Have you ever felt like you’ve been stuck in a listening rut? Well that’s exactly what I’ve been feeling right now. Everyday I turn on my Windows Media Player and scroll through my artists, I think to myself, “Why don’t I have anything to listen to?!” (Similar to when I look into my closet in the morning and think, “Why don’t I have anything to wear?!”). So I’ve been on a quest – a musical quest for new music. And I guess that little push was just what I needed!

I’ve heard of Love is All for quite some time now (since the release of their 2005 LP Nine Times That Same Song) but I just never actually listened to them. So when I saw a new video for their single, “Wishing Well” on Pitchfork, I decided to give it a go – and I loved it! Lead singer, Josephine Olausson’s voice seriously reminds me of someone, but I just can’t put my finger on it… it’s good nonetheless. Their sound is a perfect combination of punk and pop and a sprinkle of Swedish charm. If you’re also enjoying what you hear, Love is All will be making a tour stop in Toronto on December 11th at the Horseshoe Tavern (19+) and their new album, A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night, will be out on November 11th.

While I was on Pitchfork, I also read up on some of their coverage of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival, particularly taking notice of Amy Philips’ Thursday coverage. At first, I read her post because of Sebastien Grainger, but when I scrolled to the end, I noticed a few shots of an artist named Little Boots. The review was not a positive one, as it criticizes her live act but I was intrigued anyway. So I immediately looked her MySpace up and began to listen to “New in Town”. At first, the keys and snyths were a little overwhelming but as soon as the chorus kicked in, I was hooked. That is one gosh darn catchy song! Definitely check her out if synth-disco-pop is your thing. Maybe not live though… It’s okay though, she’s not stopping by Toronto anytime soon anyway.

And most recently (as in this morning), I just started listening to a great Australian duo named An Horse. Sara Quin (of Tegan and Sara) had written a MySpace blog about the duo and in my curious state of mind, I decided to check them out. And they are definitely perfect for fans of Tegan and Sara. The duo of Kate Cooper and Damon Cox are currently doing some tour stops with the T&S and their new album is available now on iTunes.

I’ve also downloaded (whoa, I haven’t done that in a while…) some Hercules and Love Affair, Marnie Stern and the new Land of Talk album, so I’ll get back to you when I finish listening to them all. I feel rejuvenated with musical energy! But please, if you would like to feed me more music, send me your suggestions at melodylau.620@gmail.com!

In other news around the city…

Pink Mountaintops will be at the Drake Hotel on November 7th. Tickets are $10 and are available now at Soundscapes and Rotate.

Tokyo Police Club are playing an exclusive show, brought to you by The Edge 102.1 and Jack Daniel’s Studio No. 7. The event will be taking place on November 9th at 8:00 and it will be 19+. Details as to where are still TBA and if you want to win tickets, you’ll have to listen to The Edge or go to jdstudiono7.com for further details.

That free Diableros show at Kensington Market today has been cancelled. The band apologizes and will be playing at The Boat in December instead.

Goodnight Loving, The Stolen Minks, The Weirdies and WWI will be at Sneaky Dee’s on November 5th.

Hot damn, I wished I was there.

That’ll be it for now! Happy listening. If you were also in a listening-rut recently, I hoped this helped.

Musically,
Melody