3rd Album, Still Charming…
So far, 2006 seems to be all about the 3rd album. With The Strokes rolling into Canada next weekend, I’ll certainly re-familiarize myself with their 3rd album, and as I mentioned in a previous post – this spring & summer will bring anticipated 3rd records from French Kicks, The Walkmen and Phoenix – which brings me to… well, Phoenix.
I just learned this morning (via chromewaves) – France’s top anglophone pop exports PHOENIX have signed to Arts&Crafts (Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stars etc) for the Canadian release of their 3rd LP ‘It’s Never Been Like That.’
I’d say this was a terrific coup for A&C had Phoenix’s two previous records not been given such shabby support here in Canada, but s**t – here’s hoping for a real breakthrough.
Phoenix kicks off a brief American tour this weekend at Coachella and is expected to land in Canada for dates in September.
Check out two tracks from the forthcoming record on the band’s myspace site.
http://www.myspace.com/wearephoenix
Also worth getting excited about – Seattle’s The Long Winters will release their 3rd full length entitled ‘Putting the Days to Bed’ on July 25th. Like their previous two LPs, the new album will be released on Barsuk Records and distributed by Outside Music in Canada.
The Long Winters’ last full-length ‘When I Pretend to Fall’ is highly worth checking out – as is their most recent release, the ‘Ultimatum’ EP which came out last fall. The title track off the latter is phenomenal.
Check it out: The Long Winters – Ultimatum.mp3
Also have a listen to a track from ‘When I Pretend to Fall’: The Long Winters - Blue Diamonds.mp3
And if you can, try to hunt down Scared Straight (also from WIPTF), one of the best indie-pop songs from the last few years.
Peace, I'm outta here!
Posted by Geoff M at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2006Good Morning
Alrighty, so I'm just going to blurt out a bunch of cool random stuff this morning, hope you enjoy!
Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere on Myspace
Yes that's right, Cee-Lo and DangerMouse are streaming the whole Gnarls Barkley album on Myspace this weekend, you can't sleep on this. Check out the track 'Necromancing', creepy fun.
Assault!
You like sneakers? Don't have enough scrilla to be wasting on some sneaker nerd's Nike over saturated closet on ebay? Well then let me direct you to Assault!
You can cop yourself some pretty dope sneaker related prints and pretend you own 'em. The buttons are cool too, personal favourite-' I Heart 2Q'.
Sunglasses Is A Must
Next up is DJ A-Trak's bio dvd 'Sunglasses Is A Must'. Please do yourself a favour and find some dough for this. Check out 'Ye's dj from when he was like crib age buying his first turntable and then going on to destroy the competition all over the world. Check out our show this Monday @ 930PM for a feature on DJ A-Trak!
Spank Rock-YOYOYOYOYO
Lastly you should grab Spank Rock's new album 'YOYOYOYOYO'. Put it on, dance yourself into shape for the summer. For a Hanalysis on the recent show, scroll down and tune into Monday's NewMusic for feature on Spank Rock also.
Posted by Manny at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2006THURSDAY NIGHT VOXTROT
If Saturday night was the night for Spank Rock (which it obviously was if you read below), then Thursday night aka ‘Good Friday eve’ was the night for VOXTROT! The players: me, reputable journalist J. Chow, latecomer G. Preistman, a bunch of kids and this band Voxtrot.
Voxtrot can best be classified as an indie-type-sounding-rock band from the indie-rock mecca that is Austin, Texas. The band is touring behind their just released (amazing) sophomore EP, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives. (quick review: the new EP shows tremendous growth for the band as they’re beginning to really sound like they’re their own band and not just a mish-mash of their mostly British influences (think the Smiths or Belle and Sebastian but with more balls). On MSD&W, they continue to increase the quotient of balls and it pays off in spades.)
Perhaps I was a little naive to think that Voxtrot had yet to develop much of a following, but the place was packed. Sneaky Dee’s to be precise. The kids certainly knew their Voxtrot too, with many up them super-bopping to tracks from the band’s first EP Raised By Wolves.
Considering this was the band’s first show in Toronto, it got me thinking again about how high and mighty the World Wide Web is. How did these kids hear about these guys? I’ll admit, I read about them on one blog and then another and then another etc. But can that kind of attention really generate enough buzz to pack a place like Sneaky’s? Of course it helps if the band kicks ass, as they did.
Check out the title track off Voxtrot’s new EP… (essential listening for the spring :)
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives.mp3
And while you’re at it, have a listen to a track from Raised By Wolves…
Voxtrot – The Start of Something.mp3
Posted by Geoff M at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2006Spank Saturday Night Rock
Saturday night. Downtown Toronto. The players: Manny, me and the unbridled energy of 3 DJs and 2 MCs known as Spank Rock. They've got the look, the moves (MC Naeem has does wicked Prince mic-stand moves) but mainly they've got befuddling, bodymoving beats and rhymes. Like your rap to have discussion on race with a side order of dirty sex raps? Spank Rock can give it to you. Example: "All the white girls shake it till my d--- turns racist!" (Don't worry – it isn't just the white girls who get the dubious honour of being ordered around by a prejudiced member – the "black girls" and the "Asian girls" get it too). That was the definitive chant of the evening. Honestly, it's a little too "Vice" for me. Manny and I just kept shaking our heads incredulously, dazed and confused, but mostly dancing.
Their show was a good time even though it was so packed that I had constant smelly-hair in my face (note to girls with big hair – control your situation when you're going to be in a pit at a show! also: pay attention to your smells! cheap bathroom scent is not alluring!). Spank Rock may get repeated listens from me in the next little while. But were the guys to come back to DJ a party, I would DEFINITELY be there. Their pre-show selections were awesome – plus they name check Diplo (in my interview with them, soon to be seen on The NewMusic) and my fave local Toronto DJ, Rory Them Finest (during their on-stage exhortations to come to the after-party down the street). Note: their album is worth checking out for the guest rap by Amanda Blank alone – this girl is amazing!
Posted by Hannah Sung at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2006VIDEO VIDEO!
Ever since I started working for Much way back in 2004, the #1 thing people have asked me about the nation’s music station – is how come we never play videos anymore? While this isn’t ‘exactly’ true… the fact remains that there aren’t as many videos being played now on Much as when me and ‘my generation’ were growing up. (I’m 26 in case that gives you a better idea). My answer to this popular question is generally something like: well, the kids don’t want to watch videos anymore. (I have a habit of referring to everyone as ‘the kids’). The truth is, you can watch music videos almost anywhere now and the demand to see them on tv is no longer as high. so I’m guessing that’s kind of why we don’t play them as much anymore.
Regardless of where you stand on the ‘Much doesn’t play videos anymore’ debate – Much still supports music videos and the artists that make them. Which brings me to the recently announced list of artists receiving videoFACT cash from Much. (don’t know what videoFACT is? go here). (Wanna see the full list of artists getting funding? go here - it's on the right)
I don’t think we ever played Wolf Parade’s first video for Shine A Light (except maybe on the Wedge once or twice), but it’s great to see they’re going to make a clip for what in my opinion was the BEST song from any album released in 2005 – I’ll Believe in Anything. If there’s any justice in the world, it should be a top 10 track sandwiched in between Ne-Yo and the new Pink. In the meantime, check out this live video of the song: Wolf Parade – I’ll Believe in Anything (and head over to this awesome Wolf Parade fansite to find out all about the band’s various side projects etc).
Vancouver’s Young and Sexy are also getting some green to help them make a video for Curious Organ, off their recently released new record Panic When You Find It. Y&S are currently on tour across Canada. Check out the tour dates here, and download the record's first single too: Young and Sexy - Conventional Lullabyes.mp3 Yea Young and Sexy!
Also from western Canada, You Say Party We Say Die are making a video for The Gap, from their debut Hit the Floor. These guys are totally starting to turn heads. The Gap is a wicked track too… I can’t wait to see what they do with it – check it out: You Say Party We Say Die – The Gap.mp3 (AND don’t miss our NewMusic SXSW show next Monday (9:30pm ET) for a wee interview with YSPWSD)
Some other notables on the videoFACT list that we’re looking forward to:
Metric’s f**k “the man” anthem Handshakes and Controller.Controller’s fantastic stand out track Poison Safe from their wicked new album X Amounts.
And finally… big ups to the FemBots and director Ed Gass-Donnelly for their super-cool new video for History Remade (which i should state, was made without videoFACT lovin'). Half the video was shot with a specially made rig consisting of a bunch of cell phone cameras and the result is awesome. I was so happy when MuchMoreMusic started playing the first single off The City, Count Down Our Days. Here’s hoping they get the same kind of love for this new one. Check it out over on the 3 Legged Dog Films website.
Posted by Geoff M at 04:56 PM | Comments (1)
April 11, 2006DROPPING SOON...
As we get deeper into the fourth month of 2006 and signs of spring become more and more prevalent, it’s occurred to me that (so far) it’s been a really decent year for rock music.
I’ve already listened to the new records from The Strokes, Mates of State, Destroyer, and Love is All to death. Debuts from Film School, Band of Horses and Guillemots (look out for Guillemots on an upcoming NewMusic episode!) are also getting tons of spins. And new life has been breathed into the latest Elected record – after witnessing their unexpectedly phenomenal performance at the Horseshoe the other week.
Looking to the months ahead, 2006 shows little sign of slowing down. Here’s a handful of records that I can’t wait to get a listen to…
French Kicks – Two Thousand (July 18th - Startime International)
I expect the 3rd record from New York based (and NewMusic favorites) French Kicks to pick up right where 2004’s amazing Trial of the Century left off. The band truly found their sound on TOTC and with producer Doug Boehm on board once again, there is every reason to think this record will be equally awesome.
French Kicks – Following Waves.mp3
Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That (May 16th - Astralwerks)
Sounding more Alphabetical then United on the new album, it’s clear that Phoenix has really come into their own and gotten comfortable with their sound. And first single Long Distance Call is catchy as s**t! Here’s hoping they visit Canada soon too - Phoenix’s Toronto show last spring was on the best shows I saw all year.
Check out two new Phoenix tracks here!
The Futureheads – News and Tributes (June 13th - Startime International)
Newly resigned French Kicks label-mates The Futureheads drop their anticipated sophomore effort in June. Judging from the record’s first single, not much has changed – the hooks, the harmonies, the head-bobbing – it’s all still there. Serve it up!
The Walkmen – A Hundred Mile off (May 23rd)
No one can deny the break-out success The Walkmen achieved with their 2004 record Bows and Arrows (nor can you deny the ball-shredding power of songs like The Rat, Little House of Savages and my favorite Thinking of a Dream I Had) The record was a natural progression from their more challenging (and often more rewarding) debut Everybody Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, which makes me very curious to hear where they are going next. When I had a chance to preview some of the new tracks at a show in February, I wasn’t exactly blown away, but I have a feeling that on record, it’ll be a whole nother story.
Land of Talk – Applause Cheer Boo Hiss (out now! – Dependant Music)
For weeks now I’ve wanted to write about my excitement over Montreal’s Land of Talk. I can’t remember the last time I heard such an amazing first batch of songs by a new band. Land of Talk have been earning scorching buzz all over the blogosphere and finally today, their debut EP hits record shops. Do pick it up!
Check out some Land of Talk tracks here!
Posted by Geoff M at 04:29 PM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2006You Take The Good, You Take The Bad
Now what could mar a beautiful spring day? Having this coming to your attention. Oh, please. I was not reading the National Post. I just happened to get linked by one of my daily reads. All I have to say about short-sighted cycle-haters is that we ARE taxed. Our lungs, eyes, bodies are taxed by the exhaust coming out of the back of your BMW SUV. I mean, I don't care about you, driver, because it's your car, but don't act like you're the only taxpayers out there. I'm a cyclist who obeys traffic rules and regs but apparently we're all the same - just like drivers, I suppose? All I'm trying to do is get to work like you, but I get hit by taxis. It's great. I retroactively apologize, dear reader, for linking to such killer arrogance. So I'll make it up to you with something worthwhile...
Check this out for some nanny-nanny-boo-boo. I love how much the "Friends with Money" stars can't stand this reporter. Eep! As a person whose circumstances also force me to dig for dirt, I empathize to a certain degree. But still. I love Catherine Keener and again, she does not disappoint. The best part is when she responds to the reporter's plaintive last-ditch attempt at broaching the topic of the wedding by way of invoking an invite. All three stars bust up laughing at which point the Today correspondent turns around, stuffs five Twinkies into her face and asks her mom why she isn't popular. Just kidding!
Also: Loving Ghostface, loving Nelly and Timbaland. I hope Nelly's next album catapults her into the stratosphere, where she belongs.
Posted by Hannah Sung at 01:10 PM | Comments (2)
April 04, 2006TEXAS IS THE HOME OF THE PLAYERS & PIMPS
This month The Source got a feature on Texas rap. Now if you don't know by now, Texas is one of the hottest music scenes out there. The whole feature is written by Matt Sonzala who also runs a fine blog by the name of Houstonsoreal.
Speaking of Texas, guess what? We've got a whole show covering SXSW! More details to come....
Posted by Manny at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006Me Too
Finally! The Clipse got some new material going on.
Shout out to the folks at Fader Mag for getting this out there.
The Clipse Feat. Pharrell-'Me Too'
Posted by Manny at 12:18 AM | Comments (0)
