national anthem of mallepa

It has been three years since the last Apostle Of Hustle album. Folkloric Feel was a great record; Andrew Whiteman carried the Broken Social Scene sound and kind of played around with it on that record. The same pretty much goes for Apostle Of Hustle's latest, The National Anthem of Nowhere... once in a while, you can hear the Broken Social Scene sound... the title track for instance, which is 100% BSS sounding. However, I think that Andrew Whiteman tried very hard to get away from that; as a result, there are a handful of interesting and unique songs on the record. Overall, The National Anthem of Nowhere is an alright release. While half of the songs are good, I don’t really care for the other half. In the end, I must say, Folkloric Feel is by far, a much finer record.

My Sword Hand's Anger
National Anthem of Nowhere
Cheap Like Sebastien
A Rent Boy Goes Down [wicked-cool song]
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The National Anthem of Nowhere comes out on March 6, I will post pre-order information as soon as it becomes available

the saddest movie ever made

I am a pretty big fan of French cinema, especially French New Wave (Godard is one of my favorite directors of all time)! I just love the style, the radical ideas, political tones, and romanticism of French New Wave. About a week or so ago, I saw Louis Malle’s Au Revoir Les Enfants for the first time and since then, I have not been able to take that film out of my mind. It is absolutely a remarkable movie... oh, and it is probably the saddest movie I have ever seen in my life! The film takes place at a Catholic boarding school during WWII. It is ultimately a story about the ignorance and innocence of young school boys growing up during a very confused and evil period of time. (You can read a more detail synopsis here) Anyone with a heart should watch Au Revoir Les Enfants at least once, and I guarantee, it will make you cry!

can't wait for the new björk album/tour!!!!!!

The magnificent Björk has updated her site. The update talks about the collaborators on her new album... some very exciting shit!!

if you don't know it now then you will do

Blur was my favorite band during a good chunk of my high school years. So clearly, I was beyond excited when I heard the news that Damon Albarn was forming a new project mid last year... and to stir up my excitements ever more, it was reported that The Good, The Bad & The Queen will feature guitarist Simon Tong from The Clash!! Now, that’s a supergroup!!! Months later, they released two singles... I thought they were decent, but overall, I wasn’t too impressed by them. As a result, I had this feeling that the full-length would be a let down. Despite this, I went ahead and gave the album a listen last week. All I have to say is, The Good, The Bad & The Queen is Damon Albarn’s best release since the 1997 self-titled Blur album! The record is ace! The two singles, "Kingdom Of Doom" and "Herculean", are both on the album; however, they sound so much better with the rest of the record than they are as singles. Although it sounds nothing like Radiohead, The Good, The Bad & The Queen produces this same atmosphere/mood as most Radiohead records. The album’s opening track "History Song", will pretty much hook everyone right in. Damon’s mellow and low-key vocal works perfectly with the modern twist of 60s-The Beach Boys slash Zombies sounding instrumentations. The Good, The Bad & The Queen is an unique and refreshing record, there is absolutely no reason as to why anyone should turn this one down!

History Song [wicked-cool song]
'80's Life
Kingdom Of Doom
Herculean [wicked-cool song]
A Soldier's Tale [wicked-cool song]
Green Fields [wicked-cool song]
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The Good, The Bad & The Queen comes out on January 22nd in the UK and 23rd in North America, you can pre-order the album here

shows shows shows

Tickets info:

Brand New @ Kool Haus on May 17 goes on sale, Thursday (Jan 18) @ 10am

Cold War Kids w/ Tokyo Police Club @ Mod Club on April 4 goes on sale, Friday (Jan 19) @ 10am
Tokyo Police Club - Cut Cut Paste
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Bright Eyes @ Opera House on Feb 27 pre-sale, Thursday (Jan 18) @ 10am

Bloc Party @ Kool Haus on March 25 goes on sale, Saturday (Jan 20) @ 10am

Let me know if anyone is interested in going to any of these shows... I'm going to Brand New and CWK already, and I wouldn't mind seeing Bright Eyes and Bloc Party again.

thank you trashzoo!!

A fellow Last.fm user recently sent me the live version of "The Childcatcher" from the Accident & Emergency 7" Single. I have been enjoying this track since the single came out a few months ago, but for those of you who do not own a record player, you can download the track below, enjoy!

The Childcatcher (Live At The Bloomsbury Theatre) [wicked-cool song]
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buy Accident & Emergency 7" Single here

what's really worth living anymore?

There is certainly something very special about I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child by Manchester Orchestra. The record feels absolutely genuine: both the music and vocal is expressed with such honesty and authenticity. I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child has that smooth indie rock sound very similar to Controlling the Famous; although not as rock driven. Actually, to be more precise, I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child is like a blend of Jimmy Eat World’s classics, Static Prevails and Clarity. The record features no gimmick, standout hooks, or anything along that line. In fact, the presentation is rather lo-fi... despite this, I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child is an emotional epic journey, it sounds more powerful than most records I’ve heard in the past year.

Wolves At Night [wicked-cool song]
Now That You're Home
Where Have You Been?
Sleeper 1972 [super-wicked-cool song]
Golden Ticket [wicked-cool song]
Colly Strings
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buy I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child here

my friends say i’m bipolar, my friends are sometimes wrong

Snow finally came down in Toronto yesterday. In a way, the weather affects what I listen to quite often... well, I guess more so when I’m walking outside. When I step out onto the snowy downtown Toronto streets yesterday, I immediately knew that I wanted to listen to Lightness by Peter and the Wolf. For some unexplainable reasons, I always have this inviting feeling/comfort when it comes to folk music during winter time. Great Lake Swimmers had the same effect last winter and now, Peter and the Wolf. Try it for yourself, if you are currently living in a cold place, download the tracks below and listen to them on your portable music device the next time you go out for that long winter walk.

Safe Travels
My Grey Overcoat [super-wicked-cool song]
The Apple Tree
Canada
Dear Old Robyn [wicked-cool song]
The Captain
Silent Movies [wicked-cool song]
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buy Lightness here

the church is filled with losers, psycho, or confused

Of Montreal’s latest, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, is one of those albums that will slowly, but definitely grow on you. Nearly every single track carries this extremely catchy, fun, and unpredictable melody. In addition, the record features some very strange and abstract lyrics; making it even more enjoyable to listen to. Last year, many critics praised on The Hold Steady’s Boys And Girls In America as the prefect album to play during a college/frat house party (which I still don’t really get... what the hell is so good about that album??!!) Anyways, in my opinion, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is clearly the better college party album… by that, I mean it is the record to put on when everyone’s is high or drunk... it just sounds like one of those albums... but then again, how would I know: I can’t drink (much) due to problems with my liver and I don’t do drugs (anymore). Maybe someone out there can throw a party, play Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? and tell me all about your experience. Well, I guess I should probably stop writing all this nonsense now... enjoy the downloads!

Suffer for Fashion
Cato As A Pun
Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
The Past is a Grotesque Animal
Faberge Falls for Shuggie
We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling
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Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? comes out on January 23, you can pre-order it here

brand new dates

Dates for the 2nd half of the upcoming Brand New tour has just been announced!!! A limited number of presale tickets will be available here starting tomorrow, January 12th at 1:00pm local time.

May 10: Vancouver, BC @ Croatian Cultural Centre
May 11: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Event Centre
May 12: Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
May 14: Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
May 17: Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
May 19: Montreal, QC @ Spectrum de Montreal
May 22: South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
May 23: Providence, RI @ Lupos
May 24: Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre