featuring Black Kids, Friendly Fires and Ipso Facto. All three bands are pretty darn good, but as previously reported, Black Kids have a special place in the hearts of those of us at BTA.

Lucky fans in London, Manchester and Bristol can register for free tickets here; band bios and myspace links can be found here. The gig in London is at 93 Feet East, which is wicked. I think it's first come, first served, so reserve your place now.

- a.m.p.m.

Black Kids - I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)
Friendly Fires - Paris
Ipso Facto - Balderdash

bonus random cover:
Kate Nash - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (Black Kids cover)

Middle MGMT

The story of Brooklyn, NY's MGMT (pronounced "management") is that of two friends who consciously opted to cash in instead of packing it in. In 2002, while studying music at a nowhere university in nowhere, Connecticut, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser formed a "band" - an electronic rock two-piece whose first gig consisted of a never-ending rendition of the theme to Ghostbusters in a dorm room.

In the half-decade that has passed, the duo have come from playing music for their own amusement, to almost playing none at all, to forming a full band and touring with the likes of Of Montreal and the Fiery Furnaces, to shamelessly signing to Columbia records. Their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, was released this winter in the US and hits Canada January 22nd of the new year.

Produced by Flaming Lips' go-to guy Dave Fridmann, Oracular blends elements of electro, prog rock, experimental/indie and disco. Each of the 10 tracks have an entirely unique flavour, and one can assume that their list of influences might read like a detailed history of a Syd Barrett-inspired generation.

The obvious stand-out track is the first one. Time to Pretend kicks off the album with a flashy combination of crunchy bass, an impossible-to-ignore keyboard hook, and lyrics which display their tongue-in-cheek viewpoint on life as a rock star. Time to Pretend has single-handedly landed the band on the "top artist to watch in 2008" radar for Rolling Stone and others, and recently found itself in Pitchfork's top 100 songs of 2007, released late last week.

Other highlights include Weekend Wars, whose vocals rip a page from Ziggy Stardust, the undeniable disco-funk of Electric Feel, and the synth-rock gem Kids.

MGMT kicks off their North-American tour with a.m.p.m's latest discovery, Yeasayer, January 16th and includes a stop at the El Mocambo in Toronto on February 9th.

MGMT - Time to Pretend
MGMT - Electric Feel
MGMT - Kids

- bbbykmbrly.

Looking Back: 2003

As previously acknowledged by a.m.p.m., this the season for kicking off free-time afforded by Christmas holidays by dedicating it to rifling through all the best music of the past year. Here at BTA (and with many others), it's a tradition to create year-end "best of" compilations and trade them around with each other and our friends. These compilations serve as a time-capsule for the soundtrack that lead our lives in previous years, and thus are always interesting to revisit.

With that, here's my own "best of" mix from the calendar year 2003, posted below. As I listened to it today for the first time since soon after it was created, I was at once nostalgic, entertained, embarrassed, and intrigued by the selections of my then 21-year-old self. Some of these songs truly stand the test of (four years) time and have become representative of some great moments in the not-so distant past, whilst others are, well... not going to resemble much on my upcoming 07 mix. I'll leave it to you to guess which are which.

The whole mix is available as a .zip file here. Single tracks are below.

Cursive - The Ugly Organist/Some Red-Handed Slight of Hand (from the Ugly Organ)
the Strokes - Reptilia (from Room on Fire)
Motion City Soundtrack - Don't Call it a Comeback (from I am the Movie)
Ryan Adams - This is it (from Rock n' Roll)
the Dandy Warhols - the Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone (from Welcome to the Monkey House)
the Postal Service - Sleeping In (from Give Up)
A Perfect Circle - the Nurse who Loved Me (from Thirteenth Step)
Matthew Good - 21st Century Living (from Avalanche)
Hey Mercedes - We Had a Blast! (from Loses Control)
the Stills - Still in Love Song (from Logic Will Break Your Heart)
Junior Senior - Move Your Feet (from D-D-Don't Stop the Beat)
Brand New - the Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot (from Deja Entendu)
Coheed and Cambria - A Favour House Atlantic (from In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth III)
Moneen - To Say Something that Means Nothing to Anyone at All (from Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?)
White Stripes - Its True That We Love One Another (from Elephant)
Alkaline Trio - Blue in the Face (from Good Mourning)
the Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site (from Reconstruction Site)
Buck 65 - Roses and Bluejays (from Talkin' Honky Blues)
Lucinda Williams - Righteously (from World Without Tears)
Mars Volta - Son et Lumiere (from De Loused in the Comatorium)

In general, revisiting this mix is a lot like flipping through the scrapbook that your mother has been keeping of you since kindergarten; equal parts bad haircuts and great memories. As much as you don't want your new girlfriend to see it, you still take great joy in flipping through it yourself.

- bbbykmbrly.

Oh My God

A few weeks ago I had the chance to see Ida Maria for free. So I did. And it was great.

The group is technically from Stockholm but is fronted by Norwegian Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen. The Guardian describes Ida Maria's sound as "Sugarcubed Strokes or a less fluffy Cardigans", which is fair enough. Comparing bands to other bands is not my forté, so let's just roll with that description.

I had only heard a handful of tracks before I caught the Swedish group at Islington Academy, but those few songs were strong enough to pique my interest and at the reasonable price of free-ninety-nine, I was sold. As it turns out, the band has a great live show; Ida lost her freaking mind during most of the songs during the short set while shyly addressing the audience with typical Scandanavian politeness between numbers. By the time recent single 'Oh My God' made its appearance Ms. Sivertsen had already collapsed in convulsions at various points, thrown microphone stands and flung her guitar around stage. I later read that at a previous show she cracked her ribs so badly she couldn't walk for a month, and another time head-butted a guitar with such force that blood gushed down her head for the rest of the gig. In any case, her histrionics at the Academy didn't distract from the music and the crowd ate it up.

Oh My God was released as a single on October 1st and the video was made available on November 22nd.

- a.m.p.m.

Ida Maria - Oh My God
Ida Maria - Louie

Remix Sunday - Slow Show

What we have here is the demo version of 'Slow Show' from the National's wicked-awesome album Boxer. Noteworthy differences from the final version include an alternate chorus ("everything you say has water under it"), a different bridge, and no '29 years' part at the end.

This demo version was included on a free disc called the Liberation CD that the band distributed in France to coincide with the release of their new album. Also included on the disc was a demo for an unreleased song named 'Tall Saint' which is definitely one of the National's best tracks. As the Christmas season is now upon us and I've been overwhelmed by the spirit of giving, I've included it below.

- a.m.p.m.

The National - Slow Show (Demo)

The National - Tall Saint (Demo)

2006 mixtape

In late December of 2006 the BTA members' circle of friends threw the inaugural year end "best of" mix CD party and it was a resounding success. Not only was it a great excuse for creating the ultimate personal mix to share with dozens of fellow music lovers in the Christmas spirit, it also exposed each of us to amazing music we had somehow missed during the year.

As I'm currently working on the 2007 edition I figured it would be interesting to take a trip down memory lane and post my 2006 mix. My mixtape was designed to expose friends to bands and tracks that might have slipped under the radar, so there are some obvious exclusions in order to include lesser-known 2006 gems. Nevertheless, it's a great bunch of tracks.

Download the zip file to get all the mp3s at once or grab individual tracks. They're all mixed together in high-tech style in an effort to make the sum greater than its parts.

By the way - what's on everyone's list for 2007?

The Year In Review: 2006 From Me To You

01 Belle & Sebastian - For the Price of a Cup of Tea
02 The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Ratatat Remix)
03 Phoenix - One Time Too Many
04 Kallioinia - Castle Pop
05 The Strokes - Heart in a Cage
06 The Format - If Work Permits
07 We're From Barcelona - I'm From Barcelona
08 Ghostface - Be Easy (featuring Trife)
09 Think About Life - Serious Chords
10 Tapes 'n Tapes - Insistor
11 Built to Spill - Liar
12 The Sounds - Painted by Numbers
13 Ellen Allien and Apparat - Rotary
14 Junior Boys - In the Morning
15 The Thermals - I Need You to Kill
16 Dosh - Um, Circles and Squares
17 My Latest Novel - The Reputation of Ross Francis
18 Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum
19 Hot Chip - Boys from School
20 Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of this Country
21 Figurines - All Night
22 Final Fantasy - This Modern Love (live)
23 Band of Horses - St. Augustine

- a.m.p.m.

(thanks to tapedeck.org for the image)

Faust Arp

Somewhat inevitably, some dude has already got his hands on a copy of the lyrics book from Radiohead's upcoming retail version (read: physical album) of In Rainbows and made it available online. Go here for the scans and here for the ensuing discussion.

Not that having the "official" lyrics really helps, as it's all typically cryptic Radiohead fare. Take, for example, 'Faust Arp':

Wakey wakey rise and shine
It's off again on again
Off again on again
Watch me fall like dominoes
In pretty patterns
Fingers in the blackbird pie
I'm tingling tingling tingling
It's what you feel no what you ought to
What you ought to what you ought to
Reasonable and sensible
Dead from the neck up
I guess I'm stuffed
Stuffed
Stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But not
Not
Not
For no real reason

Squeeze the tubes and empty bottles
I take a bow take a bow take a bow
It's what you feel no what you ought to
What you ought to what you ought to
The elephant that's in the room
Is tumbling tumbling tumbling
Plastic bags with nothing in them
Nothing in them
Duplicate and triplicate
Dead from the neck up
I guess I'm stuffed
Stuffed
Stuffed
We thought you had it in you
But not
Not
Not
Exactly where do you get off?
Is enough
Is enough
I love you but enough is enough
Enough of the stuff
There's no real reason

- a.m.p.m.

Radiohead - Faust Arp

Catch Me On Dateline

"Let's celebrate."

No, Ghostface isn't talkin' Christmas or Kwanzaa. When the Wu Ironman spits these words on The Big Doe Rehab, his follow up to Fishscale and More Fish due Dec. 8, he's talking celebration like his "squad won the Superbowl." It's hard to argue that Ghost isn't today's Pats of the rap game, playing calculated, cutthroat, consistent ball, with nary a misstep. (I realize that a perfect season, or what looks like one, doesn't mean Superbowl, but bear with me) Given that the upcoming Wu full length is getting pushed back to make room for this album, you have to figure there's not only a monster of a product here, but also that Ghost's steady stream of front to back, no-filler albums has earned him a Don-like respect within the camp. Hell, we already know that he makes his Wu-Tang boys stronger through collaboration, but even U-God sounds good on his featured track. Rehab's tone is consistent with the last two efforts, with only one track that's yet to grow on me. Yeah, "White Linen Affair" runs down the list of today's stars with respect given to everybody from Lil' Wayne to Norah Jones, but Lenny Kravitz? Ghost doesn't need to namedrop Lohan and Spears to show that he's up to date on his pop culture, we know he's got the pulse, and parts of this song are just reaching. Outside that one song I have no complaints and anybody who dug Ghost's last two should love it. The Ironman doesn't need to legitimize that alias at this point in his career, but continues to do so nonetheless.

Ghostface Killah - 3. Yolanda's House (feat. Raekwon & Method Man)
Ghostface Killah - We Celebrate (feat. Kid Capri)

- b.a.

The White Eyes - Taipei

As you know, I've been scouring Taiwan for music wort mentioning and I always find myself back at The Underworld in Taipei. So far, it's proven to be the place to see the bands you don't hear about in Taiwan.

This weekend I was able to see the best live show I've experienced in Taiwan. The White Eyes played an aggressively raw set to a decent crowd on Saturday night. Their sound fits somewhere between Le Tigre and Metric. Obvious comparisons include the female vocals that range from strong melodies to brash rants.

As with every band I've seen in this country, the band is tight. Lead by the incredible riffs of Telecat and supported by complex bass lines and drum beats, The White Eyes play infectiously dance-able rock; never mind understanding the vocals. This band can play and provide the perfect soundtrack for a night of partying.

Once again, the only songs I can offer are from their myspace page. Check out "rookie agogo". The good news is that they are in the process of working on an EP for release in the near future.

Can't wait to party with The White Eyes again soon.

The White Eyes - Myspace

Marc

Tough Shit

Hey kids, I'm back from the dead. November was the most BTA-unfriendly of months due to lack of internet access (moving to a new place in London is an extreme hassle), a punishing workload (jobs suck) and international travels (AmsterDAM).

But enough with excuses; let's get to the music. In the quiet interim, I've amassed a huge amount of excellent new music to share and the 2008 "best of" list grew in leaps and bounds.

First off, The Tough Alliance. A few weeks ago I promised more sweet Swedish sounds, and today I finally deliver. Hailing from Gothenburg, these guys self-released their incredible second album A New Chance in May on their label sincerely yours. It’s unquestionably electronic music, but with strong pop sensibilities and an 80s new wave vibe. Every track is solid, but reggae-infused masterpiece ‘Looking for Gold’ is without a doubt one of my favourite tracks of 2007.

Oh yeah, the duo (Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund) is also known for swinging baseball bats during performances, and have been thrown off stage during a show in Stockholm. Nice.

Check out the tracks below and then get the rest here. The whole album is only £3.50 and totally worth every penny.

The Tough Alliance - Looking for Gold

The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot

The Tough Alliance - Neo Violence

- a.m.p.m.

Night Vision

There's been a pretty good amount of Hot Chip buzz floating around lately, what with their new disc, Made in the Dark, due out in the winter months. The DFA-release's first single, 'Ready for the Floor', has taken a couple days to grow on me, but now I can't shake it. I have only started to look back at what my favourite tracks, albums and films I loved this past year, but already I can tell that this is going on either this year's list or 2008's. Apparently some people haven't been digging it, but I say it's Hot Chip at their catchy dance pop best. Give it a try. As a bonus, below is another track by said band from a recent limited EP. It's some pretty sweaty electro-funk. Enjoy.

Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor (from forthcoming Made in the Dark LP)

Hot Chip - So Deep (from Normal limited EP)

- AW.

Yo, it's corrupt where I'm from..

UPDATE!!!
Cadence Weapon is incredible live. Performing in front of a whopping 50 people at Victoria's Sugar nightclub last night, Cadence Weapon played a bunch of dope new stuff as well as some odd-ball covers...ie Weezer's "Pink Triangle". His DJ was a crazy long-haired, white metalhead-looking dude, but man did he ever tear up that vinyl. If you even mildly like hip hop, electronic or both, check this guy out asap and get pumped for his forthcoming disc. Plus, he chills with the likes of Ghostface Killah, who's also got an album out just before that new Wu-Tang drops. It's shaping up to be a pretty big winter for rap...but what do I know?
-AW

Edmonton-born rapper Rollie Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, got kind of big a couple years back in the indie world for his jarring and harsh electronic-based beats. His first lp, Breaking Kayfabe, was something that I hadn't really heard in hip hop before. Pitchfork just 'premiered' a new track from his forthcoming Anti/Epitaph release, Afterparty Babies, due out in March. "In Search of the Youth Crew" has a dancier backing track and some pretty awesome funk soul samples. I could definately see this one getting some serious play in the clubs...but it'll probably stick to the undergroud circuit.

Recently, I also came across some recordings of Owen Pallett, of Final Fantasy fame, and Pemberton playing together on a CBC session. It's different, but definately works out. Check it. I plan on seeing Cadence Weapon when he rolls into Victoria this Saturday, with a stop in Vancouver the night before.

Cadence Weapon - In Search of the Youth Crew
Cadence Weapon - Sharks (avec Final Fantasy)
Cadence Weapon - Grim Fandango (with Final Fantasy)

-AW.

Labrador Retrieval

A spur of the moment newfangled internet search a few years back led me to a couple unknown bands sharing residency on Sweden's Labrador Records. Remembering that some of those acts earned a surprising amount of replay value, I thought it time to see what the label's been churning out recently. Not surprisingly, the country proven to produce world class pop does it again on a few of Labrador's newest releases.

Sambassadeur - Subtle Changes
From: Migration
Sounds Like: A Swedish freak stepchild of Camera Obscura and Blonde Redhead.

The Mary Onettes - Lost
From: The Mary Onettes
Sounds like: The Cure, Joy Division, albeit more optimistic than both.

- brad

Sending Lightning to the Ground

Icelandic group Seabear have crafted a great album in the form of The Ghost That Carried Us Away. Released a couple of months ago on Berlin label Morr Music, this is the lush, gentle stuff that indie pop dreams are made of. The Ghost . . . is the band's debut album and is chock full of amazing tunes I can't stop listening to. 'I Sing I Swim' is one of my favourite tracks of the last few months; I can't recommend it enough.

Sindri Már Sigfússon originally started the project as a one man band, but the Reykjavik-based group now comprises seven members in total. The band's 2004 EP Singing Arc is still available online for free, so grab those excellent tracks here.

I'm going to make a concerted effort to catch these guys on December 11th when they're here in London supporting fellow Icelanders Múm. I have a feeling they're going to put on a solid live show.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/seabear

Website: http://www.seabearia.com/

From The Ghost That Carried Us Away:

Seabear - I Sing I Swim

Seabear - Libraries

From the Singing Arc EP:

Seabear - Singing Arc

- a.m.p.m.

Remix Sunday - Night Facilities

Night Facilities is a dj/producer from Norwich, England. Dude's only 17 and he's already produced stellar remixes of The Go! Team, Cassius, Simian Mobile Disco, The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk. In fact, he recently crafted one of my favourite Daft Punk remixes ever with his tweaked and sample-tastic reconstruction of 'Prime Time of Your Life'.

He also started his own blog back in August where he makes available rare songs, promos, remixes (both his and those done by others) and his own original creations. 'We Invented MTV' is one of the latter, and I recommend giving it a listen.

- a.m.p.m.

Daft Punk - Prime Time Of Your Life (Night Facilities Remix)

Simian Mobile Disco - I Got This Down (Night Facilities Remix)

Night Facilities - We Invented MTV

Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?

The North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative is the world's foremost Seasonal Supergroup. NAHPI's membership includes:

* Win Butler & Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire

* Beck

* Buck 65

* David Cross

* Liane Balaban of Dessert

* Devendra Banhart (with Noah Georgeson, Jona Bechtolt & Luckey Remington)

* Elvira

* Feist

* Gino Washington

* Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav

* J'aime Tambeur and Nick Diamonds of Islands

* Malcolm McLaren

* Nardwuar the Human Serviette

* Peaches

* Dntel

* Jenny Lewis & Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley

* Roky Erickson

* Chris Murphy of Sloan

* Asya & Chloe of Smoosh

* Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth

* Russell Mael of Sparks

* Subtitle

* Steve Jocz of Sum 41

* Tagaq

* Anna Waronker of That Dog

* Dan Boeckner & Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade

* Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Too bad they only ever produced one song. 'Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?', written by Nick Diamonds of Islands and his friend Adam Gollner, was released in October 2005 and all proceeds were donated to UNICEF. The entire story behind the song can be found here.

The North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative - Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?

- a.m.p.m.

...And They All Look Just The Same

As a young child I observed the dichotomy of suburban and rural geography, the expanding borders of southern Ontario cities that were gradually encroaching on the surrounding farmland. From my first bedroom window I had a completely unobstructed view of Canada's busiest highway, the 401, lying about a kilometer from my home. The house itself, though a semi-detached unit, looked something like one of the miniatures on the cover of Population. As I grew, the vacant fields that guided my view of the highway began to see mass residential expansion, which plotted home after home of similar design all the way from my house to the expressway in the distance. Soon enough all I could see were homes, unique as they could be with buyer's choice of shingle, brick, and garage door colour. In such environments, it's almost as if the situation begs for something to stand out and distance itself from the pack.

I grew up in the northwest corner of Mississauga. The Most Serene Republic's hometown of Milton, On, is just a few exits down the 401. The landscape transformation I observed way back then is still taking place, churning out development after development that's slowly suffocating the remaining space between our neighboring towns. This happens in lots of municipalities, but knowing that The Most Serene Republic have viewed the same particular transformation that I have has given me a more personal motivation to think hard about the title and meaning of the band's latest album (which by the way, is excellent). Population (Arts & Crafts) deals with many subjects, including the fear of uniform monotony, using multi-layered, challenging songwriting the band is known for. Each song gives the same impression as a custom-built home jutting out of a carbon copy grid. They seek to cement a strong identity with ambitious music in a community filled with acts that too often hedge their bets, minimize risk, and stay safe. There aren't enough good things I can say about the album, just check it out and judge for yourself.

They're heading west touring Population right now with Dragonette, Mother Mother, and Small Sins (on some stops). Work got in the way of attending last night's Ottawa show at Zaphod's but my hope is that the album's popularity warrants another cross country tour in the new year.

The Most Serene Republic - Present of Future End [YSI]
The Most Serene Republic - Why So Looking Back [YSI]

- Brad

Fine & Dandi

My roommate buys a lot of music. He likes to buy in bulk – often dropping over $300 in one afternoon at the local record store. What this equates to is a lot of new music laying around for me to check out. Recently, I arrived home to find a bag of newly purchased vinyl from Rotate This, mostly EPs and 12” singles of artists I’d never heard of. One of these EPs was by Dandi Wind, called break the bone and suck the marrow from it.

Intrigued by both the title and the artwork (jet black, with a pencil sketch of a tattooed yet innocent young woman on the front, and the bust of a dark, brooding man on the back), I tossed it on for a go-round on the old pioneer.

What I heard was a frantic (at times frightened) but awkwardly catchy effort from a pair of underground Canadian musicians/artists that deserve to be spoken about a whole lot more often. The sound is not unlike the distorted synth from the dancier, more accessible Blood Brothers tracks crossed with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their art-punk finest. In fact, Vancouver-turned Montreal lead vocalist Dandilion Wind Opaine churns out pitches and shrieks reminiscent of the enigmatic Karen O at her best.

Through a bit more research on their website, I was informed that this EP, released in 2005, is the one of the earliest of a number of releases by the band. Their catalogue includes one full-length (and one to be released in 08), as well as five (completely sold out) EPs released in the past two-plus years, seemingly all released on different labels.

break the bone... itself contains four tracks: two original edits (Balloon Factory and Mississippi Mud Pie), the Manderson remix of Mafu Cage, and hyperactive cover of the 80’s staple Safety Dance, sounding like if Men without Hats had contracted rabies.

The stand-out track seems to be Balloon Factory, though the entire four-track effort has me interested enough to find more. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a ton of access (from what I can find) to their music online apart from what they’ve posted on Myspace (only available streaming), as well as clips from their earlier releases on their website and the occasional insane live footage. But, if their latest EP selling out completely in one week earlier this month serves as an indication, this band may be on the verge of being the talk of more than just the odd blog post.

Dandi Wind - Balloon Factory

Dandi Wind - Safety Dance (Men without Hats cover)

- bbbykmbrly.

Remix Sunday - MSTRKRFT VS NYPC

Whoa. That's a whole lot of consonants. New Young Pony Club released their 'Get Lucky' single today with a nice MSTRKRFT rework (which is perfect, as the track was just begging for the 'KRFT treatment). The vocals are preserved as-is and synths, bass, and rolling and scratching are applied liberally. The end result is typical MSTRKRFT awesomeness. The single can be purchased from the NYPC website for just £2 in vinyl or CD form.

NYPC's album Fantastic Playroom was nominated for a Mercury Prize this year, and features some strong tracks indeed. Check out the original version of 'Get Lucky' and 'The Bomb' (below).



New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky (MSTRKRFT remix)

New Young Pony Club - The Bomb

- a.m.p.m.

If I ever hurt you it will be in self-defence.

"This one goes out to the guy who puked in the guys' sink" mentioned Sunset Rubdown keyboardist/guitarist/singer, Spencer Krug before commencing an up-tempo rendition of "For The Pier (And Dead Shimmering)". I've been a steady Wolf Parade fan for a couple years, but Sunset Rubdown have completely won me over. These guys, along with Magic Weapon (Sunset Rubdown drummer and Matt Shane of Think About Life) and Johnny and The Moon (aka other Wolf Parade sidedish who aparently played their last show here in Victoria, BC), got the bros hollering at Logan's last Friday night. "The Mending of the Gown" they wanted, but instead we were treated to a mixed set of old and new, mostly of songs I didn't expect us to hear but enjoyed nonetheless. Sunset Rubdown closed their set, insistent on a no-encore policy, with an impassioned "The Empty Threats of Little Lord" which had people professing to that snake all the way home. This was my first Sunset Rubdown show and I couldn't have walked away happier...though a few of my favourites were left out (probably because a couple bros killed that dream.)

The Empty Threats of Little Lord - Sunset Rubdown

Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End of Your Feral Days - Sunset Rubdown

-AW

Vampire Tuesday

I had the pleasure of catching Vampire Weekend's inaugural London show last night and it was a doozy. I'd only heard a small number of succinct tracks (despite foraging the interweb for weeks) and somewhat expected to witness a maximum 20-minute set comprised almost solely of the handful of singles released over the past few months. As it turned out, my expectations were blown away and I got much more than my money's worth.

First off: yes, they're good. The New York City natives kicked things off with newest single 'Mansard Roof' and treated us to some dozen songs including much-hyped tracks 'Oxford Comma', 'Mansard Roof', 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' and 'A-Punk'. These familiar tracks seemed to be filled with even more depth and resonated well with the curious crowd. Heck, some people even knew the words. Newer (read: unreleased) material was equally well received. VW dropped several songs from the new album, which they confirmed is complete and due for release in early '08. All were awesome; some are still stuck in my head. 'The Kids Don't Stand a Chance' is especially excellent. Lead vocalist and guitarist-extraordinaire Ezra Koenig was charismatic, energetic, and wore an awesome shirt and sweet loafers. At one point he had pretty much the whole crowd shouting "Blake's got a new face" in jubilation. Don't ask.

The set wrapped up with an intense heavy-metal version of 'Walcott' and looking around the packed venue after this blistering finale, it was pretty clear that everyone had enjoyed Vampire Weekend's first London appearance, band members included.

After winning over the entire crowd at the Borderline, the guys brought out a bunch of copies of their new Mansard Roof 7", released on Monday. The fact that these sold out in about the time it took to open the box and collect the money (I was fortunate enough to get the last one) attests to the calibre of the band's live show. The single's B-side 'Ladies of Cambridge' turned out to be an upbeat, quirky, instantly likable little ditty (surprise, surprise). Just 'cause you weren't there and couldn't grab one for yourself doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to enjoy this track:

Vampire Weekend - Ladies of Cambridge

Some other newbies that you're sure to like:

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
Vampire Weekend - M79
Vampire Weekend - Bryn

- a.m.p.m.

MIA > JUSTICE (PART 2 - MIA)

Though no official announcement has been made thus far, M.I.A. has to be the surefire winner of this summer’s “buzz acronym” at the acclaimed 2007 Toronto Pop Culture Linguistics awards. Surrounding the lead-up and release of her sophomore effort Kala as well as her stop at V-Fest Toronto in August, the Sri-Lankan/British hybrid M.I.A. has covered a lot of ground publicity-wise in the past few months. She managed to land herself on the covers of every local music and culture publication lucky enough to score itself even a tiny piece of the PR pie, which was inhaled in record time by writers across the continent.

This past Saturday saw the culmination of all the hype, as she performed a sold out show at the Kool Haus, as part of the Red Bull Music Academy. The roster for the show was impressive all-round, with Holy Fuck (who I missed) and Datarock opening, as well as an ill-fated pseudo performance by Canadian two-piece the Carps, who threw in the towel to a non-responsive crowd after only two songs. (“Fuck it. We tried.”)

Datarock was just getting started as I stepped in. Clad in their trademark red-on-red matching jumpsuits, they looked a little more light-hearted (cheesy) than I generally prefer my rock bands. But nonetheless, the entertainment value was high, particularly during their karaoke-style closing number, (I've Had) The Time of my Life, solidifying that even the worst parts of the 1980's have their place at an M.I.A. show.

M.I.A. took the stage at 11:30ish, coincidentally just as the whole place went up in flames. Though militant terrorism was immediately suspected, investigators believe that it was in fact the combination of deafening bass, unparalleled electricity, and the M.I.A. being the hottest substance on earth right now, which set off the blaze. It ripped through the entire place for over an hour, burning through the hottest of shit the whole time, and many believed it could have gone much longer. Nonetheless, it was just long enough to spread 3rd degree burns across the face of every audience member; most of whom either went directly to the emergency room or treated their damaged flesh with alcohol and partied the fuck out of the night at one of sixty-five different after parties. I was definitely one of the latter.


Terribly imagery aside, this show is going down as likely one of the best of the year, and certainly the best of what was a much hyped week in the city. If you were there to hear the sound of gunshots erupt over the insane soundsystem during Paper Planes "All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)/And (KKKAAAA CHING!)/And take your money", or to watch the swarms of audience members crash the stage during Bird Flu I’m certain you can share in my glowing opinion. If you got stuck without a ticket (as hundreds did), take this as a hard-to-swallow lesson: Toronto likes M.I.A. a whole lot.

M.I.A. - $20
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
M.I.A. - U.R.A.Q.T. (Hot Chip Remix)
Datarock - Fa Fa Fa (Get Shakes Remix)
Datarock - Princess

- bbbykmbrly.

MIA > JUSTICE (PART 1: JUSTICE)

This past week was a busy one for Toronto-area hipsters. Arguably the two most facebooked-about shows, Justice and M.I.A., stumbled to town with only two days rest in between; barely enough time for the kids to wash the sweat from their american apparel headbands in time for round two.

Thursday night, the infamous leather clad franco-duo justiiiiice (pronounced justiiiiice) took their mac books in front of a sold-out (twice) crowd of 3000+ish. The show was originally booked in at Republik, but sold out so fast that not moving it to a larger venue would have been a definite injustice. So instead, they took the show to Circa, the new $7 million night club/amusement park (live themed models in glass aquariums! bars in bathrooms! 3 story escalator!) that just opened its doors a week-ish ago. It, too, sold out ridiculously fast. And at $20/ticket, it comes as no surprise.

This is about the time that I go against every unwritten blogger rule, and likely against the opinions of the other writers on BTA, and and be the first person in the entire world to write that Justice wasn't really that good at all.

From the reviews that I had read previous to the show, including our own from the Vancouver gig, I was expecting an experience so surreal that even the most pleasurable brain hemmorage couldn't compete. What I got instead was a room full of over-enthused flourescent fashion victims dancing their hammerpants off to two dudes playing pre-programmed tunes from their iBooks. AKA the exact same thing I could catch at any DJ gig at any point, in any club. Even their remixes sounded like they could've been pulled straight from hype machine.

It got me thinking about starting a Justice "cover band", where I stand up and play their insanely popular debut record from my own computer, and people still lose their shit.

With that said - I'm glad I went. The buzz in the crowd was electric, but I just didn't see/hear anything to suggest that it was one for the record books, as most of the literature/hype surrounding this tour has led everyone to believe. No matter how stoked everyone got for the gig, there's only so much you can do as a couple of DJs and a halogen cross.

Despite my shit-talking, here are a couple tracks that you've all heard 1000000 times already. Oh, and thanks to the random dude whose (fucking rad!) photo i stole off facebook for his unbeknownst generosity.

Justice - Genesis
Justice - Phantom II (Soulwax Nite Remix)




- bbbykmbrly.

Remix Sunday: Calexico vs. Arcade Fire

Under normal circumstances, covering the Arcade Fire is a big no-no. However, Calexico's take on 'Ocean of Noise' turns out to be a huge yes-yes as they do their thing with typically gentle instrumentation and a multitude o' horns. The track builds from the simplicity of an acoustic guitar backing Joey Burns' sorrowful vocals to a full and powerful composition equalling the tragic grandeur of the original.

This little beauty was the B-side for the Arcade Fire's Intervention 7" single released here in the UK way back in May. Enjoy.

Calexico - Ocean of Noise

- a.m.p.m.

Sugar Plum Ferry

I've been in Taiwan for almost 8 months now and my tireless search for music has finally paid off. After months of searching for a good venue, I now have my "stomping ground". It's called Underworld and is located in the Da An district of Taipei. It's located near two universities, in a city of roughly 10 million. With so many people, it's tough to believe that there wouldn't be a "scene".

Last weekend a band by the name of Sugar Plum Ferry proved that my search wasn't in vain. They're a three-piece from Taipei and they quote influences such as Mogwai and Sonic Youth (credible, non?), and I assume that I can add Tchaikovsky as well. SPF's sound is far from anything Tchaikovsky ever produced, but their live show definitely rivals the sychronicity and professionalism of an orchestra playing the 'Nutcraker Suite'. In a land where karaoke reigns supreme, it was really nice to hear some quality instrumental. I must admit that the Myspace tracks definitely don't do the band justice; the tracks lack the intensity that the live show possessed. I'm excited to hear what the new album will bring.

After speaking with band member Xiao-bai, I'm excited to have him introduce me to other Taiwanese bands that he admires. Rest assured there will be more to come from Taiwan.

Sugar Plum Ferry Myspace

- Marc B.