Chipped Hip

Shotgun Jimmie – Everything Everything

May 22, 2013

Holy crap! I knew Shotgun Jimmie’s new album, Everything Everything, was great, but I had no idea if it would be any good live. He killed it at the Biltmore over the weekend, performing a great set that had him playing drums with his feet and guitar with his hands. On one memorable tune, he played guitar with one hand, hammering onto the fretboard while playing the ride with his free arm.

Everything Everything is below. This one is a lock for my upcoming Polaris ballot.

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Kurt Vile – “Never Run Away”

May 9, 2013

When I spoke with professional chill dude Kurt Vile for Exclaim! a few weeks ago, he had just wrapped up a music video shoot. He didn’t give many details about it, but I’m guessing that this clip for “Never Run Away” is it. This comes from the excellent Wakin on a Pretty Daze.

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The Belle Game – Ritual Tradition Habit

May 9, 2013

I’ve spent the past week staying at my grandparents’ house in London, ON, where the internet was broken on my only online access was at the local Tim Hortons. Now I’m soaking in the scenery at the Winnipeg airport.

I recently interviewed Vancouver pop-rock group the Belle Game for the Georgia Straight. The shadowy Ritual Tradition Habit is out now. Stream it below.

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Digits – In the City of the Dead

April 29, 2013

As you can see from Digits‘ home page, the Canadian songwriter and producer also known as Alt Altman has an extremely prolific output. One of his most intriguing projects is In the City of the Dead, a serial novella/album that was released in a string of 12 chapters (plus a prologue and an epilogue), each with an accompanying song. I previously premiered “I’ll Play for You” for Exclaim!, and he’s since rolled out the remaining instalments in the series.

The story is a futuristic dystopia, which is something I’ve always had a penchant for (case in point: I saw Oblivion last night and thought it was fucking great). The story, which I won’t spoil for you here, is soundtracked with an appropriately dark and forward-thinking selection of synthscapes and electropop melodicism.

Stream the album below and read the story here.

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Said the Whale – “I Love You”

April 27, 2013

Said the Whale has a new EP called I Love You coming out on June 18, and the Vancouver band has shared a lyric video for the title track. It’s a catchy new wave number. Check out the clip below.

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Frank Ocean – “Lost”

April 12, 2013

Frank Ocean has released a video for “Lost,” so I’ll use this opportunity to write about how I’ve become obsessed with channel ORANGE. I was initially a naysayer, but I didn’t bother to delete the album from my iPod, and I gave it another shot a couple of weeks ago and was totally blown away. The atmosphere and production are beautiful, and Frank’s voice is wonderfully unaffected.

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Pick a Piper – Pick a Piper

April 3, 2013

This is shaping up to be a damn good year for Vancouver’s Mint Records. The label just released a self-titled LP from Pick a Piper, led by Caribou associate Brad Weber. These bubbly electropop tunes puts the emphasis on the “electro” rather than “pop.” Listen to Pick a Piper in its entirety below.

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Robbie Nall – Elba

March 28, 2013

Vancouver songwriter and bass wizard Robbie Nall previously played in the band Sleep Holiday, but he recently released an album under his own name called Elba. It’s psychedelic pop album that harkens back to lush ’60s pop while at times evoking Elvis Costello’s mellower moments and making the occasional synthesizer foray.

Listen to the nine-song collection below or buy it from Bandcamp.

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White Poppy – Song a Day

March 24, 2013

For the last few years I’ve focused this blog exclusively on individual tracks and videos, but that seems a little pointless when so many albums are streaming for free online. Why bother selecting a track when I can just as easily share the entire thing?

I recently reviewing White Poppy’s rough-around-the-edges (but thoroughly enjoyable) Song a Day for the Georgia Straight. The whole thing is streaming below.

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Hollerado – “Pick Me Up”

March 17, 2013

My life has included a lot of Hollerado lately. I interviewed singer Menno Versteeg for Exclaim!, and reviewed the band as part of a show with Billy Talent and Sum 41 for the Georgia Straight.

The new album, White Paint, is one of the year’s best albums so far. Below is the new single “Pick Me Up.”

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