Quick, Before It Melts.

This is where I get off.

2008-10-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

Just want to let all my QBiM readers know that there are some changes afoot, and I want to make sure I'm not losing any of you in the process.

As of RIGHT NOW, QBiM will be accessible by visiting www.quickbeforeitmelts.com only. Some of you may still be going to our original Blogger URL http://qbim.blogspot.com, but this will be the last post on that site.

Consequently, anyone who's reading this on the RSS Feed will also want to go to the new Quick Before It Melts RSS Feed and start subscribing to the feed there.

You may have noticed that some posts over the last few weeks have been disappearing, including a post I made on Friday about this very issue. The long and the short of it is that QBiM has come to the end of the road with Blogger, and it's time for this site to fully move into its new digs. Up until now, www.quickbeforeitmelts.com was using redirect and mirroring to the Blogger site, but if all goes well and according to plan, then QBiM should be up and running there by teh time you read this post, presuming that Blogger isn't going to try taking this post down, too.

Well, I guess that's it, then. I'm open for business at the new site, so thanks to all loyal readers ready to make the jump with us, and hopefully a few more will find their way to our new home, too.

These days mean nothing to me.

2008-10-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

There's something immediately familiar about Montreal's The High Dials. When you first listen to their new album, Moon Country, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the album as a long lost 60s psychedelic pop treasure. The High Dials do retro without any irony; they've tapped into a groove and energy that is honest and driven by solid playing and songwriting. That's not to say that there are no modern embellishments to their songs. "Invisible Choirs" has a shoegazey drone to it that would have fit nicely onto an early Ride album, while "Oisin, My Bastard Brother" sounds like the hybrid offspring of Sloan and Okkervil River.

Moon Country is out now through MapleMusic, where you can pick up a signed copy of the band if you're quick. Check out their Myspace page for tour dates across the U.S. this month, too.

MP3: The High Dials "Invisible Choirs"
Video: The High Dials "The Holy Ground"
Myspace: The High Dials

Wednesday's post has no title.

2008-10-22T12:00:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything remotely dance orientated, so when a heard the new track by Pallers, a recent signing to Swedish Labrador Records, I immediately wanted to share it with you. Labrador is home to QBiM favourite Pelle Carlberg and an impressive roster of indie-pop artists, so Pallers is something quite different for them. It's dance music for the lazy, the blazers and for the slightly depressed," read the accompanying email, and that is as fitting a description as I could have come up with. "Humdrum" is filled with subtle nuances that reveal themselves slowly, growing from a swirl of tribal percussion into rhythm and melodies that wouldn't sound out of place on a Junior Boys record. Pallers debut EP, Humdrum, is scheduled for release in December, and if the title track is anything to go by, it's going to be a welcome addition to the Labrador Records canon.

MP3: Pallers "Humdrum"
Myspace: Pallers

The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival kicked off yesterday in NYC, and everybody and their brother is apparently playing/showcasing/presenting something or other. Too many shows to name here, but a quick click here (and then a click to here!) will reveal all the details.

Bloc Party released the physical/digital version of their latest single, "Talons" this week. The multiple format release features the last ever Phones (aka Paul Epworth) remix, and a rare acoustic performnace of the track. Intimacy, Bloc Party's third album, hits shops next week, after having been released as a digital album last month. As if you didn't already know that.

Myspace: Bloc Party
Video: Bloc Party "Talons"

Fujiya & Miyagi have given Mercury Rev the remix treatment for their last single, "Senses On Fire" as part of a remix package available soon. The 'Rev have released two albums simultaneously, Snowflake Midnight (from where "Senses On Fire" comes) and a companion instrumental album, Strange Attractor, which they've made available free from their official site (after signing up for their mailing list).

MP3: Mercury Rev "Senses On Fire (Fujiya & Miyagi Remix)"

Disclaimer

2008-10-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Liam Maloney

A few weeks ago on on www.thedears.org, Murray Lightburn posted an email exchange between he and a friend about the fact that the new album from The Dears, Missiles, leaked to the internet. It was a pretty straightforward three email exchange that sums up the situation of these modern times: "Albums get made, then they get leaked, then they get released. Oh well."

"While we are 100% appreciative that people care enough, The Dears are still pretty old-school," the post goes on to say. "...Even though it's kind of cool, we can't help feeling a little bit devastated." Noting that fans can either a) download the leaked album right away, b) wait and buy it when it's released, or c) both, The Dears say that "whatever option you choose, we truly hope you enjoy it. We are excited and terrified all at once."

No need to be scared, Mr. Lightburn. Pardon the pun, but Missiles is a direct hit. It is the band's finest work to date. Missiles is a huge album that cannot be contained by traditional pop song constructs; the shortest song here is 3:43, the longest 11:21; the rest fall within the 4:00 to 8:00 minute range. They manage to sustain interest not through repetitive chord changes or elongated space rock jams, but through pure, honest to goodness songwriting that compels you to listen to find out how the melody is going to resolve itself, or where the song is going to go next.

That aforementioned shortest track, "Crisis 1 & 2" is a perfect example of this. It begins with Natalia Yanchak (Mrs. Murray Lightburn) sweet singing over a slightly stuttering classic Dears drum and bass line, that opens up via some crisp guitar licks that almost sound late 70s California-rock inspired; then around the 2 minute mark things get a big darker, a bit slicker, and Lightburn and the Mrs. change vocal positions (he sang backing for her on the first half of the track) until the song's close.

Missiles is a massive, multi-layered affair, and it's in no hurry to get from here to there. It's a decidedly downtempo pace throughout the album's 10 tracks, but when the music is this beautifully rendered you don't mind taking your time to stop and smell the roses. Lyrically speaking, the mood is all about atonement, redemption, and rebuilding what once was. Lightburn repeatedly asks the listener for forgiveness or for a second chance, or to scrap everything and start all over again. There seems to be more religious references than on the band's other songs here to, the most overt being the album's epic closing track, "Saviour". "Dream Job" has my favourite Lightburn vocal performance on the album. It's not his greatest lyrics, but his voice is the most emotive and emotional I've ever heard it sound, especially in the chorus when he says, "You've got dreams of taking someone else's dream away". he sounds tired, war weary, and says "I'm sick of playing the blues". Tear-inducing, and poignant, given the fact that Lightburn and Yanchak were the only two band members left by the time the album was finished. Some day, the story of how this album got made is going to make a great addition to the 33 1/3 book series.

The Dears will be playing across the U.S. this month in support of Missiles. You can check for dates in and around your present location on the newsletter page of their official site. Missiles is being released by Dangerbird Records in the world outside Canada, MapleMusic will still be carrying them in the True North, Strong and Free.

MP3: The Dears "Meltdown In A Major"
Video: The Dears "22: the Death of All the Romance"
Video: The Dears "Ticket To Immortality"
Myspace: The Dears

52 girls on film

2008-10-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

I'm currently reading Love Is A Mixtape by Rob Sheffield, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, which is billed as a memoir about "life and loss, one song at a time". Each chapter's starting point is a mixed tape that Sheffield--or someone close to him--created at certain life intervals that carry with it the spirit of it's time and the essence of the place and moment the tape was enjoyed. For an old fart like me, who remembers countless hours sitting by the tape deck assembling mixes from weekly America's Top 40 countdown, Sheffield's musings hit home. I don't think about those old mixed tapes I made too often, but every once in awhile, I'll hear a song from the past, and immediate expect to hear a certain song by another artist follow it, because sometime ago, those two tracks sat side by side on a Maxell 90 minute tape and became forever linked to one another.

How does the book link to this post about Brooklyn's dynamic duo Matt & Kim? Well, one of Sheffield's chapters focuses on the synth-pop duos of the 80s, and their mythical lore and power to sway music lovers. In particular he focuses on the girl-guy duos, like Yaz, who seemed to brood with sexual tension and aloofness in a way that a couple of Pet Shop Boys never could. That sort of reminded me about Matt & Kim, who are not a synth-pop duo, but are definitely a part of the ancestral hierarchy of those bands. Where Matt & Kim strike their own path is that, like the White Stripes, the girl plays drums and does a bit of singing, while the guy takes the mic. Their dance/punk/electro sound isn't as easy on the ears as their forefathers, but that makes it all the more fun. Matt & Kim have been working on the follow-up to their self-titled/self-made debut album. The new disc is called Grand, and although release dates don't seem to be confirmed as of yet (just some time next year), it looks like Green Label sound will be carrying it. For now, here's a little taste of what you can expect.

MP3: Matt & Kim "Daylight"
Myspace: Matt & Kim
Video: Matt & Kim "Yea Yeah"

Classical records

2008-10-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

It's getting harder and harder to keep track of who is from what band and which solo/alternate project are they working on now. Department of Eagles often gets tagged as a Grizzly Bear side project, which isn't true; Daniel Rossen started Department Of Eagles well before he joined the Grizzly Boys in and around 2003. Department Of Eagles is Rossen and his roommate Fred Nicolaus, who've been making music together since 2001. They never really intended for the music to go beyond their circle of friends, but good music is hard to keep to yourself.

There's a lot of similarity and familiarity to Grizzly Bear's magnificent Yellow House album and Department Of Eagles's new full-length, In Ear Park. That's understandable, since a good number of Rossen's Grizzly Friends ended up playing on the album. Some media outlets have spun this into a story suggesting that this new DoE album is signalling the end of Grizzly Bear, but Rossen dispelled those rumours with a recent post to the Grizzly Bear blog.

In Ear Park is one of those amazing little jewels that can easily get lost in the crush of other, more high profile releases. They've been garnering a fair bit of attention mind you, with a spot on Conan O'Brien the other week and some rave reviews in the press. But don't let that sway you; experience DoE for yourself and see hear what the fuss is all about.

MP3: Department of Eagles "No One Does It Like You"
MP3: Department of Eagles "In Ear Park"
Myspace: Department of Eagles

Beware our nubile miscreants

2008-10-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

I think that you have to take Of Montreal at face value and not think too much about it. It also helps to avoid reading any reviews of their latest album, Skeletal Lamping before hearing the actual recordings because it can skew your opinion. That was my mistake--and I made it more than once, since I read about three different reviews, each with a different opinion. One flat out hated it, calling it schizophrenic, misguided and overdone. The second loved it, calling its patch work of musical collages inventive and intoxicating, like a sonic cocktail. The third review didn't quite know what it wanted to say, and jumped all over the place, simultaneously celebrating the fact that Skeletal Lamping has moved on from its predecessor Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? and lamenting the fact that it's not quite the same beast. I don't blame the reviewer for being unable to settle on an opinion one way or the other, Skeletal Lamping isn't an album that lends itself to being neatly encapsulated in 500 words or less. If I based my opinion solely on the reviews, I'd probably not even have considered it for a post, much less giving it a listen. curiosity always gets the better of me, and I have to listen and judge for myself. I'm glad I did.

The album is very much a patchwork of random musical moments of varying tempo, style, and length, pieced together to make whole songs that inevitably end up miles away from where the began. In lesser hands this would be an absolute mess, but Kevin Barnes is no slouch when it comes to musical composition. In my opinion, Barnes is in a compositional league by himself, elevating the standard pop-song elements into orchestral, epic, 5 minute movements that manage to never sound overblown and forced. case in point: "Platis Wafers", the album's longest song, gets the most mileage from this quilt-like construction. It begins with a disco beat that melts into some rock star guitar work in chorus before spiraling into a more laid-back chill-out groove; from there it devolves into a mess of percussion and echo-drenched vocals, but not before it takes a couple steps forwards and back again along the way.

I liked Hissing Fauna... well enough, but I'm loving Skeletal Lamping more and more with each successive listen. It may seem clichéd to say, but it's true: this album reveals something new with each listen. You know how some songs become permanently embedded in your brain after just one or two listens? Well, you'll never be able to fully wrap your head around these 15 tracks for all the changes they go through from start to finish. Suffice to say that each time, it's like listening to the album for the first time. how long that lasts remains to be seen, but for now, I'm joining the "love it" camp; Skeletal Lamping, YOU are the destroyer, laying waste to all other comers. The album should be out on October 21st (it was initially scheduled for yesterday) on Polyvinyl Records.

MP3: Of Montreal "Id Engager"
Myspace: Of Montreal
Video: Of Montreal "Gronlandic Edit"
Stream: Of Montreal Skeletal Lamping

Mixing pop and politics

2008-10-14T10:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Tuesday! I hope all the Canadians have gotten over their turkey-induced hangovers. Just in time, too, as today we of the Great White North get set to paint our nation red, blue, orange and/or green: it's Federal Election time in Canada.

I'm not political, and I don't a politically-savvy thirtysomething on TV, but I have a voters card and I'm not afraid to use it. At the start of this campaign, you could argue that there was no real reason for an election at this time; Steven Harper called the vote to capitalize on his popularity and secure himself a majority government. As we hit the end of the election road, I get a clear sense that some of my fellow voters have taken the position that, even though we didn't need to go to the polls today, one has to seize on the opportunity and embrace the possibility of change. For the last five weeks we've watched candidates drop out on the race because of drug scandals, we've watched the world's financial world come crashing down around us, and we've watched as a fringe party gained some national credibility, and perhaps secure themselves their first federally elected seat. Maybe, tomorrow morning, Canada's political map won't look so different then it did this morning; maybe we'll have a new national leader, or maybe we won't. Maybe the times, they are a-changin'; maybe the only thing changing is our underwear and socks (I hope). Either way, I hold out hope that an election is never considered a contrary affair, and that the right to vote is never taken for granted. An I hold out the hope that somewhere in this great nation of ours, the voice of the people gets heard, and heard clearly. Get out and vote, Canada; I'll see you on the other side.

Antony and the Johnsons reveal Another World

2008-10-11T10:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Don Felix Cervantes

Earlier this week, Antony and the Johnsons released a little EP into this world called Another World. It precedes their next album, The Crying Light by almost three months, and features that album's first single, "Another World". I haven't quite wrapped my head around this one yet, although on initial listen, "Another World" struck me as a one of the most beautifully mournful songs I've heard in ages. "Shake That Devil" is apparently an older track that used to be called "Shake That Dog". It's elongated, and somewhat grating intro provides some respite about 2:25 minutes in when the tempo picks up and a bitching sax gives this bluesy tune some life. You can almost forgive them the painful two minute plus intro after enjoying the more interesting and appealing second half.

Diehard fans will want to get their hands on this, but perhaps the casual listener can hold out until the new album is released on January 21st by Secretly Canadian Records.

Video: Antony and the Johnsons "Another World"
MP3: Antony and the Johnsons "You Are My Sister"
Myspace: Antony and the Johnsons

Since it's Thanksgiving weekend here, QBiM is going to be quiet over the next few days. Enjoy the long weekend, folks, and catch you on the other side. Next post will be up Tuesday.

Meet new friends

2008-10-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Eva Michon

When the death knell sounded for Death From Above 1979, we didn't just lose the greatest dance-punk band in Canada (and arguably the world), we gained a pair of awesome splinter projects! Jesse F. Keeler's MSTRKRFT project may have been the most prominent, but his former DFA1979 band mate Sebastien Grainger is set to return with his own project: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains, and give Keeler a definite run for his money.

Grainger's self-titled album is wide screen, less-aggressive progression into soaring rock anthems with big choruses, fat chords, and a whole lot of love to give. This is no DFA1979 re-tread. Grainger is pushing himself into some new and uncharted territory: the land of singer-sogwriterdom. He borrows liberally from classic rock and modern indie pop to a create a pretty heady brew of soulful rock. Even better than what you'll hear on the album is the excellent cover of Daniel Lanois's "The Maker" streaming on his Myspace page. Let's hope it makes it to record sometime soon. In the meantime, Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains will be out October 21st on Saddle Creek in the U.S. and Outside Music in Canada.

MP3: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains "American Names"
Myspace: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains

Pseudo elitist vagueness

2008-10-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

For a few years, my sister lived in Costa Mesa, California, in the heart of Orange County and just next door to Newport Beach. I had never been to California before, so having a place to stay while visiting there was a dream come true. I loved it there: the sun, the surf, the style of life--I ate it up. The only thing that never really appealed to me was the Orange County music scene. I'm an indie pop guy at heart, so the testosterone-fueled garage rock skater-punk stuff just didn't do it for me.

That's why I find it kind of odd that I'm liking Japanese Motors so much. The band is from Costa Mesa, and has embraced the laid-back, sun-kissed lifestyle and infused it into their power pop music. There's definitely no denying these guys are California through and through, which may be why they're so refreshing. No pretense, no posturing, no trying to be something they're not. Their self-titled debut album is out now.

The band will be in Toronto October 21st for a free show at the Horseshoe with White Lies. They'll make their way south for a gig at NY's Bowery Ballroom on the 24th, then head over to Philly for a show the next night at North Star. More days are available at the band's Myspace page (see link below).

MP3: Japanese Motors "Spendin' Days"
Video: Japanese Motors "Single Fins & Safety Pins"
Myspace: Japanese Motors

We are beautiful, we are doomed

2008-10-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

photo: Jon Bergman

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Welsh band Los Campesinos! follow the album they released on April 1st of this year, Hold On Now, Youngster... with another album (the band's website clearly states that they don't consider it their second album) available now digitally, and physically later next month. We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is ten songs recorded with John Goodmanson (Bikini Kill, Sleater Kinney) that Los Campesinos! are releasing in a limited run; there will be one worldwide run of CDs and then that's it. The package will feature a self-made documentary DVD of the band's appearances at the Oya Festival and SummerSonic this past August, a 30 page 'zine with lyrics, guest-artist artwork (think Xiu Xiu, Menomena and Paul Heaton), plus a poster by Jeffery Brown.

Shame, though, that the Arts & Crafts online store seems to have some issues processing my transaction, tonight, or else I could give you some insight and thoughts on the recording. But as it turns out, the best I can do right now is point you to the band's Myspace page where the albums first track, "Ways To Make It Through The Wall" is streaming, along with the album's title track. Both are typical of their earlier work: sharply played smart-pop, full of youthful energy and exuberance. I'm preferring "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed"; of the two tracks, it's manic urgency feels genuinely like teen angst set to words and music.

MP3: Los Campesinos! "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives"
MP3: Los Campesinos! "Don't Tell Me To Do the Math(s)"
Video: Los Campesinos! "You! Me! Dancing!"
Myspace: Los Campesinos!

Married with children

2008-10-07T12:00:00.002-04:00

It has Sergeant Pepper-esque cover art, Marc Bolan-like swagger on opening cut "Bag It Up", and a flood of press and curiosity rolling with it all the way to the record shops. It can only be Oasis, then, back for another round of (working at) being the best band in the world. Yes, Dig Out Your Soul is in the shops today. The Gallagher boys are older, (somewhat) wiser, and definitely settling into their elder statesmen role: Oasis Mk. 7 hasn't gone and changed things that much from their modus operundi, though, upon initial listening of the album (streaming on their Myspace page all this week), there's some interesting things going on that should make even the casual listener prick up their ears a bit. "The Turning" has an interesting Paul Weller piano groove going on in it's opening moments, before kicking into a full-out rock chorus, led by Liam Gallagher's trademark vocals. "Waiting For The Rapture" is big brother Noel's first vocal outing of the album; it's soaked in a thick, syrupy guitar riff, full of passion. Lead single "The Shock Of Lighting" as been described as a Definitely Maybe styled rocker, and I tend to agree. It has a similarity to "Rock 'N' Roll Star" which might indicate that Oasis have now begun to ape their own back catalogue along with the Parthenon of great rock records.

While many would argue that the band's glory days are well behind them, evidence on Dig Out Your Soul suggests that they still have that rock n roll spirit that made them such a going concern back in the 90s. When you take it at face value, Dig Out Your Soul is a pretty decent rock album that lesser bands would give their right testicles to have made. And that's no bollocks.

Stream/Myspace: Oasis Dig Out Your Soul

It should be noted here that just a few ago while on stage in Toronto, Noel Gallagher was attacked by some idiot in the middle of "Morning Glory". Reports from Oasis's web site say that he sustained some pretty serious injuries: three broken and dislodged ribs. They've had to cancel a series of shows while Noel recuperates. Thanks to Frank at Chromewaves for pointing us to these pics of the incident. Here's hoping he has a speedy recovery.

Make me pretty

2008-10-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

photo: Brendan Meadows

Even though his character in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus claims to be an albino, Reg Vermue, aka Gentleman Reg, is not. Pale yes, but albino, no. A case for never judging a book by its cover, the songs of Gentleman Reg are far from pale and washed out. Having spent time working with the likes of The Hidden Cameras, Final Fantasy, Broken Social Scene and back-up work for Sufjan Stevens, certainly amounts to a veritable rainbow of musical colours to play with, and his solo work has always been just as diverse.

Reg is about to release "You Can't Get It Back", the first single from his new album, Jet Black. Fans of his crisp pop styling will have to settle for the single for now, as the full album release is scheduled for early next year. I know, I'm bummed out about it, too. But, to whet your appetite even further, and to familiarize yourself with his back catalogue, Arts & Crafts (who've recently signed Reg up to their roster) are releasing a nice package called Little Buildings, featuring some of Reg's finest work from his previous releases. Little Buildings will be out November 11th. You can hear "You Can't Get It Back" now at Reg's Myspace site, and keep your eyes open for Jet Black sometime in 2009.

MP3: Gentleman Reg "It's Not Safe"
Myspace: Gentleman Reg

Crush-love-crush

2008-10-04T10:00:00.002-04:00

It wasn't until the other day, after the dust had settled from the Polaris Music Prize celebrations, that I remembered that Final Fantasy had a pair of new EPs available. How, you may ask, could I forget all about the follow-ups to He Poos Clouds?! When word came down some time in August that Owen Pallett was planning on releasing Spectrum, 14th Century, and Plays To Please--both of which come with some unique pedigrees--I fully intended to get the detail on release and purchase, but it all ended up slipping my mind, what with all the end-of-summer activity, and start-of-school shenanigans I had to deal with. Oh well, better late then never.

Spectrum, 14th Century is a collection of recordings Pallett made with Beirut while working on their album Flying Club Cup. The songs are intended to be a sonic map of the fictitious land of Spectrum. Bird calls, percussive flourishes, insect chirps, and Final Fantasy's trademark strings all merge in a five song road trip through a trippy mind. Plays To Please finds Pallett paying homage to fellow Torontonian Alex Lukashevsky and his band Deep Dark United. The six tracks are all covers of Lukashevsky songs and really go for a big band sound, incorporating 35 players, and apparently one Andrew Bird whistling.

So not your standard follow-up to an award winning album, but then again, Owen Pallett has never been your standard rock musician. As complicated as both concept EPs sound, they simply come across earnestly and without pretension. I'm beginning to think that he doesn't have a condescending bone in his body. The music he makes comes from a place where truth and sincerity overpower irony and posturing for the sake of status. His cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" from a few years back is evidence of this, devoid as it is of any of the self-congratulatory, cutting-edge machismo that a lesser artists would most likely indulge in.

What really strikes me about these recordings is Pallett's gorgeous singing voice. If you loved the way he cooed and crooned in the past, then you'll fall madly in love with his vocal performance on these EPs, especially the charming "Nun or a Bawd" from Plays to Please. These EPs are truly outstanding works, and should be considered on par with his previous albums; no stop-gap releases here then. Your best bet of getting a hold of these recordings is through iTunes, as physical releases were limited in number and seem to be unavailable through the Final Fantasy website links.

MP3: Final Fantasy "The Butcher"
MP3: Final Fantasy "Ultimatum"
Video: Final Fantasy "This Modern Love"
Myspace: Final Fantasy

There's an arc

2008-10-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Adam Penny

Hey Rosetta! hail from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. I don't think I've ever heard of a band from Canada's youngest province, although I know it has a rich musical tradition and history, so my curiosity was partly geographically inspired when I gave their latest release, Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) a spin the other day. The other part of my curiosity was based on news that the band had won the Verge XM52 Album of the Year award from XM Satellite Radio, which came with a $25000 cheque. The award was based on fan voting, winning out over the likes of Tegan & Sara and Born Ruffians. Needless to say, I wanted to know what the fuss was all about.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty, Hey Rosetta! can either be a loud band that plays pretty when they're quiet, or a quiet band that can rock the stadium when they crank their amps up past 11. It's an impressive dynamic when at first you hear the lead track, " New Goodbye," a classic post rock anthem in-the-making. The song begins with a finger plucked guitar intro and Tim Baker's breathy vocals (he sounds a lot like Rolf Klausener of The Acorn to me). Slowly but surely the layers and sonic textures get added, so that at about 2:00 minutes in the song takes off at full-speed and at full band strength with Josh Ward (bass), Adam Hogan (lead guitar), and Phil Maloney (drums), Kinley Dowling (violin), and Romesh Thavanathan (cello) at the controls. By 3:20 the song seems to head straight for the stratosphere with a heady sing-along mid-section that ultimately blasts off into a fuzzy haze of feedback and static.

Impressive stuff. Unfortunately, the shine on "New Goodbye" starts to tarnish a bit as the subsequent 11 tracks ply on the same formula. What Hey Rosetta! does they do well, but they also do it too often to sustain itself across an entire album. I've yet to check out their previous release, the seven-song, Plan Your Escape EP, but Id be interested to see if things may be different. Into Your Lungs was produced by Hawksley Workman, and is worth a listen. Hey Rosetta! have a reputation for being an impressive live band, so if the opportunity arises to check them out, I'm sure it'll be worth it. They'll be at POP Montreal this weekend, CMJ later in the month, and a smattering of Ontario dates throughout the fall.

MP3: Hey Rosetta! "New Goodbye"
Video: Hey Rosetta! "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Myspace: Hey Rosetta!
Facebook: Hey Rosetta!

I just called to say I love you, Pelle

2008-10-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Helena Söderman

It's raining today. Not a steady rain, but one of those that sort of lurks around corners, watching to see if you're going to try and make a mad dash for the front door before deciding to open the flood gates and rain down on you. A rain so intermittent your wiper blades think, "What the fuck?" Even the sky is non-committal; flipping from gray to blue-ish gray, to pale blue, then back to a dark burnt indigo as if God was holding paint swatches up to the heavens deciding what colour to redecorate with.

On days like this, coming home and finding a shiny, happy, poppy record from Sweden is always a sure firs way to brighten the mood and shake out the doldrums. So thank you, Pelle Carlberg, thank you for making my day. I'm especially grateful because I wasn't even expecting a new album from you, so it was really quite a surprise. I have been enamored of your lo-fi stylish pop for some time now, and your last album, In A Nutshell was one of my favourite records of 2007. Although upon initial listen, it seems as if you haven't changed directions any, but once you get into your new album, The Lilac Time, you can hear the progression and growth. This new work feels even more laid back and breezy than your previous stuff. I wasn't surprised to hear that you'd written and recorded it in isolation and far from civilization (as from from civilization as you can get in Sweden). There's a looseness to your melodies that allow for some fun in amongst the form and function of your classic pop song structures. "Animal Lovers" and "Metal to Metal" are damn infectious; it's all I can do to keep myself from hitting the back button and listening to them again instead of going on through the rest of the album.

The Lilac Time is a tight, concise album--it's 10 songs clocking in at just under 34 minutes--making it easy to enjoy over and over again. It truly feels like this is a love letter to us, your fans, dear, sweet Pelle, and I must say your generosity and kindness are touching (especially your little "gift" in the liner notes--that's really sweet of you). You're the best favourite pop-playing Swede a guy could ever love!

MP3: Pelle Carlberg "1983 (Pelle & Sebastian)"
Video: Pelle Carlberg "I Love You, You Imbecile"
Myspace: Pelle Carlberg

Land Of Talk

2008-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Montreal's Land Of Talk have been living up to their name; it seems every time I have or hear a conversation about music recently, their name comes up. There's much anticipation for their soon-to-be-released album, Some Are Lakes, the follow-up to their widely applauded 2006 release, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss.

Frontwoman Elizabeth Powell often gets compared to Polly Jean Harvey, albeit a pared-down, less angry/bitter version of the UK indie maven. But I found this little tidbit on the band's Facebook page that I think is the best way to encapsulate their sound and attitude: "Land of Talk is a female-fronted guitar rock juggernaut . They have been described as a destructive Stevie Nicks/Blonde Redhead mutant, Will Oldham meets Sonic Youth, and as a PJ Harvey-meets-Crazy Horse type creature. Land of Talk makes their music in a van down by the river." Alright then?

MP3: Land Of Talk "Some Are Lakes"
Myspace: Land Of Talk
Facebook: Land Of Talk

Caribou's Andorra wins Polaris 2008

2008-09-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

Any awards show that honours a band named Holy Fuck, and then allows a broadcast to go out across the (Internet radio) airwaves where the words "Holy Fuck" are constantly repeated is going to be a-okay in my books. It's a different experience listening to an awards show, but when the honourees are musicians, the visual experience would only ever be secondary. So it was that I sat down to listen to the live broadcast of last night's Polaris Music Prize from the Phoenix Concert Theatre in lovely downtown Toronto. In my mind's eye I imagined what the proceedings must have looked liked, and in truth, it didn't look like much more than your average rock concert. What it sounded like though was a true celebration of some of this country's best music from the last year, and by all accounts those who were there loved the ear-shredding performance of Black Mountain, Shad's urban poetry, and the psychedelic dance rock of the aforementioned Holy Fuck.

But the real reason they were there was to see who of the 10 shortlisted nominees would be crowned this year's winner. If you're a loyal QBiM reader (and there are such people out there), then you'd know how I handicapped this year's royal rumble of records. In the end, we'll never know exactly what went down in that jury room, but we do know what happened when they came out of it: Caribou's Andorra took the tops honours, just as yours truly called it back on Saturday. Dan Snaith was very humbled by the award and honoured his fellow nominees and those who were also on the long list. He mentioned the fact that an award like the Polaris brings music that doesn't always get heard by some people to a larger audience, and that it really is becoming a great celebration of Canadian music. I think that many people felt that any one of this year's nominees could deservedly win the prize, and choosing just one would be a difficult task. In the end, it doesn't really matter who walks away with the check, because the real winners are the Canadian music fans who get blessed with a bumper crop of great music, and a whole lot of patriotic pride. Good on us, eh?

MP3: Caribou "Melody Day"
Official: Caribou
Myspace: Caribou

Hey Zeus

2008-09-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday afternoon, I was running some errands after work, listening to CBC's Radio 2 Drive. Since the station re-launch earlier this month, I've been paying close attention to the afternoon drive show hosted by Rich "Buck 65" Terfry. I was slow to warm to Trefry's somewhat sloven radio announcing ways, after having spent so much of my radio listening experience being bombarded by fast-talking, joke-cracking DJs who are more intent on making a name for themselves then playing good music. Trefry is definitely different when it comes to presentation style. Without the rush of radio advertising, he takes his time to personalize his selections, putting choices in context. Since I don't usually have a long commute to and from work, I only end up hearing a couple tracks on a typical day, but on the day in question I got an earful and in turn heard some great new music.

I was most impressed by Zeus, a Toronto-based outfit made up of Mike O'Brien and Carlin Nicholson, both members of Jason Collett's touring band. Both guys are/were members of Paso Mino, who began touring as Collett's backing band during promotions for Idols Of Exile. While on a break from Paso Mino/Collett duties, O'Brien and Nicholson began working on some recordings that they never planned on releasing, but eventually they began to realize that there was something special going on. The two songwriters and lead vocalists blend together influences of folk and rock respectively, allowing experimentation and happy accidents to take some of the material into unexpected directions.

Zeus don't have any releases available yet, but they're currently working on a debut album which hopefully will see the light of day soon. For now, you can check out some of their work streaming over at their Myspace page. For those interested in the Zeus experience up close and personal, check the guys out when they do double duty as one of the opening acts on this year's Wood, Wires & Whiskey tour (sponsored by Exclaim! magazine), then playing with headliner Collett. Check to see if they're coming to a town near you here.

Myspace: Zeus

In the jury room after the war: Polaris posits, pre-presentation

2008-09-27T10:00:00.003-04:00

Since they were announced earlier this summer, I've been able to review/re-visit six of the 10 albums nominated for this year's Polaris Music Prize; if you take into account all the postings I've made over the last year, I've have mentioned 9 of the 10 artists. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Kathleen Edwards has been the one nominee whose music has escaped me to date, so in order to satisfy my self-imposed goal of getting to all the nominees before Monday night's gala award presentation, I wandered on over to Edwards' "Down-tempo/Screamo/Tango" Myspace music page to sample some of the wares on her nominated album, Asking For Flowers. As you listen to the title track, it becomes evident where the Polaris judges were coming from choosing this one. Edwards sits somewhere between Sarah McLaughlin's ethereal vocal emoting and Neil Young's classic storytelling lyricism, embracing elements of blues, country, rock, folk and the best bits pop classicism to lay claim to a throne distinctly labeled "Canadiana". She has established herself as a songwriter of stature, whose voice peppers her lyrics with passion and personality.

Myspace: Kathleen Edwards

This year's Polaris judges will be holed up in a secret room somewhere in Toronto on Monday night deciding who the winner is going to be, like a jury sequestered to determine the fate of the accused. There's no way to even give any odds on what the outcome will be, but leave it to QBiM to give a go at predicting what the battle is going to look like behind closed doors:

First round cuts would be The Weakerthans, Black Mountain, and Stars: great albums in their respective genres, but not huge artistic statements (and remember that's coming from someone who's a HUGE Stars fan). I think each band has done better work in the past. They won't even make it into the stadium, let alone the Polaris wrestling ring.

Second round would see the ladies duke it out, and I'm betting Basia Bulat would take Kathleen Edwards out when the two albums come to blows.

Third round is where it gets a bit ugly, because someone is bound to realize that Two Hours Traffic is still in the game. The boys from Charlottetown are going to have to face some stiff competition from those arty Montreal boys, Plants And Animals, but I think in the end it'll be a draw, as both bands are in this with debut albums. Attention will turn instead to Caribou and Shad who'll have a go at each other in a cage round that will see the Dundas Kid, Dan Snaith, take out "London Lover" Shad.

For those not keeping score, that leaves us with Basia Bulat, Caribou, Plants And Animals, Two Hours Traffic, and Holy Fuck, who've spent the last three rounds standing in the corner enjoying the proceedings with a smug look on their face and confident they'll be in this thing until the final two, if not the ultimate winner. Little do they know that the fourth round is going to see their fortunes turn, and if they expect their instrumental noise sculptures to make it any further they'll have to turn guns ablazing and justify their artistic merit.

It will be an all out royal rumble worthy of a Francis Ford Coppola film. By the time the rain begins to fall and the orchestra swells to it's crescendo, Two Hours Traffic, the "Ponyboy Curtis" of this year's Polaris Prize, will still be standing (barely) but poor Basia "Johnny Cage" Bulat will have succumbed to her injuries. Holy "Dally Winston" Fuck will get their comeuppance when Plants And Animals draws their weapon and takes aim, leaving the Montreal band face-to-face with the only other combatant left standing: Caribou.

So in the end it'll be a three way battle between Caribou, Two Hours Traffic, and Plants And Animals. As valiant an effort as they've made throughout the battle, Two Hours Traffic won't have much fight left in them, so they'll lick their wounds, head back to the island, and vow to fight again another year. Plants And Animals can almost taste victory by this point, feeling a kick of adrenalin as they realize they can win this two years in a row for their little-label-that-could, Secret City Records. But one should never underestimate the massive power of the Caribou.

It'll be bloody. There will probably be a lot of fur flying, and the air will be filled with howls and cries. When the dust settles, the plants will have been trampled and the animals will have been scared into early hibernation; Dan "Caribou" Snaith's Andorra will stand alone, victorious.

Or something like that.

MP3: Caribou "Melody Day"
Official: Caribou
Myspace: Caribou

Golden age

2008-09-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

I like to tell you about new music, that's why I write this blog. But even more than just telling you about it, I like when you can hear it at the same time. That's why I don't usually write a post that doesn't include some kind of download or listening experience for you. I still firmly believe that you should be able to hear what it is I'm writing about, but I'm starting to regret the albums I don't get to talk about because there isn't an mp3 download available. After all, a link to Myspace or a YouTube video can provide that aural sensory input the same as an mp3 can. So, dear QBiM reader, we're turning over a new leaf at HQ today: download or no download, we're bringing you the best stuff whenever and wherever we hear it.

And the best stuff right now is the utterly amazing Dear Science by NYC's TV On The Radio. I didn't especially like their last album, Return To Cookie Mountain (2006) but I never seemed to be in the right frame of mind when listening to it. TVOTR isn't the kind of band that can just be background noise; they require your full toothpick-keeping-your-eyelids-open-hands-cupped-around-your-ears attention. TVOTR never intended to be an easy pill to swallow. Having formed in post-9/11 Brooklyn, they opted to go the experimental route, mixing jazz horns, electronic beats, fuzzed out noise and more shouting than actual singing. In other words, they were quite the sonic head trip.

Things haven't changed all that much, but three albums in, the band have grown by leaps and bounds. Their head trip sound is firmly rooted in some serious tunes. It's almost as if all the hazy noise has been narrowed down and focused into some sharp songs that still manage to incorporate all the variety and sonic textures they played with before. The excellent ballad "Family Tree" is followed by all-out funk jam "Red Dress", while "Shout Me Out" has an instantly memorable vocal melody that wouldn't be out of place on your typical pop record, but here it's dressed up in some awesome punk-dance drumming, fuzzy rock guitar and sonic feedback that make this anything but your typical pop record.

Dear Science is the perfect alchemy of modern music: accessible without sacrificing artistry; genre-bending without being generic; conscious of its uniqueness without condescension. We've quite possibly been introduced to the album of the year.

Video: TV On The Radio "Golden Age"
Myspace: TV On The Radio

Fortunately/unfortunately/fortunately

2008-09-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

This week, Jenny Lewis released her second solo album, Acid Tongue, and I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of the album for my "listening" pleasure. Unfortunately, the CD featured various copyright-protection security (it even has my name stamped on it) that only allows it to be played on a standard compact disc player, as opposed to the drives embedded in our computers. Why is this unfortunate? I don't have a standard CD player anymore. It didn't really dawn on me that there was a gap in my stereo equipment until I got this CD and found that I have no way whatsoever of listening to it, except in my car. And seeing as how I don't really have reason to take any long drives, I haven't listened to the album all the way through in one sitting as I usually like to do with new records (I actually haven't listened to it at all).

So instead of talking about Jenny Lewis's record, let's talk about Jenny Lewis's favourite band's record. The Whispertown 2000 is currently out on tour with Ms Lewis playing selections from their soon-to-be-released debut album, Swim. There's a certain west coast, alt-country vibe going on with The Whispertown 2000, with an element of high drama thanks to the harmonies of dual female vocals of Morgan Nagler and Vanesa Corbala (who appears on Lewis's new record).

The band is currently opening for their high-profile patron, after having honed their chops playing their own gigs and opening for Bright Eyes and She & Him.

MP3: The Wispertown 2000 "Done With Love"

2 atoms in a molecule

2008-09-24T10:00:00.003-04:00

Back in July I brought you word of quirky indie-folk band Noah & The Whale and their self-proclaimed 'song of the summer', "Five Years Time". Last week the band's debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, made it's grand entrance, living up to the promise of it's preceding single. Charlie Fink, the band's lyricist and singer, has a singing voice reminiscent of Andrew Bird, except that Fink tends to favour the lower registers of his voice. His lyrics are somewhat dole and melancholy, and stand in stark contrast to the pop leanings of their musical accompaniment. It could all get very repetitive very quickly if it wasn't for the addition of Laura Marling's beautiful backing vocals offering a soft, comforting haze on the proceedings.

Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down doesn't reveal all its charms in just one listen. Lie all the best pop, it catches your attention quickly and effortlessly, but really begins to impress the more you listen to it.

MP3: Noah & The Whale "2 Bodies 1 Heart"
Video: Noah & The Whale "Five Years Time"
Myspace: Noah & The Whale

Escape to the sun dome

2008-09-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

It feels like it was just yesterday that QBiM introduced you to the bespectacled, kalimba-playing Laura Barrett, and her EP, Earth Sciences. Barrett is back on the scene with a full length debut album, Victory Garden, released today on Paper Bag Records.

While the EP was a stark, spare affair, Victory Garden blossoms with strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion into a full, gorgeous sound. She's accompanied by a stellar list of guests, including Polari sMusic Prize nominee Basia Bulat on autoharp and vocals, Randy Lee (The Bicycles, Hylozoists and Lily Frost) on violin, Jeremy Strachan (Feuermusik) on clarinet, Lief Mosbaugh (Hidden Cameras) on oboe and viola, John Tielli (Metal Kites) on theremin, and featuring Paul Aucoin (Hylozoists) on vibraphones.

Barrett is hitting the streets to spread the word about her garden of earthly delights. She might even be heading to a town near you soon:

Sept. 28 – Toronto, ON - Word On The Street Festival (Eye Weekly Stage)
Oct. 4 – Montreal, QC - Sport Montreal Benfica - 3pm (POP Montreal)
Oct. 7 – Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
Oct. 8 – Guelph, ON - EBar
Oct. 9 – Peterborough, ON - The Spill
Oct. 11 – Kingston, ON - The Artel
Oct. 16 - New York, NY - Piano's
Oct. 19 – Fredericton, NB - Wilser's room
Oct. 20 – Moncton, NB - Aberdeen Cultural Centre
Oct. 23 – Halifax, NS - Coconut Grove (Halifax POP Explosion)

MP3: Laura Barrett "Robot Ponies"
Hype Machine: Laura Barrett

Within me a lunatic sings

2008-09-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

It's not a secret that by now, many bloggers and music critics are contemplating--if not spread-sheet building and playlist-analyzing--their year-end best-of lists. Yours truly has opted to stay away from the blogger forums where past experience tells me, year-end discussion is beginning to spread faster than viral YouTube video of panty-less pop starlets. Curiosity is killing me, but I've been trying to focus on the crop of new music that's coming out this fall, rather than going back and examining the year's releases so far. Having said that, I do have some inkling of what my year end lists are going to look like, and can pretty much guarantee that Sigur Rós is going to be up there near the top.

I first heard their spectral, otherworldly music when I cold-purchased (that's buying without hearing first) Ágætis byrjun, their second album, which introduced the band to the world outside their native Iceland. I think of that album in the same terms I think of Kid A because they were both of the same place and time for me. I don't go back to the Radiohead album as often as I go back to Ágætis byrjun, though. The allure of Sigur Rós is that the music exudes a timeless quality that sets it apart almost instantaneously; it never sounds like any of it's contemporaries.

This year I've found myself in a constant Sigur Rós orbit around their latest CD, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, which translates to "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly". The buzz is justified: this is Sigur Rós's most accessible album (their first to feature singing in English), yet still retains that distinctiveness that has been the hallmark of their sound. It irks me when I hear them referred to as a "soundtrack" band, because that almost implies they're little more than background music. If you can get past the fact that the lyrics won't make any sense to you (and sometimes they don't make any sense to Icelandic speaking fans, either), then you'll get to enjoy the music based solely on emotion alone. You'll feel it, and understand it on a level that personalizes it, rather than contextualizing it based on cultural preconceptions. A friend commented--after I described the band this way--that, Sigur Rós is akin to "world music" but I don't agree with that. "World Music" as I see it, stems from tradition and history; Sigur Rós don't play based on Icelandic cultural tradition. They are not Icelandic roots music. They have truly developed in a world separate from our own, yet still visible to us. We can look into their alternate universe through a frost glass bubble. Or perhaps, they're looking out as us through that same bubble, marveling at our seemingly alien world.

Sigur Rós play Toronto's Massey Hall tonight.

MP3: Sigur Rós "Gobbledigook "
Video: Sigur Rós "Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur"
Myspace: Sigur Rós

Oh Ontario. Oh, Jenifer Jason Leigh.

2008-09-20T10:00:00.004-04:00

We Canadians are a curious bunch. With a country whose land mass is larger than the U.S., and the vast expanse between settlements (i.e. cities) slowly narrowing, distinct regional cultures are beginning to emerge and assimilate into neighbouring areas. Whether you're a salty dog from the East Coast, a metro-hippie from T.O. (that's Toronto to you non-Ontarians), a crunchy granola-type from B.C. (that's British Columbia for you, er... you people who didn't know that), or a born-from-the-land earnest Prairie dweller, you probably have been exposed to the distinctiveness of the various cultural areas that have developed in this great nation of ours.

I'm particularly drawn to the unique group of musicians who've spun from the midlands--from Manitoba to Alberta--whose good natured rock and roll is tempered with vivid splashes of lyrical imagination, and a not-quite alt country twang that snaps with a briskness usually reserved for a January day in Winnipeg. The perfect example has long been John K. Samson and his band The Weakerthans. they've longed been heralded as one of Canada's indie music hidden treasures, and had their last LP, Reunion Tour, recognized as one of this year's shortlisted albums for the Polaris Music Prize. Samson's songs tell tales of bus drivers, stock brokers, miners, cats, and curling, all with sincerity and an observational style that you usually get from a cinematic indie film director. There is a certain celluloid quality to the music, because it feels like a perfect soundtrack to a wonderful film about every day life that's going to be filmed someday if the director and writer can just get enough money together to rent some equipment, and the snow holds off for a couple days to shoot the exterior scenes.

I believe they've been touring the U.S. over the last little while, and have now wrapped up life on the road in support of the album. Hopefully they find themselves in the comfort of a warm studio over the course of the cold winter, and emerge with a fresh basket of new musical goodies in the spring. For now, the band have a track from Reunion Tour available from Myspace as part of the lead-up to Polaris Night, September 29th, 2008:

.: The Weakerthans :.

"Night Windows"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

4 for the weekend vol. 45

2008-09-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since we've had a proper 4FTW offering, and there's some choice material among this week's picks. At the end of the week, I'm putting these 4 discs in the mail and sending them to one lucky QBiMite, so if you think that's you, just drop me a line at contests {at} quickbeforeitmelts {dot} com with "4 for the weekend vol. 45" in the subject line and your mailing address in the body. Enjoy the tracks, and enjoy the weekend.

Ani DiFranco "Emancipated Minor"

from the album, Red Letter Year
(2008, Righteous Babe)

official : hype machine : elbo.ws

Brass Bed "Olivia"

from the album, Midnight Matinee
(2008, self-released)

official : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

The Mojomatics "Miss Me When I'm Gone"

from the album, Don't Pretend That You Know Me
(2008, Ghost Records)

official : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Tracy Shedd "Go On"

from the album Cigarettes and Smoke Machines
(2008, Teenbeat)

official : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

You feel it

2008-09-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

I was reading a review of The Acorn's Glory Hope Mountain on Drowned In Sound this week, by a UK reviewer who had just discovered Ottawa's best kept secret. He's reveling in the "hidden treasure" aspect of discovering their music throughout the review. I know that's a feeling many music writers have experienced throughout their careers, just as music fans have come to chase the heady high of discovering new music. It's an addictive drug, that new music rush, and the crash and burn if withdrawal when there's no new music around to be heard can be devastatingly painful. And boring.

I was in just such a state these past few days. There hasn't been much that I've found to be blog-worthy, and i just wasn't up to backpedaling and going over music I've already talked about. So I took a breather. Cleared my head. Gave myself some distance from having to write about music, and got back to just enjoying music. Even better, I decided that I was going to listen to some new music, stuff that's been sitting in my inbox for months now that hasn't had a proper airing. Sometimes that's when you find gold, the next big "hit".

I got the jackpot when I gave Mardeen's debut album, Read Less Minds a spin. They're another great East Coast band in the same tradition and vein as Two Hours Traffic, and what a decent little pop masterpiece they've created. These native Cape Bretoners have garnished these 12 tracks with shimmering echoes of Teenage Fanclub and early R.E.M. Though it's just their first album, these guys have been playing together since they were 12 years old, and you can hear their history in their musicianship when they play together. You can feel the connection, and you know it's genuine and its real, and that's not a quality you can put to a lot of music that's out there these days.

Mardeen is Matthew Ellis, Travis Ellis, Jon Pearo and Gary Staple; their debut album, Read Less Minds is out now on Collegen Rock Records.

.: Mardeen :.
"Kids"

hype machine : elbo.ws

God keep our hands clean

2008-09-16T18:30:00.000-04:00

Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier have been bagging on pots and pans and making musical noise with a variety of junk instruments for 8 years now as FemBots. In that time they've released three albums as varied and diverse as the instrumentation they use. Their latest album, Calling Out, is a return to their junk-sound roots, and hits stores today.

"Post-industrial folk songs" is probably the most accurate description of the duo's early work; their first album, Mucho Cuidado, was written and recorded on power tools, toy instruments and thrift store finds. Things got a bit more atmospheric for their second alum, 2003's Small Town Murder Scene. Their third album, The City (2005) coloured in their starker moments with swatches of bright technicolour.

And so it goes that the boys come back to some of their older tricks on Calling Out. This time out the innovation was the writing process, involving guest musicians for the first time in their career (Iner Souster and drummer Nathan Lawr of Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs), and building up from improvisational jams. The results are pretty cool, making it one of the oddest pop albums I've heard all year, while being one of the most straight-ahead records the FemBots' career.

.: FemBots :.

"Good Days"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Trying my best to love you

2008-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I was disappointed by Rilo Kiley's last album, Under The Blacklight, given how much I loved Blake Sennett's work on The Elected's Sun, Sun, Sun, and Jenny Lewis's solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. Both those side projects featured a real earnestness and love of music that was conspicuously missing from Rilo Kiley's last work.

Fans of the band and Jenny Lewis can take comfort in a new solo album, Acid Tongue, making it's way to our ears on September 23rd. Lewis goes back to the country/folk leanings of her first record, and does an impressive Neko Case-alike on the title track. The list of collaborators for the album is impressive to say the least: Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Jason Boesel, Jason Lader, M Ward, Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson, Benji Hughes, and Zooey Deschanel are just a few of the friends along for the ride.

.: Jenny Lewis :.

"Acid Tongue"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Feedback in the field

2008-09-13T10:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Caroline Desilets

Last year's Polaris Music Prize winner, Patrick Watson, and nominee Miracle Fortress were/are label mates. At the time of last year's nominations they actually made up the entire roster of Secret City Records, which is quite an impressive accomplishment for such a small imprint. It's not a big surprise that the label's next signing, Montreal's Plants And Animals, would go onto to secure themselves a spot on this year's Polaris shortlist, too.

Warren C. Spicer and Matthew Woodley had been friends from their early days i Nova Scotia, eventually moving to Montreal's Concordia University to study music where they met Nicolas Basque, and the seeds of Plants And Animals was, er, planted. Their early work, sprawling instrumentals that defied easy classification, eventually gave way to a more honed, yet no less wild sound, allowing for more identifiable songs to emerge and evolve from their primordial music soup. Their 2007 release, Parc Avenue, is a joy to listen to from beginning to end, because it impresses and intrigues at every turn. Listening all the way through is akin to taking a walk through the woods; the setting is familiar and unchanging, but the experience is coloured differently every time. Any time is a good time to take a stroll down Parc Avenue, winter, spring, summer or fall.

.: Plants And Animals :.

"Bye Bye Bye"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Meltdown in A major

2008-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Liam Maloney

The gang of losers has had a major make-over. Perennial Montreal rockers The Dears have announced that the band line-up has undergone a purge, leaving main-man Murray Lightburn and his wife Natalie Yanchak as the sole original members. Not only have they cleaned house musically, they've also wiped the slate clean on the business side of things, having left Arts & Crafts (who released their last album in the States) and Bella Union (their European label) in favour of working with California indie label Dangerbird for their new album, Missiles (Maple Music will continue to release the album at home in Canada). Lightburn writes on the band's website about the process of making the new album, and the new Dears:

"We had quite an experience making it and by the end, only Natalia and I were left. The band line up as you've known has come to a close and now it's just as it was when we began: Natalia and I, looking after every aspect ourselves. Trust us when we say it is for the best. The music, philosophy -- the art has been preserved with fervency. The Dears not are but is. In our mind it always has been that way, the sum of parts to create one vision. Or something like that. Personally, we feel fortunate to have a role in the birthing of every tune, in its arrival from the cosmos."

The new line up feature Jason Kent (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Lisa Smith (bass, keyboards), Yann Geoffroy (drums, keyboards), Laura Wills (keyboards, vocals), and Christopher McCarron (guitar). Missiles will be available October 21st, and the first fruits are available as a stream from the band's website.

.: The Dears :.

STREAM: "Meltdown in A Major"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Are you a sad robot?

2008-09-11T12:00:00.001-04:00

There's a new EP to add to your collection of Stars recordings (you do have all their albums, right?): Sad Robots was quietly released digitally on the first of the month via a new website dedicated to the EP, and will be available physically on their upcoming tour (you can also opt to buy a physical version from the website, but unfortunately there's no discount if you want the digital now, also). The band will be heading out on the road with Irish band Bell X1 through September, and Think About Life opening on the October dates.

The EP features a live version of "Going, Going, Gone" from back in the Nightsongs day, which is also available as a free download. All in all, there isn't anything jaw-dropping on Sad Robots but I do really like "Undertow" ("Heart"-like), and it's counterpoint "A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife", which has so many layers of feedback guitar that it literally cuts through the air like an aggressive buzz saw. That's a side to Stars I like to hear more often.

Stars are up for the thrid annual Polaris Music Prize, being handed out in Toronto on Spetember 29th at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. Stars will unfortunatey not be in attendance, but they'll be participating via a live video feed that night.

.: Stars :.

"Going, Going, Gone (live)"

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My purple past

2008-09-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

I wasn't all that impressed with Deerhoof when I first heard them, and didn't really buy into the fuss around their 2007 release, Friend Opportunity. That's not to say that I don't think the band has any artistic merit, but that I just didn't appreciate the music myself. No surprise then that news of a new release didn't spark all that much interest in me, but there was one thing about the press release for their new record Offend Maggie that got me thinking maybe I should give them another go: "Offend Maggie represents another Deerhoofian high-water mark, even as it shows another abrupt shift in direction."

I was curious because Deerhoof is known for being virtually unclassifiable and never ones to rest on their laurels or past successes. When a band is willing to experiment with their sound (and I mean really experiment, as opposed to just having Brian Eno produce them) I'm always willing to give it a listen. Surprisingly enough, I kind of like what I'm hearing. And it's true, you can't really classify or categorize their sound, so there's no point in trying to do so. If you are already a Deerhoof fan, then you'll probably dig this; if you didn't like them before then this may be enough to change your mind; and if you aren't at all familiar with the band, don't use this track as a benchmark for the rest of their catalogue. Deerhoof are truly a band whose output can't be fit neatly into any box, nor can a single blog post do it justice.

.: Deerhoof :.

"Offend Maggie"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Human Highway, Moody Motorcycle

2008-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know if Jim Guthrie and Nick Thorburn took the name for their collaboration from Neil Young's Human Highway movie, but there are some definite parallels between Human Highway the band and the movie of the same name.

The movie is an unlikely combination of already established artists: Young is a co-director (under a pseudonym) and acts alongside Dean Stockwell (his co-director), Russ Tamblyn, Dennis Hopper, and the band Devo. The band Human Highway is also a combination of established artists, though maybe not quite as unlikely: Jim Guthrie is well known as part of Royal City and a solo artist in his own right; Nick Thorburn is the man behind Islands. Both have worked together in the past, but Human Highway is their first time working exclusively with each other.

The movie is a comedy set at a gas station near a nuclear plant on the last day of Earth, and it's non-conventional style and subject matter have made it a cult favourite for some time now. The band's press releases sets the project up with a bit of humour, noting that their album Moody Motorcycle features some "hot man-on-man vocal action." In reality, the songs, inspired by 50's and 60's vocal and do-wop groups, has a laid back, relaxed groove that sounds like the pair were working at making music that they wanted to hear, rather than bowing to industry pressure or expectations. Moody Motorcycle is already getting the cult-favourite treatment, as it was released last month in the shadow of the most recent Islands album, Arm's Way.

With two highly accomplished songwriters working together, you can bet that the results are going to be good. Moody Motorcycle is an album that you can come back to and revisit many times, just like a great lost movie; every time you watch it/listen to it you'll love it all over again. Until further notice, the only way to enjoy Human Highway the band is going to be through their recorded output, as there have been no announced tour or performance plans yet.

.: Human Highway :.

"Sleep Talking"

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Off the grid, underground

2008-09-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Rae Spoon. Where do I start? He is prairie-born, a product of the 80s. He is one of the world's only transgendered country singers, and in his early twenties, he hit the road to cross Canada, Europe, Australia and the USA, where he found that not every door was open and welcoming, just as not every mind was open and accepting. He hid out in Eastern Germany for a winter and penned some songs about his experiences criss-crossing Canada and it's highways.

The product is Superioryouareinferior, a beguiling album, like it's creator, defies easy categorization. It's roots are in folk and country, but there's inspired moments where computerized beats and sampling adds an unexpected--but very welcomed--twist. His lyrics are like a mini-geography lesson, traversing this country from sea to sea. Along the way, you not only visit physical landmarks and historic sites, but you get to see a soul laid bare, and a life not many of us could ever expect to experience.

This is one of the best collections of songs I have heard in a long, long while. Absolutely gorgeous.

.: Rae Spoon :.

"Come On Forest Fire Burn the Disco Down"

hype machine : elbo.ws

new from The Broken West: "Auctioneer"

2008-09-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that this week's postings have been a bit on the slim side. This is a direct correlation to the fact that as of Monday, my summer officially ended and the extra time I had over the last few months to blog and blather about music has dried up. Not to worry, loyal QBiMites, I'll be doing my darnedest to get back on track this weekend, and make sure that nary a day goes by that you don't hear from your faithful blogger (except for Sundays, 'cuz even a faithful blogger needs a day of grace, doesn't he?).

In the interim (however long that may be) you REALLY NEED to hear another excellent track from the new Broken West album, Now Or Heaven. It's coming out next Tuesday, and judging by the couple of tracks that have been made available, this is going to be a stunner. The Broken West are one of my very favourite blog finds. Their debut, I Can't Go On I'll Go On, ranked very high on my year-end list last year, and I'd expect that we'll still be talking about album number two at the end of '08.

.: The Broken West :.

"Auctioneer"

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Rocket fueled

2008-09-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

To actually try and define Toronto's Spiral Beach may cause synapses in your brain to degenerate and melt, because impulse tells you to say they're "pop" or a "teen band" but your subconscious knows that, while being accurate descriptors, they don't do the band justice. You'll try and call it "dance music" but you'd be just as likely to stand still and watch the energetic live show, forgetting to shake that bootie altogether. So for every descriptor you come up with, you'll realize that, yes they do "fit the shoe", but Spiral Beach are so much more than what they are. That's either really profound on my part, or incredibly lazy (it is a bit late in the evening for me to be blogging).

Whatever it is, or whatever they are, they're making big waves with their infectious sound and boundless energy. Their sophomore disc, Ball, is finding audiences all over the place, and their kaleidoscopic live show is winning fans from coast to coast. With the last gasp of summer coming, lay back in the sun and enjoy the sound waves of Spiral Beach.

.: Spiral Beach :.
"Made of Stone"

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Double feature

2008-09-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

I go through periods where I immerse myself in a particular pursuit or interest that starts to occupy a great deal of my waking (and sometimes) sleeping hours. It started in high school with Twin Peaks, and all things David Lynch, and has gone on to include (but not exclusive to): The B-52's, Douglas Coupland, Alfred Hitchcock, L. Frank Baum, new queer cinema, Roddy Doyle, Chuck Palahniuk, feng shui, sport biographies, Six Feet Under, and most recently, Dean Wareham.

Wareham's musical CV is impressive in it's own right, having been one of the founding members of the much revered Galaxie 500, then critical darlings Luna; now Warehma can add accomplished author to his list of accolades. Earlier this year he published Black Postcards, his rock and roll memoirs of life in two bands who received lots of critical praise but generated low record sales. This is not a glamorous, hedonistic, tell-all tale. If anything Wareham goes to great lengths to let the reader now just how mundane and tedious life on the road with a rock and roll band can get when you're not a multimillion dollar corporation helping to keep the record company afloat.

From one bad hotel to another, Wareham chronicles his early years with friends Damon and Naomi in Galaxie 500, spending a great deal of energy detailing the difficulty of being in a band with two people who were romantically involved, before moving into the next phase of his own personal and musical life, when he established Luna, and eventually found himself involved romantically with their bassist, Britta Phillips. What follows is a lovely and heartbreaking account of the break up of a marriage, the dissolution of a much-loved band, the birth of a new musical project and the start of a new life after divorce.

I had a passing knowledge of Galaxie 500 when I started reading the book, but I had never really taken to Luna while the band was in its prime. I knew who they were, and when they released a new album, but I was never really inclined to go out and actively seek out their records and listen to the music. My mistake; since starting Black Postcards, I have amassed the whole Luna back catalogue and discovering all the things I'd missed the first time around, and have dived head first into Galaxie 500's albums. There is a wealth of material to hear, and I have really grown to appreciate Warehma's wry lyrics and sense of humour from Wareham's recollection of creating the songs in the studio.

After Luna disbanded, Wareham and Phillips recorded a gorgeous album of covers and and original duets called L'Avventura, produced by recording legend Toy Visconti. They followed that up last year with Back Numbers, another classic sounding album of duets in the style of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. L'Avventura was re-released yesterday, featuring the original album along with some of the remixes done by Sonic Boom for the remix album Sonic Souvenirs.

With more than 20 years in the recording business under his belt, Dean Wareham is a man who has earned the right to step back, take a breath and reflect on where he's come from. Thankfully, he doesn't let that stop him from moving ahead and continuing to follow his heart and passion wherever it leads him.

.: Dean & Britta :.
"You Turned My Head Around"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

A dreamer's guide to hardcore living

2008-09-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Double bass, accordion, cello and Amy-Millan-like vocals make Wendy McNeill a welcome reprieve from the standard indie-pop in my inbox. Hailing from the Canadian prairies, McNeill's songs sound like cabaret standards from a parallel universe. They often take unexpected turns lyrically, and impress the listener with inventive arrangements. Her new album, A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living creates a whole new genre: polka-punk rock. It's not Ramones/Sex Pistols punk, but the DIY punk that comes from following artistic vision in the face of pop culture.

Sweet squeeze box, indeed.

A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living is out next Tuesday on Six Shooter Records.

.: Wendy McNeill :.

"Ask Me No Questions"

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4 for the weekend vol. 43 & 44:By-the-Numbers with The Postmarks

2008-08-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Postmarks, from Miami, FLA, have been quietly amassing quite a following in 2008 as they've released a new cover song each month all based on the theme of numbers: the songs' titles consecutively climb from one to eleven – the twelfth song is cleverly left for the Pointer Sisters’ “Pinball Number Count,” made popular by Sesame Street.

Each track is treated to a very distinct arrangement by the band. "I think in doing covers, there are two ways of approaching it,” explains the band’s Christopher Moll. “One, you scientifically-backwards engineer the original and try to recreate it down to a ‘t.’ The other, you use the arrangements of the original as a starting point and let the creative and sonic precedents you've laid down with your own music guide you. For us, it had to be the latter; taking many of these disparate originals and re-sculpting them into something that worked within our universe to create something that felt like a whole.”

The band has already announced that By The Numbers, a collection of all the tracks on one CD, is going to be available November 11 on the Unfiltered label. The songs cover everything from Bob Marley to The Cure, to the Jesus and Mary Chain to David Bowie.

The first 8 tracks are still available for free, and you can get them now at from eMusic, and by clicking on linked songs in the tracklisting below:

1. One Note Samba
2. You Only Live Twice
3. Three Little Birds
4. Ox4
5. Five Years
6. Six Different Ways
7. 7-11
8. Eight Miles High
9. Nine Million Rainy Days
10. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
11. 11:59
12. Pinball Number Count

.: The Postmarks :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

31 flavours in 3:20

2008-08-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Fujiya & Miyagi have left me speechless with their new single, "Knickbocker". In just 3:20 they manage to set the most stream of conscious, nonsensical lyrics I've heard all year to a deep, most infectious krautrock beat. It's not huge leaps and bounds from their last album, 2006's Transparent Things, but all the same, the return of Fujiya & Miyagi remind you about just how fun and refreshing they Are, and how much you missed them. The greatest thing about their music is that it they don't work the details to death; it's as if they set out the paints and canvas and let the listener paint the picture themselves. The songs become whatever you want them to be, or whatever you need them to be in that moment, which is pretty special and unique.

Their sophomore album, Lightbulbs is available September 16th on Deaf, Dumb + Blind Records, and sees the addition of real drums on some tracks by Lee Adams. Lightbulbs is a must-hear on musical musical to-do list.

Fujiya & Miyagi "Knickerbocker"

.: Fujiya & Miyagi :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Back with Forth

2008-08-26T12:00:00.001-04:00

Richard Ashcroft isn't one to mince words. Last year he was quoted as saying that, "None of those bands who get back together ever make a record. They never put themselves on the line." I imagine he was referring to reformed bands who charge an arm and a leg for tickets to concerts where they rehash former glories with nary a hint of new material. Ashcroft and his former band mates in The Verve have had the chance to play before the multitudes who welcomed their return with praise and admiration, but they weren't content to a life on the greatest hits tour--they put themselves on the line and made a record.

By now you know that said record is Forth, released today. Album four sees the band producing themselves, and returning to their roots in a sense; Forth is no Urban Hymns, forgoing much of their last album's populist leaning for the extended, experimental jams that made their debut A Storm In Heaven so beautiful. Forth sounds like it would be a better follow-up to the band's second album--and one of my all-time favourite records--A Northern Soul. Guitarist, and perennial Ashcroft nemesis, Nick McCabe has his stamp all over Forth, coating the songs in layers of sonic paint. His signature guitar work was sadly missed on Urban Hymns and is a welcome return here.

Ashcroft is once again wearing his psychedelic shaman's robes, achieving a lyrical spirituality that is mentally, rather than pharmaceutically induced. That means that the drugs aren't working, although when you sit and listen to this tense, almost manic album, you'd wonder if The Verve could use some sedatives to relax. First single, "Love Is Noise", is an anomaly among the album's tracks; its energy and positive vibe isn't found anywhere else. Instead, there's a brooding storm of misery and tension, echoing the album's cover art.

So it's with a slight trepidation and a clear explanation that I'm declaring Forth a triumphant return for The Verve. My trepidation is that I'll appear as if I'm bandwagon-jumping on a nostalgic ride into my more recent past, hence my explanation: Forth is a good album for all intents and purposes, but it's not a triumphant collection of music; it is a product of a band reuniting without succumbing to the trappings of nostalgia, and the lure of playing it safe. It is triumphant because it's not meant to appease fans and satiate their public. Forth is a new chapter in the continuing drama that is The Verve. Just getting to the point where Ashcroft and McCabe could stand to be in the same room together let alone the same band is a triumph in and of itself.

STREAM: The Verve, Forth

.: The Verve :.
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Back to the future

2008-08-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

John DeLorean isn't an obvious choice for musical inspiration, but the man who gave us the DeLorean sports car, sporting gull-wing doors and a stainless steel body, has his place in pop culture firmly entrenched: not only did Doc Brown and Marty McFly use a DeLorean for their time travel machine in the Back To The Future movies, but Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and producer Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon) have collaborated as Neon Neon, releasing an album called Stainless Style inspired by DeLorean himself.

The vibe is sleek, sophisticated, synthy, and stylish of course, and absolutely addictive. Neon Neon's techno-pop could have taken a souped up DeLorean-cum-time machine right from 1984 back to 2008. Hindsight allows the guys to avoid some of the more campy and clichéd elements from that era and stick to the good stuff: techno riffing, memorable melodies, scratchy, itchy flourishes that don't sound out of place or overpowering, and great tunes.

The album has been available on Lex for some time now, and has recently earned the pair a Mercury Music Prize nomination.

Neon Neon " I Told Her On Alderaan"

.: Neon Neon :.
hype machine : elbo.ws

The beginning after the end

2008-08-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Autumn De Wilde

Did I ever tell you the story of how I first came to hear Stars? It was back about four years now, and my interest in music had hit a bit of a dry patch. I was stunted, you might say; locked in a dance with the past and not holding much interest in the future. I was listening pretty much exclusively to favourite albums of the past, and not finding a lot of new stuff that excited me. And for anyone that knows me, and knows me well, that's saying quite a bit about my state of mind at the time. It was starting to feel like time and space were catching up to me--I was getting older, and felt like I couldn't connect to anything new, as if I was permanently locked in a time capsule where it was always going to be 2003.

That's when my dear friend Krista tossed my a life saver; it was round and had a hole in the middle, and shiny and encoded with digital music. It was called Heart and it was by Stars. And at first I didn't want to know, and I resisted listening, and then I didn't want to believe that what I was hearing was real. But I couldn't stop listening, and I couldn't help but fall in love with the music, and the I couldn't help falling in love with music in general all over again. Music had heart again, you might say, and I wanted more more more. I went looking for more and I found all sorts; and I'm still looking to this day. And I'm listening and I'm loving. And to Krista, I'm ever grateful.

So this is for her, and this is for you, and this is because Stars are up for the Polaris Music Prize this year for last year's In Our Bedroom After The War. And I'm sure you'll agree, that this is pretty bitchin':

Stars "Bitches In Tokyo"

.: Stars :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Hey Ma, look who's back

2008-08-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

What I want you to know is that James is not, was not, and never will be just another Manchester band. Yes, they're from Manchester, but they're not defined by that. They don't belong to the city, they belong to the world. they belong to you and me. They can name The Smiths and New Order as their contemporaries, just like they can name The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays as contemporaries. They've lived through New Wave, Madchester, Britpop; and they're still a musical concern today.

If you loved James like I loved James you'll be happy to know that there's more of James to love in 2008. After a reformation last year, Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, Dave Baynton-Power and Andy Diagram went back into the studio to record an album that they boasted would "not only match our earlier work but surpass it." After having lived with Hey Ma, for a few months now, I tend to agree that this album is one of--if not the--highlight of their career. It has the spirit of Laid, the grand, epic sound of Seven, and is borne out of the band's legendary jam sessions which go one at length, and produce some of the sharpest pop songs you've ever heard.

The album has already been released in the UK, and has stirred controversy over it's artwork, which features a baby and some letter block toys next to a gun. Apparently there is a ban on advertising of the album on billboards and such because of the imagery; I wouldn't be surprised if the North American release (out on September 16 on Decca) comes with some modified art--although that would be a crying shame.

I want so badly to post "Waterfall" for you, because it's one of my favourite songs of the year so far, but there doesn't seem to be any officially sanctioned download from the album yet, so for now, you and I will have to settle for a stream of the song on the band's official site. From there you can listen to the rest of the album, too.

STREAM: James "Waterfall"

.: James :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Bloc Party Intimacy: First listen

2008-08-21T12:00:00.002-04:00

This morning it was all about Intimacy. Here's QBiM's first impressions about Bloc Party's third album.

1. "Ares" - "Setting Sun" anyone?

2. "Mercury" - More palatable in context of the album. I'm actually finding myself humming this number on occasion.

3. "Halo" - They're certainly on an energy kick. The guitars are back to the fore. Powerful sounding stuff.

4. "Biko" - A change of pace but not a breather. "For my sweetheart the melancholic," goes the lyric, and Kele's falsetto is swooning. The beats are very Radiohead, in a good way.

5. "Trojan Horse" - Switch back to high gear. Very chaotic. A little pretentious. Not my favourite track so far. What's with that buzzy guitar?

6. "Signs" - Now we're getting somewhere. Ominous opening with plinky toy piano sounds and a deep dark drum beat. This I'm liking.

7. "One Month Off" - Starts out so promising and then... I don't even know what happens, but it happens pretty quickly. The very definition of "album filler"? By the time it's over you feel embarrassed for them.

8. "Zepherus" - Already reminds me of "Signs" which is a good thing. A bit epic, sparse, and oddly intriguing. There's all kinds of vocal embellishments, and what sounds like a full out choir about 3 minutes in. "The Prayer"-like.

9. "Better Than Heaven" - Nothing to right home about but definitely not the worst of the lot. On initial listen it's a take it or leave it affair.

10. "Ion Square" - The best for last. This is true intimacy. Beautiful lyrics (from what I can make out) , the most impassioned Kele has ever sounded, and quite possibly the best song of their career so far. Builds and builds and builds and then you're there, and it's warm, and it's beautiful, and you want it to never end. This will be one heck of a set closer.

Verdict: Better than "Mercury" would have led you to believe it would be. There are some classic moments here, and you have to give them props for forward-thinking and trying news things. Some of them work, and work beautifully. It'll probably split fans into two camps, based on their preference of the band's two previous albums, but I think that would lose sight of the fact that they've produced a cohesive, challenging album that isn't always on sure ground, but is self-assured enough to carry itself through to the end. Who wants easy and safe anyway?

Intimacy is imminent

2008-08-20T12:00:00.002-04:00

photo: Emma Svensson

Bloc Party aren't resting on their laurels; on Monday the band announced that their third album, Intimacy would be available digitally on August 21--as in tomorrow. The physical product will be available on October 28 and will feature different tracks from the digital version. If you preorder the physical version you get the digital download today as well.

Intimacy was produced by Paul Epworth and Jackknife Lee (producers of Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City respectively) and mixed by veteran master Alan Moulder. The band 's press release says that the album is "wildly experimental" and "simply classic Bloc Party" all at the same time.

"Mercury", the album's second track and recently released single, hasn't impressed me all that much, so my expectations and hopes for album three are tentative to say the least. I like the sound of "classic Bloc Party" and I'm open to "wildly experimental"--just not at the cost of quality. Lucky for "Mercury" there have been some pretty decent remixes to salvage it from the dustbin, none better than 2008's remix whiz kid, Telemitry.

Bloc Party "Mercury (Telemitry Mercury-mix)"

.: Bloc Party :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Being here

2008-08-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm genuinely excited about Oceans Will Rise, the third album from Montreal's The Stills, and their first for Arts & Crafts. I'm calling it "old school enthusiasm" because for the first time in a looooooong time, I'm going to hear an album for the first time on the day its actually released. It's kind of novel, in a weird, backwards sort of way.

The first single, "Being Here" has been available as a free download (along with another album track "Roobios/Palm Wine Drinkard") for awhile now, and I just cannot stop listening to it--whenever it comes on, I have to play it a couple times in a row. It's not hard to pinpoint just what it is about this power pop beauty that has enthralled me; but it has spirit, vitality and a genuine excitement that is really missing from a lot of what I hear on a regular basis. I know that the band has said that making Oceans Will Rise has revitalized them and given them their passion for music back, so I'm hoping that when I get the chance to hear this album later today, some of that energy and power comes through the speakers and charges up my life as I get ready to head back for another year of school/work.

The Stills "Being Here"

.: The Stills :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

I'm thinking of a number

2008-08-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

A lot of times, real musical talent gets lost among the hotly tipped and muchly blogged, and I no doubt have been guilty of "forgetting" about some of the best stuff I get to hear for the sake of blogging in the moment, but today I want to kind of kill two birds with one post, as it were.

I've been a fan of Lambchop since I first hear their album, Nixon, way back in 2000. I'll never forget the day I wandered into a garage sale in my neighbourhood and found a framed oil-painted, mass-produced copy of the Nixon artwork--I knew then and there that I was fated to love that album. Eight years on, it strikes me how much Kurt Wagner (the man behind Lambchop's musical collective) sounds like Richard Hawley, and how similar their music tends to be. Subsequent albums have failed to impress me in the same way Nixon did, but with each new album, I've been curious enough to check out what Lambchop has to offer.

I've known that there's going to be a new Lambchop album in October for well over a month now, but it seemed too far in advance to blog about it. But really, why should I wait to share the music with you? Does good music have a best before date? Should I be concerned about doing my part to maximize the commercial success of the album by timing my post to coincide with the release date? Should I censor my own blogging habits so that I appear "in the know" with my blogging colleagues?

Hell, no. Dear QBiM readers, here's the jump on a great band, set to release a (possibly) great album in the future. Kurt Wagner is planning on setting out on a solo tour in support of the album, saying that, "Lambchop more and more has become a vehicle for my songs and myself as an artist. I've fought against that interpretation for twenty years, but now I've just given up trying to fight it anymore." Where the band was at one time 20 members strong, the 2008 version of Lambchop has been scaled down to a core group of seven, with Wagner at its helm. If you enjoy the mellow sounds of "Slipped Dissolved and Loosed" then I think you'll really like OH (ohio), which will be released by Merge Records on October 7. If nothing else, you should be intrigued by Wagner's song titles like, "National Talk Like a Pirate Day," "Sharing A Gibson With Martin Luther King Jr," and "I'm Thinking of a Number."

Lambchop "Slipped Dissolved and Loosed"

.: Lambchop :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Snapshot of Shad

2008-08-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Che Kothari

I'm making no bones about the fact that I know jack about rap and hip hop. When it comes to reporting on the genre(s), I fall a bit flat. Luckily for me, the work of London, Ontario based rapper Shad, can really speak for itself (and for me).

I will say this, though: Canadian hip hop is definitely developing a style and voice all its own. there is a very self-effacing quality to Shad's raps that smacks of down-home Canadian humbleness. His lyrics sort of fly in the face of what the genre has come to represent. That intrigues me, because it implies that what might have turned me off of rap and hip hop before was not the music itself (because I love the rhythm and soul of it) but the attitude and mindset. No surprise that my first favourite hip hop act was De La Soul; also no surprise that there hasn't really been any other artist that has even mildly piqued my interest until Cadence Weapon, and now Shad. (Okay, okay... I kinda liked Maestro Fresh Wes, too, but just that one song.)

I kind of got a bit pissed at a fellow blogger who recently posted that Shad's inclusion on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist was to fill the "token rap" slot; implying that the list needed a rap album in order to appear diverse. Bullshit. There wasn't a "token rap" album on last year's list, and yes, Cadence Weapon and K'Naan were on the inaugural list in 2006--but that's because they deserved to, just as Shad deserves this year's nomination. I'll stand up for the Polaris jury and the entire nomination process they go through; there is no political agenda at work. If the music is great, then it gets recognized. I think Shad has as good a chance of taking home the $20, 000 this year as any of the other nominees. Tell me what you think of him after listening to a couple of tracks:

Shad "The Old Prince Still Lives At Home"

Shad "I Don't Like To"

.: Shad :.
facebook : hype machine : elbo.ws

Everything in its right place

2008-08-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

Sadly, I won't be in the audience when Radiohead takes to the Molson Amphitheatre stage in Toronto tonight, but you can bet your bottom dollars and cents that the crowd won't know whether to sit down, stand up, scream their brains out or just shut up and just listen to our generation's Beatles. I might be wrong, but I reckoner that Radiohead aren't going to settle for less than an all-out senses-stimulating show; something for the ears, the eyes, the mind and the heart to just soak up and absorb. From ballads so sweet and pure they sail to the moon, to barn-stompers that will leave the audience climbing up the walls, You'll be in for a treat. And to think, I just about ended up getting tickets... Just.

Radiohead "Everything In Its Right Place
(live in Copenhagen 5-6-06)"

.: Radiohead :.
last.fm : hype machine : elbo.ws

Bears ready to release Simple Machinery

2008-08-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

Bears playing at Music Saves for Record Store Day, April 22, 2008

Charlie McArthur and Craig Ramsey began recording as Bears in the summer of 2005. Within a year, they had released a self-titled debut, which was followed by an EP in 2006 called Shortest Day of the Year. Their sophomore album, Simple Machinery, is due in September, and it continues in the indie pop vein of The Boy least Likely To (except they're a little less twee) and early Belle & Sebastian (except they're a little less Scottish--because they're American). The boys in the band are bolstered on stage by Pat McNulty (drums), Devon Coffee (bells, percussion, keys), Sean Sullivan (bass) and Patrick Tripto (guitar).

Simple Machinery is being self-released digitally and on CD; the vinyl version is being put out by Pink Teeth Records. You'll definitely by able to get it from iTunes, where all the other Bears releases are available now. I've yet to hear the whole thing, but I'm pretty confident that you'll love these guys if you're at all into the twee-pop/indie sound they're rockin'.

Bears "Wait and See"

.: Bears :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

hey euphoria

2008-08-13T12:00:00.002-04:00

Bitterness is a hard quality to achieve with recorded sound, because it's so subtle that it often comes across as light sarcasm or down-right rage. For a band to get the balance right, some of the bitterest love songs are like the best candy; they taste tart and sour on your tongue but leave the palate satisfied and hungry for more.

The Trophy Fire make that kind of sugar-coated sour candy in short bursts of guitar rock/pop. I'm not usually won over by this kind of musical soundscape but I really have been digging "Divide" off their new release A Lifetime in the Middle of the Ocean (out now on Talking House Records). What sets them apart are the decent harmonies between Ben Flanagan and Jamie McGoldrick (the dynamic duo behind The Trophy Fire). You can easily imagine the song being played on acoustic guitars and being just as effective and emotional.

The Trophy Fire "Divide"

.: The Trophy Fire :.
hype machine : elbo.ws

The Clips

2008-08-12T12:00:00.002-04:00

The Clips play a brand of indie pop that combines all the scatter-shot elements into a single package that gets dancey and funky, poppy and melodic, and rocks out with intensity and style. Their debut album, Matterhorn, at first appears to be all over the map. Once you've listened to it all the way through, though, you can join the dots and see that their songs have that elusive quality of working together as a collective and being able to stand alone in their own right. The opening track , "Wire", pushes the 7 minute mark, but never once gets old or staid; instead, it's a hypnotic introduction that peaks the listeners' interest.

The Clips "Space Kidz"

.: The Clips :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Lending a helping hand (or ten)

2008-08-11T12:00:00.002-04:00

I never got into The Walkmen the way some others did, so my expectations of You & Me, the band's fifth album, were non-existent to say the least. Saying I was pleasantly surprised, though, would be a bit of an understatement; You & Me is a solid, solid album that, for some reason, reminds me of The National's Boxer--I think it's that in both cases, I didn't expect to be impressed, but completely was.

In preparing for this post, I discovered that The Walkmen partly rose out of the ashes of Jonathan Fire*Eater, a band whom I had a passing fancy for back in the day. I can still hear remnants of the Fire*Eater indie aesthetic in The Walkmen, but they have definitely developed into a strong collective in their own right. The "vintage sound" quality has become more trademark than gimmick now. I always felt that Jonathan Fire*Eater were a bit ahead of their time, and it seems that the world has finally caught up.

You & Me has a street date of August 19th, but a digital version became available a few week's back, with all proceeds from sales going to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Luca Vasallo. The Walkmen chose Sloan-Kettering because their friend Luca, who is seven-months-old, is battling AML leukemia. All donations will go to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Centers and The Joy Fund, which helps provide patients with different activities, entertainment and support. The album is available for the donation price of $5 at AmieStreet.com. Go ahead and do your good deed for the day, and pick up a darn good albums at the same time.

The Walkmen "In The New Year"

.: The Walkmen :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

4 for the weekend vol. 42: Everyone loves a Wolf Parade

2008-08-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

photo: Meqo Sam Cecil

And now for something a little different for this week's 4FTW, a showcase of sorts, if you will. In honour of their show tonight at Toronto's Kool Haus, Here's a set of four Wolf Parade tracks to gorge on and whet your appetite. If you're heading to the show, we'd love to hear your thoughts afterwards so leave us a comment, and maybe a photo or two?

from Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

Wolf Parade
"Shine A Light"

Wolf Parade
"You Are A Runner and
I Am My Father's Son"

from At Mount Zoomer (2008)

Wolf Parade
"Language City"

Wolf Parade
"Call It A Ritual"

.: Wolf Parade :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

One world, one dream?

2008-08-08T08:08:00.001-04:00

There's always an aura of excitement and electricity the globe over when athletes gather with a common goal: to be stronger, go faster, and play harder than they've ever played in their lives. The modern day Olympic games also strive to go farther in terms of production and showmanship than previous games, so when the 24th Olympiad kicks off today in Beijing's dazzling new National Stadium (the 'Bird Nest'), the Chinese will already be ahead of previous hosts countries just based on the architectural beauty of the building itself. But can this intricately weaved structure support the weight of expectation placed on it, as well as the weight of the materials used to construct it? For the next 16 days--and beyond--should we turn a blind eye to the less than dazzling violations of human rights the Communist government in the host country is accused of? Should there be no mention of the atrocities the people of this beautiful nation have faced at the hands of leaders who have hidden the truth about how the country has prospered on the backs of countless, nameless citizens who lost their lives in the name of progress? Can we justify celebrating the culture of a nation that at one point waged a "Cultural Revolution" that effectively wiped out any signs of free thought and creativity among the population?

I'm not an athlete, and I'm not an activist, but I am a human being. I love pomp and ceremony, I love my country, and I love the thrill of competition. I hate losing, but I hate being duplicity and complicity even more. I could have done without a few gold and silver discs, and four years worth of bragging rights if that meant maintaining my pride and conviction, and standing up for what is right and just.

I wish the athletes of the Beijing Games all the support and encouragement they need.

I wish our world can take the official slogan of these games to heart, and look within itself to find the way to make "a dream" a reality.

Belle & Sebastian "The Stars of Track & Field"

My ass was the ball, my thorax the chain

2008-08-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Katie Rasmussen

As far as concept albums go, basing a record on the imagined adventures of Melville Bell Grosvenor, editor of National Geographic magazine from 1957-'67, is probably as out there as you can get. At the hands of Andy Furgeson, singer-songwriter for Portland, Oregon's Bark Hide and Horn, Melville (whose grandfather was a guy named Alexander Graham Bell) takes a mystical journey through the perspective of the silent images in his magazine: an enslaved tree ant, a lovelorn tree snail, and the first chimp in space. That's pretty high concept for a debut album, but Furgeson, along with drummer Dusty Dybvig, multi-instrumentalist Brian Garvey, and Peter Valois on bass, manage to bring it together and make it work beautifully.

The resulting album, National Road (Boy Howdy Records), is one hell of a trip, soundtracked by Bark Hide and Horn's mix of bombastic trumpet, junkyard percussion, gritty strings, and mystical plinks and plunks that give the folk-rock template they work from a serious once-over. By the time their done with your head, you won't know which way is up, which road to take, and where the time has gone. Having listened to it without the benefit of digital display telling me what track number I was on, I was blown away how the first four songs just bled into one another. Epic. That's when things mellow out for the gorgeous "Treasure Of The Everglades" and you begin to appreciate the scope of Furgeson's songwriting talent. This is quite possibly the most fully-realized debut album I've heard all year. If you liked the Son, Ambulance album I heralded last month, if you like the idea of Wilco and Arcade Fire pureed in a blender, then you're going to love this.

Bark Hide And Horn "This Abdomen Has Flown"

Bark Hide And Horn "Treasure Of The Everglades"

.: Bark Hide And Horn :.
myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Everyone's in love

2008-08-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

photo: Victor Tavares

I've been meaning to write about Toronto's Justin Rutledge for months now, and every time I've sat down to work on a post, I've been distracted by something else, so today, I've sequestered myself into my blogging think tank, locked the cats on the other side of the door with a fresh bowl of milk and some new rubber mice, turned off the iPhone (Okay, I just silenced it, but that's like turning it off, right?) and have dedicated myself to the task of introducing QBiM readers to the man voted Toronto's best Singer/Songwriter in 2006.

Rutledge is sometimes referred to as Canada's Ryan Adams, and though the comparison is apt, Rutledge's brand of Americana alt-country has a decidedly literate flavour to it. That's probably because his background as the editor-in-chief of a literary journal at the University of Toronto, and that his latest album, Man Descending, is inspired and based on the novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe. It is a somewhat sombre and sober look at the darker corners of life, but rendered beautifully. Man Descending was longlisted for this year's Polaris Music Prize, but unfortunately didn't make the shortlist. Don't interpret that as a negative reflection on the 10 songs herein, but rather see it as a strength of the Canadian albums released in the last year, of which, Man Descending is one of the best.

Justin Rutledge "The Wire"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Conor Oberst

2008-08-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I ran a post on the new self-titled album from Conor Oberst, being released on Merge Records today. It hasn't been my tendency to do follow-up posts on albums once they've been discussed on QBiM, but I think it's time to make an exception to that unofficial rule.

Conor Oberst is NOT a Bright Eyes album, and no matter how familiar you are with Oberst's main musical concern, you'd agree with me that there is something intrinsically different in tone, timbre and temperature on this new album. Opener "Cape Canaveral" isn't far lyrically from the best of Bright Eyes' work, but it's the subtlety of the instrumentation that draws your attention. A heartbeat like rhythm introduces the song, and then runs throughout it, sustaining its life-force as strings pluck and colour the experience of the narrator. I am absolutely tickled pink by the jaunty, almost bubbly tempo of "Sausalito"; it is by far my favourite track so far, but it has some stiff competition from "Lenders in the Temple", its spiritual opposite. Oberst is much more relaxed and contemplative than we've seen in awhile, and his Mystic Valley Band provide an equally languid and tension-less backdrop to these songs. It's a fun album, but not in a slap-the-knee-and -guffaw vein of fun (how can it, with songs about little boys dying of cancer?); it's more hey-what-a-great-bunch-of-songs-played-by-a-great-bunch-of-musicians kind of fun that leaves you satisfied in your soul. Am I gushing? Sorry.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band are heading out on the road to support the album this fall, so be sure to check the tour dates to see if they'll be rolling into your town any time soon. If you want t sample before you buy, you can listen to the whole album here, track by track. You can pick it up from any online music retailer, or take a ride on your bike down to your local record store and support a hometown business. Please forgive the re-post of this track so soon, but it's the only officially sanctioned download track from the album:

Conor Oberst "Danny Callahan"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

If you're into it...

2008-08-04T17:00:00.000-04:00

There are days when I feel like I'm so out of the loop that I may never get caught up on all the great stuff I should be listening to/reading/watching. I've been trying to rectify the situation on the watching front lately by immersing myself in Flight of the Conchords, quite possibly the funniest show on television (now that Arrested Development is gone). With one season under their belts, the duo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are gearing up for another round of tales from their fish-out-of-water lives as New Zealand's dynamic folk duo let loose on the street of New York City. Purveyors of the show will be familiar with many of the songs that are on the duo's self-titled, Sub Pop-released debut album, but even out of context, the songs still snap at your funny bone with some of the best comedy lyrics I've ever heard. And that the songs are so fully realized musically is an added bonus--they stand the test of repeated listens. They even won a Grammy fer God's sake! Why did I wait so long to get on board?

Flight of the Conchords "Ladies of the World"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

QBiM Exclusive!

2008-08-03T15:08:00.001-04:00

Meet my nephew, Spencer James, born Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 3:08 pm.

4 for the weekend vol. 41

2008-08-02T10:00:00.009-04:00

Another summer weekend, another 4 great tracks to get you by. This week, I am offering up the Telepathic Butterflies and Cinderpop CDs as giveaways, so if you're interested, just drop me a line at contests {at} quickbeforeitmelts {dot} com with "4 for the weekend vol. 41" in the subject line and your mailing address in the body. Enjoy!

The Telepathic Butterflies "Telescope"
"Pyschedelic, furry, fuzzy pop."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Cinderpop "Blonder"

"Sucker punching pop tarts."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Hearts of Palm UK "People and Logistics"

"LA girls gone gadgetry."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Sunfold "Sara The American Winter"

"Rainbow coloured folk-pop."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Peaceful, the world lays me down

2008-07-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

Noah and the Whale sound like they're having a whale of a time in the studio on their track "Five Years Time," a teaser for their full-length debut album (titled Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down) due out September 16th. The band's name is an homage to Noah Baumbach and his film The Squid and the Whale, and their sound is an amalgam of Belle & Sebastian twee pop and classic folk-pop.

It's a classic summer track in my opinion: stylish melody, twinkling instrumentation, a bit of love and longing in the lyrics, and a memorable chorus that stays with you long after the sun goes down. They've toured extensively and appeared on the Lollapalooza stage this weekend, so be sure to check them out if you're planning on heading out to Chicago's Grant Park for the show.

Noah and the Whale "Five Years Time"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Inside the molecules

2008-07-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Marc Rimmer

What interests me most about popular music is how we've come to a point in it's existence where the boundaries are new frontiers left to explore have nothing to do with genres or style, but the artistic commitment and vision of the creators. It's now as if all the chord progressions and musical genres have been discovered, and the real vision comes from how the artist's interpret these structures. It's about feeling more than form, and there's a lot of feeling to the work of Chad VanGaalen. Best known as a basement dwelling composer, VanGaalen's music is alive with compassion and love--for his subject matter and his art--and born out of simple melodies and familiar instrumentation. He doesn't limit himself to any specific genre or style, which gives the songs an organic quality, as if each were different varieties of the same fruit: they have similar structures, but each one has a unique taste palette that plays on your tongue.

The fruits of VanGaalen's latest work will be available on September 9, when Soft Airplane is released on Flemish Eye. For a sample, give "Willow Tree" a listen below:

Chad VanGaalen "Willow Tree"

hype machine : elbo.ws

A love extreme

2008-07-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's better to know very little about an artist, because then you can just appreciate their work without having to think of it in any kind of influential context (like weighing Coldplay's success with their artistic merit, as an example). So it goes that I'm bringing you word of Mr. Benji Hughes. Here's all I know and what you need to know, too:

a) His name is Benji Hughes
b) his album is called A Love Extreme
c) it's out now on New West Records
d) it's his debut album, and it's 25 songs spread over two discs
e) it's f**king brilliant

Encompassing everything from lust, longing and yearning, to misery, mayhem, and magic mushrooms, A Love Extreme is exactly what the title implies--an extreme journey around the pangs and pleasures of the human condition. Epic. The beard's kinda cool, too, don't you think?

Benji Hughes "You Stood Me Up"

Benji Hughes "I Went With Some Friends To See The Flaming Lips"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Two Hours Traffic, Little Jabs

2008-07-28T12:00:00.001-04:00

It was almost a year ago that I first brought you word of a slammin' little album from some PEI boys calling themselves Two Hours Traffic. Since then, said album, Little Jabs, has landed itself on the shortlist for this year's Polaris Music Prize. Not surprising, since its eleven slices of pop perfection have garnered rave reviews across the country. Joel Plaskett produced Little Jabs, which is the band's second full length, infusing its folk rock sensibilities with a distinctive air of Maritime pop that has certainly been making a comeback of late. Of course the true marker that signifies that Two Hours Traffic have arrived is their appearance (or rather their songs) on Gossip Girl, Smallville, and The OC.

As I said, the accolades have poured in from across the country for Two Hours Traffic, and the Polaris nomination is most definitely a feather in these good ol' boys' cap. Good things gro-o-ow in Prince Edward Island as well, it seems. (Even though only Ontarians are going to get that joke, I couldn't help it.)

Two Hours Traffic "Stuck For The Summer"

Two Hours Traffic "Sure Can Start"

facebook : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

4 for the weekend vol. 40

2008-07-26T10:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome back to another edition of 4FTW! In an ever-continuing effort to refine this fine feature, we're slimming things down even more: 4 tracks, 4-word descriptions for each track, 4 times the fun. (Sorry contest hounds, there's no giveaway for this edition, but stayed tuned--you'll get your chance to win the 4 CDs for subsequent editions, soon!)

The Teddy Boys "Baby You're The Best"

"Fresh young garage rock."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Earlimart "Song For"

"Natural born song writers."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

The Mood "Masquerade"

"Ooh la la la."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Patchwork "Spaceships"

"Homemade, whisky-spiked goodness."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Wild boys

2008-07-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a cautious music listener, dear QBiM readers, who is as suspicious of the music-journalist phrase "experimental rock" as he is of the best friend-trying-to-set-you-up phrases "nice personality" and "great sense of humour." Immediate response is usually a raised eyebrow and pursed lips, and a narrowing of the mind. In most cases, I'm usually right to go with my hunches.

Not so in the case of "experimental rockers" Feral Children, whose debut album, Second to the Last Frontier was released earlier this month. I admit that Feral Children wouldn't normally fall into my realm of musical taste, but there is no denying that these guys, from Seattle, Washington, have the musical chops to make these dense, claustrophobic songs work as music, and not just as some kind of discordant noise pollution. "Jaundice Giraffe" is an intoxicating affair, driven by a steady drum beat and an undercurrent of jungle-like sounds. "Saint" starts with a more traditional song structure, though it still moves ahead with unexpected changes in tempo, veering from one corner to another like a marble rolling across an ever-changing slanted surface. The album was produced by Scott Colburn, whose previous credits include Animal Collective and Arcade Fire, so that should give you some indication about what you'll be hearing.

Taking a walk with Feral Children will definitely satisfy the adventurous spirits amongst you. In any regards, I'm declaring this experiment a success.

Feral Children "Spy/Glass House"

Feral Children "Jaundice Giraffe"

hype machine : elbo.ws

Anatomy of a blog(ger)

2008-07-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

QBiM turns two today, so put on your party hat, have a piece of cake, and get yourself sick of fizzy soda and ice cream! Working on QBiM has been a blast these past two years, and I'm looking forward to the third year being even better yet.

I couldn't help put stitch together a little mix for your musical enjoyment--it's a shorter one than some of my others, but it's a pretty good one, if I may say so myself. Enjoy, and thanks for your support!

Quick Before It Melts presents... "The Anatomy of a Blog(ger): 2nd Anniversary Mix"

featuring...
Grizzly Bear "Kinife (Girl Talk Remix)"
Kevin Drew "tbtf"
Maybe Smith "I Fight Birds"
Crystal Castles "Vanished"
Elbow "Grounds For Divorce"
Stars "Bitches in Tokyo"
Dragonette "I Get Around"
Of Montreal "Grondlandic Edit"
Young Galaxy "Come and See"
The Futureheads "The Beginning of The Twist"

It's also worth noting today that, over at Breakthru Radio, where yours truly has been the featured Blogger of the Week, a new show is debuting called "The Anatomy of a Blogger" where that week's featured blogger (me) programs the music and talks about the current state of affairs. Click on over to BTR and look for the music player on the right-hand side, and click on "The Anatomy of a Blogger" to hear the show. Special thanks to Isaac for all his help with this week's cross-site blogging. It's been a blast!

Always the last to know

2008-07-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

If Monday's pop is sugary and sticky, and Tuesday's pop is tangy and tart, then Wednesday's pop is must be smart and sophisticated (don't ask about Thursday and Friday's pop, I haven't though that far). Taste test today's menu, featuring New York-based brother and sister duo Blondfire. They used to be called Astaire, but the lawyers for some dead ballroom dancer got all in a huff about it, so they had to change their name.

What didn't change is their penchant for modern pop in the same vein of Saint Etienne, minus the electronic flourishes and dance-music influences. Erica and Bruce Driscoll hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and Brazil, and from the sounds of it, they spent many a summer on the sun-drenched beaches listening to the local music and drinking in the influences. As Astaire, the pair toured with Stars, Ivy, and Robbers on High Street, and were building quite a name and reputation for themselves.

Once the legal issues started, the band got on a roller coaster ride of music business bullshit, which ended when they were dropped by EMI UK in 2006, before they had completed their debut full-length. Why? Who knows, really. Blondfire seem like a sure thing to me: they were the first unsigned band to record an iTunes exclusive EP and reach the number one spot; they've been used in the soundtrack for movies and TV alike; they're great songwriters with a knack for catchy pop hooks., and they have the indie cred to become a major player. Doesn't make sense to me, but then, that's the music biz.

Look for Blondfire's self-produced LP, My Someday at iTunes now, and check out their aforementioned EP and an exclusive holiday EP available only at iTunes (to get you into the Christmas spirit a few months early).

Blondfire "Pretty Young Thing"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

CONTEST: Black Kids, Partie Traumatic

2008-07-22T12:00:00.003-04:00

I've been really enjoying Partie Traumatic, the debut album from Black Kids. Originally hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, Black Kids kick-started their career with an attention-grabbing set at the Athens Popfest a few years ago, and since then have been on a musical thrill ride that's taken them to the UK and back, where they worked with Bernard Butler (Suede, The Tears) on their debut album.

There's some similarities to Los Campesinos!, mainly in the quirky lyrical content and smart-ass song titles. Musically speaking, Black Kids are more new wave than indie pop in my estimation, with the slightest touch of soul and R & B thrown in to give the songs a bit of, *ahem* colour. "Hurricane Jane" in particular sounds like it has some Detroit soul influences on it, but so far my favourite is current single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You," with it's almost rockabilly-like opening guitar riffs bleeding into a wash of synths that could have been on the last Killers album. Please note, the link below is not a direct download; click the song to be taken to a site where you can download the track yourself.

MP3: Black Kids "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend
How To Dance With You"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Long time no contest on QBiM! Well, today's your lucky day! Up for grabs, thanks to the fine folks at Columbia Records, is a Black Kids prize pack consisting of a tote bag, limited edition t-shirt and vinyl copy of the album. It's all you just for sending an electronic mail-type message to contests AT quickbeforeitmelts DOT com with "I want to Partie Traumatic with Black Kids!" in the subject line, and your full mailing address in the message body. Contest closes at 11:59 pm, Friday July 26, 2008.

If I were "King of the blogosphere..."

2008-07-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend, my friend Daryl--with tongue placed firmly in cheek--crowned me "King of the Blogosphere" which made me chuckle and blush a bit with pride. This week, QBiM will celebrate it's second anniversary, and no one is more surprised than me that it's still a going concern (at least in my life). So much so, that this week, QBiM has the distinction of being Blog of the Week (or maybe I'm Blogger of the Week) over at internet radio station, BreakThru Radio. That means my posts this week appear here and on the BreakThru Radio site--so welcome to any readers over at BreakThru, and I certainly hope you'll click your way over to QBiM's home site, too (it's really pretty, and the designer would love for you to see it).

So, what to post for my first guest-spot? Darned if I know. Every once in a while I get these brain freezes, where I basically start out writing a post, but have no idea what I really want to say. What usually ends up happening is I ramble on all stream of consciousness until something inspires me, or a cool tune pops up on the iTunes random shuffle, and I think, "Hey, that's what I'll write about." Kind of like right now.

If you're new to QBiM (as some BreakThru readers might be), then you may also be new to The Society Islands, a one-piece band from Cologne, Germany, fronted by my good (internet) pal Boris Rogowski. The Society Islands were one of the first bands I really went to bat for on QBiM, and I hope that in the last two years, I've introduced some people to his smart, witty, orchestrated pop masterpieces.

Someone else out there must like them, too, because a few months back, poor Boris had his studio broken into. The bastards walked out the door with the hard drive containing all of the finished mixes of tracks he's been working on for the last few years. But Boris isn't the kind of guy to let the bastards get him down. When he realized that he had pretty much lost the album , and that his pleas and offer of a reward weren't turning up the hard drive, he decided that the rough mixes, b-sides and pre-master copies he still had should get out there as an internet-only free download. He hasn't finalized any plans on the download album, and he may well be in the studio as we speak working on new material, so for now, I'd like to share some of what made me sit up and take notice of The Society Islands almost two years ago this month; I hope you'll take notice, too:

The Society Islands "The Mill"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

iPod Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est ?

2008-07-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

I've been negligent in filling you in on how I've been enjoying the Microsoft Zune MP3 player I was given to "test drive" a few weeks ago. It came just in time, as my much beloved iPod mini crapped out on me not a week beforehand.

The Zune is small when compared to that archaic iPod mini, and light-as-air. At the gym I usually carry it in my pocket, and half the time I don't even realize it's there. In spite of its size, the screen resolution and display is good enough for me to clearly see what track is playing even without my glasses on. The Zune also displays full album art for each track, so that helps, too.

I haven't really played around with it's WiFi capabilities yet, but it would be pretty cool to sync it without having to connect it to the computer. Since I don't know anyone else with one, I haven't been able to try out the wireless file sharing, either, but it's kind of cool knowing the exchange feature is there.

All of this iPod vs. Zune crap kind of got old real quick, and I'm glad that the media hasn't been playing that angle up as much. All told, so far I like the Zune. As a replacement for that iPod mini it more than covers my needs. The added bonus of the FM radio feature is cool, too.

Props go out to Matchstick for hooking me up with the Zune. They'd love to know that you read about the Zune on today's post, so be sure to click here, or on the ad in the sidebar to your right and be sure to tell them I sent you. For every person that reads this and follows the click, a $5 donation will be made to charity, so what's the harm in that?

Here's one of the latest additions to my Zune library: From Bubblegum To Sky is Mario Hernandez, and A Soft Kill is his third album of crunchy pop songs. This is the first I've heard of From Bubblegum To Sky, but I like what I'm hearing. Haven't checked out the whole album yet, but will definitely let you know my two cents when I do.

From Bubblegum To Sky "I Always Fall Apart"

hype machine : elbo.ws

Soul singer in a session band

2008-07-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

They're calling Conor Oberst's new self-titled album his first solo outing in 13 years, which goes some way to separate it from his body of work as Bright Eyes. His previous solo albums were recorded in his early teens, and according to one recent interview, Oberst feels that the new material shares a certain kinship with his early work. "It's still coming from the same place, as far as simple songs composed and recorded as well as I could, with whatever circumstances I was in," he says, referring to the making of Conor Oberst. The album was written and recorded in a rented villa-style hotel in the heart of Mexico with his own Mystic Valley Band (Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley, Macey Taylor, Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, and Bright Eyes chum Nate Walcott). The band just simply relaxed and let the music come naturally, recording whenever and however they felt like, with plenty of bonding time in between sessions. That's quite different from the year-long process of working on Bright Eyes' last record, Cassadaga.

Conor Oberst hits the shelves on August 5th, via Merge Records, and just yesterday, this amazing little nugget of gold was released to whet our whistles and kick start the anticipation.

Conor Oberst "Danny Callahan"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Senses on fire

2008-07-17T12:00:00.003-04:00

My first taste of Mercury Rev was their pair of sonic-assaulting first albums, Yerself Is Steam (I always loved that pun), and Boces in '91 and '93 respectively. Their psychedelic, experimental sound was of the moment, as the likes of My Bloody Valentine and the entire shoegazing armada were making life interesting in the wake of Madchester (I especially loved "Bronx Cheer" off of Boces--killer tune!).

Then things got a bit... well, less experimental. By the time of '98's Deserter's Songs, the melodies and pop stylings of songs like "Tonite It Shows" made Mercury Rev the darlings of the music world, and garnered them some album of the year accolades. Their last album, '05's The Secret Migration failed to really impress me all that much, and I was kind of missing their edgier, more rocking moments.

Well, those moments are back. Mercury Rev have announced that they'll be releasing two albums on September 29: Snowflake Midnight, which will be available for purchase, and Strange Attractor, which will be released as a free download. "Senses on Fire" is from Snowflake Midnight, and though it still has some of that wide-screen pastoral sound of their last few albums, the edginess is back.

Mercury Rev "Senses on Fire"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

The truth behind all the Vogues she sold

2008-07-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Pas/Cal can be called pop but that's not really saying enough about these guys. If you read their Wikipedia article, you'll think that they're possibly the saviours of pop music long foretold in the charts, until you realize that one of their fans probably wrote the slightly biased piece. The article does get one thing right, though, and that's the singular vision that all PAs/Cal tracks have: to be the perfect pop song.

This seven-piece band that hails from Detroit, Motor City is set the give us their debut album, I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura (Le Grand Magistery), next week, and it's about freakin' time. It's been six years or so in the making, and the culmination of sonic foreplay that has stretched over three EPs worth of material in the interim. Imagine Belle & Sebastian getting a little grittier and bitter, imagine a beautiful, sultry girl walking towards you on a deserted beach, rough to the touch from grains of sand clinging to her wet skin... now imagine what that might sound like.

Pas/Cal "Glorious Ballad of the Ignored"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

There's someone I'd like you to meet...

2008-07-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Who is this masked DJ, and where does he get such wonderfully inspired remix ideas? Telemitry garnered instant praise and respect with his kick-ass remix of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while back, and now he's gone 'n done 'er again: The Telemitry Mercury-mix of Bloc Party's new single, "Mercury," is so far superior to the original track, they may as well just declare it an official remix and be done with it. It's almost like my (sort of) prayers from this past Sunday have been answered. Telemitry has managed to salvage what was--let's face it--a pretty crappy track, and give it new life. Very reminiscent of Phones' (Paul Epworth) remix work; this is a must-have.

Bloc Party "Mercury (Telemitry Mercury-mix)"

Telemitry : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Fire songs

2008-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

What's better than the sweet sound of one angelic voice singing? How about two angelic voices? That's what you get when you sit around the camp ground and take a listen to Fire Songs, the latest offering from The Watson Twins. Chandra and Leigh Watson first gained some attention when the accompanied Jenny "Rilo Kiley" Lewis on her solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat back in 2006.

There's nothing quite like the sound of harmony singing, and when you have two beautiful, almost indistinguishable voices like the Watsons have, it's a treat for the ears. (They've got a nice cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" along with original compositions, too.)

The Watson Twins "Sky Open Up"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Once and future kings

2008-07-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently, there was a "mysterious" online countdown that wasn't so mysterious at all, as most people figured out that Bloc Party was set to debut a new song. It happened last week, and I guess the NME was in on it, sort of. When the clock hit the Zero Hour, Kele Okereke appeared on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio One show to introduce the world to "Mercury," the first taste of their third album, set to be released later this year. And, well... it's not exactly "This Modern Love" now, is it? Okereke says, "...we are making the record I always wanted us to make so we just can't wait for it to be done." Oh, my... let's cross our fingers.

You can listen to the song and judge for yourself here:

STREAM: Bloc Party "Mercury"

You can watch the Frankenschtick video for "Mercury: here:

VIDEO: Bloc Party "Mercury"

Bloc Party : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

~~~

The Verve continue to tease and tantalize regarding their upcoming release. The artwork for Forth has been revealed, and it's safe to say that it's more than a little bit cloudy. You can follow the same link to see the tracklisting for the album, which comes out August 19th on the band's own On Your Own label. There's also a video on offer for the kick-arse lead single, "Love Is Noise" that just dying for your attention:

VIDEO: The Verve "Love Is Noise"

Am I the only one that hopes this song gets the Guitar Hero treatment sometime in the near future?

The Verve : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

~~~

I also wanted to let you know about an awesome "little" 60-song compilation of covers and remixes of your favourite 80s tracks by a bunch of artists you don't already know: Spanish site Buffet Libre is offering the whole schmazzle for free--track by track or the whole darn thing. You have to taste the offerings at this Buffet!

PYT "Summer of '69"

A story of Survival

2008-07-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

The good folk(s) at Catbird Records are welcoming the debut album by Forest Fire called Survival by giving it away to anyone willing (and smart enough) to give it a listen. You can download the 10 tracks that were recorded over 8 months in studios in New York and Portland via a number of services (iTunes, eMusic, Facebook etc.) and experience these languid, beautiful songs for yourself. Then, if you like what you hear, you can show your love by sending a little cash-money to the label for either the standard CD or the Giant-sized CD version (think compact disc in vinyl record sleeve).

Forest Fire "Fortune Teller"

Forest Fire "I Make Windows"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

If you like what you hear, buy Survival here.

Caribou: Andorra

2008-07-11T12:00:00.002-04:00

After listening to Andorra, you wouldn't be surprised to hear that Dan Snaith chose Caribou as the moniker under which to record while tripping on LSD in the Canadian wilderness. That the whole need to choose a new, a new name actually, was because he was being sued for the use to the name Manitoba by Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba. What else is there to do if you're a struggling (yet highly imaginative) musician facing a lawsuit that will bankrupt you other than to get high and go hiking?

Andorra is the ultimate head trip, mainly because it all came from inside Snaith's head. It's hard to believe that he's responsible for everything you hear on it (save some vocal contributions from Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan) because there's so much there to hear. It's so densely packed that sounds and melodies jump around and bounce off each other with such velocity that they end up ricocheting around your skull long after the songs are over. The album is only matched in its wide screen scope by the vivid and mesmerizing live show that Caribou has become known for.

Andorra is one of 10 albums shortlisted for this year's Polaris Music Prize. Early talk is that Snaith's phantasmagoria of psychedelic electropop is the album to beat this year, but since the final decision rests with an 11 person jury who'll pick the album on the same night as the winner is announced, it's anybody's guess. That being said, there's nothing else quite like Andorra on the shortlist; almost a year after it was released it still resonates and sounds brilliant.

Caribou "Melody Day"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Youthless

2008-07-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

It won't be long before we start seeing a massive shift in the way popular music comes our way (as if that hasn't already started happening!) as some long-established artists fulfill contractual obligations with the major label companies who signed them all those years ago. Radiohead is the most obvious example, and let's not forget Prince, who it should be noted, is a pioneer in the revolution.

Now comes Beck's turn. On Tuesday, when he released Modern Guilt, he fulfilled his obligations with Geffen/Interscope, effectively freeing him from corporate shackles. Not that those binds were ever really tight; right from the get go, Beck's arrangement with Geffen allowed him to release some of his more experimental works via other labels (which is how we got Mutations after Mellow Gold, but the "official" follow-up would be Odelay). Danger Mouse sits and the producer's desk along with Mr. Hansen, and although I can't say I've become highly familiar with Danger Mouse's work, I know enough to hear the influence. The processed beats are familiar, and the hodge-podge of sounds and styling is in keeping with the Beck aesthetic (which is to not really have an aesthetic).

I've made the mistake of reading some of the album's reviews already, and they're decidedly mixed. For some, Modern Guilt is a half-hearted effort meant to satisfy the bosses and get him out of his contract; others have said (and I tend to agree) that the album is his most consistent work since the Nigel Goderich-produced Sea Change, and carries whit it some of the dark underpinnings of that album. It is heads above Guero, which I personally didn't like very much at all.

Beck's penchant for choosing some progressive and challenging collaborators is well marked out, and I think in Danger Mouse, he's found someone whose been able to conceptualize and capture the sound of his thoughts and feelings in an authentic way. The album doesn't sound forced, or contrived, or in the least bit rushed. Beck the boy who sang to us about being a loser with a devil's haircut has matured into a man of considerable depth and talent. It's worth noting that the 8th of July was also his 38th birthday. here's looking forward to how he'll celebrate numbers 39 and 40, and what gifts he'll give us.

STREAM: Beck Modern Guilt

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This is every letter I never wrote

2008-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

My moods come in stages. Sometimes I'm in the techno mood and I have to blast thumping synthetic bass from every available speaker system within my vicinity, feel the vibrations in the core of my being, sense the beads of sweat seep out of my facial pores and streak down my face in a race to be the first to make the leap to my shoulders and upper torso. Sometimes I'm in an alt-country mood, and require nothing more than a somewhat sombre mood, comfy chair, and a double hung window sized appropriately for gazing out of forlornly. There's also my pop mood, but I don't think my ego has the stamina required for me to describe that to you, and most recently, my Guitar Hero mood, which has my fingertips screeching out in pain and green, red, yellow, blue and orange dots floating in front of my face; there's also the unexpected urge to wear leather and/or tattered spandex, but I never allow myself to give in.

One thing that never fluctuates throughout my ever changing moods is my appreciation of musical talent in all its forms. A few weeks back, the folks at Saddle Creek blessed me with just such a product by way of the third Son Ambulance album, Someone Else's Déjà Vu. The album is pretty much a solo effort by Joseph Knapp, whose appeared on disc with Bright Eyes in the past, with Jeffrey Koster acting as a perfect foil and collaborator. Someone Else's Déjà Vu (which is released today!) echoes with the sounds of futures past, sounding like it's come right out of the 60s or 70s; in fact, it's something you'd expect to hear coming from some dusty vinyl disc you parent's used to listen to when they used to do pottery, naked and high. Son Ambulance have created a master class in complex, intricate songwriting that falls from dreams, fully formed and alive in every sense of the word. It's a shame that you'll not really be able to appreciate the album after hearing just one track alone; it has to be experienced as a whole to be appreciated.

Son Ambulance "Horizons"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

2008 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist!

2008-07-07T12:30:00.002-04:00

At first, when the Polaris Music Prize people (whoever they are) decided to announce the 40 member Long List being considered for this year's prize, I thought that doing so would be somewhat anti-climatic when the list would be whittled down to 10. Now, here we are, on the day of days, and just minutes ago (as I type), CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence and last year's winner Patrick Watson unveiled which of the 40 survived the culling of the herd, as it were, and are now poised to claim Canada's coolest music prize. And here they are, in order of alphabetical appearance:

Black Mountain, In The Future
(Vancouver, BC)
official : myspace

Basia Bulat, Oh, My Darling
(London, ON)
official : myspace

Caribou, Andorra
(Dundas, ON)
official : myspace

Kathleen Edwards, Asking For Flowers
(Ottawa, ON)
official : myspace

Holy Fuck, LP
(Toronto, ON)
official : myspace

Plants and Animals, Parc Avenue
(Montréal, QC)
official : myspace

Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War
(Montréal, QC)
official : myspace

Shad, The Old Prince
(London, ON)
myspace

Two Hours Traffic, Little Jabs
(Charlottetown, PE)
official : myspace

The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour
(Winnipeg, MB)
official : myspace

I think it's worth noting the geographical locations of this year's nominees, as that always tends to be a contentious issue with the Polaris: 50% of the artists call Ontario home, 10% from the prairies, 10% from the West Coast, 10% from the Maritimes, and 20% from la belle province. Two nominees call London, Ontario home, which is a surprise, as it's not a city typically known for being a hotbed of musical talent. Of all the nominees, I believe Stars is the only one to have been nominated in the past. Musically speaking, they're as diverse a group as could have been created from the long list, which covered everything from country and folk to electro-clash and metal.

My opinion? Really, you want to know? I guess I'm a little disappointed that The Acorn, Justin Rutledge, and Crystal Castles didn't make the list, and I'm a bit shocked that Cadence Weapon didn't get the chance to compete in the final 10. I had my fingers crossed for locals Attack In Black and City And Colour, and thought that maybe Corb Kund and the Constantines would get a nod... but overall I think it's a solid group, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

Of the shortlist, my favourites would have to be Stars, Black Mountain, Basia Bulat, Plants And Animals, and Holy Fuck. I'm definitely going back and giving Caribou another listen, and I'll need to investigate Shad and Kathleen Edwards.

If I were a betting man, I'd say that as the starting line, Basia Bulat is the girl to beat, but Holy Fuck could be set to unleash some holy terror on her waif-ish ass. Let the battle begin. Here's some sounds to soundtrack the fight.

Black Mountain "Tyrants"

The Weakerthans "Night Windows"

Give me a beat

2008-07-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

History has given us many examples of how to popular culture can become both the medium for mediocrity and the muse for masterpieces. After all, Andy Warhol co-opted what already existed and created a new aesthetic in art, why should music not be any different?

That's what Gregg Gillis, also known as Girl Talk, has done with his sampled remixes that take everything from 50 Cent to Twisted Sister and puts it through a digital meat grinder; what comes out on the other end is an extended send-up of some of the most recognizable moments in pop and rock over the last 20 years and contemporary hip-hop. It's quite intoxicating stuff to listen to, actually, especially for someone like me who doesn't really listen to a lot of hip-hop and rap; I love listening for the obscure samples, like The Go-Go's, Journey, The Cure, and Ace of Base, that give Girl Talk's record so much colour and life.

You've probably heard by now that Girl Talk and it's label, Illegal Art, are "pulling an In Rainbows" for Gillis's latest magnum opus, Feed The Animals, in that the consumer can decide what he or she is willing to pay for the album. Customers are greeted with a fill-in-the-blanks price text box, and the following information to help them choose what they'll pay:

"any price grants the download of the entire album as high-quality 320kbps mp3s
$5 or more adds the options of FLAC files, plus a one-file seamless mix of the album
$10 or more includes all of the above + a packaged CD (when it becomes available)"

In light of the Radiohead comparison, it's worth noting that around 10 minutes into the seamless mix (which is the track named "Still Here" if you're going by the divided album), a sample of "15 Step" from In Rainbows crops up, and a bit later on there's some "Paranoid Android" thrown into the mix, too; a sonic salute of sorts?

Girl Talk "Let Me See You"

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4 for the weekend vol. 39

2008-07-04T12:00:00.004-04:00

Happy July 4th, my American cousins! Here's 4 tracks from 4 CDs that are up for grabs; all you have to do is drop us a line at contests [at] quickbeforeitmelts [dot] com with "4 CDs from volume 39, please!" in the subject line, and your full mailing address in the body. Enjoy the tunes! Contest closes next Thursday, July 10th, at 11:59 pm.

My Morning Jacket
"Aluminum Park (live at Radio City Music Hall 20 June 08)"
[Evil Urges, 2008, ATO Records]

"Untouchable live and compelling in studio."

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Amos Lee
"Ease Back"
[Last Days at the Lodge, 2008, EMI]

"Bearded soul and jazz mix nicely."

mypace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Golden Animals
"Try On Me"
[Free Your Mind and Win A Pony, 2008, Rainbow Quartz]

"Californian sun-kissed rock floating in space."

hype machine : elbo.ws

Pacific!
"Hot Lips"
[Reveries, 2008, Caroline]

"West coast meets techno=beach disco."

facebook : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

On a different shelf

2008-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

photo: Simon King

I've been aware of Jim Noir on the periphery of my musical universe for a while now, mostly by way of a couple tracks from his 2005 debut album, Tower of Love. "Key of C" and "EanieMeany" made their way unto my iPod via one of the many music blogs I frequented at the time, and they stood out from the other tracks thanks to the lo-fi love which seemed to spawn them from the mating of Beach Boys harmonies to late 90's kook-rockers like Beta Band or Super Furry Animals. Digging around, I found out that Jim Noir is actually Alan Roberts, a native of the suburbs of Manchester, England, where he crafted his debut album in the solitude of his parent's house. Roberts plays everything on record himself, and uses a band for performing live.

Jim Noir is currently supporting a lovely follow-up sophomore album, imaginatively titled Jim Noir. He's back in familiar territory sonically, but, according to an interview he gave Under The Radar magazine earlier this year, he's taken a bold step beyond your ordinary pop album and crafted this one around the concept of an astronaut about to blast into space, never to return. Noir says that, "I don't write lyrics down or anything. When I have to do them, I just sit there with the mic and see what I like. Generally, there are no concise ideas. It's all a free flow."

He's free flowed right out of his parent's house and into a studio/flat in Manchester, where he crafts his twisted, tender pop symphonies. He's been criticized for being too pop by some, but it all just rolls off his shoulders. As he sees it, the art of perfecting the pop song isn't an easy thing to master, but he's willing to go to the ends of the universe while trying. I wouldn't mind going along for the ride while he does.

Jim Noir "Don't You Worry"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

A new decade

2008-07-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Verve have made a new track available for free from their official site for a week, and even though it won't appear on their much anticipated new album, Forth (released August 19), it;s by far a throwaway track.

"Mover" does just what its name implies, and is further testament to the power of Richard Ashcroft and Nick McCabe's songwriting. It's classic Verve, and could have just as easily come off A Northern Soul, released over 10 years ago.

Of their recently unveiled single, "Love Is Noise" the NME said, "Ashcroft and McCabe, the twin lightening conductors of the band, are finally in accord and the results are nothing short of astonishing. The Verve are back-literally-with a bang."

They closed this year's Glastonbury Festival as the Sunday night headliners on the Pyramid stage in a performance that is being hailed as a triumphant return.

In short order, The return of The Verve is overtaking R.E.M. as the comeback story of the year.

The Verve "Mover"

Thanks to I Am Fuel You, Are Friends for this live version of "Love Is Noise":

The Verve "Love Is Noise (live)"

facebook : myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

National treasures

2008-07-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Canada Day, folks! I hope that from mari usque ad mare, you're having a pleasant holiday (unless of course your employer gave you yesterday off and is making you work today) and enjoying the first fruits of summer.

I started my celebrations early with another 4 For the Weekend Canada Special in Saturday's post, but thought it would be wholly appropriate to use today's post to highlight a couple of great Canadian artists on a couple of great Canadian labels that you may not yet be familiar with.

First up, Winnipeg, Manitoba's The Paperbacks, who released An Illusion Against Death last July on their hometown's Parliament of Trees label. Weakerthans frontman John K. Samson produced the album, having been a long-time fan and supporter. In some respects, the two bands are very similar: both feature distinctive songwriting and lyrical themes that aren't afraid to get down and dirty and go places conventional pop songs fear to tread. The Paperbacks also remind me a lot of their label mates The Details (again, another Winnipeg band) whose brilliant album, Draw A Distance Draw A Border, ranked among my favourites of last year. The Paperbacks are out on the road again this summer, preparing to release their follow-up to An Illusion Against Death this winter.

The Paperbacks "Holocaust Art"

myspace : hype machine : elbo.ws

Awhile back I told you about Joe Lapinski, a singer-songwriter whose based in St. Catharines, Ontario, and his neat-o little label, Yummy Recordings. Joe's not the kind of guy to sit around twiddling his thumbs, waiting for the next great thing to land in his lap; instead, he goes out and helps to create said next best thing. Besides his solo work, he's also a member of The Regards, a sextet who blend country flourishes with indierock to create distinctive Canadiana music that would go down a storm in your local redneck watering hole as it would a trendy campus pub.

The Regards "Horse Turns Blue"

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Snakecharming the masses

2008-06-30T12:00:00.002-04:00

photo: Ming Wu

Back in 2003, The Stills biggest claim to fame was being from the hyped Montreal scene and sounding more like The Cure than The Cure did. "Still In Love Song" snickered and sneered with all the vitriol of a late 80s new wave/punk/goth band with bird's nests for haircuts and a penchant for heavy eyeliner.

In reality, The Stills were much more than all that. They didn't jump on the Montreal scene bandwagon as much as they were forced unto it at knife-point by press and PR people hungry to flesh out and give rise to something that really wasn't there in the first place. Their debut album, Logic Will Break Your Heart had it's moments besides the aforementioned single, and their Echo & The Bunnymen Joy Division sound led fans of Interpol and the like to their doorstep. 2006's Without Feathers failed to catch fire the same way (regardless of the burning bouquet on the album sleeve), perhaps because the darker, denser moments gave way to a little light and breathing room for their melodies to peak through. (I think it's a classic album overlooked at the time of it's release, and deserves your attention forthwith.)

The time in between now and then has seen the band work with Stars on their remix album Do You Trust Your Friends? and jump ship to Arts & Crafts, who'll be releasing their third LP, Oceans Will Rise in August of this year. So far it sounds like The Stills are back in top form: "Being Here" is a gorgeous, sing-along, radio-friendly anthem that should be pumping out of every car stereo and beach party boom box over the next few months. "Rooibos/Palm White Drinkard" has them pulling some rock star poses that remind me of The Verve, oddly enough. Tim Fletcher, the band's vocalist and guitarist says, "We've never felt more driven collectively as a band as we do right now and I think you can feel that throughout the album." If these two tracks are an indication, then third times the charm for The Stills.

The Stills "Being Here"

The Stills "Rooibos/Palm White Drinkard"

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Everyone gets a star

2008-06-29T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Strokes have always been a pretty cool band in my eyes, even when they seemed to have fallen out of favour with the masses. Which is probably why I enjoy Albert Hammond, Jr.'s solo work so much. His 2006 debut, Yours To Keep, didn't stray too far from his main band's sound, but there was a certain breezy pop element that gave it a solid, clean sound as opposed to The Strokes' more shambolic moments.

Hammond, Jr. is back this year with the follow-up, Cómo Te Llama?, available July 8 from Black Seal Records. The first taste of a ballsier, more gritty sounding Hammond, Jr. is "GfC." It's a somewhat bluesy, mid-tempo rocker that's catchy and infectious. Matt Romano, Marc Philippe Eskenazi and Josh Lattanzi round out Hammond, Jr.'s band, and they're as tight musically as their suit trousers are.

Albert Hammond, Jr. "GfC"

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4 for the weekend vol. 38: Canada Day Special 2008!

2008-06-28T10:00:00.003-04:00

True patriot love, indeed! Canada Day 2008 falls on Tuesday this year, and like any good Canadian, I'll be stretching this into a four-day looooong weekend full of family, friends, fizzy drinks and food. Like last year (but a little early), QBiM will celebrate the birth of it's nation by paying homage to four (+Feist) of the country's brightest Northern stars (again, without a Tragically Hip in sight!). No CD giveaway for this one; sorry, folks.

Crystal Castles "Vanished"

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Woodhands "I Wasn't Made For Fighting"

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Constantines + Feist "Islands In The Stream"

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Islands "The Arm"

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Technology is a still a bitch, but I'm getting over it.

2008-06-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

human As per Wednesday's post, I've had one heck of a time dealing with technology these past few days, and the bulk of my problems haven't come from the actual technological components but theass wipes that are in control of them.

First off, my iPod is still dead. I'm waiting patiently for the Zune I'll be test-driving to arrive, and looking more and more forward to giving it a spin. It should be good. (You can get a Zune to try out, too you know? Click here to find out more.)

Secondly, and most infuriatingly, I found out today that a technician working with my ISP re-set my account password without my knowledge or permission after a somewhat heated tech-call I placed on Monday night when I found myself unable to connect to the 'net. Not only did he not tell me he re-set the password, but he led me to believe that the fault was with my wireless routers. For four days I've been trying to figure out why I couldn't get connected... and now I know. Contravention of their privacy policy? Damned right! What does is get me? A month's free service. What does it get them? A hole where my account would be, because as of next week, I'm switching providers.

So, needless to say, I'm back online and wired for sound (just not portable sound yet), so I should be up to my old blogging shenanigans soon.

Today it's just a quick musical note featuring Los Campesinos!, The Welsh seven-piece band who're signed to Arts & Crafts in Canada and the U.S. and Wichita in the U.K. They've been kicking around the blogosphere for a couple years now, but only just released their debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster... in April of this year. The band will be appearing at this year's Glastonbury Festival. You can catch them this Saturday the 27th on the Other Stage at 12:40 pm. And since you're there, why not check out the North American label mates--and perennial QBiM favourites--Stars, on the John Peel Stage the next day? You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Los Campesinos! "Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)"

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Stars "This Charming Man"

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Technology is a bitch

2008-06-25T07:15:00.001-04:00

It's only Wednesday, but I've had enough failure and heartbreak when it comes to my wired (and wireless) world since Sunday to last me a lifetime. First off, I've been experiencing a lack of Internet access whose source cannot be determined. I'm thinking it's my Airport Express wireless router, because if I connect computer directly to the modem, all's fine. That's a pain, though, if you're used to blogging and emailing from the farthest flung corners of your home, and not tethered to a desk. I've also been extremely busy as of late, so I haven't been able to sit down and fix the problem, so if my blogging becomes scattered in the next few days, it has to do with inconvenience rather that disinterest in music.

Speaking of which, you may recall that sometime last week I mentioned issues with my beloved iPod mini, which reset itself without warning. Well now them damned thing seems to be tits up and floating on its back in the proverbial goldfish bowl of techno clutter in my office. I think it's finally dead... not only is it really dead, it's clearly most sincerely dead. Interestingly enough, only days before it conked out for good, I got an offer to test drive a new Microsoft Zune mp3 player, so I figured what could be the harm in trying out something new. It should be on it's way as we speak, so as soon as it arrives, I'll let you know what I think of it. If you'd like to get your own Zune to test drive, you can go here and fill in the same survey I did.

Where do iPods go when they die?

American Music Club "All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco"

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The Verve: "Love Is Noise"

2008-06-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Verve have let loose their comeback single... and Jimminy Crickets!! It's a rocker! No, for real!

This is the tightest, poppiest thing they've ever set their name to. I'm not sure how to take it, as I am a diehard fan of A Northern Soul-era Ashcroft crooning. "Love Is Noise" could do without the "ha-ha-ha-ha" laughing motif running throughout it, but I'll be damned, they've done something pretty awesome here. Before the first complete playback, I knew I'd be hitting the repeat button a few more times, and now I can't get the damned thing out of my head.

It's streaming at The Verve's Myspace now, but I know that somewhere out there, you can get your hands on a copy of the radio edit version (if you ask Hype Machine nicely, it'll tell you where). I have August 19th as a U.S. release date, and I'm assuming that's for the single; no news about an album release date as of yet... at least none that's come across my desk.

The Verve "Love Is Noise"

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Perfect games

2008-06-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes blogging is a chore. There are plenty of times when I just don't have anything nice to say about some of the music sent to me to review, and for someone who spends a great deal of time listening to and reading about music, burning out can be easily accomplished and often happens.

The only good thing about burning out is that it inevitably leads to a renewed sense of wonder and awe with music when that next great song comes tumbling your way. And so it goes with The Broken West, whose debut album I Can't Go On I'll Go On came my way at the start of 2007 when the headiness of compiling the best of 2006 gave way to the doldrums of a slow music release period of January and February 2007. Their first single "Down In The Valley" was just the adrenalin shot my iPod needed.

The Broken West have done it to me again with news of their next album, Now Or Heaven, coming out in September on Merge. They've released a sweet little teaser of a song in "Perfect Games" which builds on the power pop/California dreaming sound of the first album and packages it in a tidy little three minute song.

My appetite is whetted for this album, and my interest in new music is revived, thanks again to The Broken West.

The Broken West "Perfect Games"

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QBiM Word of Mouth Contest 1: Steinski

2008-06-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

There's talk of a new Girl Talk mash-up hitting the streets this past week, but anyone whose anyone knows that before Girl Talk there was Steinski, a new Jewish boy from the suburbs that can lay claim to being mash-up's founding father. Steve Stein is a TV adman, who along with Double Dee (Douglas DiFranco) shattered copyright laws and pushed the boundaries of hip house and club culture with their "The Lessons" releases. You can hear the influence Steinski's had on De La Soul, DJ Shadow, Fatboy Slim and Girl talk on his first ever (and so far only official) release, What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective. This two disc set features the full collection of Steinki and Double Dee mixes, plus a variety of solo work and collaborations with others. Disc two is an hour long rough mix called "Nothing To Fear."

And folks, it's all yours, just for playing a little game we're calling the QBiM Word of Mouth Contest! The rules are simple, but you'll have to visit Quick Before It Melts' Facebook page to find out the full details on how to take part! Don't delay, act now!

Steinski "The Payoff Mix"

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