Geaux Saints! Did you catch the Super Bowl last night? More importantly, did you watch The Who during the halftime spectacular. I've got my thoughts on how it all played out, which I was extremely verbal about during the presentation. No need to rehash, but you can scroll through my twittered-frustrations here if you must. Now that the footballing is over, we're ready to focus on an extremely busy week, chock full of rad new music news. [...]

Photo by Vincent La Foret Since today is the weekend, I've been planning on heading over to the beach. Never mind the ice cool water getting through the bones, all I want is sun, sand and waves. Anyway, this weekend calls for a celebration! Premièred earlier this week are HYPED UP TRACKS that you should definitely get your hands on --- two new tracks from harp-playing prodigy Joanna Newsom, Free Energy, an unreleased track from Beyonce Knowles, Kid Cudi's laid-back, stoner beat infused track off his new mixtape, new stuff from Parker, [...]
As we continue our best songs of 2009, part two of our most loved songs are here and who could have guessed we included the artists in the list below? Once again, take a good ... Related posts: Music Under Fire: Top 30 Albums For 2009 New Album Releases For Tuesday 12/8/2009 Part 1: MUF's Top 100 Songs of 2009 (80-100)

Click image to download full album Song: Download audio file (Metric-Monster-Hospital-MSTRK RFT-Remix.mp3) What Others Say: Next up is the absolutely ballin MSTRKRFT remix of Metric's Monster Hospital from a couple of years ago. With MSTRKRFT's patented pounding synths backing up Emily Hanes's earnest melodies this song is a classic. Hanes's voice swirls, twisting around the ferocious synths to create something dark and powerful. The lyrics are so desperate and forceful that they fit perfectly with the pulsating synths that [...]

Broken Social Scene Are Coming to the Fonda Hollywood Palladium 3/26/10: Metric (presale Friday at 10:00 AM, password = KROQALIVE; on sale Saturday at 10 AM) The Fonda 5/3/10: Broken Social Scene (Saturday at 10 AM) The Glass House 6/3/10: Why? / The Donkeys (now) Honda Center 4/25/10: Eagles (2/8/10 at 10 AM) Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 3/27/10: Chicago / Earth, Wind & Fire, The Stylistics (now) The Wiltern 4/23/10: HIM (Saturday at 10 AM) Avalon 3/19/10: Fate's Warning [...]
It's a joyful week in the land of indie rock: Canada's favorite sons (and daughter) Broken Social Scene are back with their first new album in half a decade! The as yet untitled full-length is set to come out May 4. Now, Broken Social Scene has always been a loose collective. There are the six core members (you may also know Kevin Drew and Brandon Canning by the solo albums they've released in the years since BSS' self-titled 2005 record). But there are also a slew [...]
Metric is the epitome of Indie. They have turned down numerous recording contracts from major labels to keep full control of their music. "Help I'm Alive" is the first single from their much anticipated third album Fantasies , which they released on their own Metric record label. The video has some really cool and random images layered over a great live performance by the band. And as always Metric delivers a great thunderous tune.

It's now official; Canadian indie darlings Broken Social Scene are back with new material. There is no tracklisting, title, or cover art as yet, but there is a date: May 4. In an extensive interview with Pitchfork yesterday, Kevin Drew revealed that the new album - the band's first since 2005 - was recorded last year at both McEntire's Soma Studios in Chicago, and Shaw and Grainger's Giant Studios in Toronto. Many of BSS' extended cast have returned for guest appearances on the album, including Feist, Emily Haines (now of Metric), and both Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, [...]
While Broken Social Scene have always had a bit of a revolving door line-up, it hasn't stopped the band from cementing their place as one of the biggest names in indie rock. The latest line-up is getting ready to release their new album, which hasn't yet been titled, on May 4th via Arts and Crafts. The core line-up of Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning is joined by current members Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Sam Goldberg, and Lisa Lobsinger, but there are going to be plenty of guests on this record as well (including Feist , [...]

(Very late, I know.) No Merriweather Post Pavilion , Bitte Orca nor Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix here. Just 10 albums that were on constant rotation in 2009 (and check out the end for my favourite EP). Not necessarily critics' picks. Enjoy. 10. Jenny Owen Youngs - Transmitter Failure Transmitter Failure is by no means the perfect pop record, but it is certainly one of the better [...]

Filed under: New Music , Canada Broken Social Scene 's rabidly anticipated new album may not have a title yet, but it's finally got a release date: May 4, 2010. It's been almost five years since their self-titled third album and in the intervening years many members of the Toronto collective have gone on to great success with solo efforts and assorted outside projects while Broken Social Scene's breakthrough album 'You Forgot It In People' was remembered on many a decade-end list. But [...]

Frank Yang Something of a cold snap hit Toronto yesterday, so I was fortunate to have an invite to what was promised to be a hot and sweaty dance party at the Smiling Buddha bar, soundtracked by Woodhands showcasing their just-released second album Remorsecapade . Granted, it'd have probably been just as warm if I'd just stayed home, but experience has taught me that the odds of dance parties breaking out in my living room tend to be close to nil. I think there's a temptation to not [...]

Click image to download these albums 5. Metric - Help I'm Alive Download audio file (01-Help-Im-Alive.mp3) I expected a little bit too much from Metric's album this year and ended up being disappointed. While the album was just ok, this song rocked hard. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and the song manages to be both irresistibly catchy while using chord progressions that are unpredictable and generally foreign to this sort of pop music. 4. Calvin Harris – I'm [...]
Filed under: News , Canada Canadians reinforced their reputation as a compassionate people on Friday night as the country's Canada for Haiti telethon -- which aired across all the national stations just prior to the US-based Hope for Haiti Now -- raised money and awareness for the earthquake-shattered island nation. Lacking some of the glitz and polish of its American counterpart, the extraordinary event still boasted several big Canadian celebrities. Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Will Arnett and movie directors Jason Reitman and James Cameron made their pleas [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News As if Lilith Fair wasn't already stacked with talent, Gossip (pictured), Norah Jones , Loretta Lynn , Cat Power , La Roux , Heart and half a dozen others have all signed on for the comeback of the mega-successful touring festival. They join a loaded roster of female talent that includes Sheryl Crow , Tegan and Sara , Erykah Badu , Ke$ha , Brandi Carlile , Grace Potter [...]

You guys have waited pretty patiently for me to get off my lazy ass and get my best of 2009 lists out to you. I mean it's already 15 days into 2010, I need to get with it! So like I said in my #100-51 list , I didn't include singles that were released in 2009 that have 2010 album release dates (such as Vampire Weekend's Cousins) since I consider them 2010 releases! I did include artists like Local Natives however since I obsessed over them this year and their album did come out in the UK! [...]
When Metric released 'Fantasies' back in April I was convinced it would easily make my top albums of 2009 list, an opinion that was fortified by a superb performance by the band at Rock En Seine. Sadly, I did not get as much from the album as I would have liked to in the long run. [...]
With many head-turners throughout 2009, we found much more strength in our singles list than in albums this past year. However, our top 30 albums are nothing to sneeze at. Several albums this past year ... Related posts: Music Under Fire: Top 30 Albums for 2008 Mix For The Weekend VI Top 20 Artists To Look Forward To In 2009 (Part 1)
With high expectations, rebel citizens of the millennial generation leave the tired and corporate ruled world of radio to begin a new life in music blogs... Raid the radio! Cause we're tired of hearing the same old song. We're gonna change the dial to something new. Bring some truth to this town." - General Electriks However, the Recording Industry of America gains great military powers and soon ceases control of [...]

Click image to download full album Song: Download audio file (dont-think-twice-its-all-righ t-bo.mp3) What Others Say: I'll be honest. Over the years my relationship with Metric has been akin to the dorky kid in the chem lab constantly hating on the prom queen or star quarterback in all those 80's movies. Somehow, the fact they are popular meant that supporting them would be like giving up who we are, and the false comfort that in 15 years no one would [...]