Concert Love

Last Thursday I went to see Mr. Owen Pallett at Aeolian Hall in London (which, by the way is an amazing venue). I must say it was one of the best live shows I've been to in a while. First of all, it was probably the only concert I've ever been to (other than Coldplay in grade 12 at ACC) where it was all seating, which made for a very relaxing atmosphere. I got my first pleasent suprise with the openers, Snowblink, who were melodic, beautifully soothing, and played a perfect set. It was so refined, that it only makes sense that Snowblink is affiliated with Dirty Projectors (who played on their album LONG LIVE), and Bruce Penninsula (joined the band as part of the choir).

Owen Pallett was very personable and played a meaty set including old favourites This is the Dream of Win and Regine, Please Please Please, as well as Several new songs off of this year's release Heartland. This is the third time I have seen Final Fantasy, and by far the best. It was a concert that makes you like the artist about a million times more than when you first arrived.

Top 10 Albums of 2009

Alright. New Year, new music. 2009 was an amazing year for music. Here I shall count down my top 10 favourite albums of 2009. Maybe next time I'll do top ten songs. Without further ado...

10. Noble Beast- Andrew Bird: If you have the deluxe version you know why. Bird's catchy melodies, poetic lyrics, and beautiful instrumentation (I have a thing for violins) make this double album one of my favourites of 2009.
9. Fantasies- Metric: Fantasies was a highly anticipated album from Metric after a four year hiatus. The band's sound remains firmly rooted in high energy indie pop. A solid return gives Metric the number 9 spot on my list.
8. Family- Think About Life: One of my favourite albums to dance to in 2009, seeing them live was also an awesome experience. They put on a great show that was highly theatrical and had everyone dancing.7. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix- Phoenix: I love Phoenix. One of France's greatest exports musically Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix built on what It's Never Been Like That started: well-crafted and catchy as hell songs that you want stuck in your head.
6. It's Blitz- Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Is Is was not sufficient enough; the more I listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the more I want to listen to them. That being said, It's Blitz was awesome.
5. Popular Songs- Yo La Tengo: Yo La Tengo has been around for decades and are still making amazing music. Popular Songs embodies the characteristics that make them so great. A plethora of musical stylings ranging from pop, funk, blues, shoe-gaze, and a lot in between creates an interestingly diverse album.
4. Bitte Orca- Dirty Projectors: I cannot possibly fathom how the Dirty Projectors write their music. It is so calculated and complex that all you can do is listen in awe. Bitte Orca is surrealy beautiful.
3. Logos- Atlas Sound: Bradford Cox's solo project is just as delicious as Deerhunter. It's a newer release but with songs like Criminals, Kid Klimax, and Walkabout I just keep liking it more and more the more I listen to it.2. Veckatimest- Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest was easily the most beautiful album of 2009.
1. Merriweather Post Pavilion- Animal Collective: It was almost a year ago since the release of Merriweather. I almost overlooked it because of this, but then I considered how many times I listened to it on repeat, and had to make it number 1.

time to relive my youth

And this was definitely a great part of my youth (CLICK ME).

Another Great Designer- Andy J. Miller

He was recently featured on BOOM, and I have been looking at his stuff like it's an addiction. According to his website bio "Andy J. Miller is an illustrator, art director, designer, and musician" from Indiana now living in the UK. Miller has had clients such as: Sony, Converse, Nike, Howies, Woot T-Shirts, Chalk Apparel, NYLON, The Big Chill Festival, ActionAid, Science Council, Palmercash T-Shirts, The Yellow Bird Project, Beck's, Kitsune Noir, Bon Bon Kakku, Infectious Art. The Yellow Bird project, in case you haven't heard is a Montreal based charity organization where musicians design a T-shirt, we print and sell them on their website, and all of the profit goes to charity. Each of the artists gets to choose their own. Miller is making a colouring book for Yellow Bird Project called "The Indie Rock Coloring Book featuring coloring book pages in tribute to bands such as Bon Iver, The Shins, Broken Social Scene, MGMT and more". Colouring, design, music and charity. What's NOT to love?!Anyhow, his stuff is great (yeah, he's kind of similar to Damien Correll and Mike Perry, I guess it's just a style I really like), so check it out. Maybe get yourself a colouring book later this year.

Bands I sometimes forget exist but are AWESOME- #2 The Dears

I've been a long time admirer of Montreal's The Dears. During first year, in a whirlwind bout of enjoyment and bliss I discovered Gang of Losers (the album was short listed for the 2007 Polaris music prize). It was a little short lived though as a result of the abundance of music available as a result of DC++ (my life and death all at once, I miss it). Finally last year tragedy struck when my computer as well as music library perished in the great motherboard explosion of early '08. So the Dears were pushed to the back of my mind. However, earlier this school year Missiles was released and with it my enjoyment and bliss. At first it was one of those albums I kind of listened to, not really paying attention, more in the background. These past few days though the more I have listened to it, the more I like it. Money Babies is one of my current favourite songs (it changes frequently, but I think it could stick for a while), and Disclaimer and Missiles are also amazing. So The Dears truly fit into my 'Bands I sometimes forget exist but are AWESOME' category. Although I do feel that soon I won't be able to forget they exist at the rate I've been listening to them.

My newest oldest favourite band

The other day I discovered something. The Beach Boys are AMAZING. Well, Pet Sounds at least. That whole album is amazing and it was only recently that I have realized how much it has influenced.

You can hear hints ofPet Sounds in bands like Of Montreal, Animal Collective, and many more. So if you think you don't like them, you probably do. So listen to them.

25 best love songs

Ohhh it's that time of year again. Red hearts and flowers everywhere. As much as I do agree that Valentine's day is over-hyped I think it is a great sentiment. I think every day should be a celebration of love and affection of some sort. Also I think Valentine's day is as much about romance as it is about surrounding yourself with loving people, showing them you care. Love doesn't have to come from a romantic relationship to be celebrated and appreciated. I don't like it when people are cynical around Valentine's, if you have ANYONE in your life you love and appreciate why be down?


Anyhow... that being said, here's a list of my favourite love related songs brought about not by Valentine's day (I guess it helps) but the main reason is my step-sister Annie who is getting married in August. I had the privilege of hanging out with her and my older sister last night when I got home (finally reading week!). Naturally some of the conversation revolved around Wedding plans and music so I decided to blog about some of my favourites along with some kind of reasoning...

1. Wherever I go- The Album leaf: I can't not smile when I hear this song
   
2. Postcards From Italy- Beirut: The happiest song about a wedding ever
   
3. Thirteen- Ben Kweller: story of a relationship
   
4. Aging Faces / Losing places- Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew: I think it's great
   
5. Sparks- Coldplay: " My heart is yours, It's you that I hold on to"
6. This is the Dream of Win and Regine- Final Fantasy: about the Win and Regine husband and wife from Arcade Fire, how can that not be awesome?
   
7. Falling Slowly- Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: Once was an amazing movie.
   
8. On a Neck, On a spit- Grizzly Bear: " All my time, spend it with you now"
9. Love and Some Verses- Iron and Wine: Title says it all
   
10. Gold in the Air of Summer- Kings of Convenience: perfect summer weekend
    
11. Wrecking- Laura Veirs: finding love anywhere
    
12. Sleep Walking- Modest Mouse: Excitement
    
13. Stay Ups- Most Serene Republic: Simple but beautiful
    
14. Sometimes- My Bloody Valentine: Hopeless Romantics this bunch
    
15. Harvest Moon- Neil Young: Classic
16. I've got You and You've got me- New Buffalo: security in someone
    
17. Go Places- New Pornographers: adventures!
    
18. Glue- Page France: finding your soul, maybe about self journey
    
19. Uprising Down Under- Sam Roberts: Growing with someone else
    
20. I summon You- Spoon: Spoon's only ballad don't know if that's a good or bad thing
    
21. My Favourite Book- Stars: totally cheesy, totally great
    
22. Rake- Sufjan Stevens: Peaceful
    
23. When I get Up- Teagan and Sara: "I don't need company in the company of you"
    
24. Maps- Yeah yeah yeahs: this one is an obvious choice
    
25. Our Way to Fall- Yo La Tengo: my favourite
    

That's my list. There are others I had to cut. A lot of others. So Hppy Valentine's day everyone. Much Love!

10 awesome band posters

I've been wanting for a while to write about 10 design companies (or artists) that silkscreen band posters. These are just 10 of many amazing companies, there are so many more, you just have to look. Most companies have dozens of posters (if not hundreds) and put them up for sale on the internet. The best part is they are totally affordable, most posters range from about $20 to $50. With prices like that, whats to stop you? In alphabetical (by accident) order here are 10 awesome band posters by awesome people.

ONE

Animal Collective- Cody Fennell



TWOBeirut- Gina Kelly



THREE

Bon Iver- Show and Smell Print



FOUR

Feist- Never Sleeping Design

FIVE

Final Fantasy- Doublenaut


SIX

Fleet Foxes- Delicious Design League

SEVEN

Mates of State- F2 Design

EIGHT

Rilo Kiley- Lure Design



NINE

Rogue Wave- Spike Press

TENYo La Tengo- Hammerpress

So there you have 10 awesome band poster designers (fun fact, I have the Final Fantasy poster by doublenaut) there are plenty more where those came from. One site I found a few of these from is Gigposters.com. If you didn't like anything you saw on this list, you'll definitely find something easily on there more suited to your liking.

Take Aways shows- La Blogotheque

La Blogotheque is a French music type blog. It consists of the usual articles, and some pretty awesome videos. La Blogotheque films artists performing in natural environments around France and the results are amazing. Sometimes there are a series of videos for one artist, for example Bon Iver. This one is my favourite in the series.

#93.3 - BON IVER - For Emma, Forever Ago
by lablogotheque

There are many artists featured on the site including: Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Lykke Li, Vampire Weekend, and so many more. La Blogotheque shows you just how talented they really are in a really cool way. So check it out if you enjoy beautiful music. It's the best.


Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

2009 Looking Good

It's the fourth week of 2009 and we've already seen releases from such awesome artists as: A.C. Newman (of the New Pornographers), ANDREW BIRD (more about that sometime soon), Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons, and Bon Iver. So far these albums have all been pretttttty good. This leaves me with one theory, 2009 is going to be an awesome year for music.

What follows is a list of some artists with expected releases coming to a record store that I am particularly excited for click here for a larger list off of last.fm, that I have used to supplement my own knowledge of SOME upcoming releases (mainly consisting of the alternative/indie-whatsit genre)

FEB 02 - Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
FEB 17 - Beirut - March of the Zapotec (double EP)
MAR 10 - Bell Orchestre - As Seen Through Windows
MAR 16 - Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
MAR 24 - The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
MAR 31 - Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
MAR 31 - Peter, Bjorn & John - Living Thing
APR 14- Metric - Fantasies


Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Patrick Wolf - Battle
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Maxïmo Park - Rollerdisco Of Dreams (working title)
Kings of Convenience - (title TBA)
Muse - (title TBA)
The Strokes - (title TBA)
The White Stripes - (title TBA)
Wilco - (title TBA)
The Flaming Lips - (title TBA)
Sufjan Stevens - (title TBA)
Arctic Monkeys - (title TBA)
The Wombats - (title TBA)
The National - (title TBA)
Shout Out Louds - (title TBA)
The Shins - (title TBA)
Modest Mouse - (title TBA)
Broken Social Scene - (title TBA)
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - (title TBA)
The Arcade Fire - (title TBA)
Klaxons - (title TBA)

The aforementioned journal entry I found this list on also states rumours of... wait for it.... wait for it Jeff Mangum / Neutral Milk Hotel WHAT?! HOW?! Man... if that turns out to be true, well that's just plain HISTORIC.


All I can say is... WOW. This year could totally beat '07 for awesome releases of bands I know and love. I mean, 2008 was a fairly good year for music, but most of the releasing came from new bands (think Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, MGMT, The Dodo's, Plants and Animals, etc.), it was a year of discovery. If new bands keep it up, and the bands listed put out some awesome albums... then... even making a top 100 releases of 2009 could be difficult.

Bands I sometimes forget exist but are AWESOME- #1 The Delgados

Ok... so there are some bands that are dinosaurs. They have been around forever, and in my itunes since... well, since I've HAD itunes. So I'm going to do a series of posts every once in a while about bands that aren't brand new, but are classic that should keep getting attention even if they've been around a few decades. After all, this is the music that our (my) favourite musicians have maybe listened to or been influenced by.
I was reminded by house-mate Andrew about one such band. He also told me to blog about their awesomeness. That band is The Delgados. They hail from Scotland and formed in 1994. They were making good music before I knew how to do simple math (ok, that's not true I could add and subtract a little) and disbanded in 2005 before I discovered them in 2006. It's a pity. Lead female vocalist Emma Pollock started a solo career which is super and you should check out as well.


The Delgados have a very dynamic sound that varies song to song, yet they still remain consistent. From the layered mellow sounds of 'Clarinet' off of 1998's Peloton, to the more traditional indie-rock 'Accused of Stealing' off of 2000's The Great Eastern, and the baroque-pop soaring melodies of 'The Light Before We Land' off of 2002's Hate, The Delgados have done it all.
So if you appreciate variety, originality, and good music in general I strongly recommend checking these guys out.

Bon Iver's Blood Bank

Ohhhhh dear. Bon Iver's much awaited followup to For Emma Forever Ago arrived this past Tuesday.


Blood Bank is 4 tracks of SOLID GOLD. The only real problem is, it's not enough. Though I've only listened to it a few times I know it's bound to be played as much as For Emma was this past year. For those of you who don't know Bon Iver's music it's kind of across between older Iron and Wine's guitar stylings and a falsetto voice comparable to a raspier Ben Gibbard meets Elliott Smith living in the higher octaves (best analogy I can think of). Anyhow, if you haven't heard Bon Iver, you probably will. It's only a matter of time before the surrounding hype explodes onto radios and TV shows everywhere.

The Best 25 Bands to Dance to

So, as MANY of you know, tonight is the legendary MIT inappropriate office party. In honour of this function I have put together a list of bands (along with recommended songs) that you may not think to dance to or may not even know about, and unless you go to beat connection, or shake appeal you probably never hear in bars.
So without further delay, here is my list:

1. Animal Collective- their hyper sound on Winter Wonderland would make anyone get out of their chair
   
2. Arcade Fire- Keep the Car running moves quickly and has a catchy chorus
3. Bloc Party- Helicopter and Banquet are my personal favourites.
   
4. Born Ruffians- Where to start? This Sentence, Hummingbird, Foxes Mate for Life, Born Ruffians are one of the funnest bands out there, and Canadian!
   
5. Broken Social Scene- It's all Going to break is a really epic song if the crowd knows it... Major Label Debut (FAST) has become one of my top songs to dance to.
   
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!- Such a unique sound... Is This Love? and Satan said Dance are definitely key
   
7. Crystal Castles- Even if you don't know it, you've probably heard Crystal Castles. From Toronto, in 2008 they quickly became a sensation Worldwide. Try Crimewave, Alice Practise, of Magic Spells
8. The Cure- a cult classic band, Close to Me, Pictures of You, and Friday I'm in Love are favourites at retro nights everywhere
   
9. Cut Copy- Getting more and more publicity for their electropop/danckpunk altogether wonderful 80's style synth sounds they are GREAT. Check out Feel the Love, Hearts on Fire, Lights and Music
   
10. Digitalism- Because you can't NOT dance to Pogo
    
11. Dragonette- This one may be more for a girls night... Dragonette are fantastic and breaking out, Competition and I Get Around is sure to make for a good time.
12. Girl Talk- The master of Mashups, with Girl talk everyone will know something. Bounce that, Overtime, Too Deep... I could go on, all of them are amazing.
    
13. Holy F***- If you didn't catch them at LOLA fest 2008, well, maybe you shouldn't listen to them, there will only be regret. Lovely Allen and Milkshake are Boss.
    
    
14. The Hood Internet- One of my BEST discoveries ever. Hoodinternet is all free mashups between indie gems and rap/ hip-hop favs. Absorb the Lipgloss (Lil Mama Vs. Marnie Stern), Snatch Da Crystal Cat Back (Khia Vs Dan Deacon), Can You Hear My Kids Now (Lil Kim VS MGMT), and sooo many more will be enough to addict you for life.
    
15. Hot Chip- Ready For the Floor, and Over and Over are prime songs for this indie-dance-techno band
    
16. Klaxons- Golden Scans, and It's Not Over Yet will leave you begging for more
    
17. Los Campensinos!- The exclamation mark says it all. Try You! Me! Dancing! for a good time
    
18. The Lovely Feathers- A favourite for my friends, Rome is in the Valley could probably be called our anthem.
    
19. Matt and Kim- Dash after Dash and Yeah Yea call for high kicks.
    
20. MGMT- No list is complete without MGMT. Electric Feel, Kids, and Time To Pretend were some of the best dongs of 2008. If you don't know them... where have you been?
    
21. Muse- No playlist is complete without Knights of Cydonia, or Starlight
    
22. Of Montreal- There is no band today quite as psychedelic as Of Montreal. Requiem for O.M.M.2, Grolondic Edit, and so many more are perfect additions to any party


23. Ratatat- Loud Pipes, Seventeen Years, and Swisha have no lyrics but they will be sure to get toes tapping
    
24. Shapes and Sizes- Head Movin', Alone/Alive, and Boy You Shouldn't Have will require a lot of energy for a lot of awesome beats
    
25. Wolf Parade- Dear Sons and Daughters, and Grounds for Divorce are welcome additions to any tracklist.
    

Merriweather Post Pavillion

It's that time of year again. There's a new Animal Collective CD out. Ok, so it's actually been quite a while since they release Strawberry Jam in September 2007. Still, in nine years they have released eight albums each one more anticipated and eagerly awaited than the prior. In the certain circles (think... pitchfork) the build up to a new Animal Collective album release is like the build up to that of Obama's inauguration (ok, well maybe thats a BIT of an exaggeration, but you get it). January 20th 2009 marks the release of Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective's ninth studio release. This album is one that does not disappoint. It's psychedelic, experimental, clean but noisy at the same time. It's poetic, ridiculous, nonsensical and absolutely stunning.

They're one of the most original bands out there; they practically have their own genre. With Merriweather Post Pavilion it's as though Animal Collective has perfected Animal Collective. After eight albums they've experimented so much that they now know exactly what works without losing any of their unique sound. It's by far their most accessible record yet, the songs are all epic within themselves but don't go on too long (which for me personally was somewhat of a deterrent for oh say Hollinndagin). For anyone who has wanted to start listening to Animal Collective but not known where to start THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY.

There are 11 tracks on the album that range from the poetic, even romantic soaring and melodic sounds of Bluish or Summertime Clothes (one of my favourites) to the hyper chanting choruses and various juxtaposes layers of sound characteristic of Animal Collective in Brother Sport. My Girls seems to be the main contender for favourite song ( over 15 000 and counting listens on last.fm and the cd is being released on January 20th).

Merriweather Post Pavilion is sure to be one of the best albums in 2009 and may very well be the album Animal Collective is remembered for. So check it out, you won't regret it. It's new, it's great, and it's the freshest thing I've heard in a while.

Where is Your Bike?

The title of this here blog is a tribute to my German neighbour. Anytime I leave the house of foot and he sees me I get "Where is your biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike? Why don't you biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike?". So here's to him.




I think it would be neat to be in a bike gang. Just riding up and down the streets so badass on the most d.i.y. vehicle since the foot. There is a chance I'll go on a bike trip with some friends this summer. It would be fun, adventurous, relatively inexpensive. We'll see.
I found that image on ffffound!(a really cool image blog) but originally it was from Fecal Face which really covers everything awesome ever. It's quite extensive and time consuming. You can really loose track of time looking at all the features. Check it out. I'll be posting relevant content I find neat from there a lot I think.