Articles posted under Tracks

The Weeknd – “The Morning”

December 22, 2011

Fuck it. Fine. You win, Abel Tesfaye. After months of dismissing it, I’ve come around to the inevitable conclusion that the Weeknd is awesome and House of Balloons is a creepy, mind-bending masterpiece. It’s one of the most lyrically debauched albums I’ve ever heard, and this might be a turn-off were it not for the angelic soul crooning and chilling beats. Below is the standout “The Morning.”

The Weeknd’s been keeping me busy over at Exclaim! by releasing mitapes with no warning. Such is Abel’s way.

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Woods – “Christmas Time Is Here”

December 21, 2011

It’s about time that I posted a Christmas song on the blog this year. Here’s Woods‘ version of the Vince Guaraldi Trio classic “Christmas Time Is Here.” It doesn’t deviate too much from the original, but Woods naturally give it a weirdo freak folk update. If there’s one singer with a voice that’s high and squeaky enough to replicate the children’s choir of the original, it’s Woods singer Jeremy Earl.

If I was feeling picky I would complain about them changing “Christmastime” to be two words, but it’s free music, so I shouldn’t be such a purist.

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Slim Twig – “There’s a Secret to Your Pleasure”

December 20, 2011

I used to fantasize about becoming a rockabilly dude with dapper suits, shiny shoes and a slicked back pompadour. Of course, I could never pull it off with my Blonde on Blonde hair.

Toronto songwriter Slim Twig, however, manages to carry off the rockabilly schtick without coming across like a faker. This is partly because he has a malleable quaff, and partly because he gives the retro-tinged music an electronic, forward-thinking update.

The new single “There’s a Secret to Your Pleasure” is below. It’s available on 7″ through Slim’s own Calico Corporation label.

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Twin Sister – “Gene Ciampi”

December 15, 2011

I’ve already participated in year-end roundups for Exclaim! and BeatRoute, but my most extensive year-end list appears in this week’s issue of the Georgia Straight.

It includes Twin Sister’s excellent debut LP In Heaven, which has been burrowing its way into my brain ever since it was released back in September. Here’s the peculiar standout “Gene Ciampi.” Who is this Gene fellow, and why does his song sound so weird?

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John K. Samson – “When I Write My Master’s Thesis”

December 13, 2011

I’ve never exactly been a massive fan of the Weakerthans, but the upcoming John K. Samson album, Provincial, is sounding pretty great. Just listen to the excellent first single “When I Write My Master’s Thesis,” which blends a gritty rock arrangement with heartbreaking lyrical details about playing video games and how much graduate school sucks. I’ve thought periodically about going back to school to do a master’s degree in journalism, and this is making it sound like a pretty bad idea.

I’ve written about Samson’s album for Exclaim! a couple of times.

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Tennis – “Origins”

December 8, 2011

I spoke with Tennis for the lead music article in this week’s Georgia Straight. It was an enjoyable conversion with a nice person in a good band. I can’t ask for more than that.

The group’s latest single is called “Origins” and it’s totally awesome, with production that’s a lot more lush than the band’s past work. Check it out below.

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Great Aunt Ida – “Your Window”

December 1, 2011

A couple of years ago, Great Aunt Ida moved from Vancouver to Toronto, but the Big Smoke hasn’t robbed this songwriter of her soul. Just listen to the big-hearted piano ballad “Open Window,” which reflects on the cross-country move and adeptly blends feelings of romantic confusion with a sense of big city alienation. Lovely.

This comes from new album Nuclearize Me.

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Plants and Animals – “Lightshow”

November 30, 2011

As I wrote about today for Exclaim!, Plants and Animals have a new album called The End of That coming out next year. Man, how awesome was Parc Avenue? And how pretty okay was La La Land?

Below you can listen to the rocking single “Lightshow,” which contains a guitar riff that’s so straightforward and punchy that it could have come from a Tom Petty song. Of course, this is Plants and Animals we’re talking about, so this is a lot more brittle and grandiose than your average heartland rock song.

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Wars – “Statue Isn’t Right”

November 29, 2011

Here’s my favourite local discovery in a while. Vancouver’s Chris vanderLaan undertook a project in 2011 to write 100 songs, which resulted in him starting a slew of new bands in a variety of genres.

This includes his pop punk project Wars, a band that features members of Living with Lions and Ghost House. The band’s album is called, uh, Pacey from Mighty Ducks, making it probably the only LP ever named after actor Joshua Jackson (who played Pacey Witter in Dawson’s Creek and Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks).

Here’s the rousing album opener “Statue Isn’t Right,” which is a little less funny than most of the band’s songs but every bit as catchy.

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