Let's Pretend It's Friday Five!

With tracks this great all wrapped up in one simple download, hopefully you'll forgive our tardiness...

Download Here



Golden Silvers - True Romance
These guys have been an ever-presence inside the London hype machine for well over a year, and I finally understand why. This is as close to 80s throwback indie dance perfection as you can get.

Local Natives - World News
This band keep reappearing on the write-ups of those lucky enough to attend this year's SXSW and for once the buzz sounds justified. They've got the harmonies of Fleet Foxes, with the accessibility of Vampire Weekend or Born Ruffians. Oh and they've associated themselves with Simon & Garfunkel which is an instant ticket to success at the moment.

Screaming Lights - GMN
Even though excessive consumption will no doubt rot my teeth, I'm completely hooked on this. When it first caught my ear I was convinced it was the new Pendulum release which probably tells you all you need to know.

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Broken Broken Broken Heart
"Em Are I"hosts by far the most musically palatable creations so far from the New York anti-folker. This is my favourite track due to it's touching emotional insecurity compared with the optimistic soundtrack, epitomised by the handclaps and immediate chorus.

Bill Callahan - My Friend
Bill's latest LP"Sometimes I Wish I Was An Eagle" was my first introduction to the former "Smog" artist. I'm a sucker for gravelly Jonny Cash esque vocals like these and Bill's have a unique quality of making life play in slow motion as I listen transfixed. A remarkable feat.

Friday Five

2009 is shaping up to be a banner year musically. Some selections from noteworthy recent releases:

Fever Ray - Seven
Sure, Sweden's The Knife may currently be "on hiatus", but for me Karin Dreijer Andersson's debut solo album as Fever Ray is The Knife's new album.

Metric - Waves
Although I really enjoyed Emily Haines' 2006 solo effort Knives Don't Have Your Back I've had high hopes for a new Metric LP for almost 4 years now. Released this Tuesday, Fantasies was worth the wait. 'Waves' is not actually on the album itself but was made available as a bonus when ordering from www.ilovemetric.com.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Cold Spring
Yet another NYC indie rock band, Cymbals Eat Guitars released their debut album Why There Are Mountains independently in January and have since received praise from just about every indie music media outlet and countless comparisons to Modest Mouse and Pavement. They deserve the praise (if not the comparisons) - the album is fantastic.

Junior Boys - Work
Album number three from Hamilton-based electro duo Junior Boys was released on March 24th and after a few cursory listens is standing up pretty well in comparison to 2006's excellent (and Polaris Prize nominated) So This Is Goodbye. 'Work' is easily my favourite track.

Camera Obscura - Honey in the Sun
My Maudlin Career, the fourth album from Glasgow's Camera Obscura, will officially be available on April 20th but unsurprising leaked a few weeks ago. The single (and first track) 'French Navy' has already been getting decent exposure here in the UK and is set for release on Monday. It's stellar, but then the album is filled with highlights including the title track, 'You Told A Lie', and closer 'Honey in the Sun'.

Inbox Wednesday: HotKid

We receive several submissions for Inbox Wednesday everyday and sometimes it's tough to sift through them all.  After listening to a few it's interesting to see what pops out. 

HotKid is one of those groups that stuck out.  Maybe it's the lack of synths, beats, or anything electronic; could it be that we've forgotten what rock sounds like...I think not.  

It seems that it's less common to come across bands this raw.  HotKid is a two-piece; guitar and drums is all they need to make an impact.  After listening to the few tracks forwarded to BTA, I can't wait for the chance to see this group live.

Check out a couple tracks here and their new video shot by Matt Finlin of Finkle Films.

HotKid - Southern Rock

HotKid - The One You Hold

Remix-Acoustic Sunday

Metric's album Fantasies is out on April 7th, the single "Help I'm Alive" is everywhere now.  I have a soft spot for anything that Emily Haines does, especially when it features her and a piano.  Love this version.

Metric - Help I'm Alive (Acoustic)

A Bit Of An Animal

Very rarely I find pieces of art of music that I feel I would be committing a great disservice by assigning words to describing. This is one of them, the video for Animal Kingdom's demo single, "Chalk Stars":



They're signed to a Major and have already supported Snow Patrol so let's enjoy this in its unadulterated form before it gets re-released and incessantly overplayed...

Passion Pit Keeps Canadians Reeling

Passion Pit announced Tuesday that they have cancelled their scheduled Canadian dates.  So, first they were postponed a couple months, now cancelled.  Starting to seem like the boys in the Pit have it out for Canada.  My guess is management forgot that travelling to Canada requires passports and visas.

In the mean time, BTA has the new single of their forthcoming album Manners, due May 18th.  Maybe we should teach Passion Pit some manners, a week's notice is much too short.  This is one disappointed BTA contributor.

Passion Pit - The Reeling

New Music Monday: Black Hat Brigade

Don't know how many of you own the first EP release from Black Hat Brigade, but it's well worth your coin.  I had the pleasure of seeing this very talented group open for the Handsome Furs a couple weeks back and I was impressed.  Energetic and on point, these guys have knotted some tight tracks.

Got my hands on some exclusive tracks from the upcoming Fathers EP as well as a great acoustic version of "Zombie City Shake".  The boys are using the sampler as a way to raise money to finance the release of the EP.  You can contribute here, $5 gets you a sampler and a thank you in the liner notes, $10 gets you the sampler and a pre-order copy of the EP.  Help these good-looking boys out!

Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake

Black Hat Brigade - Zombies (Basement Session)

Friday Five

The Lovely Feathers - Lowiza
Montreal's The Lovely Feathers will offer up their third album, Fantasy of the Lot, in late May through Sparks Music. Their first LP My Best Friend Daniel was one of my favourite albums ever so I've got pretty high hopes for the new material. I've managed to get hold of this track from the new album and so far, so good.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo
Last week's stellar eponymous release from Elvis Perkins in Dearland has been making waves and 'Shampoo' is a testament to the quality of the Mr. Perkins' sophomore effort. Londoners can catch him at the ICA on April 6th.

Black Lips - Let It Grow
While lucky North Americans were able to get their greedy hands on the new Black Lips album last month, we lowly Europeans weren't able to pick up a copy of 200 Million Thousand until this past Monday. It was worth the wait - this shambolic, low-fi romp is one of my top albums of 2009.

Malajube - Ursuline
How did I miss the fact that the second album from Malajube (yet another fantastic Montreal group - this time francophone) has been available for over a month? Thankfully, a recent CBC Radio 3 podcast featuring interviews and live versions of the new material from Labyrinthes got me up to speed. Have a listen to opener 'Ursuline' and check out the aforementioned podcast here.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel
New Bat For Lashes drops on April 6th; this is a fresh cut from Two Suns.

Wizzzard

BTA is very excited to report that Think About Life have news.  This BTA fave has a habit of coming and going with furor.  This week TAL announced that they will be touring with Ratatat from Mar. 21st - Apr. 1st.  Unfortunately there won't be any Canadian dates.  Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal will have to wait until late May.

With this news is the release of their latest video for Wizzzard.  We'll still have to wait until May 26th for the official release of Family

Here it is:

Think About Life - Wizzzard
Uploaded by vazoomy

New Music Monday: Official Secrets Act

BTA first became acquainted with Official Secrets Act early last year supporting Art Brut, when their first impression demonstrated considerable promise. Thanks to our friends at One Little Indian allowing us to preview their debut album, "Understanding Electricity", we now have the opportunity to satiate our curiosity and assess if they've delivered on these expectations.

Without question, they have. This is impressively tight, Xfm-friendly indie-pop throughout with deceptively simple melodies which enhance their accessibility. Lead single, "So Tomorrow" launches us into a frenetic spasm, with angular guitars and vocals that recall some of David Byrne's finest. However, it's "Hold The Line" which provides the album's centerpiece, commendably walking the tightrope to convey warmth without appearing overly saccharine. It's also blessed with the wonderfully endearing opening lines:

I like to watch her do these things / I like to watch her as she sings / And as the world collapses around our ears / I play guitar to Tears for Fears

Before launching into a stream of consciousness descriptive opus of the femme fatale on display. It's these moments where they transcend their influences that ensure the album's longevity.

"Understanding Electricity" is out on 30th March, and the band are touring widely around the UK from the end of the month.

Official Secrets Act - Hold The Line

Friday Five

Here are some tracks rocking my world.

Yeasayer - Tightrope

Yeasayer is such a great band and this track come from the solid compilation Dark Was the Night.  The album was put together in support of the Red Hot Foundation which is an AIDS-related charity.  Great cause and I'm psyched to hear something new from these Brooklyn boys.

Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes

Crystal Antlers' 2008 EP is on regular rotation on my Zune, but this track is huge!  Also anticipating the release of full-length release Tentacles.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Contender

Such feel good music.  The Pains... reminds me of the first time I heard Peter, Bjorn and John's "Young Folks".  I immediately wanted to sing along.

Handsome Furs - I'm Confused

Handsome Furs kinda sounds like Wolf Parade, for obvious reasons, but substitute the prominent keys for sampling.  Really loving the new album Face Control.  Sheer danceable rock music.  If you have a chance to see this group live, DO IT.  Last night I saw them here in Ottawa and it was one of the most energized shows I've seen in a while.

Coeur de Pirate - Le Long du Large

She's Quebec's answer to Adele.  I know she was featured on Perez Hilton and Coeur de Pirate is not for everyone, but I love the feel-good vibe and her voice is cute as hell!

Have a great weekend ladies and gents!

Wolfgang Amadeus Awesome

Good Gawd, can Phoenix ever write a catchy song. The French band's last release, It's Never Been Like That, was one of my favourite albums of 2006 and it appears that LP number four Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is already destined to claim a place in my top picks of this year. Set for release on May 25th (but already leaked online - c'est la vie) Wolfgang's first official single will be the album's first track, "Lisztomania". In the meantime, the band has made the ridiculously awesome track "1901" available for free download at their snazzy new website in both standard and multitrack versions. That's right, kids: it's DIY-remix time. The first of two London shows are now sold out, but tickets for Koko on June 1st are still available here.

La trackliste:

1. "Lisztomania"
2. "1901"
3. "Fences"
4. "Love Like a Sunset"
5. "Lasso"
6. "Rome"
7. "Countdown"
8. "Girlfriend"
9. "Armistice"

Phoenix - 1901
Phoenix - Armistice

Inbox Wednesday: Carly Maicher

This edition of Inbox Wednesday comes with a twist.  I stumbled across this great YouTube video of a family skating on a highway.  The accompanying music struck me and after a bit of googling I came across the promising Carly Maicher.  She's a bleeding edge artist, with a haunting folk feel. 

Excerpt from her bio, "Carly Maicher is a singer/songwriter originally from Manitoba keeping content by hiding out on a tiny fishing island in the middle of the Atlantic sea. She writes songs about dreams of water and waves and playfully sings about abandonment. "

Hope to see more great things from Ms. Maicher.

Carly Maicher - Hibernation

Carly Maicher - Dust

Feb Gig Mix

I've finally emerged, still sweaty, reeking of JD and buzzing from the live music equivalent of the London marathon, which February's gig circuit represented. Following the creed of any self-respecting indie-kid, I've chosen the creation of a mix tape of the highlights as the most appropriate method of marking the accomplishment. And now that it's passed BTA's rigorous quality control procedures (thanks a.m.p.m!), it's deemed worthy of publication. You'll find a few acts here who've previously graced BTA with their presence, as well as a number of new discoveries.

Download it here:
G.R.O. Feb Gig Mix

Tracklisting
1. 4 or 5 Magicians - Ideal Man
2. The Soft Pack - Parasites
3. Favours for Sailors - I Dreamt That I Dreamt That Your Loved Me In Your Dreams
4. Black Daniel - Say Hello
5. Women - Black Rice
6. The Manhattan Love Suicides - Kessler Syndrome
7. The Crystal Stilts - Converging In The Quiet
8. Left With Pictures - Secretly
9. My Sad Captains - Great Expectations
10. S.K.G. - Voodoo Talk
11. White Lies - Farewell To The Fareground
12. Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool
13. Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost
14. Lights - Box Of Stones
15. First Aid Kit - You're Not Coming Home Tonight

It'll only be up for a week so grab it quick

Let me know what you think, could make this a semi-regular feature if you so decree...

Inbox Wednesday: The O'Darling

This week's featured group is The O'Darling.  Made up of Eastern and Western Canadians, this group has a great jazz-folk thing going.  It's not quite like anything I've heard of late, surely that's what made it intriguing.  

The group's release A Nice EP is buoyed by the excellent multi-instrumental arrangements and the beautiful female vocals.  The tracks are paced, with soft horns and strong strings.  From listening to the release, I get the impression The O'Darling must be a treat to see live.

If you're in Toronto tonight catch The O'Darling at The Concord Cafe.

The O'Darling - Buckets O' Berries

The O'Darling - Bubble

Friday Five

There's plenty of new music to cover, so let's get right to it:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Could this be my favourite Yeah Yeah Yeahs song yet? Yup, it sure is. The New York City band will release their third album, It's Blitz!, on April 13th. The album's first official single 'Zero' can be heard on their MySpace page.

The Thermals - Now We Can See
I properly fell in love with The Thermals following their 2006 release The Body, The Blood, The Machine so when they recently revealed that their fourth album will be available on April 7th I became feverishly excited. Now We Can See will be the band's first release with Sub Pop and the title track is no disappointment. Sure, it's a bit more pop music than their previous fare but it's still got those trademark scathing lyrics and ludicrously catchy guitar parts.

Beirut - No Dice
Beirut goes electronic? Strangely enough, it works. Those familiar with Gulag Orkestar or The Flying Cup Club will be in for a pleasant surprise. This track is taken from a set of double EPs released last month; March of the Zapotec is straight-up Beirut, but Holland is pure electro bliss.

A.C. Newman - Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
When not acting as captain of supergroup The New Pornographers Carl Newman records some pretty solid indie rock as A.C. Newman. His second album Get Guilty hit shelves last month and has been well received; this track in particular brings to mind The New Pornographers circa Twin Cinema.

Blackout Beach - Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982
Like his pals from Wolf Parade, Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Swan Lake fame has a penchant for multiple musical projects. Mercer released Skin of Evil, the second album under his Blackout Beach moniker, last month and although it's not all to my taste this track currently has me hooked, perhaps due to its weirdness.

Walking On A Dream

The Sydney duo that makes up Empire of the Sun is not to be confused with it's 1987 movie counterpart of the same name. Which oddly enough I am watching on TV as I write this post. Ben Stiller's in it..but he's not very funny so far. And so is Batman! Anyways, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have created one of the most impressive debut albums I have heard as of late. The production is fantastic with the highlight being the oh so crisp vocals. The ten track album starts off strong with instantly loveable tracks like Walking on a Dream, and We are the People. There is little filler here as each of the other tracks have grown on me with each listen. I think it's safe to say that fans of MGMT, which at this point would seem to be everyone, will thoroughly enjoy this album, which in fact is meant to be a concept album based around the cult film 'The Holy Mountain'. The singles have been all over Australian radio for months and are currently featured downloads on itunes UK, but I'm not even sure if this album has seen a North American release yet. If the Star Wars / Dali-esque album art is'nt enough to peak your interest. Perhaps the video will.




Empire of the Sun - We are the People

Nous Non Plus!

I've had a crush on Nous Non Plus ever since I heard their super catchy ditty "French Teacher". This ahem, 'francophone' band from NY is almost painfully kitsch, with cheesy videos, silly lyrics and even more ridiculous pseudonyms (Céline Dijon and François Hardonne, to name only a few).

While they might seem to be crafting some kind of parody, they are in fact a bona fide band, complete with a messy history (check out their former ensemble, Les Sans Culottes) and multi-talented band members. You can sample their latest album, Ménagerie (2009), right here.

Check out this video for Loli.

Loney, Animated

Loney, Dear (aka Emil Svanängen) is a Swedish musical genius whose latest album Loney, Noir is receiving a ton of buzz. What's even more fantastic than his sound is this sweet animated video for his single "I am John". It was created by fellow Swede Andreas Nilson, whose video for The Knife (below) is also worth your while. Enjoy!

Loney, Dear - I am John


The Knife - N.Y. Hotel

Inbox Wednesday: The Withering Pines

BTA was very lucky to receive a physical copy of The Withering Pines first release Into Corners for this edition of Inbox Wednesday, I guess that makes it mailbox Wednesday?  Nevertheless, Ottawa's  established and well-respected musician Eric Vieweg and friends have skillfully wrapped-up some soul-filled rock numbers in the first release for The Withering Pines.

What is so refreshing about this album is how the emotion permeates through every inch moment of the album.  The songs are raw, yet calculated; this allows each song to stand alone.  Highlights of the album include "Lines Upon Our Skin" where I reached for the volume to hear the energetic guitar tear into the verse, then hush everything to hear Vieweg's lamenting retrospect.  

My hands down favourite track is "Whisper in the Night", where the patient chorus echoes the overall atmosphere of the album.  Call it rock, folk rock, roots rock...it's a rock album.  Simply.

The Withering Pines didn't rush, this album assembled intricately by some of Ottawa greatest artists and it shows.   The liner notes include J.J. Ipsen, Matt Ouimet, Anders Drerup, and Matt Aston.

The Withering Pines are celebrating the release of Into Corners Saturday February 21st at The Elmdale Tavern.

The Withering Pines - Whisper in the Night

The Withering Pines - Lines Upon Our Skin

The Withering Pines - To Turn Green Again

Here's a pretty entertaining Beatles cover by The Withering Pines at Ottawa's 2008 Bluesfest.

Tribute Tuesday - Blossom Dearie

Tribute Tuesday is not a regular segment on BTA, but I felt that I should give recognition where it's due.  Blossom Dearie passed away of natural causes on February 7th, 2009 at the age of 82.  She'll be remembered for her jazz vocal inspiration and her piano-boop sound.  There isn't a song that won't put a smile on your face.  The above photo is dated 2007; At the age of 80, Dearie maitained a regular stints in New York and London.

Maybe it's because of the Grammys, but sad news went virtually unnoticed.   For those who are familiar, we'll play her music in remembrance and those who aren't, it's never to late to experience.

Blossom Dearie - Doop Doo De Doop (A Doodlin' Song)

Blossom Dearie - I Won't Dance

Blossom Dearie - They Say It's Spring

Remix S-Monday

Just before heading out to check Kid Sister, A-Trak and subsequently, Shaun White of snowboarding fame I came across this dope remix of Sebastien Tellier by A-Trak.

A-Trak pumps up the slow burn feel of Tellier's original while adding some Rasputin-inspired strings and that bass funk he does so well.

Check it.

Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer (A-Trak remix)

A-Trak, Kid Sister, Team Canada in Vancouver

Just a quick note for any Vancouver readers that A-Trak, Kid Sister, and Team Canada will all be hitting the stage this weekend at the LG Mountain Festival in West Vancouver. The event will span over 3 days, starting tomorrow and includes a snowboard comp and some snazzy fashion stuff. More importantly are the three previously mentioned heavy hitters that will all be performing on Saturday. And the best part of it all...it's free. Team Canada kick things off at 4:00 pm on Saturday. Check the website for all the info. See you there!

FREEking Formidable!

I've been meaning to post about The Joy Formidable ever since I caught a section of their BBC Introducing set at this year's Reading Festival but they never quite reached the upper echelons of my to do list. Now they've decided to give their debut LP "A Balloon Called Moaning" away for free I can no longer justify my procrastination.

In the fields of Berkshire, the initial attraction was to Ritzy Bryan's vocals which held an instantly enviable nature of appearing simulataneously pure, jagged and imbued with character. This is even more evident on record and fits perfectly when layered over the shoegazing guitars and illusory melodies. The album is urgent, exhillirating, challenging and is already one of my highlights of the year.

Have a listen to "Cradle",



then cut and paste this link to download the full album:

http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=122&p=5719&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more5719

I think they're on a boat . . .

Musical pranksters the The Lonely Island released their highly anticipated album Incredibad today. Fans will be plenty familiar with SNL/internet hits such as 'Dick in a Box', 'Jizz in My Pants' and 'I'm On A Boat'; they're all there, alongside collaborations with Julian Casablancas, Natalie Portman and Jack Black, among others. The video for the 'I'm On A Boat' (see below) featuring T-Pain was made available on YouTube a few days ago and is absolutely hilarious. Folks have began touting TLI as the internet generation's answer to the Beastie Boys, and Incredibad's slick production and celebrity cameos seem to indicate that the album will do very, very well indeed.

The Lonely Island - I'm On A Boat

(Kinda) New Music Monday: Late of The Pier

BTA has mentionned Late of The Pier before (thanks G.R.O), but I think they deserve a little bit of individual attention. I KNOW, this album is not from 2009, and it is therefore passé. But it's SO good.

To summarize: they're British, their sound is infectious, synth-laced electro-punk and their lyrics address issues such as unrequited love and, um, radiation suits.

...Ok, so they're not making any radical political statements or producing the cleverest of poetry, but sometimes, you need a break from all that thinking, no? In any regards, Fantasy Black Channel (2008) is a brilliant compilation of sounds and is a hell of a good time from start to finish.

Here are a few tastes:

Late of The Pier - Broken
Late of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming

Friday Five

Here it is, your Friday Five:

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
My new favourite band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart released their self titled debut on Tuesday and are now ardently loved by everybody and his dog. New York City's latest indie rock offering will be in Toronto on February 12th and Montreal the following night. Canadians, please don't miss them.

Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
Andrew Bird has returned, warbling and whistling his way through a strong follow up to 2007's Armchair Apocrypha. New album Noble Beast has received much critical acclaim and currently sits at number 12 in the Billboard 200. It's well worth a listen.

Freeway - Bank Rollz
During the month of December Philly rapper Freeway released a new track for free download every day as his 'Month of Madness' project. You'd think that 32 free hip-hop tracks (31 plus the "Month of Madness" intro) would amount to a pile of crap, but you'd be wrong. The compilation exudes quality and the production is top-notch, as are Freeway's flawless rhymes.

Éléphantine - En attente d'un moment présent
Éléphantine are from Montreal and create intricately layered electronic-infused indie rock of the highest calibre. My first listen to "En attente d'un moment présent" brought to mind a francophone Radiohead circa OK Computer. Their only release thus far is last year's 6 track EP Sous le règne des lampadaires but the band is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their debut album which is scheduled to drop on May 5th. Anglophones, don't let the exclusively French lyrics put you off. These guys are brilliant.

Black Hat Brigade - Swords
Another talented Canadian group, this time five guys from Toronto (Brampton, actually) creating post rock goodness under the name Black Hat Brigade. This track is from their first EP which was released last year and drew a plethora of Wolf Parade comparisons. A new EP is tentatively set to be completed for March. Torontonians can catch them at the Horseshoe Tavern on March 13th with Handsome Furs.

Overlooked in '08: Zombie-Zombie

Zombie-Zombie consists of two French guys who possess a large array of electronic noisemaking gadgetry and an unbridled love for vintage horror film soundtracks. Sounds familiar, you say? Their beats will, too. But the duo's 2008 debut A Land For Renegades is of a high enough standard and treads enough new ground that comparisons to Justice and the rest of the Ed Banger crew are simply sonic references rather than marginalisations. Tracks like 'Before Night Falls' and the epic opener 'Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free' are essential listening for anyone who even remotely enjoys electronic music. The video for the latter track also features the best GI Joe stop-motion animation this writer has ever seen:


Zombie-Zombie - Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free

a.m.p.m. favourites of 2008

Squeezing as many songs as possible into 80 minutes in order to summarise the best of a whole year of music is a pretty daunting task involving tough decisions and regrettably obligatory omissions. But after much deliberation, here are my favourite tracks from 2008:
01 Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
02 Amadou and Mariam - Sabali
03 Born Ruffians - Kurt Vonnegut
04 TV on the Radio - Family Tree
05 The Walkmen - In the New Year
06 Titus Andronicus - My Time Outside The Womb
07 Islands - Creeper
08 Laura Marling - The Captain And Hourglass
09 Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why
10 No Age - Eraser
11 Crystal Castles - Courtship Date
12 Lykke Li - Dance Dance Dance
13 Shearwater - Rooks
14 White Denim - I Can Tell
15 Little Joy - Keep Me In Mind
16 Frightened Rabbit - The Twist
17 Foals - Cassius
18 Love Is All - Wishing Well
19 Times New Viking - Drop-Out
20 Ratatat - Falcon Jab
21 Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree
22 Grand Archives - Sleepdriving
23 Jay Jay Pistolet - Friend

The whole kit and caboodle: ampm2008mix.zip

Thanks to Andy Gilmore for the cover art.

Feel.Love.Faunts.

Random MySpace discoveries are my favourite. This one in particular, mostly because they are Canadian and that tickles my fancy.

Here's a brief bio, but I'm going to rush through this because I want you to hurry up and click on their MySpace to have a listen. They are called Faunts (a name that spellcheck desperately wants to spell Fonts), they hail from Edmonton, AB and have been around since the turn of the century (that makes them sound epic, no?). Their sound is ethereal, buttery post-rock with breathy vocals - don't miss the remixes. The new album 'Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.' drops on February 17, and I'm crossing my fingers that a Toronto show is in the cards at some point.

Now have a listen. Please and thank you.

New Music Tuesday: Shuttle feat. Cadence Weapon

This track arrived in the BTA email today and I was pretty stoked on it upon first listen. It comes from Shuttle, one of the the latest additions to the Ninja tune label, and features the vocals of Canada's own Cadence Weapon. Shuttle has released a number of remixes in the past of artists including Crystal Castles, Caribou, and Justice. As well as other tracks under his other alias, Etan. The title track to his upcoming EP entitled "Tunnel", opens itself up to RJD2 comparisons. But it's the "Rotten Guts" original track with it's stuterring bass and vocal sample accompanied by Cadence's flow that caught my attention.

His first EP "Tunnel" is out on Ninja Tune on 16/03/09

Shuttle - Rotten Guts (Feat. Cadence Weapon)

Franz Ferdinand Live @ The Internet

I think 'The Internet' would be a sweet club name... Just a quick note for fans of Franz Ferdinand all throughout the interweb, The Glasgow quartet will be performing in Hollywood on January 30th at 7:00 pm PST. Since science has really been letting me down lately, what with the lack of teleportation devices or affordable flying cars, the friendly people at Amoeba music will be streaming the performance live via web cast for Franz fans to enjoy near and far. You can go here for more info.

bn... favourites of 2008

After much consideration (and procrastination), i've compiled my favourite songs of this past year. what follows is my 'best of two thousand and eight' compilation, in no particular order. Special mention to Chad VanGaalen (whose art illustrates this post), the man behind my pick for best album of the year - Soft Airplane.

1. Happens To Us All Otherwise -Bound Stems
2. Bare Feet On Wet Griptape - Chad VanGaalen
3. Casscade Kisses - François Virot
4. Give a Little Love - Noah and the Whale
5. Last Day of Magic - The Kills
6. Ships and Clouds - Jim Noir
7. Language City - Wolf Parade
8. Buildings and Mountains - The Republic Tigers
9. Buriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
10. Some Are Lakes - Land of Talk
11. Furr - Blitzen Trapper
12. Le Compteur - Karkwa
13. Life Like - Rosebuds
14. Dream Cars - Neon Neon
15. Blind - Hercules & Love Affair
16. Rat is Dead (Rage) - CSS
17. Torn Blue Foam Couch - Grand Archives
18. re: stacks - Bon Iver
19. Metal Heart - Cat Power

Here it is, for your downloading pleasure!
Part 1
Part 2

Remix Sunday: Christian Vorbau versus Franz Ferdinand

Cripes. Franz Ferdinand's much anticipated third album isn't even out yet (first single 'Ulysses' will be officially released tomorrow) but the obligatory remixes have already begun. Fortunately, this one is a solid effort. King Kong DJ Christian Vorbau stays fairly true to the original and adds some nice tweaks; the modified version features as the first track on Vorbau's December King Kong Mix, available in full here.

Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls (Christian Vorbau Remix)
Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

Friday Five

Trying to maintain some order, here are five dope tracks that are on high rotation at the moment.

North America South America (aka N.A.S.A.) are just two guys: a DJ and a skateboarder but they have tonnes of great hook-ups. Like how the one guy is Spike Jonze's brother. And how they have some of the most insane guest features on their forthcoming debut, The Spirit of Apollo.

N.A.S.A. feat. Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold - Gifted

It's way to early to call any new album 'Record of the Year', but I'll be damned if this isn't one of Animal Collective's best songs to date.

Animal Collective - My Girls

Baltimore's mad scientist of batshit electronic music, Dan Deacon, has his second full-length set to drop in March. "Get Older" the closer to his forthcoming Bromst, takes it's time to build up to his recognizable layered beats. You might even call it an epic soundscape.

Dan Deacon - Get Older

I don't have cable television, so I miss out on what's being killed over and over again through commericals and Top 40 nonsense. Then I went home at Christmas to find everyone and their mother keeping this one on steady rotation.

Passion Pit - Sleepy Head

Handsome Furs, the husband-wife duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, return with their sophomore disc, Face Control, in March. This first track reminds me of Apologies...-era Wolf Parade but without so much going on.

Handsome Furs - I'm Confused

Stay fly.

a.m.p.m.'s favourite albums of 2008

Aside from the obvious quartet of MGMT, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend and TV on the Radio, here are 10 albums (in no particular order) that knocked my socks off in 2008:

1. Born Ruffians - Red Yellow and Blue
Born Ruffians - Badonkadonkey

2. Why? - Alopecia
Why? - These Few Presidents

3. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
Titus Andronicus - Arms Against Atrophy

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

5. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles - Air War

6. Grand Archives - The Grand Archives
Grand Archives - The Crime Window

7. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Frightened Rabbit - Old Old Fashioned

8. Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too
Lindstrom - Grand Ideas

9. Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Chad VanGaalen - Cries of the Dead

10. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer

The Wrens (Finally) Release New Song

Yes, you read that correctly. The Wrens kicked the new year off by releasing a new track titled 'Pulled Fences', recorded in early 2008 at Abbey Road studios . This is the group's first release of new material in the 5 years since their 2003 masterpiece The Meadowlands and according to a statement posted yesterday on the band's fancy new website marks "the first time in 10 years that the four of us were in one room working on new music together". Read all about it and grab 'Pulled Fences' here.

And as if that wasn't enough, a new album is scheduled for release this spring.

The Wrens - Everyone Choose Sides

Overlooked in '08: Baltic Fleet

Baltic Fleet's self titled debut was released way back in March but it wasn't until late November that I unwittingly stumbled across it while listening to random albums at the Rough Trade store on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I was instantly hooked on the album's first proper track, 'Black Lounge', which begs comparison to vintage Joy Division (even with its total lack of vocals). Staggeringly good follow-up piece '3 Dollar Dress' continues this trend, but things soon move in a decidedly post rock direction (think Godspeed You! Black Emperor teaming up with Sigur Rós). A few tracks are more in the vein of gentle Eno-esque electronic compositions while others are almost industrial, such as 'Double Door' with its thick layers of chugging guitars over what sounds like dialogue sampled from a B movie. You'd assume the album would be all over the place, but it actually works as a cohesive whole.

Baltic Fleet - 3 Dollar Dress
Baltic Fleet - Black Lounge

'3 Dollar Dress' live at Paradiso Amsterdam:

Remix Sunday: The Next Generation...

So, you're the star of an 80's remake-edu-drama series centred around high school years and your character is closing in on graduation, what do you do?  Apparently, you start a music career.  That is what Degrassi: The Next Generation star, Aubrey Graham has done.  So far, he's caught the attention of Lil' Wayne's label Young Money Records.  Word is that he has signed and currently in the middle of recording.  Maybe it will be out in time for graduation.  In all seriousness, good for him and his remix of Lykke Li's "A little bit" is solid.

Lykke Li is definitely one of the most unique and interesting artists out there and here's a video of her "lo-fi" version of "I'm Good, I'm Gone".  I'm hoping to catch Lykke in Montreal on February 4th at Club Soda.

Lykke Li feat. Drake - A Little Bit

casiotone for the painfully alone.

What led me to this video was an odd series of occurrences, and since I've now become slightly obsessed with it, it is essential that I share it.

To make a long story short, I received a phone call (complete with interpreter) from Brazil, which led me to hunt down a missing parcel from a man submitting a show idea to my work. Not having the proper resources to help him, I then had to write him an email to point him in another direction. So I googled the CFTPA (Canadian Film & Television Production Association) to provide him with their contact information...

Lucky for me, this website is kind of hard to find and another title got my attention: casiotone for the painfully alone's journal. I was then drawn to this:

Was this post a longwinded story about nothing? Maybe. Does this video include zebra-unicorns and dancing cats? Absolutely. This is the CFTPA MySpace. Enjoy!

Overlooked in '08: Quiet Village

Besides the problems of overlap and obligatory cool picks on year end lists, sifting through many great (and newly discovered) music blogs and online publications has led to a wealth of missed material from '08. One act I regrettably missed was Quiet Village, a self-proclaimed pair of sample enthusiasts forging "Italian film soundtracks, BBC library music, disco edits, acid rock, vintage soul and easy listening." I read the description before hearing anything, thought it a bit much, and was then pleasantly surprised. Each track on the debut Silent Movie sounds like a thick collage of orchestral arrangements, lazy rhythms and diegetic film sounds (bird squawking, for example) patched together pretty seamlessly. Mining lists for overlooked artists from the past year isn't always worth the trouble, but in the case of Quiet Village, I'm glad their name popped up in many of the places I happened to look.

Quiet Village - Circus of Horror
Quiet Village - Keep On Rolling

New Music Monday: The Racoons

For many of us, The Raccoons have always been that classic Canadian cartoon about, well a bunch of raccoons. But I believe they too used to thoroughly enjoy rocking out. Not to be confused with Victoria's The Racoons, a band that has been creating a steady following on the West coast with sold out live shows and some great tracks which hint at nothing but good things to come from these guys in the future. For all you readers, I strongly suggest you check out their stuff. I had a chance to talk with singer / guitarist Matthew Lyall about being a band on the West Coast, their other projects, and what is in store for 2009.

January 3rd, 2009

BTA: Maybe to start off, if you could just introduce yourself and your band.

Matthew: Allo, my name is Matthew Lyall and I play guitar and sing in The Racoons.

BTA: How was the show last night?

Matthew: Really fun show last night. We played with Aidan Knight (from Maurice) and Bloody Wilma who are an unreal Drum and Bass 2 piece. I'm sure they hate DFA 1979 comparisons but they absolutely killed it. The show sold out pretty quickly and we had a bunch of friends get turned away at the door which was a little lame, so we had to sneak a few through the back alley. Despite a record breaking five broken strings and a snapped guitar strap the show was pretty smooth. We usually prefer to play uninterupted sets with zero transition time to keep the crowd going, but it was a little more laid back last night since we we're debuting some new songs and playing for about an hour and half. You can be a little self-indulgent with a packed hometown crowd I guess.

BTA: Since you guys have been playing together as The Racoons, would you say your sound has changed alot between now and when you started out? If so, what do you think the reason for that is?

Matthew: Well we've really only been together for about seven months with this lineup so it's tough to really compare what we're doing now to earlier stuff. I mean, three of us played together before in another group that was kind of a Whiskeytown era Ryan Adams meets Brian Jonestown Massacre thing. It was just a weird concept though because although it drew on some collective influences it ended up as this strange pastiche that none of us we're really thrilled about. So as inorganic as it sounds, we literally sat down one day and defined the parameters of what kind of project this was going to be and how it was going to work. Basically I come to Murray (Guitar/Synths) with these simple new wavey numbers that are basically Springsteen anthems and he draws them back from being completely over the top with some faux-vintage micro-korg, which apparently adds instant credibility. He's the poor man's Krug to my equally poor man's Boeckner if you will, (it's hard coming from Victoria and fighting the Wolf Parade comparisons so you might as take it as a compliment).

BTA: Two of the guys in the band are also members of The Paper Cranes. Has this ever caused any kind of issues with The Racoons in terms of progress or any kind of touring conflict?

Matthew: Yeah, we're all involved in side projects which can make operating as a unit pretty difficult. Murray and myself play together in another group (Digital Buffalo) and Alex (bass) and Jeff (drums) play together in The Paper Cranes. We haven't really had any major issues so far in terms of commitments, maybe except for Alex and Jeff pulling overtime at a Racoons/Paper Cranes double bill. The Cranes are doing a European tour in a couple months so we'll take a little break as a band and maybe play a few Digital Buffalo shows. Then in the summer we're planning a cross-Canada tour with a few American dates if we can work out the visa issues.

BTA: You're most recent set of recordings actually originated from recording in a garage? What was the problem with what had been laid down in the studio?

Matthew: We spent most of July and August of last year in a studio with a management company footing the bill. We had some creative differences with the producer and things didn't really work out as planned so we all just kind of walked away from the initial recording process. So we shelved the whole "album" idea but we still wanted an E.P. so we could prove to our grandparents we aren't complete frauds. So we ended up laying down some really rough mixes with our friend Jean-Paul from the band Maurice. He's made this great recording space in his house with basically a computer and a couple grand worth of equipment and we ended up making an E.P. in a couple weeks. I still don't know if it's a great facsimile of what we sound like live since it was impossible to record off the floor, but it definitely conveys what we're about for the most part.

BTA: You guys have had several sold out shows in Victoria, BC. And theres also been some recent radio play. What do you think of the reception The Racoons have gotten? Do you think it's more difficult being based on the West coast as opposed to say, Montreal?

Matthew: It's been great for sure, we've been very lucky. It's a little easier putting off real life decisions when you get to play packed shows or have your parents hear you on the radio ha. I mean, I don't know if we're a product of our environment because no one really associates our style of music with our hometown. Victoria is a funny city in that sense though, because no one really ever gives it credit for Frog Eyes, Immaculate Machine, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown etc. It's not music that immediately brings the west coast to mind at first listen, but if you peel away all the shitty hardcore and ska music and Jack Johnson cover bands there's this small but thriving scene. However, there's a rule that as soon as you start selling out you've gotta move to Montreal and erase your Island alter-ego. That's kind of the general joke behind the title of our E.P. (Islomania) since it's this basically irrelevant little island that we all have this funny little love-hate relationship with. We want to be left alone, but we're also really scared that we're missing out.

BTA: Happy New Year! What does 2009 have in store for The Racoons? There's been some label interest floating around?

Matthew: Yeah, we've had some discussions with labels, but we're still sticking it to the man ha. It seems like it's going to be a long song and dance before anything gets hammered out but that's just as well since we're just as freaked out about signing a deal as we are about never getting one. We're lucky since we're late bloomers in our class and some of our friends have been fucked over well ahead of time by record labels so we've been handed a how-to guide about avoiding complete disaster. Inshallah.

The Racoons - Islomania

The Racoons - Be my Television

Friday Five!

Young Fathers - Straight Back On It
I'm by no means a connoisseur of the genre but when I saw these guys recently I was blown away by their polished orgasmo-pop-funk-hip-hop and awesome synchronised body popping. If OutKast came from Edinburgh...

Chew Lips - Solo
I only heard this yesterday on Lamacqs tips for 09 but I'm already totally infatuated with it, primarily as it sounds like James Murphy recording the little sister to Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps".

The Molotovs - Flowers
"I bought you some flowers; was that not enough?" laments the male lead singer crystallising the sentiments of indie kids throughout the country confounded by the XX chromosome. As instant a fix as Vampire Weekend but given a decidedly British flavour by the Alex Turner influenced vocals.

SoKo - I Will Never Love You More
Charming and disarming anti-folk along the lines of Kimya Dawson with quaint and touching lyrics which are given additional emphasis by the embryonic song structure.

Fan Death - Veronica's Veil
Probably the most interesting of the army of femme fronted electro-pop acts who've set up early residence in 2009 due to their sinister, gothic vocals which fit adeptly layered over the repetitive New Orderesque beats.