If you had taken a poll a few years ago, when PEI was spitting out awesome young bands like they were some new form of hybrid potato (a PEI/potato ref, unexpected right?), around which band would end up having the most interesting body of work over their career, the winner would likely have been Boxer The Horse. Maybe. I mean if you asked us, it likely would have, as ever since they ethered a loudmouth brah at a hill-related HPX showcase , we've had a soft-spot for these guys. Their debut full-length album, Would You Please [...]
Alright, Fredericton. You and I haven't seen eye to eye much in the past, but I'm willing to forgive and forget what with you playing host to the 2nd edition of the Shivering Songs festival. Like most fantastic festivals, Shivering Songs isn't about Redbull tents, corporate sponsors and buzz bands that will be lucky to be working at the festival in a few years. No, Shivering Songs is about giving fans of great music and under appreciated artists a chance to bask in the sun. This weekend - Feb. 3rd - Feb. 5th - Fredericton [...]
B.A. Johnston, Canada's favourite sweat-soaked and/or shirtless bon-vivant, has a new album called Hi Dudes! coming out February 21st. The lead single is entitled Truffle Shuffle and features Laura Barrett on the guest vocals. You can call me Chris Traeger, because that is literally all you need to know about this enterprise. Get on it. MP3:: B.A. Johnston - Truffle Shuffle f. Laura Barrett WEB:: www.bajohnston.ca
I'll freely admit to not knowing much about Etta James, outside of the fact that she seemed to be a pretty amazing woman. That said, I certainly had a song come to mind when I heard about her passing a couple weeks ago - it just so happens that the song which started playing in my head was Def Jef's Droppin' Rhymes On Drums. Droppin' Rhymes on Drums has always been a favorite of mine , but I have no idea how the Jef/Etta collabo came to pass. I've always assumed there was [...]
A few years ago, I tried to pressure The Just Barelys to put out a new record with an incessant amount of myspace queries (when that was actually still a thing) and blog posts. Jesus, if Twitter was half as popular as it is today or kickstarter existed, #justbarelyspleaserecord would have been trending daily and my bank account would have been drained. But unlike so many bands with even a fraction of their talent, The Just Barelys slow played their hand and made us wait… and wait and wait. On Feb. [...]
If you're only going to download one mixtape today, please make it this one: KREAM2: The Purple Kicks from the Freshco & Miz of Halifax, Ambition & Uncle Fester. Of course I'm being facetious there, the internet is your mixtape-containing oyster, so by all means, harvest away, but please make sure KREAM 2 is included. I loved the original incarnation of Kicks Rule Everything Around Me, so I was looking forward to the 2nd edition, but somehow I missed it's original release in December and I'm [...]
Starting your Friday with a new Yukon Blonde song? Works for me. YB's new album, Tiger Talk , comes out on March 20th, but you can OOOOooooOOOoooooOOOOOO along with new single Stairway right now. MP3:: Yukon Blonde - Stairway Web:: yukonblonde.com
I'd been planning to post this song over the holidays, but it got lost in the shuffle. Anyhoo, better late than never I always seem forced to say, but it's especially true when it pertains to an enjoyable remix like this one here, done by Teen Daze for Vancouver outfit Young Liars. MP3:: Young Liars - Colours (Teen Daze Remix) Web:: youngliars.ca
This new Islands jam is exactly that: a jammy jam. Peppy, uptempo piano is often given short shrift, but it's used to great success here. New Islands album A Sleep & A Forgetting is out Feb. 14th.
Over time, pressure creates cracks in the foundation and fragments any stability of almost any structure, but when magical conditions are met, that same pressure can create diamonds. There is a weight resting on the shoulders of Kathleen Edwards , a microscope focused in on every cell of her being. Whether it's her limitless potential, her break-up or subsequent high profile relationship, everyone has an opinion on a woman that by her own admission, "only wanted to sing songs." So when you sit down with Edwards' [...]
I now pretty much nothing about Work Drugs , other than the assumption that mine would be more enjoyable if I had some. Same goes for Wintercoats - I know not of the musical variety, but am familiar with utilizing one to keep the cold at bay. But I know this: Southern Shores are awesome . And because this is an incontrovertible fact proven by sweaty dance science, I feel compelled to post any new SS material. As you might have already deciphered from that convoluted opener, Southern Shores [...]
Well, it took a while to get reved up, but I think it's safe to say that winter is well and truly upon us. This isn't a huge deal, as I know our readers are a hearty folk, certainly capable of withstanding some snow, slush & frigid temps with good humour. But that's not to say that a splash of sunshine isn't welcome during these months, and so I have one for you in the form of Backburner's new video for Heatwave . As you can see below, the fan-financed video is a [...]
Henry Svec's collection of new folk classics was one of my favorite records last year. This song, a fitting tribute to Winter, shows he isn't stopping any time soon. Oh, and the way he flaunts his new boots to taunt Charlton is superb. MP3:: Henry Svec - Winter is Cold and Good Web:: http://www.folksongsofcanadano w.com/
In the last few years, the number of acts presenting slight folk compositions bolstered by orchestral layers has grown to an all-time high. Pleasant and safe ; while perfectly acceptable, aren't really the descriptors you pine for when discovering a new band. C. Sterling - the solo project from Craig Smith - could easily be saddled with those same descriptions (and on first listen, pleasant was the exact word I chose), but the Vancouver based musician isn't limited by them. No Matter is technically his cotillion ball, and [...]
Said The Whale have a new album, Little Mountain , coming out March 6th, and will be heading out on a large tour in support of, ahem, said album. They're playing Halifax on March 28th, but you can check out the first single, Heavy Ceiling , this very instant . MP3:: Said The Whale - Heavy Ceiling Web:: saidthewhale.com
Winter. You may not like it, but you cannot escape it. Unless you live somewhere where they don't have winter, then kudos, you have escaped winter! For the rest of us though, it's best to find some way to enjoy these frigid months. Outdoor activities are fine and dandy, goodness knows our new skating oval here in Halifax has been a huge hit by all accounts, but if you're looking for something indoors, intimate and musical, then the 2012 edition of the In The Dead of Winter festival is a must. As has become [...]
That thurr is a pretty self explanatory headline, but this show is kind of a big deal so I am going to add a few extra details. Normally, Superbowl Sunday is filled with black, gold and yellow but since this year it might end up being the Nickelback of Superbowls - you know, generic and terrible but still watched by millions of people - this show at Halifax's best listening room might be the tonic that cures your (football) ailments. Postdata - the side project of Wintersleep's Paul Murphy [...]
Joel Plaskett has done the impossible. Not only has he carved out a successfull career for himself here in Halifax (yes, technically Dartmouth, I know this), something the rest of us find challenging at the best of times, but he's done it in the most fickle of industries, an uphill battle of a business that many talented people struggle to get a foothill in no matter which of our country's bigger cities they happen to reside in. Considering his accomplishments to date, one would certainly forgive Joel if he decided to rest on [...]
Something almost no one knows about me as that I'm obsessed with murder ballads. Songs of darkness, bloodshed and mayhem under the comforting guise of acoustic melodies or traditional bluesy riffs are as close as I get to the Kirk, Picard or stereotypical comic book geeking. Well, murder ballads and Tom Waits. As a result, hearing that apocalyptic, cabin dweller Jackson Phibes teamed up with members of my favorite Canadian pre-WWII blues and mountain music outfit to deliver a collection of brand new original murder ballads (and other twisted tales) [...]
Here is an uptempo gem from John K. Samson's upcoming solo album Provincial (Jan. 24th). Like anything Samson does, this is great, and the album will be great, so it would be great if you bought it.
Herohill
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Mr Fogg - Eleven
Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
