It's almost too easy to fall inline when it comes to crafting a sonic tapestry in today's folk scene. The same chords and metaphors are shared freely in the public domain, with artists afraid that any deviation is at best a risk, and more often than not, a death sentence. For Halifax based noise folker Nick Everett - with help from Adam White and Scott Boudreau - fitting a common sound is of little concern. The trio finds comfort in new textures, adding distortion, the comforting sound of spun bicycle spokes and percussive noisemakers to [...]
Nathan Lawr is no stranger to political subject matter , but his output under the Minotaurs moniker is his most inspired to date. It might also be the most important. Using the pace, rhythms and triumphant horns of afrobeat, the idea of New Believers is more than just the title of a record. It's a necessity. There's never been more reason to take action, and yet sadly retweeting hashtags and copying status updates are just a new form of unknowing apathy. Lawr and his band challenge us, knowing that [...]
I know really nothing about Winnipeg's No Label Collective , but I know this Wheels-inspired compilation from their extensive roster of collaborators has put a smile on my face more than once today. Just look at that cover art. I can't even definitively say if it's juvenile or genius, but I do know I would like to posses a giant framed copy of it. For obvious reasons, the first song I clicked on was Crusty Cat's Wheels' Dad Has a Bad Moustache , and its 902s Halifax vibe had me hooked, but there [...]
January! A time for new beginnings, this month often finds many of us arbitrarily trying to leave behind those nagging vices & peccadilloes that start little campfires of regret or guilt in our collective guts. For example, I know many folks will be trying to cut back, or cut out entirely, a specific white powder that many of us fiend for on a daily basis. No, not the yayo my friend, but sugar. Yes, sugar. I think we all know that this stuff is not great for the human body, but it is damn delicious and we cannot leave it [...]
Without question, Mathias Kom is one of my favorite song writers. His quirky, rapier-like wit and humor laced melancholy appeal to me on every level, so news of new material is like drive down an unbroken boulevard of green lights. What casual fans may not know is that live, The Burning Hell (in any of their seemingly infinite incarnations) is a completely different beast. Any hint of Merritt-like moroseness is replaced with ramshackle instrumentation, energy and beads of sweat. Their latest EP, Old, New, Borrowed, Blue , aligns more closely [...]
It's probably odd to kickoff the yearly coverage with an act than lives outside of our ten provinces and three territories, but the new EP from Ever Ending Kicks dominated my holiday listening. I'd never heard of Paul Benson before he sent over the record, but seeing he played with Mt. Eerie and Karl Blau was enough of a nudge to get me listening, and his songwriting did the rest. Musically, this EP somehow manages to personify the sound of Washington - the DIY gems mined from the same soil as Phil Elverum, [...]
The long and the short of it is that my family was hit hard by cancer this year, and as I talked to more and more people, the more I realized how sadly ubiquitous this awful disease truly is. I had to do... something. Basically I signed up to ride 200km on my bike , raising money that goes directly to cancer research. Last year this ride raised 18 million bucks. This year, they are aiming for twenty. To help with the fundraising mission, we're co-hosting a benefit concert with our good [...]
Admittedly, I'm projecting my setting and situation onto this listen (especially since the West Coast is getting more earthquakes than dumps of snow these days), but the new LP from Victoria's Balacade sounds like the holidays did to me not so long ago. Not the warm embrace of family and loved ones you typical associate with the end of year, no, Malaise Era sounds like the alienation of coming home out of obligation. Each day away from home is another step in a journey where home becomes nothing more than where you were born. [...]
I'll be honest with you. I've mentally checked out for the remainder of '12. I've listened to almost nothing but Tom Waits and Shotgun Jimmie for the last week or so, and the contentedness I get from listening to music for fun, not for content is liberating. That being said, two new records keep creeping back into the mix, for completely different reasons. The first, Aidan Knight's Small Reveal , is a dark, sensual mood piece that shows a maturation in subject and sound from the Victoria charmer. The [...]
Usually, at this time of year, we try and post up some of the Christmas/Holiday style jamz we're sent or manage to come across in our cyber travels. This year though, we've both been so busy that the hill has remained festive-tune-free. Bit of a bummer, but so many folks seem to be carrying the torch for holiday music (a few great sources of the top of the dome: ( Ho!Ho!Ho! Canada 4 , Music NS , Old Ugly's Christmas With Friends , etc) that I don't think anyone would miss our contribution. That being said, I am [...]
It's getting close to Christmas, and all the year-end lists are snuggled in bed with kerchief and caps. All that's left is awkward high school reunion like gatherings and drunken political discussions with over touchy uncles. Naturally, I'd expect you to play nothing but Boney M during this next fortnight, but if you need a palette cleanser, I'd whole heartily suggest the new Holiday EP from Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! . A Cup Of Kindness Yet is only four songs, but like so much of the material from the East Coast outfit, [...]
I wish I had more interest in prioritizing the records I love from the last calendar year. Normally it's one of my favorite posts of the year, one I debate internally for hours. This year, I realized that when you write daily, documenting an arbitrary time period truly becomes (at best) vain or (at worst) maybe kind of pointless. Instead, I'll simply provide a list of records that impacted my life this year. To be honest, 2012 was a motherfucker; It was filled with goodbyes, sickness, loss, aging and apathy but these records were the reassuring hand on [...]
I've said something to this effect before, but, for me at least, it seems as though many of the most interesting hip hop-related projects we get sent from Canada are of the instrumental variety. It also seems that these folks are finding it easier to make noise in other locales versus their own backyard. This is the case with Regina producer Chris Bridge (aka Virtual Flannel) who has received plenty of attention for his work from the US and Europe, but not so much at home in Canada. Well that just won't do folks. Especially when we're [...]
This would likely be completely obvious if you'd simply take a peak at the traffic stats for our little site here, but the Ack and I are perhaps the worst source for popular music - popular in the literal sense anyway. Honestly, I have no idea what determines which band or single ends up on the radio these days, other than "13 year old girls enjoy this former reality singing show contestant". But when you consider that Toronto outfit Teenage Kicks are better than just about any band you'd hear on modern rock radio, you'd think that jams [...]
Apparently yesterday was the official launch day for Canadian blog year-end lists. Three or four blogs I read on a daily basis offered up their personalized view of the year in music, and as I scanned through the worthy additions, I couldn't help but feel they overlooked one of the purest voices and most lovely human beings. Then sheepishly, I realized I hadn't even reviewed We Have Made a Spark , so how could I fault others for not including the LP on their list? Rose Cousins has always demonstrated amazing control [...]
Musicians, like a heavyweight fighters or an NFL running backs, are seldom extended the freedom to age with dignity. Timely output, hype and constant reinvention are the currency music fans collect, preferring to raise unheralded and unpolished upstarts on shoulders while true talent remains grounded. Hayden Desser is a true professional, and unfortunately for his popularity (and legacy), he's one that moves at his own pace. Because Hayden writes in solitude and values his privacy over seeing his name in print or lit on marquees, he's rarely included in the discussion of Canada's [...]
Yesterday Jay-Z, Masta Ace and I celebrated our birthdays. Not together mind you, Jay was likely feted on some exotic island he owns, while Ace and I celebrated in a more modest fashion. Well I'm just assuming Ace's birthday was more low-key than Jay's, but who knows, he might've gone wild with the Biz puppet , Full Retard style. Anyhoo, my point here is that I wanted to keep the gift giving going, and so I wanted to post something special that I hoped you'd really like. Enter Relic's last album Miles to Go. Truthfully [...]
Most reviews and press cycles are built on stories fabricated and enhanced until the starting point is little more than a memory. Meaning and art are photoshopped into a fake perfection, flaws scrubbed clean. Abousfian Abdelrazik's story is one that should be without any fabrications or embellishment. His story is sad, pained, eye opening and one for which I can't do justice or offer due justice. But his story is not the whole story. What makes Duets for Abdelrazik - a collection of duets penned by Stefan Christoff and recorded with [...]
It's Monday night, and if you're looking for something to jazz up this largely nondescript early December evening, I have the answer. Karaoke! Everyone loves the Karaoke, but who loves leaving the house? As a blogger, and therefore a resident of my Mom's metaphorical basement, I certainly don't. Thankfully, we can all share the joys of Karaoke from our couches thanks to the Dirty Nil and their delightfully ramshackle video for Little Metal Baby Fist . "It features our friends, people we barely know, people we sort of know, and people we still don't know singing karaoke." [...]
This song is essentially a counterpoint to almost every post we offer on herohill. This dream is not of fragments, unharnessed energy or sadness. "Decorate" sounds of childlike whimsy, but is built from the patient hands of a grown artist. Shugo Tokumaru lets these airy notes blossom slowly and with purpose. Yesterday, this song filled my house with smiles. Two young boys laughed and danced around a kitchen, fueled only by the triumphant energy of Shugo's voice and orchestral melody. And that perhaps is Shugo's greatest gift; the ability to force uncontrollable joy, like the [...]
Herohill
![More Or Les - Big Sugar [Official Video]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/nBTKlYyyTfI_130.jpg)
Nueva canción de Arctic Monkeys: Do I Wanna Know
Kanye West – Yeezus
M.I.A. – “Bring the Noize”
