The first update of 2010 (and the first in more than 3 months!) is two days late, partly due to a computer virus, but better late than never! I'd almost forgotten how to write these. The website hasn't been entirely fallow since November; I've posted Best of 2009 posts on "music albums" and " Summerworks shows" , with "Fringe shows" coming up soon, and "comedy shows" and "music singles" not far behind. But the core of the site - the updates - well, it's good to have one of those up again, and I'm going to try to [...]
It was a very subdued, and dare I say it, adult audience that greeted the Great Lake Swimmers in their hometown concert at Trinity St. Paul's Centre Saturday night. The old church venue lent an additional air of gravitas to the performance, which definitely added to the overwhelmingly mellow atmosphere of the show. This was definitely a case where a band matching almost perfectly with their
Michael Palmieri When I wrote up Sharon Van Etten's debut album Because I Was In Love back in October , I felt a bit bad about giving it just a passing mention as I liked it more than just a sentence or two might have implied. But at the time my web hosting was self-destructing and I wanted to get something out there before her local appearance opening for Rain Machine , so a cursory mention it was. But with there seeming to be even [...]
![CD Review: Lali Puna – Our Inventions [2010, Morr Music]](http://cache.elbo.ws/posts/2311923_lg.jpg)
It has been over 5 years, but Munich based Lali Puna is back, or should I say is going to be back, with a new release on April 1st, Our Inventions . The band is fronted by singer and keyboard player Valerie Trebeljahr, with help from members of The Notwist (Christian Hei, Markus Acher) and drummer Christoph Brandner. I remember catching the Lali Puna video for Micronomic on The Wedge several years ago. That song prompeted me to buy Faking The Books way back in 2004. If you are a [...]
Jason Collett , Zeus and Bahamas have announced a North American revue tour featuring all three artists performing together and alone. The three acts have a long history of collaboration, as intertwined as their musical lineage. Instead of the typical show in which each act plays its own set, Collett, Zeus and Bahamas will all take the stage together, playing songs by all three. The tour comes on the heels of new albums for Collett ( Rat A Tat Tat , March 9) and Zeus ( [...]
Originally I had planned to put together a well thought-out mixtape every Friday. I thought it would be fun to cap off every week with a nice little collection of songs for your listening enjoyment over the weekend. Instead I've been putting together mixes at completely random times with weeks or months in between. I may want to be organized, but I'm never going to get there. Besides it's more fun to put together a good mix when the mood is right. I'm not sure exactly what that mood is, but I suppose I'm experiencing it right now. Here's the 5 Score [...]
Live music picks for WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 through TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2010. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 / GENTLEMAN REG / THE DRAKE HOTEL / 1150 QUEEN ST W / $10 / 19+ Gentleman Reg celebrates the one-year anniversary of the release of his breakthrough LP Jet Black with a show at the Drake Underground every Wednesday night in February. A follow-up EP was delivered in December of last year, when Reg released Heavy Head , featuring a pair of covers, a pair of remixes and a pair of [...]
Great Lake Swimmers - Live at 100.5 The PEAK Great Lake Swimmers live in the PEAK Performance Lounge From: ThePeakVancouver Views: 2 0 ratings Time: 07:28 More in Music
Vancouver indie-rock/pop ensemble The Zolas are back with another deceptively infectous track from their 2009 debut album "Tic Toc Tic". Produced by Howard Redekopp (notable for prducing albums from Tegan and Sara , The New Pornographers , and Mother Mother ), Tic Toc Tic does well in delivering a three-piece band wrapped in a full-stage sound; The Great Collapse is a fine example that features it's own brass section, as well as an organ contribution that sounds like it could be a string section. The band is currently in the midst of a western Canadian [...]
In this edition: New Broken Social Scene LP due May 4. Woodhands vs. Pitchfork (another diss track). The Most Serene Republic lose member, offer free download. Fucked Up and Xiu Xiu lose class-action lawsuit against Camel cigarettes. Oh No Forest Fires give away Wants To Try Something EP. k-os to no longer make albums - only singles. Photos from the Canadian Blast at the 2010 Grammy Awards. D-Sisive switches up Anvil for Fubar. Bedouin Soundclash to release b-sides/remixes/rarities collection. [...]
It's a solid week for entertainment choices with a little something musical for everyone. Here's our picks: Motley Crue, Air Canada Centre, Feb 4 Sure it's outdated hair metal, but dammit it's one of the most fun-filled carefree experiences you can have. Motley Crue's website Great Lake Swimmers, Trinity St Paul's Centre, Feb 6 Tony Dekker & co return for what should be an intimate
Bahamas at The Bell House (11/06/09) Photo : Jon Klemm DOWNLOAD : Jason Collett - "Love Is A Dirty Word" DOWNLOAD : Jason Collett - "Little Tiger" Jason Collett, Zeus and Bahamas have announced a North American revue tour featuring all three artists performing together and alone during a night long set of incredible [...]
Got an email this morning containing some free tracks available from AmieStreet.com . One of which happens to come from a very highly anticipated album - Joe Pug's full-length debut Messenger . The disc comes out February 16th via Lightning Rod Records following Joe's impressive first two EPs. Get Nation of Heat here and In The Meantime is still available for free when you join Joe's mailing list. Messenger Messenger [...]
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 [...]
Because there's just too much out there demanding your attention and social calendars, we're determined to do our part in helping you sift through the clutter. Which is why we present you with Your Weekend Plans…. , a new feature here on EF in which we put advance focus on an upcoming show by chatting it up with one of the bands involved. For our debut installment , we corralled Brooklyn (now) septet Ava Luna ; prior to that, we had a similar pre-show Q&A with Beau Jennings ... this time around we've [...]
Filed under: Exclusive , Canada , Road Report Toronto's Great Lake Swimmers have been making waves in their homeland for years with their melodic folk-rock sound -- their 2009 album 'Lost Channels' was shortlisted for Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize . But how will their music be received by an audience worlds away? Frontman Tony Dekker and his bandmates are finding out as they embark on their first tour of China. Tony's blogging all about their experiences exclusively for Spinner. In the final chapter [...]
Frank Yang Had you the opportunity to go back in time and tell the 23-year old me that, in just over a decade, I'd be so fortunate as to see two of my all-time guitar heroes - Johnny Marr and J Mascis - live and awesome in a one-week span, I'd have told you to shut the fuck up. And then asked why, if you had the power to go back in time, you'd offer me that bit of information instead of, oh, stock tips or sports scores. But yeah, seeing [...]
VINCITORI CONTEST: 1 T-SHIRTS ARCTIC MONKEYS -> leonix 1 T-SHIRTS ARCTINC MONKEYS -> Claudia Tosti CD ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - "MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILLION" -> marc_antony CD THE HORRORS - "PRIMAL COLOURS" -> Antonello Grossi CD FRUIT BATS - "THE RUMINANT BAND" -> munich CD FRANZ FERDINAND - "ULYSSES EP" -> Valeria Piazza CD IL TEATRO DEGLI ORRORI - "DELL'IMPERO DELLE TENEBRE" -> Lucariello CD JULIAN PLENTI "JULIAN PLENTI IS...SKYSCRAPER " -> Sara Manini #100) Girls - Girls #99) Sonic Youth - [...]
Cover That Don't Suck
Reuse Recycle Remix - February 8
This Week's Other Releases
