Articles posted under Tracks

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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Apollo Ghosts – “Dobermans”

March 11, 2013

As I previously mentioned, Apollo Ghosts are calling it quits. It’s a total bummer, although it’s always nice to see a band go out on top without ever falling from grace. Right, Weezer? I interviewed singer Adrian Teacher about the band’s final show for the Georgia Straight.

Below is the first Apollo Ghosts song I ever fell in love with, “Dobermans.” Not coincidentally, it’s the first song from their first album, 2009’s Hastings Sunrise.

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Gal Gracen – “Sylvan Tragedy”

March 6, 2013

Now that Apollo Ghosts are breaking up, Vancouver is looking for a successor to claim the title of best local live act.

I nominate Gal Gracen, a band that recently released an excellent tape called Blue Hearts in Exile through Green Burrito Records. My favourite track, “Sylvan Tragedy,” is below.

I interviewed frontman Patrick Geraghty for this month’s issue of BeatRoute.

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Aaron Read – “Woman in the Dunes”

February 25, 2013

I first heard of Aaron Read from to his work as part of the Vancouver improv troupe the Sunday Service, but it turns out that he plays music as well, and is a member of How to Dress Well’s live band. He recently released an excellent album called Even Rats Can Feel the Sun through Green Burrito Records, and I wrote about it for The Tyee.

The album isn’t available digitally, but you can hear “Woman in the Dunes” below.

Aaron doesn’t have any current promo photos, so I screen-grabbed this one from a Sunday Service comedy video.

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My Bloody Valentine – “New You”

February 7, 2013

Last weekend I went to San Francisco and didn’t have internet access for four days. In that time, fucking My Bloody Valentine released an album. Insane!

Here’s my favourite song from the long awaited m b v, “New You.” It’s one of the only My Bloody Valentine songs that could be described as “bass heavy.”

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Daniel Romano – “The Middle Child”

January 11, 2013

I haven’t listened to much folk and country in the last couple of years, but Daniel Romano’s “The Middle Child” is undeniably brilliant. It’s a tear-in-beer heartbreaker based on an apparently real story about a kid who was put up for adoption by a women who decided to keep her other two children.

I included Romano’s upcoming LP, Come Cry with Me, in the Exclaim! list of the year’s most anticipated Canadian albums. The disc is out on January 22.

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Wars – “Clock (Monocure)”

January 3, 2013

Wars‘ second album is here! Following 2010’s ridiculously awesome Pacey from Mighty Ducks, the Vancouver band has released Neville Say Neville for free though Bandcamp.

“Clock (Monocure)” isn’t the catchiest song on the album, but it represents an interesting shift into a more aggressive style that tones down the pop and emphasizes the punk. Awesomely, its chorus consists entirely of throat-tearing screams of “aww yeah.”

<a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/bonerwars.bandcamp.com/album/neville-say-never');" href="http://bonerwars.bandcamp.com/album/neville-say-never">Neville Say Never by Wars</a>

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Slim Fathers – “Everything That’s My Stuff”

December 22, 2012

Slim Fathers‘ lineup features Courtney Ewan from Twin River and Chris van der Laan from Wars, but the band’s noisy indie rock style sounds nothing like either of those projects.

This summer’s Old Fruit is a fantastic record, so get a load of the fiery “Everything That’s My Stuff” below.

I raved about the album for BeatRoute’s list of the best Vancouver releases of 2012.

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Kendrick Lamar – “Backseat Freestyle”

December 18, 2012

My initial attempts to get into Kendrick Lamar were unsuccessful, but I’m officially converted, and good kid, m.A.A.d. city is excellent.

Below is “Backseat Freestyle,” which contains one of year’s most hilarious and crudely sexual rhymes of the year: “I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower / So I can fuck the world for 72 hours.”

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Wars – “Wars 1979″

December 8, 2012

Wars totally kicked my ass back in 2011 with the hilariously heartwarming Pacey from Might Ducks, and now the Vancouver band is prepping another album. First up is the 1979 EP, which contains the upcoming album cut “Wars 1979″ (which I can only assume is a reference to Death from Above 1979). This track tones down the punk and emphasizes the pop, and it’s fucking awesome.