Let’s Get Cold Together

Dreamy duo Memoryhouse from Ontario, Canada creates fairytales with Denise Nouvion’s pristine vocals and Evan Abeele’s ethereal instrumentation. The swirling atmospherics envelope splicing drums and foggy guitar. ‘To The Lighthouse’ is immeasurably beautiful, with perfectly formed instrumentation and haunting lyrics with a sleepy haze drawn over top. Denise’s voice is gentle but strong, sometimes wordless but always with the same forthright crooning ability of Beach House’s Victoria Legrand or Glasser’s Cameron Mesirow. She keeps her dulcet voice near while retaining a weightless presence over Evan’s guitar and soundscapes. Memoryhouse’s songs sound very structural and rhythmic but the melodies are definitely forefront. ‘Lately (Deuxième)’ is a strikingly beautiful, delicate artefact from a gentler time, and ‘Bonfire’ shows the band’s dynamism as they enter starker territory.  The strength of the songs is further shown in their ability to be transformed into rad club bangers, with MillionYoung’s version of ‘To The Lighthouse’ sounding like a lesson in remixes. They also do a dazzlingly beautiful cover of Grizzly Bear’s ‘Foreground’. Currently on their Everyone Hears The Voice tour of America with Twin Sister, they’ve made their EP The Years available for free download from their myspace. The first pressing of the ‘Lately’ 7″ (backed with a Teen Girl Fantasy remix) sold out but another is available for purchase from Inflated Records.

Memoryhouse- To The Lighthouse: MP3

Memoryhouse- Bonfire: MP3

Memoryhouse- Lately (Deuxième): MP3

Memoryhouse- To The Lighthouse (Millionyoung remix): MP3

Memoryhouse- Website

Memoryhouse- Blog

Memoryhouse- Myspace

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Canada, Ontario
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Vegan Toothache

Like the sound of a dental drill chipping teeth and bleeding gums; AIDS WOLF has a new single. Titled ‘Teaching To Suffer’, the song is taken from their latest LP March To The Sea, again being released by one the world’s most potent noise labels, Skin Graft Records. Since forming in 2003, AIDS WOLF has always been at the forefront of the North American post-no wave, noise scene, pulling writhing rhythms and cretin-like vocals into a heavily distorted but perfectly sensible mess. Their songs are driven by destruction; awkward during the birthing stage with shredding guitars and chaotic drum rolls sounding like a live abortion, and then bleeding internally through to the end with flames smoldering in the amplifiers creating the sound of a million masturbating embers.

‘Teaching To Suffer’ starts with swirling guitars and devilish female vocals before digressing into clattering drums and razor sharp shreds of warped noise. By the end everything sounds dead, splattered across the pavement like a wanted criminal shot at point blank range. Only Grace from Foot Village can fake death like Chloe Lum, whose squelchy vocals are at the heart of AIDS WOLF’s catastrophic sound.

March To The Sea will be available this coming Spring (US Fall), check Skin Graft Records‘ website for more details. AIDS WOLF is touring the US in September/October, more details can be found on the band’s Myspace page.

 AIDS WOLF- Teaching To Suffer: MP3

AIDS WOLF- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada, Montreal
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Asleep In Noah’s Ark

From the freshly sparse, clangy sounds we know and love from Canadian psychedelic heroes Women, comes their own drummer Mike Wallace’s other band, Friendo. The trio, with Wallace (also of Azeda Booth and Monkey) on guitar, Nicole Brunel (Puberty, Hunter-Gatherer, Topless Mongos, also a really great artist) on guitar and Henry Hsieh (Beija Flor, Monkey) on drums, has gained their slightly ramshackle sound by switching instruments from what they normally play to get a foreign feel. This unlearning gives an uncertain edge, a distinct unprofessionalism that keeps you guessing.

The band self-released their home recorded debut album Cold Toads on cassette and it was then released on vinyl and digital in May on St. Ives Records, a subsidiary of Secretly Canadian. The songs alternate between sleepy, hazy and slowed-down on the Panda Bear influenced ‘Callers’, to gritty Sonic Youth-esque jams like ‘Young Fellows’ channeling the hollow guitar sound made popular in 90s post grunge. ‘Oversees’ has a metronomic drum rhythm that propels the clumsily shrill guitar and deadpan, monotone vocals. Gauzy guitars sound like they’re played with eyes half closed in a sedate style that fits the sloshy rain of Winter.

A roommate of members of the band, David Giancarlo, did an interview on their behalf with Reviewsic. He explained the meaning behind the name Cold Toads. “Toads are too dumb to notice a gradual increase in temperature. If you put a toad in a boiling hot bathtub, it will jump out. But if you put it in a cold bathtub, then gradually increase the heat, it will stay there ’til it boils. Cold Toads refers to how the human race is oblivious to the fact that we are slowly marching toward extinction. Many of Friendo’s lyrical themes are influenced by bands like Earth Crisis, Amebix, and World Burns To Death.”

Friendo- Oversees: MP3

Friendo- Myspace

Buy Cold Toads MP3 from St. Ives Records

Buy Cold Toads cassette from Bart Records and Revolution Winter

Posted by Sarah Gooding under Alberta, Calgary, Canada
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Like Sand Through An Hour Glass

From time to time it’s nice to discover an artist whom you’d previously let slip by. Knots is one of those peculiar artists. Neal, a solo musician from Calgary, Canada released his debut album The Blistering Sun, The Pale Moon, Hahahaha last year. Drawn to my attention now, his music possesses a radiant energy that threatens to explode at any moment but never does. His voice has a high pitch echo, crooned like a tin soldier trapped inside a tiny capsule. There’s so much life, yet so much sadness, all bundled into simplistic songs with voice and guitar as the only bearers of noise. His guitar has an old blues sound, similarly mastered by the likes of Angelo Spencer and Ray Raposa, while his voice sounds a lot like Seth Frightening. Under faded red lights and candle lit curtains Knots’ music reveals itself as a stark reminder of how simple music can have such timeless beauty. There’s no doubt this album would have been one of my favourites of 2009, had I only heard it sooner.

You can purchase The Blistering Sun, The Pale Moon, Hahahaha direct from the artist for $10. The album art folds out into a poster.

Knots- Happiness: MP3

Knots- Satiated: MP3

Knots- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Calgary, Canada
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///////TRUST///\\\US\\\\\\\

Further news of Crystal Castles’ sophomore album hit the web a couple of days ago and already a bunch of new tracks (apparently from a demo copy of the album) have hit the blogs. You can stream about half the album on Hype Machine, linked from a number of different sources. From listening to the few songs made public it sounds like Crystal Castles has evolved into a more pop friendly macabre-esque villain, ditching their glitch-y circuit bent keyboards for some shiny new tools to make themselves sound more accessible, but still moderately alienating themselves from the asserted disco audience. In a way it sort of contradicts their image and reported personalities, which portrays them as eccentric trouble makers, slightly psychotic and highly unpredictable. One would have expected Ethan Kath and Alice Glass to become even more messed up and further displaced from the mainstream with their second full-length album, but it sounds like they have done the opposite. ‘Doe Deer’ is the only track showing any obnoxious intent, Glass’ vocals warp and distort in a kind of dirty, heavily compressed lo-fi wave. The album’s first official single ‘Celestica’ is very clean, and is definitely a step away from their grimy past. It contains more of a disco vibe, rolling with a smooth keyboard melody and Glass shows off her luscious singing voice.

On April 17 (Record Store Day) ‘Doe Deer’ was released as a limited edition 12″ vinyl (500 copies), backed by three tracks the band recorded in 2004 that had previously been unreleased. There was no digital or CD release and as expected it sold out pretty quickly.

The fourteen track album is due out on June 7th in Europe, June 8th in the US via Fiction Records and June 14 in New Zealand via Shock records. It is apparently going to be self-titled, again.

 Crystal Castles- Celestica: MP3

Crystal Castles- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada, Ontario
[3] Comments

Academy ‘94

Are Canadian kids really leading a ’90s alternative pop revival? Oh No! Yoko definitely seem to be attempting it, as do a bunch of other young bands in the Vancouver area. Maybe it’s the fact that they sound a little like Tokyo Police Club that has me on that train of thought, but hey, I’m no expert on the subject, you’ll have to make up your own mind.

At just sixteen years of age Everett Morris, Nic Denis and Liam Hamilton are all still in High School. However that hasn’t stopped them from recording a bunch of songs that sound cleaner than most other bedroom pop projects. They’ve been lining up and gradually winning fans in Vancouver for the past four years and their song ‘Courtyard! Bankrupt!’ has had extensive airtime on Canada’s CBS Radio. They even performed live during the recent winter Olympics, on the same bill as Tokyo Police Club.

But like a lot of young bands they’re still experimenting with different techniques. Liam and Everett once played in a metal band together and if you listen to the three tracks they have on their Myspace page you can hear multiple influences. ‘Courtyard! Bankrupt!’ is bouncy and synth heavy, with a TV themed sense of humour reminiscent of a late ’90s after-school teen drama. ‘Deer In Japan’ takes on Death Cab For Cutie, all electronic clicks and clouded in shy romanticism. While ‘Yellow Babies’ is the band’s attempt at writing a guitar, bass and drums song, focusing on sound over aesthetic.

Oh No! Yoko has also benefited from an emerging support base in Vancouver, fed by local religious groups. Even though the band has no church affiliation they’ve become involved with For Ones Coming After, an organisation dedicated to putting on live shows in churches and amphitheatres across the city, with a focus on being all-ages and unlicensed. FOCA has also helped the band make t-shirts, via American Apparel.

They’re currently writing and recording a debut album which they hope to release in 2011.

 Oh No! Yoko- Courtyard! Bankrupt!: MP3

 Oh No! Yoko- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada, Vancouver
[2] Comments

Suspense; Without A Violin String

They’ve been compared to the Arcade Fire but The Rest has a more auspicious sound, delicately sweeping over a swindled layer of percussion and wandering whimsical guitars. The Ontario band released their debut album in 2009 and it received glowing reviews across the world. The band declare that not a single negative review can be found, quite a fine achievement.

The seven piece band is a very creative, ambitious bunch, and since forming the band has had many diversions into other art forms, musical side projects and running a record label. Their latest journey into the art world fuses with their music, releasing an EP and a book side by side. Cried Wolf tells the story of an adult whose falsified accusations one day come back to haunt him, twisting the fable of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ into a darker, grown-up version. The book is beautifully illustrated by MLXNDRSC and the EP contains three new tracks and a cover of pop singer Robyn’s ‘With Every Heartbeat’. It can be downloaded for free, in exchange for your email address.

The band’s debut album Everyone All At Once (which collected all the positive reviews when it was released in North America last year), will be released world-wide on March 15th. Check out the video for ‘The Lady Vanishes’ (one of the albums’ stand out tracks) which uses a montage of film segments from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 film of the same name.

 The Rest- With Every Heartbeat: MP3

The Rest- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada
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The Art Of Confusion

After gushing over Dandi Wind for a very long time I’m only just getting into Fan Death, Dandilion Wind Opaine’s other notable musical project in collaboration with Marta Jaciubek- McKeever. The duo has just released their debut EP titled A Coin For The Well and hearing the track ‘Soon’ has me hooked. Going back and listening to songs from their first two 12″ records Veronica’s Veil and Cannibal has me wondering why I never got into them sooner.

They have been labelled nu-disco by some critics and in some ways they are definitely crafting a new path for the genre. With ghostly beats and short, sharp stabs of pop synths, their timing and fluid rhythms are in tune with the genres changing guard. In step with Opaine’s creative thinking (she’s a photographer, video producer, sculptor and digital animator), Fan Death has a large visual element to their sound, sparking images of flamboyance and grand costumes, something that has perhaps been associated with disco music since the beginning. But this is obviously a new era and the band’s style is most certainly cutting edge.

Opaine wrote and directed a music video for their song ‘Reunited’ which appears on the new EP. Throughout February Fan Death is on tour with Vampire Weekend, a strange combination but one that will hopefully work to their advantage. A Coin For The Well is currently available in the UK via The Pharmacy Recording Company and will be available in the US on February 23 through Last Gang Records. Fan Death’s debut album Womb Of Dreams is also set for release in 2010, due out some time in May.

 Fan Death- Soon: MP3

Fan Death- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada, Vancouver
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Drooling Abacus

Dan Snaith aka Caribou recently released the first single from his forth-coming album Swim, due for release on April 19 via Merge Records (North America) and City Slang (world-wide). Titled ‘Odessa’, it takes his music in a very swampy direction, leading with a crunchy punk sounding bass riff and howling guitar parts. He sings over the top like some sort of Scandinavian crooner, gently bringing his voice in and out of the shadows. Throughout the song there’s a subtle movement away from the minimalist beginning to a more densely layered ending where some lovely twinkling synths and jingling percussion come in to fill some of the more empty sections of the song.

If the song is at all an indicator of what we can expect from Swim, it could see Snaith offering a rougher, slightly less melodic sound than we heard on his previous record Andorra. But it might not indicate anything at.

Caribou- Odessa: MP3

 Caribou- Myspace

 Download ‘Odessa’ via Caribou’s Website

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada
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Secret Little Opiate

While most of us have been captivated by Dandilion Wind Opaine’s other band Fan Death all year, she has been secretly recording some new material for Dandi Wind. To reward our patience she has released a new limited edition 7″ silkscreen printed vinyl split with Chicago’s Dead Gods, which you can buy from her myspace page.

The 7″ features a new song titled ‘Incubation’ and like her previous material it’s a bit of a banger. Known for her grimy tribal-electro, she again utilises a lot of percussion and midi-synths, laying it all out beneath her gruesome voice. The images and calculations Dandi is able to install in to her music is quite astounding, making her one of few artists with the unique talent to draw together music and the mind.

It’s probably not surprising then to learn that her talents in other art forms are as equally  impressive. She is an accomplished photographer, video producer, sculptor and digital animator and has directed music videos for Lady Sovereign and Metronomy, as well as making a short animated film in conjunction with Dandi Wind’s second album Yolk Of The Golden Egg. Her stage costumes are of a similar artistic reflection, often incorporating bright tribal make-up, paper-mache props, custom designed clothing and crazy hair styles, making her live show not only a musical performance but a display of performance art.

If you want to check out Dandi Wind’s back catalogue of music, images and videos then head to her website. You can listen to the new track ‘Incubation’ on her myspace page.

Dandi Wind- Myspace

Posted by Nick Fulton under Canada
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