Articles posted in November 2010

Jaguars pouncing on a battlefield

November 30, 2010

His future's so bright he's gotta keep shades in his collar

I got Jeremy Jay’s latest album, Splash, in the mail a few months ago, but I didn’t really give it a proper listen until last week. Why didn’t anyone tell me what I was missing? It’s a lovely pop record, evoking the jangly guitars and fey vocals of ’80s indie pop bands like the Smiths, the Feelies and Orange Juice.

The title track is a little less precious than the rest of the album, piling fiery guitar leads on top of surging rhythms. Of course, Jay’s vocals and lyrics are as sweet and sensitive as ever. Check it out below.

Incidentally, what’s with this dude and singing about jaguars all the time?

MP3: “Splash”

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All your charms wasted

November 29, 2010

This picture is both small and black. Well played.

If you happened to notice that this blog was offline for a few days, it’s because I ran out of bandwidth. Oops! Except, yay, because it means that I’m getting more traffic.

Now we (the royal “we”) are back. Here’s “Search Party” by Small Black, which comes from the band’s stellar debut LP, New Chain. It’s got machine gun drum machines, breathy vocals and a gorgeous wash of dreamscape synths.

I interviewed Small Black for the Georgia Straight. If you go to Exclaim!, you can also read my article about their new 7″, “Photojournalist” (which you can hear here).

MP3: “Search Party”

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A friendly shake of hands

November 24, 2010

Aidan Knight’s Versicolour is really picking up steam as of late; he’s up for two Bucky Awards and it seems like he’s on the radio constantly. Right on cue, the Victoria, BC-based singer-songwriter is putting out a new 7″ via Adventure Boys Club. Go to Exclaim! to read my article about it (plus this article about the Bucky Awards).

Here’s the A-side, “Friendly Fires.” It’s a chilly tune, building up from a sombre lament to a harmony-laden folk rocker. It takes guts to release a song with pauses this long.

MP3: “Friendly Fires”

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I can’t walk away at all

November 23, 2010

Dan Bejar has already taken his Destroyer project into some unexpected directions, from ambient techno to chamber pop to MIDI-based electronica. His latest track, “Chinatown,” pushes the Destroyer sound into yet another new direction, with a sunny pop groove backed by dazzling synths and a silky sax solo.

It’s gorgeous stuff. Over at Exclaim!, you can read my article about Destroyer’s upcoming LP, Kaputt, due out in January via Merge.

MP3: “Chinatown”

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PREMIERE: PS I Love You – “Facelove”

November 22, 2010

Normally, this blog has a pretty rigid format, consisting of a brief blurb plus a link to a MP3. Today, I’m breaking from tradition, and for good reason: I’ve got an exclusive (let me repeat that: EXCLUSIVE) video from PS I Love You. It’s the sixth and final part in the band’s series of live videos called The Kingston Sessions. Previous instalments have be been posted in various places, including Herohill and Quick Before it Melts.

This instalment is for the band’s signature tune, “Facelove.” It’s a stripped-down take on the usually-explosive song, performed with an acoustic guitar and a keyboard, using a Casio beat for support. Oh yeah, and there’s a yawning kitty right at the beginning. Cute!

Scroll past the video to download the (already posted) studio version, which appears on the outstanding Meet Me at the Muster Station, out now via Paper Bag.

MP3: “Facelove”

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Step back, step back

November 21, 2010

It’s fucking cold in Vancouver. It snowed a couple of days ago, which is about the earliest I can ever remember it snowing in Vancouver.

To add a chill to the already-icy weather, here’s a song from Vancouver’s Shi Yi. It’s called “Glitter Days,” and it’s actually a little warmer than the band’s usual goth-y minimalism. Unlike most of the band’s self-titled album, it’s in a major key, and features a wash of shoegaze-y guitars along with Jesus & Mary Chain-style beats.

I wrote an article about Shi Yi for The Tyee.

MP3: “Glitter Days”

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Thought my water weight was fine

November 19, 2010

Last night, Kyprios won the Peak Performance Project. Go to Exclaim! to read my story about the finals, which also featured performances from runners-up Said the Whale and Vince Vaccaro. The weirdest part about the night was that I somehow ended up standing around for five minutes holding Said the Whale’s novelty cheque for $75,000.

Speaking of Said the Whale and last night (segue), here’s the band’s new song, “Last Night,” which was released for free via the Peak’s website. It a synth-y, electrified rocker that recalls the new wave stylings of Metric.

The photo to the left was taken by Leigh Eldridge.

MP3: “Last Night”

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You are your own deliverance

November 17, 2010

“‘God’ is a weird word / It spells ‘dog’ when backwards / It dons only one vowel / Hey Jenny, hey Chad, you are your own deliverance.”

Yeah, this song is fucking hilarious. It’s the eponymous track by Vancouver’s Like Animals Again, and it comes from the band’s new album, Comfortable Dungeon. It might be a little too cute for some listeners, but I like the steady marching beat and goofy SNES-style keyboards.

MP3: “Like Animals Again”

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The doors we chose fell off the hinges

November 16, 2010

Of course the High Dials are a psychedelic pop band—just look at the album cover, which resembles a long-lost (and slightly morbid) Woodstock poster. Here’s the single “Chinese Boxes,” which is laden with vocal harmonies and Byrds-esque guitar leads, all delivered with what sounds like a narcotic exhaustion.

It comes from the Montreal band’s new LP, Anthems for Doomed Youth. Go to Exclaim! to read the story I wrote about the album last month.

MP3: “Chinese Boxes”

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It’s living that’s treacherous

November 15, 2010

Photo by Jessica Amaya at Subtle as the Wind Is Gray

I’ve been meaning to post Cults‘ “Go Outside” for ages, and seeing as how the band just signed to Columbia, now seems as good a time as ever.

This soaring track has been making the rounds for a few months. It’s got a tinkling glockenspiel and soaring soul pop harmonies, all soaked in a gorgeous haze of lo-fi reverb. Oh yeah, and a clip of real-life cult leader Jim Jones talking about death.

I recently reviewed the band’s show with the Morning Benders and Twin Sister for BeatRoute (which was one of those gigs where both of openers were better than the headliners).

MP3: “Go Outside”

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