As a musician, it's hard to define Klarka Weinwurm. She's one of the staples of the East Coast scene, routinely supporting Jon Mckiel and Shotgun Jimmie, but you'd be forgiven if you hadn't heard her songs. The soft spoken Weinwurm doesn't have a Web site and unless you cornered her in a dark alley, I'm not sure you could even buy her latest EP. Thankfully, that will all change soon. Klarka is set to release her debut LP, Continental Drift on Saved By Vinyl this Spring and the songs show a huge, but [...]
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 [...]
There's probably an endless number of reasons an email from Carly Maicher might sit untouched in your inbox for weeks or you might miss her record on the shelves of your local record shop. The Manitoba based songwriter writes and performs subtle, spare folk songs under her own name and prefers to move amongst the crown unnoticed. Understated. Open . These aren't the descriptors that move units or get your name on iPod commercials. What Carly has, that most buzz acts lack, is [...]
The Holiday Season is hectic. You know this. I know this. And, thankfully, Moka Only knows this. That's why, for many years running (7 perhaps? I'm not sure), the most prolific man in hip hop has created his annual Martian Xmas album to help us chillax to his unique brand of off the wall smoothness. As if that wasn't charitable enough, Moke is playing Santa this year, and he, along with the folks from Feelin' Music , is bringing you Martian Xmas 2011 for free . Not a bad little gift I'd [...]
So another year is rapidly coming to a close, and once again the Ack and I find ourselves asking the same old question: "why won't Justin Bieber ever reply to any of our many, many emails?". I'm kidding there of course, we don't like Justin Bieber (WE LOVE HIM). But really, the question we've faced, in regards to the hill, whilst pantslessly greeting each of the last few years, is simply "why are we still doing this shit?". We're roughly 77 years old in music blogger terms, and, speaking for myself at least, the ridiculousness of running a music blog [...]
Enough with all the Christmas songs! Is what I imagine some of you out there are likely saying by now. I myself am not mad at the Christmas songs really, I mean, I like to think of myself as a moderately festive person, but sure, I could see how people could feel bombarded by the holiday tunes at this point. So if you're one of those grinches (ha!) people who needs a break, I have a little something the complete opposite of Christmas Carols for you today. Audrey and the Agents [...]
Or, Merry Christmas from the best band in Canada right now. Yip, I said it. Vancouver's Apollo Ghosts not only deliver a never ending supply of amazing (and free) jams, they put on the most enjoyable straight ahead live show in the business. No gimmicks, just sincere enjoyment and non stop energy (and more cape in the monitor than any band alive). Oh... they also love rasslin', so on a recent trip to Graceland the band teamed up with The Honky Tonk Kid to record a rough and ready take [...]
For those immersed in the Calgary music scene, Brooker Buckingham is a well known name, but for most, the talented guitarist is a new name we didn't realize we knew. The consummate guest - Brooker has supplied textures for the likes of Lorrie Matheson, Woodpigeon, and Samantha Savage Smith - Buckingham has tidied up his pad and invited people into his world. And his world is filled with sunny, 902s power popping, Beatle-y melodies and a splash of Elliott Smith vocals. Sure, his influences are far from unique, but what makes this [...]
It seems we've been yelling from the mountain top about Donovan Woods , and sadly we've only heard our weary voice echo back. I get it; Donovan seems like a reserved, understated guy and his last record, The Widowmaker was delayed and the momentum he built up was engulfed by the blog world's perpetual energy and need for fresh songs, but it seems like music fans are missing something special. Thankfully, I think Woods has finally turned the corner. He performed to a National audience during [...]
God damn. If 2011 sat in a confessional, it would beg forgiveness for the ocean of shoegaze acts offering the same reverbed guitars, precious melodies and universal adoption of shitty sounding recordings. Being an old ass dude, I'm ok with a return to 902s guitar rock, but even I have to say enough is enough. Thankfully, when a band like Montreal's Silver Dapple muscles up and bullies their way to the top of the playground equipment, it shows that the genre can still sound fresh and stand out. [...]
Doug Tielli's solo debut is the result of a Thoreau like journey. All too often these adventures in solitude result in boozy epiphanies and first year psychological self evaluations, but for Tielli, the three month retreat allowed the talented song writer to embrace Thoreau's most important philosophy. Simplify, simplify . Tielli plays in countless extremely creative bands, and as a result, decisions are democratic and collaborative. Swan Sky Sea Squirrel is the vision of one man without the limitation of timelines or counterpoints. If something sounded good, Doug went [...]
Dunno about you, but on a day like today where we got socked in the grill by winter for the initial time this year, the songs on Overton Window , the second EP from Rain Over St. Ambrose , feel like the perfect prescription for any pangs of preemptive winter blues. I briefly detailed the circumstances of the band's formation in a post on their initial EP , and the growth evident on Overton Window only reinforces the notion that Cory Leblanc made the right decision when he decided to come out from behind the drums and [...]
Simply because of the name, I was hesitant to check out Tobin James Stewart's solo work. I mean, Carpet of Horses is not exactly a name that jumps out of the ole inbox and screams quality, but the supporting players involved in the project more than erased any uncertainty. With contributions from Ray Cammaert (Pink Moth), Nathan Lawr (Fembots, his own stellar solo work and the funky as hell afrobeat society, The Minotaurs) and mastering assistance from the House of Miracles, it's fairly obvious that Stewart's song [...]
There was a time when you could find slick sounding, hip-hop influenced, vintage sample laced elecronica records as easily as you could find a Starbucks. Sadly, in 2011, the burnt coffee mecca persists, and the appreciation for jazz infused, well crafted beats all but disappeared. I know almost nothing about Toronto producer Jesse Futerman , but I'm glad I got a link in my inbox and clicked on it. I could almost see the dust floating off his vinyl collection. The strings, horns and heavy programmed drums of "Funds" deliver a solid late [...]
Urbnet is a label I've always had a lot of time for. This is due to the fact they've always tried to fight the good fight as far as hip hop and progressive electronic/urban type music is concerned. As an example, earlier this year I posted on Emay and mentioned that I thought he was doing some of the most original hip hop I'd heard coming out of Canada. Well, check the tracklisting for URBNET's 7th annual edition of their hip hop compilation and you'll see Emay on there - a small example perhaps, but it heartens [...]
If you're a regular hill reader, you likely already know that we think The Company House is one of Halifax's finest venues, and as such, it's the perfect place to hear Jason Ogden (under the Penny Blacks moniker) perform songs from his new album Harbour . Luckily this is exactly what will happen tonight, as Jason will perform at the CoHo along with Halifax's Laura Peek and fellow NB'er Adam Mowery. Those familiar with the Saint John music scene have likely heard Ogden's name before, as he's a veteran of many [...]
Hopefully you read the Ack's post on Ox's new record Tuco , not least because it's a great record, but also because the Ack's intro was a great bit of self-affirmation regarding the aims of this here site. The second big point he mentioned, "championing a band" struck a chord with me, because it's something I haven't been doing much of lately. This is mainly due to my work busy-ness over the last couple months, but also because as the site's "rap guy", I just don't cover a ton of bands in depth. [...]
Usually when people talk about the notorious poster children of Polaris (and one of the best hearted, yet most controversial/polarizing bands in Canada), the discussion focuses on the rather large, shirtless front man. Despite the technical proficiency and vitality each musician brings to the table, the point of entry (and sometimes exit) for Fucked Up is the assuming figure known as Pink Eyes. For me, Fucked Up works best when Damian's vocals are leveled in the mix and the band lets their pop edge bubble up. That's why Matt DeLong and Ben [...]
If you're like me, there's a question you ask yourself every now and again, and that question is "do I cover enough Toronto hip hop on the hill?". Well obviously you'd substitute the name of your particular blog or publication in place of the hill (and I'm assuming you do indeed have a blog, as our traffic indicates that our readerships is largely comprised of other bloggers and some of the artists we cover), but you get the gist. It would be pretty delusional to claim anywhere other than T.O. as Canada's hip [...]
" Now this Canuck's gonna beat on you like the drummer from Yukon Blonde hopped up on TimBits ." Like many others, I did a double take when I heard the soaring harmonies and 602s sunshine rock of Yukon Blond mentioned alongside other easy Hoser reference points like Justin Bieber, putine and Gretzky during last night's How I Met Your Mother . If you spent any time with the band's self-titled debut, you know they deserve any and all attention they receive, I just had no idea they had reached that [...]
Herohill
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Whitney! ♥
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