Think About Evangelical Life

Who knew that Think About Life would appeal to the devout masses? Their new video for "Havin' My Baby" shows what good music can do to people who believe in it. Starring muppet look-a-likes a hip preacher rockin' out to my favourite Think About Life track, a church is taken over by the sweet sounds of TAL. Can't wait to see TAL invade the cribs of a daycare next. Nobody's safe.

For those fortunate enough to attend SXSW, TAL will be showcasing their dominance of the live show.

Think About Life - Havin' My Baby

Enjoy!

Marc.E.B.'s Healthy Serving of 2009

I've been tracking my favourite songs all year and I literally had a enough to fit two albums worth. This got me thinking that next year I may produce a multi-volume "best of". As with everything in life, music is best in moderation. So, I forced myself to ration my servings of this year's best tracks.

I agree with G.R.O. that this year left no shortage of quality tracks and I hope that you enjoy some of my faves.

Enjoy!

A Healthy Serving of 2009 (Download here)

Settler - Balmorhea
Havin' My Baby - Think About Life
You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II) - Sunset Rubdown
It's Thunder and It's Lightning - We Were Promised Jetpacks
Dust - Crystal Antlers
Swim (To Reach the End) - Surfer Blood
Pretty Girl - White Wires
Lust for Life - Girls

Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin' - Mayer Hawthorne
Heartbreaker - MSTRKRFT
Ghosts - Silver Starling

Tender Torture - Islands
Armistice - Phoenix
Drain the Blood - The Rural Alberta Advantage
Radio Kaliningrad - Handsome Furs
Lowiza - The Lovely Feathers
Serious Bedtime - The Balconies

Friday Five: Hottest Bands in Canada

As 2009 comes to a close, the "best of" list will begin to multiply exponentially. I must admit that I'm a sucker for a list. This year, BTA participate in i(heart)music's 2009 Hottest Bands in Canada poll. This year's edition included 34 of Canada's most popular blogs and independent music publications. You can view the results and our commentary here.

These groups made my top-10 list:

The Balconies - Lulu

Think About Life - Havin' My Baby

Joel Plaskett - New Scotland Blues

Honourable mentions:

Rural Alberta Advantage - Drain the Blood

Coeur de Pirate - Corbeau

Enjoy!

You Say Party! We Say In-Store!

Photo by Ming Wu

Vancouver's You Say Party! We Say Die! treated Ottawa to an acoustic in-store performance today. The dance-rock combo performed songs from their 2007 album, Lose All Time and their latest release XXXX (Check the video below).

Released Sept. 29, the album features a more polished and concentrated vision from the band. In general, the album appears more whole than its predecessors. With more pacing in the choruses and vocals taking centre stage, it's clear that the band understands where their strengths lie. YSP!WSD! has taken a serious step forward with this release. A track that stands out is "Laura Palmer's Prom", its 80's synth-ballad style is novel without being cheesy. "Dark Days" is sombre without killing the vibe, assuring that this YSP!WSD! will be keeping the kids dancing.

Check them out on their upcoming tour with BTA favourite Think About Life.

Enjoy!

You Say Party! We Say Die! - Laura Palmer's Prom

You Say Party! We Say Die! - Dark Days

U.S. Can Now Find Comfort in TAL's Family

Think About Life have a bunch of news. First off, Family will be available in U.S. as of today, October 13. Secondly, drummer Matt Shane has left the band to complete his master's degree of fine arts and that means TAL welcome new drummer Greg into the fold. Lastly, the band has added the female voice of Caila to the mix.

Check out the great video for 'Sweet Sixteen'. It's one of the better videos I've seen in a while; it features the band dressed in one large sweatshirt.

Think About Life - Sweet Sixteen

Enjoy!

Friday Five: The Dying Days of Summer

If I had to pick five songs that marked my summer, these come as no-brainers to me.

No doubt that Think About Life have made the top of my list for albums of the year, so far, but this song is deathly addictive.

Think About Life - Havin' My Baby

The Lovely Feathers recently had their "too hot for TV" video for 'Lowiza' premiered on Playboy.com (Click here to check it out). The level of irony is through the roof on this one, but doesn't that make them all the more "indie"?

The Lovely Feathers - Lowiza

Looking forward to The Balconies' CD release show next week in Wakefield at the Black Sheep Inn. Joining them will be Whale Tooth and Lei Vollebekk.

The Balconies - Serious Bedtime

Closing out this year's Williamsburg Waterfront free concerts with Jay-Z in attendance propelled Grizzly Bear to the height of indie superiority.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Diamond Rings is The D'Urbervilles' John O's most recent project. With a slot at this year's Pop Montreal and a thumbs-up from Pitchfork, Mr. O has cred from the get go.

Diamond Rings - All Yr Songs

Enjoy!

Let's Pretend It's Friday Five

The good ol' Friday Five:

Grand Archives - Silver Among the Gold

This new track from Grand Archives bodes well for their forthcoming sophomore release Keep In Mind Frankenstein. Last year's The Grand Archives was one of my top albums of 2008; Frankenstein will be available September 8th.

Phil and the Osophers - We Have All Summer

Slightly shambolic jangle pop from Brooklyn-based Phil and the Osophers.

YACHT - Psychic City (Voodoo City)

You've likely heard of YACHT already. This is one of my favourite songs of this summer.

Think About Life - Sofa-Bed

Another cut from the fantastic new album Family. Think About Life are from Montreal and deliver some of the best live performances I've ever seen. They won't be a jealously guarded Canadian secret for much longer.

Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others

Grizzly Bear's Veckatamest is a shoo-in for inclusion in many a 2009 best album list.

Think About Life

Several BTA contributors have been anticipating Montreal's Think About Life's follow-up to their erratic infectious self-titled release.

May 26th TAL released Family.  With the success of Graham's Miracle Fortress, I was curious as to what Family would sound like.  The result is more aesthetically pleasing; an intriguing mix of dance/soul/hip-hop samples and Martin's satisfyingly less-aggressive vocals (the man can sing!).  Inviting the use of melodies, TAL have matured into crafting songs instead of performance pieces.

Having seen the majority of these tracks performed live, it's evident that there is an element of performance in everything these guys produce.  You will never fully understand TAL until you've experienced them live. 

Still the best live act I ever seen!

Think About Life - Havin' My Baby

Listen to the whole album here

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

Think About Condominiums

The Ottawa contingent of BTA recently witnessed a bit of local history: the alleged final show in the basement of 59 Argyle, the little rock and roll townhouse that could. While the show's close heard several drunken and disorderly cries of protest, it was a good run while it lasted.

It was fitting that Montreal-based Think About Life were there to headline and close out the unique venue's final act, as they're the band above all others that truly embraced the exposed-piping and dust swirling ambiance of this unfinished basement. To a duct-worker it probably wouldn't look too special, but to the 75 (we're guessing) people in attendance on Thursday night, the basement was simply a place to party and enjoy live music, free from really any sort of superficiality.

Shortly after guests were treated to baked goods in the living area upstairs, people headed into the dungeon for Ottawa's Fucked Corpse. Despite snapping a drum pedal, the set was high energy, comedic, and musically tight for the most part. Fucked Corpse is literally the house band, with at least one member to our knowledge living there, and they were fittingly well-received by friends and newcomers alike.

After the set, everybody was ushered upstairs to enjoy some more baked goods while Montreal duo Wax Attic set up their equipment. Once the go-ahead was given, Wax Attic treated the basement crowd (which was beginning to grow) to their own blend of 'psychedelic thrash'. Overall, the set was enjoyable… save one song which lacked the tight rhythmic pattern they displayed throughout the rest of the performance. Oh, and one of the dudes was dressed as a lion mascot, so kudos for not passing out on the fans.

After the final break the anxious crowd rushed back downstairs to be wowed by Think About Life. At this point, most were damp with sweat, the ceiling pipes dripped condensation, and no one could have been happier. The set's highlights included favourites like 'Paul Cries' and new tracks that incorporated some killer sampling (stand-out using an E-40 sample, check the video). Tambourines shook, the swarm rocked back and forth, and at the end of it all, it appeared that the band couldn't have supplied any more energy to the ecstatic crowd.

BTA would like to thank 59 Argyle for providing the city of Ottawa with concert events like no other. Experiencing Argyle reminds you of what going to a show is really about, and that reminder will be sorely missed.

Think About Life - Paul Cries
Think About Life - Serious Chords

- B.A. and mca.

Fortress of Solitude

The first time I saw Think About Life perform it was a sweaty, dingy affair in an Ottawa basement (59 Argyle!), complete with good friends, genuine music lovers, and pizza slices on the house. During their performance and immediately following the show, I noticed that the personality of guitarist Graham Van Pelt was visibly different than that of his fellow members. He did less of the talking and lacked Martin Cesar's swagger as well as the cathartic energy of Matt Shane. Still, one knew that being a part of this band, an off-the-wall, unconventionally spastic electro-rock outfit, must have meant that Van Pelt possessed some unseen quality comparably awesome to the more visible traits exhibited by the dude screaming and the soaking-wet, skinny drummer.

Miracle Fortress is Van Pelt's unveiling party (*though it came out late May, I've been on the road for a while, missing just about every key release of the summer). Five Roses is the masterpiece, and is without question a demonstration of the individual talent he channels subtly into Think About Life. That band's self-titled debut was a summer album for all the writers here at BTA. It reflected the freedom and irresponsibility of the humid months; it was raw, loud, and explosive. Five Roses is a completely different aesthetic, but a summer album just the same. While an early Miracle Fortress song 'Eschatology' re-created the Think About Life style with a little less tumult, the songs on the debut carve out a whole new sound. Like with Panda Bear, the Brian Wilson comparisons have been identified by almost everybody who has gotten hold of this album. The songs on Five Roses are laden with subdued vocal melodies that gradually build towards bright conclusions, all the while sprinkling keyboard and peppery percussion in the gaps to achieve those Wilson-like textures. This is most evident on 'Have You Seen In Your Dreams', where hand claps work alongside vocal echo effects. 'Maybe Lately' develops from start to finish in a very similar way. The standout track of the album is 'Hold Your Secrets To Your Heart', showcasing Van Pelt's strongest singing and a softly pulsing rhythm that hypnotically coasts to the song's end. The first time I heard it I was on the other side of the country in British Columbia, and the astonishment I was feeling from the mountains and natural beauty of the landscape was encompassed perfectly in this one song. I vividly remember making that connection, and not many songs are capable of inducing such peace. It will be an extremely good second half of '07 if this doesn't make it into the top 10.

Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen In Your Dreams (YSI)
Miracle Fortress - Maybe Lately (YSI)
Miracle Fortress - Hold Your Secrets To Your Heart (YSI)

- brad

Think About Dancing

There was a pizza party on Sunday and everyone came out. The whole crew trekked down to 59 Argyle and ate pizza, drank and danced all night. Quebexico came in from Toronto, Ottawa locals Fucked Corpse did their thing, and hot-to-trot Montrealers Think About Life even came to town as the headliners.

"59 Argyle - what the heck is that?", you say. Well, 59 Argyle is kind of an Ottawa legend; located on the corner of Argyle Avenue and Elgin Street directly across from the Ottawa Police Station, not only is the subdivided three-storey a functional house for five but also serves as one of the city's most unique music venues. Plus beers are like $2.

-Andrew W

Agent #2

Fans of everything from Islands to The Shins may take a liking to the new grooves of Cloud Cult. Their new album, ‘The Meaning of 8’, is due out April 10th (but you can buy it online right now) and contains a solid, fluid track list of complex and innovative musicianship. Check out their myspace for some more tracks.

Cloud Cult - Your 8th Birthday (zShare)

We’re all excited for the Think About Life show next Sunday. Returning from Montreal for another intimate basement show / pizza party to a sold out Ottawa crowd. Look for postings and media coverage next week, and their myspace for more info and music from this highly recommended band.

Think About Life - Paul Cries (zShare)