Photograph by Andrew Paynter It’s hard to believe we’re four months into 2013. Winter has worn out its welcome, spring is slowly creeping into the picture, and another year of university has come to a close. This mixtape is pretty self-explanatory: a collection of nine tracks that have accompanied me through yet another semester. Atoms for Peace - Default A cold, calculated piece of electronic sprawl from Thom Yorke and company. I love the clickety-clack beat and the icy synths on the [...]
Photograph by Dan Martensen I consider myself an atypical Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan, in that I’ve always preferred It’s Blitz to Fever to Tell. Then again, I’ve always been more into “Y Control” than “Date with the Night,” so the poppy electronics of It’s Blitz were incredibly appealing. Mosquito finds the band reverting back to a more rocky sound, though not quite as edgy as their earlier stuff. I’m not sure what the goal of the hideous album art is, but despite the initial impression, Mosquito [...]
As the dust of Canadian Music Week settles, Montreal's unique brand of shoegaze and psychedelia departs town in the form of Suuns. Releasing their first LP, Zeroes QC , back in 2011, they've been looked to for an equally eclectic mix of electronic and rock sounds in their follow-up. On March 4, Suuns released Images du Futur , their most accomplished effort, produced by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes. With a spray of noise rock laid out across their expanse of hypnotic rhythms and murky vocals, Suuns remained a band capable of keeping control of their sound, [...]
Photograph by Neil Krug In the spring of 2010, a song called “Ffunny Ffrends” was uploaded to a Bandcamp page. Little was known about the track until a backlash fueled by angry bloggers and viral reposts forced Ruban Nielson and company to claim it as their own. A year later, Unknown Mortal Orchestra had signed to Fat Possum Records and were jamming in the studio. It’s a success story we’ve heard before, but the band couldn’t have been more nonchalant about it. They’ve learned to accept whatever progress has been made and focus their efforts on [...]
Jagjaguwar's release of Foxygen’s Take the Kids Off Broadway last year introduced audiences to a duo of psych-pop revivalists that made it their mission to cram as many influences as they could into one album. Although fuzzy and unkempt, it was a laudable endeavor. On We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, Foxygen continue their shtick, but this time around it is much more polished. Crammed-full of familiar melodies and elements of superstars from the '60s and '70s – with famed multil-instrumentalist Richard Swift producing – We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors [...]
With every bit of interview footage featuring the members of Iceage, from a cable access children's dance show to a rare toned-down Nardwuar interview , there seems to be a fair amount of apathy displayed by the band, specifically blank-faced frontman Elias Bender Ronnenfelt. I think it's safe to say that their lack of interest in promotional obligations can be attributed to the fact that they aren't too interested in anything at the moment besides the music they put out and performing at their much buzzed-about live shows. The ferocity that personified Iceage's debut album New [...]
In the afternoon on 12/12/2012, while the world patiently waited to take screenshots at twelve minutes past noon, a mysterious album quietly went up on Bandcamp with the mysterious name ミラクルミュージ カル (the phrase "Musical Miracle" transliterated into Japanese katakana characters, presumably just to fuck with your iTunes). The mysterious band of mystery turns out to be a side project from singer/guitarist Joe Hawley of Tally Hall, something of a cult band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Think Barenaked Ladies' goateed American evil twin, or Ween on mood stabilizers. Aside from the lack of humility, Hawley's messianically monickered "musical [...]
Photograph by Ben Rayner Hearing Parquet Courts’ frontman Andrew Savage describe the title of their first non-cassette release, “like this unnamed feeling, or sensation that we all have — it's the thing everyone is looking for,” might make a weary indie rock listener brace for yet another album of sanguine twee. Chirpy indie pop, dreamy shoegaze-turned-electronic and forays into acoustic guitar are all good in the correct dosage, but some of us are pining for the new rock revolution of the early 2000s when musicians nostalgically mimicked the heydays of garage and punk. In a pleasant [...]
If the last Tegan and Sara song you’ve heard was “Monday Monday Monday,” the electronic pop of Heartthrob might come as a bit of a shock. The shift has been foreshadowed in the recent years by “Someday,” the final track on Tegan and Sara’s last album, Sainthood , and perhaps more blatantly by their collaboration with Tiësto, “Feel It in My Bones.” Whether it works is up to the listener. The subject matter is the same as ever, and the hooks are as catchy as ever, so it really comes down to the [...]
A booming crash of thunder rumbles then fades. A mysterious, foggy landscape is painted. The beat kicks in accompanied by a haunting synth melody and a violin section straight out of Psycho . As A$AP Rocky's larger than life vocals soar on the hook, Long.Live.A$AP is off to an amazing start. Unfortunately, Rocky fails to maintain this level of greatness throughout the entire album, but his enigmatic charisma and drugged out soundscapes keep me coming back for more. For the most part, Long.Live.A$AP' s production is on point. Lead single 'Goldie' is a banger, [...]
The conclusion of Ca Va Cool's best albums of 2012 picks up where the first half left off , featuring old favourites and brave new sounds side by side: indie pop sits next to a "post-internet" patchwork sound; thematically-advancing hip-hop sidles up to our beloved indie rock. Without further ado, here are our writers ten favourite albums of the past year. Photograph by Kristin Lidell 10. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn't How could anybody break up with Jens [...]
Photograph by Yasmeen Ghebari Amidst all of this holiday season craziness, here is a list of favourite things that happened at the Halifax Pop Explosion 2012, the twentieth anniversary of the festival, for you to ponder how awesome the festival is and why you should probably attend it next year. of Montreal Not sure if you guys all know (you probably do) but of Montreal is fantastic live. Hands down one of the more entertaining shows I've ever been to. I found myself giggling uncontrollably a number of times throughout their [...]
Like we always do at this time, today Ca Va Cool presents the 20 albums we collectively overplayed and played loud in 2012. The first half of our list includes some faithful R&B from the unlikely state of Colorado, past CVC favourites both noisey and subdued, psychedelic rock from the West coast of Australia, cinematic Neil Young covers, coming-of-age rap from the city of Compton, a new indie rock superduo of sorts, and turn of the century hipsters growing up. Don't read too much into that last one, we'll continue our list-making ways for years to come. [...]
Toronto alt-folk group Fort York are having a busy month. With an Indiegogo campaign in full flight to help fund the recording of a new album and shows planned all over the city, I asked the guys to take over mixtape duties for me and tell me what they're listening to as they write new songs for their upcoming EP. The result is a mix so eclectic that I can only assume their new album will strive to be all things to all people. From J Dilla to Dirty Projectors, and Bob Lind to King Tubby, [...]
André Allen Anjos, aka RAC, has made a name for himself by creating some of the most evocative and creative remixes in the music world. Each remix he puts out masterfully grasps the most important aspects of the original song, all the while giving it an entirely fresh and fluid sound. It makes sense, then, that Anjos is finally venturing into the realm of original content, the first taste of which is his debut single 'Hollywood'. The song, which features vocals from Penguin Prison's Chris Glover, was a seamless evolution from the remixes RAC has been making for the past [...]
Photograph by Riei Nakagawara Written and recorded by core members Loel Campbell, Tim D’Eon, and Paul Murphy, Wintersleep’s fifth album, Hello Hum, was co-produced by Dave Fridmann, known primarily for his work with the Flaming Lips. From what I can tell, his key contribution is making the vocals sound a little spacier than usual, as this is very much a Wintersleep album. It proves to be the lightest sounding Wintersleep album to date; however, unlike the latter half of New Inheritors , this doesn’t come with sounding wildly out of character, nor does [...]
After over a decade as a group, The Walkmen release their seventh studio album, Heaven , which further departs from their initial adolescent garage rock and cements their place as distinguished artists still singing of heartaches and hangovers, but also of friendship and introspection, all with a matured sence humility and hindsight. Heaven still holds true to The Walkmen’s iconic sound – filled with shimmering vintage guitars, reverbed drums, and upright pianos – but what sets it apart is its continuation of the adult themes introduced by You & Me and furthered by Lisbon [...]
Photograph by Syd Kato In the late '90s, Blinker the Star frontman Jordon Zadorozny was writing songs with Courtney Love and released his band’s third album, August Everywhere , back when Dreamworks Records still existed. Growing up, August Everywhere was one of my favourite albums. Filled with twelve tracks of melancholy pop and a guest appearance by Failure’s Ken Andrews, I’ve listened to songs like ‘Below the Sliding Doors’ and ‘All Dreamed Out’ more times than I can count. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the album didn’t extend to widespread worldwide love, and Blinker [...]
I have to confess I was a little relieved the first time I heard ‘Hey Jane’, the initial single from Jason Pierce’s latest offering Sweet Heart Sweet Light . Clocking in at just less than 9 minutes, the song stays true to earlier Spiritualized form, building, swelling and driving forward until the inevitable gospel choir begins. And it only gets better from here. A lot has been written about this album and the mental state of J. Spaceman during the recording process. A few years after recovering from an almost deadly pneumonia, and recently undergoing chemotherapy for a [...]
Photograph by Gemma Harris Canadian Music Week isn’t quite as big as NXNE, but this year’s edition boasted a few must-see shows each night, even with notable cancellations like Childish Gambino. Though my initial intent was to just see Wintersleep for the first time in a couple years, winning a wristband made me decide to get to Toronto a day early to get some use out of it. The prime event for Friday night was, of course, the Arts&Crafts showcase at the Horseshoe Tavern, featuring the new ex-Stills/Broken Social Scene project Eight and a [...]
Ca Va Cool
listen to Ghost cover Depeche Mode's "Waiting for the Night"
Disclosure – When A Fire Starts To Burn
New Sound // “Better Off” // Quadron featuring Kendrick Lamar
Luce, Silvia Capasso: testo e video della finalista di The Voice of Italy
