It's all gone a bit 2001 this month, with the return of The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. As we were listening to Mosquito yesterday, we got to wondering about some of the less heralded bands from the garage and post-punk revivals that brought a whole heap of hype to NYC around the turn of the millennium. Some of the bands from that scene are still around and doing well, of course — Interpol spring to mind immediately — but the others... Well, we've put on our deerstalkers and done some digging. [...]
![[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (9-19-2012)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4515864_lg.jpg)
Fall Mix Fall is officially here this week, and what better way to welcome the brisk autumn breeze by listening to this airy compilation of HDPP jams? There simply isn't a better way. Period. Stream the playlist below (or by clicking here ). :: Hump Day Power Play (9-19-2012) :: 01 :: "Dead End" - The Whitest Boy Alive 02 :: "Tropical Birds" - Miniature Tigers 03 :: "Foreign Room" - Telekinesis [...]

On March 10th, Young Mammals is set to release its latest 73 Landlady b/w Optometrist via the Bombs By Mail label. The A-side (mixed by Steve Christensen) is pure indie pop, while the B-side, is a dissonant lullaby recorded with Nick Stumpf (of French Kick fame) at the helm. Here is the A-side. Listen. Downloadable: Landlady (mp3) Pre-ordering info is available @ youngmammals.bandcamp.com . Young Mammals is on the internet Young Mammals is on Bandcamp [...]
![[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (2-29-2012)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4096850_lg.jpg)
Leap Day Editition Happy Leap Day! What better way to intercalate the year than to enjoy a bissextile-themed Hump Day Power Play . On this 29th of February where our corrective measure puts us nearly back on track with the Gregorian calendar, take solace in the fact that we'll also have a Leap Second added on June 30... Hear it by simply clicking here . Playlist is below. :: Hump Day Power Play (2-29-2012) :: 01 :: "Quantum Leap" - John [...]
Hailing from Chicago, Santah put catchy, no-frills alternative rock back on the main stage. The five-piece fuse the ambition of all members into a cohesive and successful album, White Noise Bed – a group courtesy of GroopEase, who recently offered their full-length for $3 – a $6 discount. Fans of The Walkmen, The Veils, and [...]
“Tiny Fingers” is lush and exotic, with sounds of broken sitars, brass, and wind chimes backing a gentle acoustic strum. Like everything on Red Velvet Snow Ball, it would be the perfect accompaniment to a day of greenery – lying in the green grass, staring at the green trees swaying above you, and perhaps indulging in something that would make the sky appear green.
In preparation for the birthday edition of OTC, I put together a tribute to Daytrotter ! I hope that you enjoy it! I absolutely enjoyed it and I'm so excited about this new show. Off The Charts #2: Daytrotter ***Featuring*** French Kicks The Jim Jones Revue The Morning Benders Sam Roberts Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin White Rabbits
All splashy drums and blase vocals, the French Kicks aren’t trying to turn any heads with “Sex Tourists” . It is one of those songs you can listen to on repeat for hours without really hearing, one listen seamlessly blending into the next. But then there are those moments when you suddenly realize you stopped whatever you were doing 10 minutes ago and all you have been doing is listening. Eyes closed, head back, listening . The French Kicks are masters of this sort of silent takeover. Half way through they sing “when we’re vibrating somewhere” and I [...]
All splashy drums and blase vocals, the French Kicks aren’t trying to turn any heads with “Sex Tourists” . It is one of those songs you can listen to on repeat for hours without really hearing, one listen seamlessly blending into the next. But then there are those moments when you suddenly realize you stopped whatever you were doing 10 minutes ago and all you have been doing is listening. Eyes closed, head back, listening . The French Kicks are masters of this sort of silent takeover. Half way through they sing “when we’re vibrating somewhere” and I [...]

Mr. Ryan Brown of Gray Goods sent us these answers to our questions in this next installment of the q and also a series. q: What is the last song you (really) heard? a: I heard Instant Karma! in the car this morning and it got me going, usually does. I've also been giving Fleetwood Mac a serious run for the first time in my life. A friend turned me onto Tusk and its been downhill from there. [...]

One of the best parts about the changing of the season is that Music For Ants always seem to hit us with a new, seasonally-inspired playlist. In case you haven't been outside lately (or you live in the southern Canadian Rockies), it is Spring! The snow is melting, goggles-tans are abundant and people are genuinely in a better mood. To help you out, here is the Music For Ants Spring Playlist . As always, you can grab the individual tracks by rick-clicking on them or ZIP the entire thing by clicking on the link [...]

While compiling this mix I really began to wonder why Spring is the least gratified season of the year when aside from its complementary sneezes and festering allergens, it is surely the most beautiful. Who doesn't like flowers or having to actually put some thought into their wardrobes-you can't hide under those layers forever! Maybe it's the sticky anticipation of a grilled-up Summer or the fact that Winter finally took a hint, but amidst determined conversations of travels and the setting of goals exists fuzzy, circuitous feelings as we linger on a verge of newness. After all, [...]
After the release of their most recent album Departing this year, Ben takes a look back at their memorable debut, Hometowns. After lukewarm acclaim for Departing, he looks at Hometowns for clues about where the Advantage could and should be going. At the very least, it is certainly an album worth revisiting.
The Rural Alberta Advantage probably appreciate movies like The Deer Hunter, the 1978 classic that depicted the inhabitants of a small, factory-dependent town shortly after the Vietnam War. These portrayals of ex-soldiers/steel workers with deep emotional wounds made for a great film with a top-notch cast that contributed to some of the finest character development [...]
Scrolling through iTunes recently, I came back across one of my favorite (mostly)under-the-radar bands, a band easily among the most underrated of its era: French Kicks. The closest thing we have to The Walkmen without the accompanying fanfare, French Kicks seem to languor in obscurity. There are so many songs through their catalogue that are [...]
It is unprofessional to reveal a bias, but if you are a quality artist from New Jersey then you are certainly likely to get my attention. It helps even more if you perform regularly at The Stone Pony, a trademark Jersey venue that my parents frequented when they were in their teens. My teenage self [...]

I was reading this and laughing which led me to reading this and fondly recalling the Kicks and their beautiful music and then I decided to share. I don't believe the guys are up to anything collaboratively at the moment, they all seem to be doing their own solo things . So no tour info but we do have a healthy course of nostalgia for you all from their lovely album The Trial Of The Century . "The hours that go in front of [...]
![TSURURADIO Presents… MIXTAPES WEEK: [ ...Living, Breathing, Dying... ] by nelso!!!](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2464626_lg.jpg)
Illustration by Mike Oh my, what a week we've had so far, eh? Honestly, I didn't know if I'd be able to keep MIXTAPES WEEK going all week! So many hyperlinks... so little time! But alas, here we are, Friday, and we've got yet another amazing mixtape to share with you. Also, waiting in the wings for my Crane Buddy to receive her Crane's Day gift is the mixtape I made for her! It's a doozy that I plan on sharing with you ASAP, but she [...]

735 Queen Street East Toronto, ON M4M 1H1 (416) 466-0313 www.theoperahousetoronto.com Toronto - Lets face it, most of us indie music fans live in the west end. Sure there are some scattered about around the Danforth, and there are some living in their parents basements in North York, but most of us are clearly on the west side of Yonge. So whenever there's a show at the Opera House, people are always like 'arrggh, it's so far away'. This is quite true, but if the band is good enough, this is usually [...]