more christmas downloads!

merry christmas downloads!

In the spirit of Christmas, there seen to be quite a lot of free music offered by a number of bands/musicians:

Bradford Cox recorded 5 versions of a new Atlas Sound Christmas song entitled "Artificial Snow", go here to download all of them.


Merry Christmas from Anamanaguchi with an awesome cover of Mariah Carey’s "All I Want 4 Xmas Is U"!

Anamanaguchi: All I Want 4 Xmas Is U (Mariah Carey cover) [wicked-cool song]


Klaxons released an EP called Landmarks of Lunacy and you can download all 5 tracks from the EP for free here.

my 30 favourite albums of 2010

2010 was a year of many great new artists/debuts. It is also a notably good year for instrumental and hardcore albums. There were a handful of disappointing sophomore records; however, with that being said, my favourite album (and possibly some of the finest music ever created) came from a sophomore release. Please take a look at the following list and like previous years, I encourage you tell me your favourite albums of the year, I look forward to all your comments!

Ps, I took elements from the top 30 cover art to make the banner above, how many can you spot? ...There are some very Hidden ones!


#30 Holy Fuck: Latin
My top 30 list opens with Latin, one of several great instrumental albums of the year; but unfortunately, it is also one of only two Canadian albums on this list (you can probably guess the other one.)


#29 The Soft Pack: The Soft Pack
A fast pace, upbeat album full of catchy, positive and carefree surf rock songs, "Answer to Yourself" is definitely one of the best songs of 2010!



#28 White Guilt: White Guilt
Very loud and abusive to my eardrums—love it!




#27 Emeralds: Does It Look Like I'm Here?
Peaceful, calming and atmospheric, what standouts for me is the weird sci-fi like effects throughout the record.



#26 Everyone Everywhere: Everyone Everywhere
Great straightforward melodic indie rock record, sounds like The Promise Ring.





#25 No Age: Everything in Between
Same old same old... still loud, still energetic... and still awesome!





#24 Salem: King Night
Melodically dark and mysteriously distorted beats, a highly additive record.




#23 Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: The Social Network Soundtrack
Another instrumental album on the list. The 19 tracks on The Social Network Soundtrack is surprising engaging.




#22 Foals: Total Life Forever
A wonderfully epic, moody and stylish album with some very memorable tracks—"Spanish Sahara" is one of my favourite songs of the year!



#21 Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
The first Arcade Fire album to entre my year-end list. It took me a long time to like this band and it began with The Suburbs/Month of May 12-inch, two of the best tracks of 2010.



#20 65daysofstatic: We Were Exploding Anyway
An insanely hyper, intense and explosive album full of killer guitar melodies and crashing drum beats... so good!



#19 Brutality Will Prevail: Root Of All Evil
Holy shit, what a year for hardcore music! Drone metal build-ups and hardcore deliver. Root Of All Evil is this year’s Monoliths & Dimensions for me.





#18 Wavves: King Of The Beach
A clever mix of pop, punk, and psychedelic makes for some of the catchiest and most memorable songs of the year. "Idiot", "Post Acid", and "Take On The World" are among my favourite tracks of 2010.



#17 The Tallest Man On Earth: The Wild Hunt
Another collection of delightfully genuine folk songs from Kristian Matsson. For some strange reason, I love making breakfast to this album... actually, Shallow Graves as well! Conclusion: Matsson makes great breakfast making albums!


#16 Cats and Cats and Cats: If I'd Had An Atlas
Unpredictably youthful and raw as well as catchy as hell hooks make If I'd Had An Atlas an ultra exciting and refreshing indie rock record.




#15 Anamanaguchi: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (Original Videogame Soundtrack)
45 minutes of chiptune/classic 8-bit music mixed with killer riffs and dance beats = wickedly fun!


#14 Villagers: Becoming A Jackal
Fantastic and unforgettable lyrics make for an absolutely beautiful record.
"My love is selfish/How it separates the earth/It takes every shiny stone but leaves the dirt/For the cowards in the corner who just don't know what they're worth" —by far some of my favourite lines of the year!

#13 The National: High Violet
Another acclaimed band I only got into this year. High Violet is additively mesmerizing for its gloomy mood and Matt Berninger’s tender vocal—I often have this album on repeat.



#12 Titus Andronicus: The Monitor
I got really interested in American Civil War after watching Glory many years ago. Titus Andronicus’ concept album about the Civil War once again sparks my interest in the subject. The Monitor is grand and celebratory with Decemberists-like stories and Gaslight Anthem-like punk attitudes... it is really fucking good!


#11 Devlin: Bud, Sweat & Beers
Devlin’s debut is full of clever wordplays, emotional lyrics and stories—it is fascinatingly poetic! Bud, Sweat & Beers is one of the gloomiest albums of the year, but it also features one of the most inspiring tracks in "Finally".



#10 Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring
All the classic Los Campesinos! goodness + the band’s best song writing to date!

#9 Ceremony: Rohnert Park
Classic straight hardcore sound combine with the perfect dose of experimentation—Rohnert Park is without a doubt, one of the best hardcore albums I've heard in recently years.








#8 Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
The most accessible and arguably one of the best releases Bradford Cox has ever created. As always, I found something relatable in Cox’s lyrics; but it is the comforting and soothing melodies that make Halcyon Digest an astonishing record. I pretty much never want this album to end—that sudden stop in "He Would Have Laughed" kills me every time.





#7 Professor Green: Alive Till I'm Dead
This long-await debut is full of classic Prof. Green humourous and cocky attitude, Alive Till I'm Dead is unbelievably fun and entertaining, a near perfect pop record.





#6 Band Of Horses: Infinite Arms
Surprise of the year! I didn’t care for this release at first; in fact, I was sent an advanced link from Sony and didn’t even bother to download it. Months after the album was released, I finally listened to it because my friend gave me his CD. I fell in love with it and bought it on vinyl. Infinite Arms is a prefect marriage of pop, rock and folk sound. Some of my favourite songs of the year ("Blue Beard", "On My Way Back Home", "Evening Kitchen") are taken from this album.





#5 Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore: Dear Companion
The central idea behind Dear Companion is to express the members' love for nature—in particular the Appalachian Mountains. Not only is the album remarkably gorgeous and moving; it is an environmentally conscious as well.







#4 Avi Buffalo: Avi Buffalo
Avi Buffalo is one of my favourite new bands of 2010 and their S/T debut is youthful, pure and genuine. It is full of catchy melodies and brilliant lyrics.

My favourite video of 2010:





#3 Perfume Genius: Learning
Absolutely gorgeous! There is something comforting through the darkness, sadness and delicateness of Mike Hadreas’s songs. Learning is the most beautiful record of the year!





#2 Pulled Apart By Horses: Pulled Apart By Horses
Being a long time fan of the band through their amazing collection of 7-inchs and EPs, this was a long-await debut that ended up being everything I expected plus more. An insanely high-energy record, it is loud, heavy and aggressive... and fuck yes—there is even a song about Link (Zelda)!



#1 These New Puritans: Hidden
Hidden was the first album I recommended in 2010 and it was also by far the best and my most listened to album of the year. In a year where I was disappointed by a lot of follow-ups, Hidden is the one album that completely surpasses its predecessor, which is pretty impressive consider that Beat Pyramid was my third favourite album of 2008. The first time I head the album, I was blown away by the mysterious atmosphere, the killer rhythms and drumbeats, the grand sound and incredible production. It is uniquely modest for its colossal stature. Hidden is the most innovative/my favourite album of this year; in fact, it is one of the best albums I have ever heard!

(re)introducing if you want to sing out

As you can see, some pretty big changes were made to this blog over the weekend. Firstly, I have finally changed the name from Lycanthropy to If You Want To Sing Out... I figure it’s probably best/less confusing that the title matches its URL. Secondly, I want to try something new—I want to start incorporating my first passion/profession to the blog. It will still be music heavy, but I want to start posting about design-related contents... maybe design in relation to music... it’s pretty open at this point. More small changes will come in the next week or so, for now, stay tuned as I will post my Top 30 Albums of 2010 list sometime tomorrow (or Tuesday).

song of the moment

NEW GLASSJAW!!!!! Fuck Yeah!

GlassJaw: Stars [wicked-cool song]

song of the moment

At last, a Los Campesinos! Christmas Song!
...and you can download it for free!

Los Campesinos!: Kindle A Flame In Her Heart

song of the moment

Insanely awesome song—"Asia" by Salem:

devlin: bud, sweat & beers

There is something about North America Rap/Hip-Hop I just don’t get. I am by far an expert on that genre, but you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy something, right? Kanye West’s latest got great reviews everywhere and I can’t even listen through it once. The last Rap/Hip-Hop album from North America I truly enjoyed was Madvillain’s Madvillainy—which came out 6 years ago! On the other hand, I absolutely love the UK Rap/Hip-Hop scene, better known as 2-Step or Grime. For me, it is more open and diverse in terms of style and lyrics... there’s no set formula, so you never know what you are going to get as. Devlin’s long-awaited debut, Bud, Sweat & Beers is the latest addition to the ever-growing list of great 2-Step/Grime records! Fans of the Tales From The Crypt mixtape know what to expect in this debut—clever wordplays, as well as emotional lyrics and stories. Bud, Sweat & Beers is quite intense, it offers a grime view on the world/society today. A lot of the subject matters are gloomy; for instance, Devlin raps about poverty in "Community Outcast": "I represent for the homeless/Let down by a nation/More interested in war and invasion/When children are sleeping at railway stations..." (one of my favourite lines on the album) and discussing various wrongs of the world through God’s eyes in "Our Father". However, there is optimism in track like "Finally"—a beautiful/aspiring song about not giving up on what you love doing. At times, Devlin comes off as a little arrogant and self-centered (like in "Brainwashed"); but to be fair, he has to right to brag, Bud, Sweat & Beers is brilliantly poetic! It will definitely appear on my year's end list!

more than conquerors: s/t ep

My latest obsession is a band from Northern Ireland called More Than Conquerors. As I write this post, I have listened to the band about 93 times (according to my Last.fm) in just over a week—and that’s just from a 5-track EP... yes, I am clearly addicted! More Than Conquerors reminds me of a rawer, heavier, and louder version of Grammatics, with incredible energy and wickedly catchy songs. The band’s S/T EP is absolutely wonderful, I love all five tracks, but in particular the song "Go On Go On Get Out". This song was the reason I checked out the EP and I can only describe it as the perfect indie-rock song—probably my favourite song of the year!



visit More Than Conquerors' MySpace here
buy More Than Conquerors EP here (digital) or here (CD)

song of the moment

Stream/download Jónsi's "New Piano Song" off of Go Live. Facebook users can download the track for free, follow the instructions here.

more updates to come!

Holy crap—I haven’t updated in nearly two weeks! I am terribly sorry about that folks, I have just been insanely busy.

There are a few artists with new-ish releases that I am dying to post about, so stay tuned for those. For now, if you haven’t already done so, Bradford Cox (of Altas Sound and Deerhunter) uploaded 4 volumes of mixtapes entitled Bedroom Databank onto his blog throughout last week; that’s over of 2.5 hours of awesome music, and you can download them all for FREE!

song of the moment

Watch the video for Pulled Apart By Horses' new single "Yeah Buddy", out on November 29. You can pre-order a signed copy of the vinyl from here!

song of the moment

Patrick Wolf will release a brand new 7-inch single for the song "Time Of My Life" on December 6th! It will also feature a Leonard Cohen cover of "Anthem" on side B. You can pre-order the single here. Watch the lyric video for "Time Of My Life" below.

level up!

As promised, here’s a video of Anamanaguchi performing "My Skateboard Will Go On" during their Gamercamp 1UP Bash show last night at Wrongbar!

.

100 coins

Anamanaguchi—November 13, 2010 @ Wrongbar (Gamercamp LV2 1UP Bash)




I am currently uploading a video onto YouTube, so stay tune for that; but you can’t wait, the video and more photos are up at my Flickr page.

anamanaguchi tonight!

The mighty Anamanaguchi is playing a show in Toronto tonight at Wrongbar as part of Gamercamp 2010. Doors open at 8:30 pm, show at 9:00 pm. Go here for more info.

Read my Anamanaguchi—The Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Original Videogame Soundtrack post here.

Airbrushed [wicked-cool song]
Rainbow in the Dark (Das Racist Remix) [wicked cool song]

song of the moment

Currently loving Cats and Cats and Cats’ If I'd Had An Atlas... I will post about the album soon! For now, check out the song/video for "A Boy Called Haunts".

professor green: alive till i'm dead

I have waited four long years for the follow-up to Professor Green’s first mixtape, Lecture #1. So one would think that with such anticipation, disappointment is inevitable, right? Wrong! I am far from being disappointed by Alive Till I'm Dead; in fact, it is one of my favourite albums of the year so far! One thing I loved about the Lecture #1 mixtape was Green’s humourous and cocky attitude... the fact the he does not take himself too seriously. Alive Till I'm Dead is full of that goodness, plus awesome sampling of some retro classics such as The SOS Band’s "Just Be Good To Me" and INXS’ "Need You Tonight". Sure, there are a few serious moments, but the majority of the album is incredibly fun and entertaining... hardly a dull moment!







visit Professor Green's MySpace here
buy Alive Till I'm Dead here


Also, since I am posting like a thousand videos, might as well post one more: check out this amazing new single by Tinchy Stryder, which features a handful of guests including Professor Green and my new favourite Grime artist, Devlin.

new streets!

tim kasher: the game Of monogamy

Although I have always considered The Good Life as Tim Kasher’s solo project, the recently released The Game Of Monogamy is actually Kasher’s first solo album. By now, his music has become a comfort sound for me—whether it is Cursive, The Good Life, or this solo record—his voice, style and lyrics have become very recognizable and familiar. In his solo debut, Kasher once again demonstrates his ability to write extremely entertaining songs/tell engaging stories. As usual, his dark and pessimistic lyrics are balanced off by wittiness and sarcasm. The Game Of Monogamy begins with a nice and soothing string section before suddenly hitting you with a brink that is "A Grown Man"—a brutally straightforward song about traditional expectations of being an adult in North America. In this case, the expectation of being in a committed relationship is explored throughout the album as we follow the struggle and downfall of a relationship. The Game Of Monogamy is really the best of both worlds—it has the gentle and honestly of The Good Life while the aggression and intensity of Cursive. The lyrics are exceptional and the music is wonderfully dramatic!

A Grown Man [wicked-cool song]
I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here



visit Tim Kasher's MySpace here
by The Game Of Monogamy here

who needs all those dying leaves?

Stop by at Criminal Records today at 6 for a free Forest City Lovers in-store! Go to the Facebook event page for more details.

my top 3 halloween songs of all time!

Whenever I think of Halloween playlist, there are three songs that always come to mind:

3. The Dickies: Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Just awesome!

2. Goblin: Suspiria
One of the most memorable soundtracks to one of the greatest horror films ever!

...and of course...

1. Suicide: Frankie Teardrop
Read my post about this track back in 2006!

See more photos from this year's Toronto Zombie Walk at my Flickr page.

song of the moment

I think this has been out for a while now, but just saw it recently... yet another hauntingly gorgeous song by Perfume Genius:

song of the moment

The Superfantastics recently released a new album entitled Places To Roam. Check out the brand new video for the track, "Push You Away" below.

the sky falls silver and gold

Isobel Campbell with Willy Mason—October 20, 2010 @ Criminal Records
I had no idea that Willy Mason was going to be there... what a nice surprise!





see more photos at my flickr page

isobel campbell at criminal today!

Don't forget that Isobel Campbell will be doing a very special in-store at Criminal Records today at 6pm! Check the Facebook event page for more details.

pulled apart by horses: pulled apart by horses

Once in a while, I like an album so much that it becomes difficult to write a post about. In this case, the album is the S/T debut by Pulled Apart By Horses—which I have been meaning to write about for months (3+) now. I guess I will begin by saying that Pulled Apart By Horses is a colossally incredible record!!!!!!! One can get a hint of the album’s/band’s wicked energy right from the opener "Back To The Fuck Yeah"—it is so delightfully loud and aggressive! It is then followed by an old favourite, "The Crapsons"—another fucking awesome loud one, and to top it off, the song is about Link (Zelda)! I can go on about how much I absolutely love each track, but let’s be honest, no one really want to read that! Pulled Apart By Horses is deliciously loud, heavy and aggressive. It is this year’s Grey Britain and without a doubt, one of the best albums of 2010! Ultimate power! Maximum life!

I Punched A Lion In The Throat [super-wicked-cool song]





visit Pulled Apart By Horses' MySpace here
buy Pulled Apart By Horses here

i won't disturb you in your time of rebirth

Avi Buffalo—October 17 @ Soundscapes

I only took these two photos during the Avi Buffalo in-store at Soundscapes last night as I didn’t want to ruin/disrupt the lovely acoustic performance with the loud clickings from my camera.

Avi Buffalo plays again tonight at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

song of the moment

Here’s another song of the moment for this gorgeous Sunday afternoon!

Seabear: "I'll Build You A Fire (FM Belfast Remix)"

Seabear is currently touring the US, check the dates below to see if the Icelanders are coming to a city near you:

Sat 10/16, New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
Mon 10/18, Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
Tue 10/19, Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Fri 10/22, Seattle, WA @ Showbox w/ Blitzen Trapper
Sat 10/23, Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Mon 10/25, San Francisco. CA @ Independent
Tue 10/26, Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Wed 10/27, San Diego, CA @ Casbah

song of the moment

Although summer is over, the spectacular Anamanaguchi continues to give away a new single every two weeks! The group’s latest release is "Mess" and you can download the track via BrooklynVegan. Also, go here if you missed my post on the incredibly wicked Scott Pilgrim video game soundtrack by Anamanaguchi.

Anamanaguchi: "Mess"

jenny jenny jenny, don't be lazy

The Drums—October 16, 2010 @ Soundscapes

Thanks to Soundscapes and The Drums for putting this awesome set together!
If you are in Toronto tonight, Avi Buffalo will be playing a special acoustic set at 7 pm! I saw them twice during this year's NXNE and trust me, you won’t want to miss this!






see more photos at my flickr page