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

Inbox Wednesday: EX~PO

Sifting through the dozens of emails in the BTA inbox, I came across EX~PO.  Central Meaner Street is the second collection of tracks by Dean Marino. After reading Marino's bio, I couldn't help, but have the utmost respect for him. EX~PO's frontman/mastermind is a seasoned producer/engineer/studiohead.  His resume lists work with Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, C'mon, Amy Millan, and BTA friends Ruby Coast.

I am always intrigued by what career producer/engineers are able to produce on the other side of the studio.  Marino proves that he's taken all that he has learned behind the glass and transcribed a "how-to" for bands. His music is simple; applying the "less is more" mentality Marino has successfully crafted some great rock songs.  "My New Story" dealves into the psychedelic, "Constant Commuter" chugs and drives smoothly through my headphones, and "At Day's End" yearns almost Jonas-like.

Let me digress, Marino's music is not simple.  It's meticulously pieced together, natural,  and engages the listener through every verse. One of my favourite finds of the years.

Enjoy!

EX~PO - Constant Commuter

EX~PO - At Day's End

P.S.  If you like what you hear make sure to check EX~PO out on Dec. 4th at Rancho Relaxo in Toronto.

Inbox Wednesday - Good, Better, Best

Since we started the blog, the BTA inbox has become rich with track submissions from some incredible artists from all over the world. Given this, the BTA staff has decided (in a blaze of glory) to feature the best of these submissions regularly with Inbox Wednesdays.

There are three artists that made the cut this week, and I have decided to share each of them with you in a post called Good, Better, Best.

Good.
The Legends - Seconds Away

This upbeat electro track includes a catchy melody sung with a modest harmony backing. The hook is accompanied by an incredible amount of static-ey distortion that hits in a very original way. And it works.

Formed in Stockholm in January 2003, The Legends are made up of 9 energetic Swedes with varying degrees of musical talent (some picked up an instrument just to be in the group). They are signed to Labrador Records. Check out the track.


Better.
We Plants are Happy Plants - UITC (Up In The Clouds)
Anyone in the market for a Disco Banger should be ecstatic with We Plants are Happy Plants' Up In The Clouds. This victorious son-of-a-bitch leaves your head bobbing and your heart pounding. Plus, it's vaguely reminiscent of that Street Fighter dance track that kicked ass during jr. high.

We Plants are Happy Plants aka Peter Bergmann hails from Budapest Hungary an pulls influence from the trendiest of dance masters - Daft Punk, Justice, Sebastian Tellier, Hot Chip and more. Check out the myspace for more juiced up tracks.


Best
Nancy - Keep Cooler
Nancy - Keep Cooler (Born Ruffians Remix)
This was a great email to receive... thanks to Praxis from the band. The Born Ruffians Keep Cooler Remix is the first song which the Canadian indie kings have remixed, and they chose a great original track to start with.

Nancy is a five piece hailing from Brasília, Brazil that has been featured by the BBC, USA Today, and more. Keep Cooler is their flagship track; one that is highlighted by engaging vocals, a fun interplay of instruments, and an eclectic song structure that keeps you on your toes. The Ruffians remix is a quicky and peaceful take on the track, but I enjoy the original just as much. You decide which you prefer.


And if your band would like to be featured in an upcoming version of Inbox Wednesday, email us at bridgingtheatlantic@gmail.com. Thanks team.

Festival Season - Contest: Roger's Picnic, July 20th - Toronto

It's always been a dream of mine to curate a music festival. Though I haven't yet had the chance, I can't help but think that REMG and Embrace Productions created this year's Roger's Picnic with me in mind. And now, to make matters even better, Embrace is coughing up a pair of passes to the one-day festival to one lucky faithful BTA reader.

Admittedly, I've never been a City & Colour fan, who is the listed headliner in 2008. However, I can look past such things when the rest of the lineup boasts such glory as Cat Power, Chromeo, Tokyo Police Club, Dizzee Rascal, Animal Collective, and others. Despite these draws, the two bands I'm most looking forward to are Vampire Weekend and Born Ruffians, both of whom I wallowed in sorrow when I couldn't snag tickets to their Toronto shows earlier this year.

Vampire Weekend's only Toronto stop to-date was at a packed Horseshoe Tavern; because I couldn't get tickets, I held a wallowing party at my apartment while the show was going on across town for anyone else who was in the same boat as I. It was a bittersweet evening to say the least.

Likewise, Born Ruffians, whose debut LP Red, Yellow, and Blue is taking rank on the "top played" in my iTunes over the past few months, sold out Lee's Palace before I could grab a ticket. To rub it in, the reviews from the show were ridiculously positive.

Needless to say, I shant be missing this valuable opportunity to correct two of my biggest mistakes of 2008 in one shot at Fort York on July 20th. If you, too, want to be checking out all the action, send us an email with the subject line "Roger and Me are going on a Picnic". Do so before Noon on July 18th, as that's when the winner will be chosen.

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
Born Ruffians - Little Garcon
Cat Power - Theme From New York, New York

- bbbykmbrly.

Stellar lineup for Rogers Picnic in July

Tokyo Police Club, Cat Power, Dizzee Rascal, Vampire Weekend, City and Colour, Born Ruffians, Animal Collective, The Carps, and Chromeo all for under $50? Ummm, yes please.

The Rogers Picnic takes place in Toronto on July 20th and surprisingly, tickets are still available. Alternatively, if you're broke (or just really cheap) Exclaim! are giving away a pair of tickets here.

Born Ruffians - Hummingbird
Vampire Weekend - I Stand Corrected
Tokyo Police Club - Juno

- a.m.p.m.

the D'Urbervilles' Release Party Mania

I absolutely cannot stop listening to We Are the Hunters. The new record from Toronto-and-area indie rocksters the D'Urbervilles was released last Tuesday on Out of This Spark records, also home to last year's incredible Friends in Bellwoods compilation (featuring Bry Webb of the Constantines and Oh Bijou's Casey Mecija covering the Velvet Underground classic 'Oh! Sweet Nuthin'. Check it out here) and the soon-to-be-released Forest City Lovers disc.

The album's 9 tracks are mostly new material, but does feature the stand-out tracks from their earlier self-titled EP, including a slightly revamped (for the better) "Spin the Bottle".

The band is about to embark on a pretty extensive Canadian tour in support of the new album, which kicks off real proper-like this Friday at the Ford Plant in Brantford, aka the best room to ever see any band ever.

The full tour details are below. If you plan to check the band out when they come to your town(which I highly encourage), do yourself a favour and come in time for the openers. They've done a fine fine job of lining up some incredible support, including Secret City Records' new project Plants and Animals, as well as Fox Jaws, labelmates Forest City Lovers, and indie songster Nich Worby. The tour finishes in style April 24th in Guelph with Born Ruffians.

29 Feb - Brantford, ON - the Ford Plant - CD Release w/ Plants and Animals
1 March - Waterloo, ON - Trepid House - CD Release w/ Bocce (all-ages)
7 March - Kingston, ON - the Grad Club - CD Release w/ Nich Worby
8 March - Peterborough, ON - the Spill - CD Release w/ the Spill
13 March - Guelph, ON - EBar - CD Release w/ Forest City Lovers
14 March - Toronto, ON - Tranzac- CD Release w/ Forest City Lovers
17 March - Windsor, ON - Phog Lounge - w/ Fox Jaws
18 March - London, ON - the Alex P. Keaton - w/ Fox Jaws
19 March - Barrie, ON - the Foundation - w/ Fox Jaws
20 March - Hamilton, ON - the Casbah Lounge - w/ the Magic
21 March - Oshawa, ON - the Velvet Elvis - w/ the Magic
22 March - Montreal, PQ - Friendship Cove - w/ the Adam Brown, the Magic
25 March - Fredericton, NB - ReNeu Boutique - w/ the Forest City Lovers
26 March - St. John, NB - A Khord - w/ Forest City Lovers
27 March - Halifax, NS - the Wardroom - w/ Forest City Lovers
28 March - Halifax, NS - Gus' Pub - w/ Forest City Lovers, the Just Barelys, Rich Aucoin
29 March - Charlottetown, PEI - JFK House - w/ Forest City Lovers
1 April - Ottawa, ON - Maverick's - w/ Forest City Lovers
3 April - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - the Arc
4 April - Thunder Bay, ON - the Apollo - w/ the Burning Hell
5 April - Winnipeg, MB - Music Trader - In-store performance
5 April - Winnipeg, MB - the Cavern
8 April - Medicine Hat, AB - the Ottoman
9 April - Lethbridge, AB - the Slice
12 April - Victoria, BC - Logan's Pub - w/ the Paper Cranes, Rugged Uncle, Slam Dunk
16 April - Prince George, BC - Pizza Rico's
17 April - Calgary, AB - Broken City - w/ Frosted Tipz
18 April - Canmore, AB - the Canmore Hotel - w/ Frosted Tipz
19 April - Edmonton, AB - the Pawn Shop - w/ Frosted Tipz
24 April - Guelph, ON - Vinyl - w/ Born Ruffians

the D'Urbervilles - Spin the Bottle
the D'Urbervilles - Hot Tips

- bbbykmbrly.

Piecing it together

Born Ruffians are poised to become one of Canada's hottest bands, if they aren't already. 2006 saw the Midland, Ontario three-piece on a summer trek through the United Kingdom and returning home to tour North America with Hot Chip. Born Ruffians also passed the fall by with shows alongside Tokyo Police Club and Beirut. And they've hit the ground running in 2007: ending January with three shows in New York City, two of them opening for sold-out Swedish export, Peter, Bjorn and John.

Born Ruffians' self-titled EP was released last October and despite being just shy of 16-minutes long, it contains some of the year's most engaging rock music. The band's music is chaotic, even schizophrenic in parts. Fortunately for the listener, Born Ruffians are able to control the chaos and the results are catchy, exciting bursts of inventive rock music. Working at the same time are singer/guitarist Luke LaLonde's howling vocals that range from yelps and barks to falsetto which make the band's sound distinct.

Only time will tell if Born Ruffians can follow up their stellar debut or if the bar has been set too high. I can't recommend these guys enough. If you are in Ontario, you can check them out in March - they're in Ottawa at Zaphod's on March 23 with locals Fucked Corpse .

Born Ruffians - Piecing it together

Born Ruffians - This song will ruin/save your life

-Andrew (the one in Ottawa)