avi buffalo: avi buffalo

photo by Jeff Antebi

I am really enjoying Avi Buffalo’s S/T debut at the moment—it is fresh, lovely, and full of youthful and innocent moments. A lot of reviews I’ve read compared Avi Buffalo to The Shins, I totally see the resemblance mainly for the gentle-poppy sound and the somewhat psychedelic and surreal vibe. On the other hand, it occasionally reminds me of 60s and 70s classic rock... like The Beach Boys... or in the case of "Jessica", the beautiful ballad is quite Zeppelin sounding to me. I can’t decide what I like more about Avi Buffalo: Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg’s wonderful falsetto voice or his brilliant lyrics—songs like "What's In It For?", "Summer Cum", "Can't I Know?" and "Where's Your Dirty Mind" are all examples of fantastic song-writing! Avi Buffalo is a flawless debut, the songs are memorable not because of the catchy melodies or clever lyrics, but because they are so damn pure and genuine.

What’s In It For? [wicked-cool song]
Remember Last Time





Head over to elliotglass's YouTube Channel to watch more incredible solo performances by Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg!

visit Avi Buffalo's MySpace here
buy Avi Buffalo here

the paths are a labyrinth or even a trap

These New Puritans performs "We Want War" on BBC Radio 1... just incredible!

song of the moment

AMAZING: Ramona Falls + The Hood Internet + Lil Wayne

Ramona Falls: Russia (feat. Lil Wayne) (The Hood Internet Remix) [wicked-cool song]

You can hear the original version of "Russia" from Ramona Falls’ (Brent Knopf of Menomena) debut album, Intuit.

i'm talking shh about you

Hannah Georgas—April 27, 2010 @ Criminal Records






see more photos at my flickr page

song of the moment

A pretty wicked video for the song "When I'm With You" by Best Coast:



Best Coast: When I'm With You [wicked-cool song]

This song is taken off Black Iris Label 7", you can download/stream the two tracks off the it here.

it is good

If you are in the Toronto area today, be sure to stop by at Criminal Records (493 Queen St West) around 6pm for a free in-store performance by Hannah Georgas!

i've got your name tatooed inside of my arm

Pre-order for The Gaslight Anthem’s highly-anticipated third album, American Slang starts TODAY! Get multiple formats/variants of the album over at the band’s site, SideOneDummy Records, No Idea Records, or Vinyl Collective.

For all you vinyl fans, here is the breakdown of American Slang vinyl pressing:

Vinyl Collective Exclusive Color: 500 on Dip Half Black/Half Cover Green (White Splatter on Cover Green side)
No Idea Exclusive Color: 500 on Dip Half Black/Half White (Cover Green Splatter on White side)
Side One Dummy Exclusive Color: 500 on 180 Gram, closest shade of Gray match the cover art
European Pressing: 1000 on 180 Gram Green Vinyl
180 Gram Black Vinyl Pressing—This becomes the standard pressing once the colored variants sell out.

The Gaslight Anthem has also announced their first run of North American dates:

JUNE
15 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza *

JULY
14 Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy *
15 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore (special lineup also featuring The Hold Steady and The Whigs)
16 St. Louis, MO @ Pop's *
17 Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre *
20 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre *
21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *
22 San Jose, CA @ "Music in the Park Series"
24 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
26 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
27 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues *
28 Columbus, OH @ LC Pavillion *
29 Philadelphia, PA @ Great Plaza at Penn's Landing *
31 Providence, RI @ Lupo's *

AUGUST
01 Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
02 Boston, MA @ House of Blues *

* = w/ Tim Barry and special guests

spaghetti anywhere: spaghetti anywhere ep

photo by Kit Chiu

Spaghetti Anywhere’s S/T EP is a perfect spring record. The EP consists of four incredibly joyous indie pop songs: each one has delightfully catchy and upbeat melodies, along with Francis Cullen’s tenderly soft and very Scottish-sounding vocal. Seriously, there is nothing more appropriate to listen to during these gorgeous sunny spring days! The only complaint I have with the EP is that it is wayyyyy too short—only 13 minutes long. Oh well, I just have to put it on repeat for those longer walks! If you like Belle & Sebastian, make sure you check out Spaghetti Anywhere and the band’s debut EP!

Love Again (acoustic)



visit Spaghetti Anywhere's MySpace here
buy the Spaghetti Anywhere EP here

song of the moment

photo by Lisa Roze

Icelandic neo-classical artist Ólafur Arnalds has recently made his ultra soothing new single, "Þú ert sólin", available as a free download! The song, which translates to "You Are The Sun" is the first track off his forthcoming sophomore album entitled ...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness, due out on Erased Tapes in June.

Ólafur Arnalds: Þú ert sólin

if i get to thirty and i don't have a wife, i'll ask you nicely but i won't ask twice

Slow Club is giving away their EP, Let's Fall Back In Love for free on their website, get it here!

ben sollee and daniel martin moore: dear companion/happy earth day!

Dear Companion is a beautiful collaborative effect between three Kentucky-natives: Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, who wrote and preformed the songs; and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, who produced the album. The central idea behind Dear Companion is to express the members' love for nature—in particular the Appalachian Mountains—and to protest/raise awareness of the issue of mountaintop removal coal mining (please go to iLoveMountains.org for more info.) I thought pretty highly of the album from the beginning, but reading that the basis of it is about saving mountains, my love for the album skyrocketed! Like I said at the start, the collaboration between Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore is remarkably gorgeous and moving. The out of this world harmonies and memorizing acoustic guitar, cello, and banjo in songs like "Something, Somewhere, Sometime", "My Wealth Comes To Me", "Flyrock Blues", "Try", and "Sweet Marie" completely melt my heart. The mostly serious tone of Dear Companion is cleverly broken up by the lighthearted and one of my favourite tracks, "Only A Song". Lyrics like: "I want to believe that this mountain can’t be moved; But this is only a song, it can’t change the world" and later, "I pictured the Harlem Globetrotters dancing like mosquitoes with a basketball" make me smile.

Hey, it is Earth Day today! So why not celebrate this day by supporting an environmentally conscious album—go buy Dear Companion over at Sub Pop or iLoveMountains.org, all the proceeds from the album goes to iLoveMountains.org!

Something, Somewhere, Sometime [wicked-cool song]
stream Dear Companion here

visit Ben Sollee's MySpace here and Daniel Martin Moore's MySpace here
buy Dear Companion over at Sub Pop Records or iLoveMountains.org

sylvia, get your head out of the oven

The Antlers recently premiered their brand new video for "Sylvia" on IFC.com. Watch the video here or download the video and the New York Hospitals EP for free below.

song of the moment

Mystery Jets posted a brand new track, “Flash a Hungry Smile” off the band’s upcoming album to be released this summer. You can stream or download the song on their site here.

a couple of beautiful videos for your monday morning

Christopher Smith: Gently Gently


Foals: Spanish Sahara

song of the moment

The Record Store Day exclusive new song, "Fool's Day", by Blur has been made available as a free download! Get the song over at the band's website!

i sense a spy up in the chimney

The Tallest Man On Earth—April 17, 2010 @ Criminal Records, Record Store Day 2010





see more photos at my flickr page

last minute/surprise record store day in-store:

This just in—The Tallest Man On Earth will play live today at Criminal Records at 7 pm!!!!!!!

happy record store day!

What are you looking forward to purchase on Record Store Day? Below is a list of some things I might be getting, but most likely not all as I will be broke!

Against Me!: I Was A Teenage Anarchist 7"
The Album Leaf: There Is a Wind 12"

Beach House: Zebra 12"

Coconut Records: Bored To Death Theme Song/Nighttiming 7"

Fucked Up: Daytrotter 7"

Let's Wrestle/Love Language 7"

Menomena/Helio Sequence 7"

Plants & Animals: La La Land
Pavement: Quarantine The Past [RSD Edition]

Sick of It All: Sick of It All
The Soft Pack 7” Boxset
Soundgarden: Hunted Down 7"
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: Streetcore
Sonic Youth: Confusion Is Sex
Surfer Blood/Holiday Shores 7"

Tegan & Sara: AOL Sessions 7"
The Thermals/The Cribs 7"

Velvet Underground: Live 1969 Vol 1 and Vol 2

This is what's available in Canada (as far as I know)... there are like a hundred other releases I want from the US and especially the UK RSD list.

happy record store day eve!

Record Store Day is less than 24 hrs away! The year is shaping out to be pretty huge with tones of wicked exclusives. I am extremely jealous of the folks in the UK as Parlophone will be releasing a series of limited 7-inches by 12 artists including The Beatles, Jónsi, Babyshambles, Bat For Lashes... and Blur’s first new single since 2003 “Fool’s Day”!!!!!!!!!


I guess North America isn’t getting a bad deal either with Sub Pop releasing Beach House and The Album Leaf 12-inches—both with 2 new tracks; as well as reissue of Soundgarden’s Hunted Down 7”. Go here for a full list of Sub Pop's RSD releases and check out the Sub Pop Record Store Day Playlist here.

cover song of the moment

Hot Chip recently covered Shakira’s "She Wolf" (WTF/OMG!) I actually just heard/saw the song/video for the first time the other day—it is pretty amazing... in that funny kind of way. Hot Chip’s version is pretty spectacular, hear it over at Abeano.

the one who searches and destroys

A huge announcement from NXNE today that Iggy And The Stooges will be doing a free show at this year’s festival!!!!!! (OMG!!!!) Other acts announced so far includes X, The Soft Pack, Japandroids, Surfer Blood, DD/MM/YYYY, The Besnard Lakes, The Sunshine Underground, Women, and The Raveonettes. Go here for the full list so far.

los campesinos!: romance is boring

photo by Jon Bergman

I just noticed that I have neglected to post about Los Campesinos!’ Romance Is Boring. Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock, Roman Is Boring has been out in both Europe (Wichita) and North America (Arts & Crafts) since the end of January/beginning of February.

This was one of the most anticipated releases for me this year. Ever since seeing the energetic group from Wales played for free at The Horseshoe Tavern about 3 years ago, I have been in love with the band, and Hold On Now, Youngster... is one of my favourite albums of the decade; so saying that Romance Is Boring was a highly anticipated release might be an understatement!

Anyway, on to the actual album: what can I say, Romance Is Boring is yet another brilliant release by LC! I feel that more so than before, the writing on this album is pure genius, and of course, wittier than ever: "We are but two atheists in lust, you know, we gotta make our own luck;" "I've learnt more from toilet walls, than I've learnt from these words of yours;" and "They promised they’d be best of friends from now until forever, but both were far too needy not to fall for the other. And how the frequent public displays of sisterly affection left her feeling safe, left him with an erection."

Musically, the album is full of classic LC! dynamic changes in songs like the opening track and "I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know". Meanwhile, the male/female call & response and group shoutings still feel very fresh and amusing, especially in "Romance is Boring", "We’ve Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2)", "I Warned You: Do Not Make an Enemy of Me", and "This Is A Flag. There Is No Wind".

Romance Is Boring features all the characteristics that made so many fall in love the band in the first place—their grand and multi-layered instrumentation and engaging vocals exchanges. Despite this, the highlight for me here is the lyrics as Romance Is Boring is a perfect showcase of extraordinary song writing.






visit Los Campesinos!' MySpace here
buy Romance Is Boring here

and go on, to your next conquest

Watch a brand new video for Good Shoes' latest single "The Way My Heart Beats":

two door cinema club: tourist history

Today, I woke up with the song "Undercover Martyn" by Two Door Cinema Club in my head... I was just going to post the video for the song, but instead, I decided to write about Tourist History, the full length debut by the trio from Northern Ireland. Tourist History is by no means innovative or original; it is simply a very UK sounding, catchy-as-hell indiepop album. As a result, Two Door Cinema Club’s debut is not short of cheeky (and sometimes delightfully cheesy) lyrics, memorable melodies, and fancy synth hooks; think Mystery Jets meets The Futureheads meets Late Of The Pier. It is useless to over-analyze Tourist History, take it for what it is—a cheerful and straightforward album with a handful of unforgettable pop songs.





visit Two Door Cinema Club's MySpace here
buy Tourist History here

it's the fox in the night time gettin' what the hens has laid

Old Man Luedecke—April 8, 2010 @ Criminal Records

the new beat x100000... thank you.

Epitaph Records announced yesterday that the label will re-release the 1998 classic/one of my favourite albums of all time—The Shape Of Punk To Come: A Chimerical Bombation In 12 Bursts by Refused—on June 8. The re-release will come in an awesome three disc Deluxe Edition that will include the original album, a never-before-released live album (omg!), and the documentary Refused Are Fucking Dead on DVD! Really Epitaph? I already own The Shape of Punk on both CD and vinyl... now I have to get the Deluxe Edition as well (this is just like when Sub Pop reissued Diary last year!).

cover song of the moment

Patrick Wolf recorded a cover of Kate Bush's "Army Dreamers" for Peace: By Amnesty & Buffetlibre—an ambitious project/compilation featuring more than 100 new songs by artists from 50 countries. You can stream a handful of songs over at Buffetlibre's site.

Patrick Wolf: Army Dreamers (Kate Bush cover) (web-rip)

oml!

Old Man Luedecke is playing a FREE in-store at Criminal Records in Toronto this Thursday (8th) at 6:30 pm! Here's a photo from the last in-store at Criminal.

OML just released a new record called My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs, hear a few songs from it here. And if you haven't already, make sure to check out OML's fantastic 2008 release, Proof Of Love.

swanton bombs: mumbo jumbo and murder

Happy Easter!

I first heard of Swanton Bombs late last year when I got my hands on the Mammoth Skull EP—I really enjoyed the Beatles/Blur sounding track "Moth And Moon Song"... and I guess the EP was decent enough for me check out the duo’s new full-length, Mumbo Jumbo And Murder. While Mammoth Skull had that very distinct British indie-pop sound, Mumbo Jumbo And Murder is a more raw and noisy garage rock album. Although I do love the cheeky indie Brit-pop sound, I am in favoured of the louder approach—as there can never be enough noisy garage-punk album to rock out to! Mumbo Jumbo And Murder is sweet in that not only does it feature some killer drum rhythms, but the distorted garage riffs are often mixed with blues and classic rock melodies. Sure, there are a few misses with Swanton Bombs’ debut, but Mumbo Jumbo And Murder is in general a very entertaining album!

Who's Asking?
If You Will



visit Swanton Bombs' MySpace here
buy Mumbo Jumbo And Murder here