hey you, listen to these!

Yup, it's another "songs of the indeterminate time period", with a trio of new and nifty songs you should check out.

  We Are The City - Morning Song by killbeat music
Oh man! I have seen this song live so many times, and I am glad it finally exists in physical (or digital) form. From We Are The City's upcoming 7", it's "Morning Song". It'll be paired with "Mourning Song" (see what they did there?) and the 7" will be released in September on Adventure Boys Club.

  Go To Me - Jordan Klassen by JordanKlassen
While I have heard the name Jordan Klassen fairly frequently, I have to admit I hadn't heard much (or any) of his music. Until the other day with the release of his new single "Go To Me". It starts soft and builds to a grand, and pretty damn catchy climax. It's from Repentance, due out in November.



Since I first caught his disease six years ago, I've had a soft spot for Aussie pop-rocker Ben Lee. His newest album, Deeper Into Dream (his eighth solo album!) was produced at his home studio and the first single, "Get Used To It" is pretty much as poppy as you would expect it to be, but like a lot of Lee's music, the lyrics might not quite as upbeat as the music.


songs of the indeterminate time period.

I have spontaneously decided I am going to post more previews of things I am digging. We'll see it I stick with it, or if the next one comes in another nine months. So here is the... let's call it "long awaited"... next instalment of my songs of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment

Going to be honest, I hadn't heard much of Sidney York before I stumbled upon "Dick & Jane". The song is insanely catchy -- I bet you'll find yourself whistling along at random points during your day -- and the video, which features cameos by members of Beekeeper and Mother Mother, is really cool and fun (and unless I'm mistaken, all done in one take!). It's off her [awesomely titled] album Apocalyptic Radio Cynic which is due out May 24th.






The first time I saw 41st & Home, I admit, my reaction was a little... "meh". But in the year since then, I've seen them more and more, and they have definitely grown as a band in that time -- I can only assume their inclusion in the Peak Performance Project helped.
Just today they released a video done by the fine folks at Amazing Factory of a new song "Gorbachev" from their upcoming, untitled, un-release-dated EP, which I am definitely looking forward to.






One of my favourite albums of 2009 was from The Ghost Is Dancing, a band and album that I thought was criminally under-looked. Well, they ceased to be, and Jim DeLuca -- one of the singer/songwriters -- has formed The Natural Shocks. The first single off their upcoming album Complete With Comfortable Lighting (available June 9th) is "Heavier Than Heavy", and it is an infectious power-pop song that will be stuck in your head for days.

songs of the indeterminate time period.

Haven't really done this in a while, so here is another instalment of my song(s) of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment! These are three new songs which strike me and I just feel like sharing, so enjoy!

Nova Scotia's The Tom Fun Orchestra is back with a follow up to their debut full length, 2008's criminally underrated You Will Land With A Thud. While there doesn't seem to be any details on the album itself, the band has released a single to tide us over, entitled "Miles Davis". The song is a six minute ride through the bands style of a mish-mash folk, roots, blues, rock and punk, combined with the lead singers Tom Waits-isn rasp. You'd think something like that would end up a mess, especially with a nine member band of varying instruments, but they pull it together into a incredibly unique -- not to mention catchy -- sound. They're a hard band to describe, so you'll just have to listen to the track to see hear for yourself. If the upcoming album is even half as good as this track, we're in for a doozy.
They are also phenomenal live, and are about to kick off a tour. Here are the dates, and they'll be here in Vancouver August 12, so if you have the chance to see them... do it!

Download Miles Davis by The Tom Fun Orchestra
artists website where you may find out more and exchange monies for music


The awesomely named Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has released the second song from their upcoming album, Let It Sway. Their third album, which was produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie, is to be released August 17th. "Banned (By The Man)" is a high energy and joyous track that just begs to be sung-along to. Stereogum calls it "probably the most precious pop song ever to be called "Banned (By The Man)"." So sure, let's go with that!

Download Banned (By The Man) by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
artists website where you may find out more and exchange monies for music


Last but not least, another east coast, Nova Scotian rocker, Matt Mays. I swear, there are so many amazing artists who have come out of Nova Scotia... Whatever the case, Mays has alternately released albums under just his own name, and him and his backing band, El Torpedo. Well, now that the band has split, I assume Mays will just be continuing on under his own name. Recently, he recorded a song for radio station Q104 called "Queen of Portland Street" (though it was apparently previously titled "Hurricanes"). The song is immediately recognizable as a Matt Mays tune, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is a pretty damn good song.

Download Queen of Portland Street by Matt Mays
artists website where you may find out more and exchange monies for music

songs of the indeterminate time period.

Hey look! It's another instalment of my song(s) of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment!
Here are a few songs; ones that are new, newish, or new-to-me for your listening pleasure. I'll also try to include at least some diversity in the selected songs.

All of these albums I have on my "to be reviewed" pile, but they are all on the bottom, and the pile is growing quite sizable... (so expect a deluge of album reviews in the next week or so...) and I wanted to share these songs with you now!


There is no way you can not fall in love with this song. It starts out well enough, sweet and playful, but by the time the song kicks into gear and especially when the gang chorus comes in, that's it. It's over. It's just so full of joy and energy. It also helps that the album was recorded live off the floor, so you can just picture all these people, folks from bands like Hey Ocean, The Zolas, Dan Mangan, Shane Nelkin and even R3 DJ Lana Gay, crowded in the room having a blast. I also love the wordplay, in the lyric booklet at least. Those two lines (you'll know which two I mean upon hearing the song) are not quite what they seem to be.


Download Goodnight Moon by Said The Whale
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

Another charming song, I Can Be A Frog is another one that is hard to hate. Its cute, simplistic structure is endearing and features Karen O (of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) providing "animal sounds" -- as listed in the lyrics book -- on the track. Without those, it wouldn't be half as great as it is. It is a song that few other bands would be able to pull off, and if it were any longer, I could see it losing its charm, but The Flaming Lips, being as awesome as they are, pull it off beautifully.
It also has a pretty fun video.


Download I Can be A Frog by The Flaming Lips
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

I finally got around to listening to the We Are The City album, In A Quiet World. I liked it, but it wasn't until the second half of the album that I was really hooked, and this was, without a doubt, the standout track upon first listen. It starts off calm and emotional, and then just launches to an epic climax and a magnificent finale.
They're pretty much the only band in the Peak Performance Project that I would be okay with winning over my pick, Bend Sinister.



Download Astronomers by We Are The City
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

songs of the indeterminate time period.

Hey look! It's another instalment of my song(s) of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment!
Here are a few songs; ones that are new, newish, or new-to-me for your listening pleasure. I'll also try to include at least some diversity in the selected songs.

Today there is a bit of a theme, with guest artists on songs in genres you would perhaps not expect them to be in.


Metric's Emily Haines and The Dears' Murray Lightburn join forces with k-os for this track. It is not a surprising collaboration, considering all have worked, in some capacity, with Broken Social Scene, have toured together and are buddies. All three of their voices mix amazingly well together, and the song itself is pretty damn good. It is off k-os' new album YES! and is quite possibly one of my favourite tracks of the year. Maybe only just a little because it features two of my favourite musicians, and now makes me really want a collaboration between Haines & Lightburn together.

Download Uptown GirL by k-os
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music


This Nova Scotian collaboration features rapper Classified with quintessential maritime musician, Joel Plaskett. Both artists have been around for over a dozen years and albums and are both pretty influential in their respective genres and scenes. It's a pairing that may sound like it wouldn't work, given their respective sounds, but it comes together excellently, and even features some of Plaskett's playfulness. It is off of Classified's thirteenth album, Self Explanatory.

Download One Track Mind by Classified

artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music


When internationally renowned electronica DJ Misstress Barbara -- the misspelling being intentional, a portmanteau of "miss" and "stress" -- put out her first album, I'm No Human, she enlisted in the help of fellow Montrealer Sam Roberts for vocals on the track I'm Running. It's another pairing that works much better than you would expect, with their voices melding together perfectly. The overall catchiness of the song doesn't hurt, either.
It also has a pretty cool video.

Download I'm Running by Misstress Barbara
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

songs of the indeterminate time period.

Hey look! It's another instalment of my song(s) of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment!
Here are a few songs; ones that are new, newish, or new-to-me for your listening pleasure. I'll also try to include at least some diversity in the selected songs.


Folk legend M. Ward. Uber-musician/producer Mike Mogis. My Morning Jacket's Jim James. And... Conner Oberst from Bright Eyes (three out of four ain't bad). When their powers combined, they form the Monsters of Folk. It's hard to judge by the first single, but my immediate reaction is that it's not quite the sum of it's parts (perhaps the Oberst Factor), but it has the potential to be awesome. We shall see come September 22nd.

Download Say Please by Monsters of Folk
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music


It's only been two years since the self titled debut from Young Galaxy, but for some reason it feels like much longer. It also feels like the band dropped of the face of the earth. Well, they've finally released the info for the album, Invisible Republic, due out on the 25th of August. It starts as a pretty standard YG track with spacey riffs, twitchy synth and haunting vocals, but then the last minute or so just goes nuts and is completely infectious. This song along launches the album to near the top of my most anticipated for the rest of the year.

Download Long Live The Fallen World by Young Galaxy
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music


Flemish Eye sums it up much better than I can:
A warped and mutated blend of the futuristic and the organic, Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz is the debut album from Black Mold – the electronic alter-ego of songwriter Chad VanGaalen.
The more I listen to this, the more it makes sense. VanGaalen has always had hints of electronica to his albums, and now he gets to let loose with his homemade instruments and show even more of his brilliance. It's hard to call it experimental,since you get the sense that he knows exactly what he's doing.

Download Tetra Pack Heads by Black Mold
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

songs of the indeterminate time period.

I wanted to start doing some sort of song(s) of the week month "whenever I feel like it" segment, so why not start today?
I'll post a few songs, probably ones that are new, newish, or new-to-me for your listening pleasure. I'll also try to include at least some diversity in the selected songs.

I missed the new Elliott BROOD album, Mountain Medows, when it came out last year, but based on recommendations and the Polaris Short List, I decided to check it out. I really liked what I heard, but the stand out track -- upon first listen at least -- was the instrumental song Chuckwagon.

Download Chuckwagon by Elliott BROOD
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

Record of the Week Club is a really nifty idea. Their website can probably describe it better than I, so
[It] is a weekly recording session featuring musicians from diverse musical backgrounds. Never knowing who their co-creators will be — an incognito and disparate group of musicians meet at MCM Studios in Winnipeg, Canada every Wednesday evening. Over the course of one evening they are charged with the task of getting to know each other, arranging, rehearsing and recording a piece under the guidance of Mike Petkau. The song is immediately mixed and uploaded and made available for download that same night.

This song features Inuit throat singer Nikki Komaksiutiksak, electronic artist Blunderspublik and John K. Samson of The Weakerthans.

Download Keewatin Arctic by Record of the Week Club
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music

I am sure the fine fellows in Black Hat Bridage, a fairly new band out of Toronto, are already sick of being compared to Wolf Parade. So let's put a stop to that. Although I have not yet obtained their newest EP, Fathers, I have sampled a few songs from their website and myspace, and I have to say, Castlevania is one of the best songs I've heard this year. It could have easily been gimmicky, given that the song would be right at home in any great 8-bit game, but do they ever pull it off in a haunting and powerful way.

Download Castlevania by Black Hat Brigade
artists website where you may listen to more and exchange monies for music