Chipped Hip

Nicholas Krgovich – Who Cares?

December 7, 2013

I have little interest in acoustic singer-songwriter music these days, but the new solo LP from Vancouver’s Nicholas Krgovich is an exception. Who Cares? is a beautiful collection of quiet ballads that fall somewhere between rootsy folk and vintage, Rat Pack-era pop.

I reviewed the album for the Georgia Straight. Hear it below.

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Pup – “Reservoir”

November 13, 2013

Tomorrow (November 14), I’m going to be checking out Hollerado and the Zolas at the Commodore in Vancouver, but I’m equally excited about PUP, a fantastic Toronto punk band (not to be confused with PUPS). Go to Exclaim! to read my interview with singer Stefan Babcock, and watch the video for the fantastic “Reservoir” below.

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Squints Palledorous – The Great Bambino

November 10, 2013

One of my favourite Vancouver songwriters has finally given some of his fantastic digital albums a physical release, as Chris van der Laan (of Wars, Heavy Steps, Too High Crew and Slim Fathers) released a bunch of cassettes through his Boat Dreams from the Hill label. Buy them here.

In addition to issuing his own albums, he put out one for local electronic songwriter Squints Palledorous called The Great Bambino. Read my review in the Georgia Straight and hear the album below.

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Tough Age – “Sea of White”

October 11, 2013

Jarrett K. used to play in Korean Gut and Apollo Ghosts, but now that both of those groups have called it quits, he fronts Tough Age. The four-piece is signed to Mint Records and has a self-titled album coming out on November 12. It’s a diverse record that touches on numerous styles without ever straying too far from the band’s garage rock wheelhouse.

The stomping “Sea of White” is below.

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Cult Babies – Cult Babies

October 4, 2013

The members of Cult Babies used to play in Bleating Hearts, but now they make songs that are far more psychedelically fuzzy and reverb-soaked. They just released a self-titled six-track tape, which is available to stream below.

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HAIM – “The Wire”

September 14, 2013

Frequently photographed trio HAIM’s “The Wire” is an ultra-poppy glam boogie that’s one of the year’s best singles so far. I’m looking forward to their album Days Are Gone coming out on September 27.

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Soft Serve – Sink Deep

September 12, 2013

For those with an appetite for jangle, here’s the Vancouver indie pop outfit Soft Serve.

The band played an impressive set at this year’s Music Waste festival, and it released the three-song EP Sink Deep on my 28th birthday. Thanks for the present, dudes.

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Said the Whale – “Mother”

August 30, 2013

Said the Whale’s latest album, hawaiii, is the Vancouver band’s best yet.

“Mother” is a good example of the LP’s bright and poppy sound. Much of the new material combines radio-ready hooks with adventurous sonic exploration, but this tune is one of the more straightforward of the bunch — which is by no means a bad thing.

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Belle and Sebastian – “The Life Pursuit”

August 29, 2013

I’m not exactly in love with Belle and Sebastian’s new compilation, The Third Eye Centre, which is a hit-or-miss hodgepodge that more frequently misses than hits. That said, the best few songs are truly incredible, and remind me of why this is one of my favourite groups ever.

Perhaps my top new discovery is the peppy title track from 2006’s The Life Pursuit, which didn’t actually appear on the album of the same name. I heard the song several years ago, but it didn’t really hit home until I heard it on The Third Eye Centre.

I reviewed the album for Exclaim!, and also ranked the band’s best songs not sung by Stuart Murdoch.

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Prairie Cat – “Got Nuthin’”

August 10, 2013

One of my local faves, Prairie Cat, released a new 7″ this past week. It’s called Got Nuthin’, and a video for the characteristically quirky keyboard pop tune is below.

As I wrote about for Exclaim!, a full-length album will follow.

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