Posts Tagged ‘metric’

Show Announcement

March 24th, 2010 | By: Guest Contributor

The competition for the title of best summer music festival in North America just got another contender.

The acts scheduled to play this year’s Osheaga Music Festival were announced this week, and in case you missed it, it’s pretty damn impressive. The two-day festival takes place on July 31st and August 1st in downtown Montreal, and boasts a lineup that includes Weezer, Pavement, Metric, The National, Stars, Deadmau5, The Cat Empire, Keane, The Black Keys, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Jimmy Cliff, The Gaslight Anthem, Beach House, Jamie Lidell, Robyn, Sarah Harmer, Blitzen Trapper, Bahamas, and more.

The most exciting part of this announcement? By popular demand, this year’s Osheaga will see the first Canadian performance by Montreal’s Arcade Fire since their Neon Bible tour in 2007. The hometown heroes will be headlining the festival’s first day, and if that doesn’t excite you, than you clearly haven’t seen the band’s Miroir Noir tour documentary or this before.

To recap: some amazing bands (including four of my ten all-time favourites, but I’m not going to tell you which ones), outdoors in beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, with reasonably-priced single day and weekend passes. Pre-sale tickets are already sold out, but you can head over to the Osheaga website for more information, or follow the festival on Twitter for the latest updates.

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The Singing Lamb Tuesday Twelve Vol. VIV

March 23rd, 2010 | By: Guest Contributor

The Hood Internet

The Hood Internet – “The XX Gon’ Give It To Ya (DMX vs. The XX)”

The Hood Internet strikes again! This time around, the Chicago party-starters tackles an early-2000s “classic” from a gangster rapper with legitimate street credentials (that’d be DMX), and a song from a trio of moody London twenty-somethings (that’d be The xx). The result not only gives us this so-bad-its-good song title, but a really clever mashup that makes you think differently about both songs (or just makes you dance your ass off – you decide!). DJ ABX and STV SLV FTW.

Rich Aucoin – “Human After All (Daft Punk Cover)”

The music website Cokemachineglow is celebrating their eighth anniversary this year, and to mark this special occasion, the fine folks over there are putting up these nifty Fantasy Podcasts, featuring covers of their favourite songs over the past decade from their favourite artists/bands. The first edition is particularly heavy with Canadian acts, including Halifax’s Dog Day covering Panda Bear’s “Ponytail”, Montreal’s The Luyas’ version of Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack”, and Toronto’s vitaminsforyou’s version of The xx’s “Shelter”, among others. The standout though? Without question, that honour goes to Mr. Aucoin’s take on a classic from everyone’s favourite French duo (sorry Justice!). Daft Punk’s “Human After All” is a favourite set staple of DJs everywhere, because no matter where or when you are playing, the crowd will go ape-shit for it every single time. Hardcore Daft Punk fans might be a little surprised by the Haligonian singer-songwriter’s take on the song though – it’s melancholic, full of emotion, and dare I say it? – almost human-sounding (cue the sound of booing for that lame pun).

Warrior One – “Bad Like Jimmy Cliff”

If you don’t knew who Jimmy Cliff is, then you need to immediately stop what you are doing, and go listen to “Many Rivers To Cross”. While you’re at it (hey, its not like you had anything else better to do), listen to the entire The Harder They Come soundtrack to the 1972 film of the same name, which Cliff also starred in. To make a long story short, Cliff is the greatest musical export to come out of Jamaica not named Bob Marley, and this year was one of the five inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So it was about time he got a song named after him, and stepping up to the plate is London duo Warrior One (producer Carl Faure and DJ Eoin Bradshaw), who deliver this dancefloor banger, that sounds like a bunch of old reggae records duking it out with a bass drum at a rave. Bonus: Warrior One is the name of a master yoga pose dedicated to Virabhadra, the name of a fierce warrior incarnation of Shiva, who had a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, and wields a thousand clubs whilst wearing a tiger’s skin. How badass is that?

YelaWolf feat. Bun B – “Good To Go”

You thought I was going to throw that new Drake single on here, didn’t you? Psych! While I love “Over” as much as the next guy, those looking for Rap’s Next Great Hope, might be better off looking south of the border. Like way, way, way south. YelaWolf is a scrawny, heavily-tattooed Alabama skate rat (his real name is Michael Wayne Atha), who is poised to have a breakout year in 2010, thanks to his tongue-twisting raps and a blue-collar work ethic. So far, he’s have gotten love from everyone from Kanye West to SPIN, and Washington Post music blogger Chris Richards recently wrote that the rapper was “one of the most riveting performers at SXSW, thanks to a nasal, petulant sneer that reaffirmed rap music’s rebel spirit”. After I sent this track to one of more hip-hop-knowledgeable friends, he compared the rapper’s rapid flow to “Luda Vs. Cee-Lo” – a vocal comparison which isn’t too far off. Having some friends in high places of course certainly hasn’t hurt either – so far YelaWolf has guested on Juelz Santana’s excellent Bob Dylan lyric-cribbing “Mixin’ Up The Medicine”, recorded a song with Raekwon, and is currently touring with Philly’s Wiz “Mr. Say Yeah” Khalifa.

Shitty Carwash – “this is what celine dion would sound like if she had a dick”

Here’s the unfortunate, but true, reality about SXSW and every other major North American music festival: for every amazing new artist or band discovered and signed to a big fat record contract, there’s twenty other shitty, generic-sounding artists and bands playing a gig somewhere. So, needless to say, when I downloaded a 100% legal torrent with just over one thousand songs from acts that played SXSW last week, I expected sifting through a fair amount of crap to find the real gems. One way to make sure you stand out from the pack? Give your metal band a name that you should never, under any circumstances look up the meaning of on Urban Dictionary, and vulgarly reference a Canadian icon (?). Austin’s Shitty Carwash gets it. Not a bad song either.

Fucked Up & Duchess Says – “Year of the Ox”/”David’s Plan”

Two of Canada’s best bands, Toronto’s Fucked Up and Montreal’s Duchess Says recently got together to record a session for CBC Radio 3′s Bande à Part series. They recorded Fucked Up’s sprawling “Year of the Ox” and Duchess Says’ “David’s Plan”, with Damian Abraham and Duchess Says frontwoman Annie-Claude Deschêne sharing vocal duties, and the result is throat-shreddingly great. Besides, nothing says punk rock quite like a string section, a lot of coloured tape, and Damian’s awesome purple sweater with a wolf on it.

The Dead Weather – “Die By The Drop” and “Old Mary”

Jack White cannot be stopped. That is an undisputed fact. But when he keeps out putting music this good, then who are we to try and stop him? The man of many hats, who is pictured in this month’s Rolling Stone in his Third Man Records office, recently announced that we can expect The Dead Weather’s sophomore album in the not-so-distant future. If the first two tracks from Sea of Cowards (which is rumoured for a May release date) are any indication, than the band is picking up right where they left off with Horehound, while somehow managing to sound even heavier and darker than you thought possible. “Die By The Drop” is the obvious pick to be the first single; it’s a bluesy, garage-rock barnburner, with Alison Mosshart’s shrieking vocals leaving me asking why I thought Sleigh Bells’ Alexis Krauss could ever replace Mosshart as my indie rock frontwoman crush. “Old Mary” is the B-side, a slower, more dirge-like chant with Jack White reciting what sounds like a prayer and some interesting use of piano. I’d throw up a link to listen to both songs, but alas, the site that posted them this morning has since received a cease-and-desist notice. For now, head over to the band’s website and check out the eerie artwork, and keep your fingers crossed that these guys come back to Toronto soon.

Broken Social Scene – “World Sick”

Oh hey, new Broken Social Scene single. So nice of you to join us. Won’t you come in and stay awhile? Arts & Crafts have always boasted a pretty stellar lineup of acts, and every new release is carefully scrutinized, given the Canadian independent record label’s history for giving bands such as Stars and Metric their start, not to mention launching the solo careers of artists such as Feist, Amy Millan, Jason Collett, etc. However the label was started, and became a household name, because of the sprawling collective known as BSS, whose last album was five years ago. In case you’ve been living under a musical rock for awhile, it looks like the Broken Social Scene-sized hole in our hearts will be filled this year, starting with the release of the band’s fourth album (the curiously-titled Forgiveness Rock Record) this May. They also have a string of festival dates, culminating in their Toronto Island-curated show on June 19, with a reunited Pavement, Band of Horses, Beach House, Timber Timbre, and others. “World Sick” is the first single from the album; an almost seven-minute sprawling epic with soaring guitar hooks and a frustrated Kevin Drew singing the poignant line, “I get world sick every time I take a stand.” Did I mention we featured it first? Just checking.

The National – “Vanderlylle Crybaby Geeks”

It should be no secret by now that I love this band. It should also be no secret that the band’s upcoming fifth album, High Violet (currently scheduled for a May 11th), is one of my most anticipated albums of the year. They’ve been road- testing several of the new songs for awhile now, including this one, and finally they’ve confirmed the finalized song titles and track listings. I think my friend described the Brooklyn outfit best when she wrote on my Facebook wall, “Why does The National make my heart so happy?”. “Vanderlylle Crybaby” is just one of those songs that tugs at the heartstrings, something that we’ve come expect and love from The National, who will be playing not one, but two upcoming dates in Toronto at Massey Hall (June 8th and 9th, tickets are still available).

Metric – “Black Sheep”

Last year, Metric was asked by director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) if they’d like to work on some music with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich for Wright’s latest film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The movie is based on the popular Scott Pilgrim comic book series, stars Michael Cera, and was shot mostly on-location in Toronto. “Black Sheep” is the result, a tightly-wound synth-rocker, that was left over from the Fantasies recording sessions. Fair warning: if you aren’t already a fan of the band, then this song probably isn’t going to change your mind. But if you’re like me, and prefer it when Emily Haines is singing like she’s still got something to prove to the world (and let’s face it, she doesn’t really at this point), then this song might be for you. You can listen to “Black Sheep”, as well as Fantasies B-side “The Gates”, for free by becoming a fan of Metric on Facebook.

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The Singing Lamb Tuesday Twelve: Vol. I

September 8th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Shad

Shad

Welcome to the first edition of what I hope to make a regular weekly feature on the Lamb; the Tuesday Twelve, twelve new songs that you need to hear immediately, with no adherence to genres (this week we have everything from dancehall reggae to Canadian hip-hop to scuzzy blues rock), themes, or nationalities of the artists/bands.  What I’ll be doing is searching through the blogosphere (yes, that does include Pitchfork and Hype Machine), podcasts, magazines, radio stations, my own personal iTunes, to bring you the coolest new tracks that’ll make you want to sing, make you want to dance, make you want to cry (maybe even all three at the same time).  As always, feel free to comment if you liked (or disliked) a track I recommended, and tell me about the songs that you think I should hear.  Enjoy!

Ghostface Killah & MF DOOM – “Chinatown Wars (Oh No Remix)”

This just in: Wu-Tang still ain’t nothing to fuck with. On this track – written as the theme song for the latest in the Grand Theft Auto video game series – Ghost (who from the likes of this track, and his recent appearance on MSTRKRFT’s “Word Up”, is having a timely career revival) spits battle raps like a true veteran, over a bubbling beat cooked up by Oh No and fake blood-in-the-streets news broadcasts. MF DOOM is no slouch on this track either, as he raps about twisting some unfortunate soul’s limbs “like pilates” – nice to see that the man who has a affinity for hiding behind a mask can rhyme about more than food and NSFW Adult Swim cartoons.  If you’re maintaining any beefs with anyone at the moment, you need this song on your iPod.

Shad feat. Dallas Green and TLO – “…in the Black of Night (Freestyle)”

See folks, this is what happens when you gather a bunch of awesome artists, throw them in tour buses, and get them to play all across North America during the summer:  you get awesome collaborations like this one between Calgary rapper Shad, Alexisonfire crooner Dallas Green, and his DJ TLO.  Recorded during a late night on the punk rock carnival that is the Vans Warped Tour, Shad spits some clever rhymes about touring, recording and of course, Wu-Tang.  Show of hands, who would like to see guest rappers on the next Alexis album?  That’s what I thought.  Credit to EXCLAIM! for this one.

The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt This Place”

It seems that every other week, we are hearing about the next big indie rock band that hail from Toronto.  Here’s the truth: a lot of the hype about these new bands is bullshit.  Not to dump on the city’s incredibly rich and diverse music scene, but many of these indie rock bands are just boring, generic imitations of better bands before them.  Fortunately for us, The Rural Alberta Advantage (also known by the space-saving acronym, The RAA), aren’t one of those bands.  Consisting of  lead singer and guitarist Nil Endenloff, keyboardist and backup singer Amy Cole, and drummer Paul Banwatt (you know him as the drummer from Woodhands), the band has seen their stock steadily rising, which has so far culminated in being signed to indie powerhouse label Saddle Creek, re-releasing their stellar debut folk-rock album Hometowns, and a (by all accounts) huge recent hometown show at the Horseshoe this past July.  Expect big things from this trio in the near future.

Joel Plaskett – “Through & Through & Through”

Returning home for the first time in eight months, only to find that I had become a stranger in the eyes who people who I had once considered friends. Working in the kitchens of a summer camp that was plunged into swine flu paranoia, after several campers showed signs and were quickly quarantined.  The godawful summer weather that Nova Scotia experienced throughout all of July, which is only now beginning to look up in August.  Yet, for all the terrible (and terribly boring) stuff that I’ve gone through the past two months, the song that will always remind me of summer ’09 is this breezy, upbeat tune from Nova Scotian guitar troubadour Plaskett.  And if there’s a pop song this summer that had better (or more Nova Scotian for that matter) lyrics than, “You be April Stevens, I’ll be April Wine /You be Israel, I will be Palestine”, than I’ve yet to hear it. Could Plaskett’s recent ambitious triple-album, Three, finally be enough for voters to give him his first – and very deserved – Polaris Prize?  Only time will tell…

Apostle Of Hustle – “Eazy Speaks”

Recently Apostle Of Hustle’s frontman Andrew Whiteman told CBC Radio 3 that this song – named after the infamous rapper Eazy E – was inspired by a rock spray-painted with the words “Eazy speaks” that the band saw in rural Quebec while on route to a show in Prince Edward Island.   Myself, I think its a fantastic thought:  what if dead musicians could give us advice from beyond the grave?  Michael Jackson would then be able to inform us of the pitfalls of facial reconstruction surgery (sorry, too soon?), Elvis would tell us to stay away from Vegas and over-eating in general, and Kurt Cobain would advise us to never, ever, <i>ever</i> trust anyone named Courtney Love.  In this case, it would seem that Eazy told Apostle Of Hustle to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and write a catchy, riff-filled number like this one.

Major Lazer feat. T.O.K. and Ms. Thing – “Bruk Out”

Bawdy sex raps!  Pitch-tweaked vocals! Off-the-wall futuristic Jamaican dancehall reggae!  It can only mean one thing: globetrotting DJ extraordinaire Diplo and his fellow co-conspirator, the producer Switch, are back with a whole new bag of tricks.  I’ve recommended Major Lazer – Diplo and Switch’s latest project featuring a slew of guest vocalists that you’ve never heard of (and some that you have) – to you before, but if you haven’t picked up their album Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, you should make that a priority.  Just in time for summer house parties, comes the duo’s blunt-smoking, skirt-chasing (sample line from this song: “I met Jill/She was a stripper/She said she wanted to undo my zipper”) love letter to Kingston’s dancehall and reggae scene.  Plus, you know you’ve made it when GQ magazine features you and recommends Red Bull and vodka as the “appropriate companion drug”.  This is some next-level shit right here folks.

Grizzly Bear vs. Lil Wayne – “2 Weeks ’til Prom (The Soundmen Mashup)”

Strangest mashup album ever?  New York City outfit The Soundmen recently released a three-song EP, which mashes songs from indie rock darlings-of-the-moment Grizzly Bear and the always bizarre, but usually entertaining Lil Wayne.  The title of this album? Vecktaflyest.  Perfect.  Listen to this one for yourself and decide whether its a trainwreck or not, but anything that manages to pair “Two Weeks” and “Prom Queen” together is worth a listen at least once in my books.  Download the album and read more over at Paste here.

Wale feat. Peter, Bjorn & John – “Nothing To Worry About”

Everything about this track screams “official hipster summer anthem”.  The newest single from Sweden’s biggest pop music export since ABBA, the whistling, Grey’s Anatomy-endorsed trio Peter, Bjorn and John?  Check.  Behind raps from Washington, D.C.’s next-great-hope, Wale, who so far in his career, has free-styled over Justice, managed to find a use for Lady Gaga’s sex-cyborg “singing”, and released an excellent Seinfield-themed mixtape? Check.  On a hot new mixtape called Back To The Future, produced and mixed by 9th Wonder and Nick Catchdubs, available online for the very agreeable price of free?  Check.  For all the hype surrounding Wale, there’s no denying the man has serious skills on the microphone.  We’re still waiting for his hotly-anticipated debut full-length, Attention: Deficit, which is scheduled to be out September 22nd, but this ought to be enough to tide us over until then.

Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”

Is there anybody worse in the musical world than Mr. Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z, when it comes to this “retiring” business?  The man’s put out two albums (the critically-maligned Kingdom Come and the much better American Gangster) after he said he was leaving the game for good, and on the not-so-subtle release date of September 11th, we can expect the third. The Blueprint III has rumoured to have been in the works for quite some time, and now some of the new songs are starting to leak, much to the delight of serious fans who consider this album to be akin to the rap equivalent of the Holy Grail.  This one has Jay rhyming like he’s just getting into his prime, a nice poppy hook from Rihanna (the role she was born to play), and some hot lines from Kanye, who also produced the album.  This album’s going to be a monster.

K-OS feat. Emily Haines & Murray Lightburn – “Uptown Girl”

Replace Jay-Z with a soulful K-OS doing his best Michael Jackson impression, Metric’s mistress Emily Haines filling in for Rihanna, and The Dears’ frontman Murray Lightburn providing Kanye-worthy backup vocals (okay, that one’s a bit of a stretch), and you basically have the Canadian version of “Run This Town”.  While this is the second single from K-OS’ latest record, Yes!, it serves as an excellent showcase for all three artists on the track, who are arguably at the peaks of their careers. Lightburn and The Dears just put out their well-received fourth album, Missiles.  Haines and her boy in Metric also have a hot new album, and have been playing summer festivals here there and everywhere, not to mention an upcoming show at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall in October.  As for K-OS, he’s been playing packed shows from coast-to-coast and this new album should solidify his reputation as one of the country’s best rappers.

Arctic Monkeys – “Crying Lightning”

They got us to put on our dancing shoes, taught us that “D Is For Dangerous”, and still think you look pretty damn good on the dancefloor.  Yes kids, that’s right: everyone’s favourite Sheffield garage-rockers, the Arctic Monkeys, are back and once again preparing for world domination…I mean, a world tour.  This one is in support of their upcoming third album, entitled Humbug, which is being produced by Queens of the Stone Age head honcho Josh Homme, and is scheduled to be in stores on August 25th.  You can listen to the new single, “Crying Lightning”, over at the Monkeys’ MySpace here.  The Toronto stop on the tour is September 28th at the Sound Academy and if you don’t have a ticket, well…tough luck.

The Dead Weather – “Treat Me Like Your Mother (Diplo Remix)”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you probably know already that this is Jack White’s new band.  And if you know anything about me, or the type of music I usually listen to (you’ve read this far, haven’t you?), than you know its impossible for me to remain unbiased about The Dead Weather.  I’ve been a fan of Jack, and a true believer that anything he touches turns to gold, ever since my father brought home The White Stripes’ White Blood Cells several years ago.   As frontman for the Stripes (and of course, later The Raconteurs), he’s a true Guitar Hero, and is hopefully destined to go down in musical history as the Robert Plant or Bob Dylan of our generation.  And can you blame White for getting Alison Mosshart to play a Nico-esque muse to his Andy Warhol?  As the female half of The Kills, Mosshart is gorgeous, and has the pipes to match her looks.  Throw in Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and a Raconteur (Jack Lawrence), and you have yourself one hell of a band.  Download Diplo’s remix of Horehound’s first single for free over at RCD LBL.com.

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Review: Edgefest ’09

June 26th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Billy Talent @ Edgefest (Photo Credit: The Edge 102.1)

Billy Talent @ Edgefest (Photo Credit: The Edge 102.1)

Everyone was wet, everyone was muddy, and nobody cared.

This year, Edgefest fell on a very rainy day. Many concert goers tried to keep dry using ponchos (often made out of garbage bags), and others went with the tried-and-true method of using an umbrella hat (which is always a stylish look). However, all attempts at keeping dry were in vain; these methods may have worked for the beginning of the day, but by the end of the concert, no one was dry or mud-free…especially not me.

The only ones who were able to keep dry were the performers who rocked the stage, which was covered to block the rain.

K-os was the first artist I saw at Edgefest. He took the stage, after what I heard was a great set by The Stills. K-os brightened up the gloomy day with a bright red hoodie that could be spotted from all over Downsview Park, as he ran around the stage, with a seemingly endless amount of energy. The crowd, who was already pumped, caught this energy, and grew more excited.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kos

Metric was the next band to play. Emily Haines put on a good show, and was looking better than ever, especially compared to the drenched audience. Although I loved seeing Metric, I was a little disappointed that they only played two old songs (Dead Disco, and Monster Hospital). I like their new music, but I would have loved to hear a couple more classics.

Haines also drew attention to the second stage, praising her “great friends,” Flash Lightning, who were playing at the same time, and encouraged people to check out some of the other bands playing that day.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/metric

After Metric concluded their set with Stadium Love, Alexisonfire got their chance to play the main stage.

I was so so so excited to see Alexisonfire for the first time, and they did not disappoint.

The set they played was great:

Young Cardinals
Boiled Frogs
We Are the Sound
No Transitory
Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
No Rest
Accidents
This Could Be Anywhere In The World

I would have loved them to play a song or two off their first album, but all things considered, they chose 9 great songs. The band was incredibly enthusiastic, and put their all into every number. The crowd acted accordingly; moshing and jumping around nonstop. The closing song (This Could be Anywhere in the World) was amazing, but left me wanting so much more; I will definitely go and see these guys again, and I can’t wait.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/alexisonfire

Then it was time for headliners Billy Talent. I was so thrilled to see this band; I’ve loved them since I was 13, and never seen them, so it was a big show for me.

All I have to say about Billy Talent’s performance is this: wow.

They played 18 songs, including an unexpected encore. The only way I can explain how great the set was is to show the set list:

Devil In a Midnight Mass
The Ex
This Suffering
Line & Sinker
Rusted From The Rain
Saint Veronika
Surrender
The River Below
The Navy Song
Pins and Needles
Perfect World
Devil On My Shoulder
Turn Your Back
This Is How It Goes
Fallen Leaves
Try Honesty
Red Flag
Nothing to Lose (encore)

Billy Talent played almost every hit, and every song I could have wished for. The crowd went absolutely berserk when they hit the stage, and didn’t stop for the entire set. At one point in the night, lead singer Ben Kowalewicz picked up a rubber chicken from the stage.

“Someone threw a chicken!” he said. “What other interesting stuff do you guys have?… What happened to like bras and panties; now I get fucking chickens thrown at me?!”

The chicken was later returned to its rightful owner.

Billy Talent was the most enthusiastic band of the night, by far. They spoke of their love for Edgefest; an event where they played on the third stage, when they were just starting out.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/billytalent

Overall, Edgefest was awesome. There were some lines that were too long and some portapotties that were too gross, but it was a great day overall. I think the key to this concert was the mindset of the audience. Most people went there totally stoked to have a great day, regardless of the weather. Lots actually loved the weather and the mud.

One girl, who was drenched in mud, brushed up against me and quickly apologized for doing so, since she was so filthy.

I said, “Fuck that; we’re all muddy today!”

“YES WE ARE!” she replied with enthusiasm. “Give me a hug!”

I did. I got even dirtier. It was awesome.

***

By Cashlyn Teggart

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Run, Pig, Pig

April 29th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Josh Homme

Josh Homme

Ah, my last Singing Lamb post written while residing at Pitman Hall. Here’s some news for you – the next time I write, I’ll be coming to you from North York. Enjoy!

The lineup for the 2009 edition of Ottawa’s Bluesfest was recently announced, and chances are that at least one of your favourite bands is on the list. The festival takes place from July 8th – 18th, and features scheduled performances from artists and bands including CAKE, Femi Kuti, Girl Talk, Holy Fuck, Joe Cocker, The National, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Toots & the Mayals. But ultimately, there are only two words that you need to know about this year’s Bluesfest: KISS reunion. That’s what I thought. All the details can be found here.

Speaking of music festivals, you should ignore the recent reports of swine flu paranoia, and plan a trip to beautiful Antigonish, Nova Scotia this summer for the Evolve Music and Awareness Festival which takes place July 17-19. Celebrating its tenth year, the outdoor, eco-friendly festival has drawn some big headlining names this year, including Australian singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd, Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out, Montreal comedian Jon “Show Me Your Genitals” Lajoie, iconic Newfoundland folk singer Sherman Downey, and garage-rockers King Khan & BBQ Show. Sure weekend pass prices aren’t exactly recession-friendly (on sale now for $125, $140 at the gate), but they do include parking and camping, plus there may or may not be copious amounts of illicit drugs easily available. Musical events of this calibre are incredibly rare in Atlantic Canada, so I might be returning to my home province come July to cover the festivities for the Lamb. If you are interested about finding more about Evolve, they have a very colourful, aesthetically-pleasing website that you can check out here.

What do you get when you cross a former member of Rage Against The Machine, and one of the best guitarists in the world, with a socially and politically conscious Oakland rapper? Why, Street Sweeper Social Club of course, the new side-project of RATM’s Tom Morello and The Coup’s Boots Riley. For those of you, myself included, that caught Boots opening for Morello on his Nightwatchmen tour, this new don’t-call-it a super group is a hybrid of the former’s funky rhymes and the latter’s tight riffs. You can read more about the Street Sweeper Social Club over at EXCLAIM! here and check out the songs they’ve posted on their MySpacehere.

I’m beginning to suspect that Justice’s Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay may be strapped for cash. How else would you explain the Parisian duo’s recent questionable song choices for remixes? First there was the high-profile U2 remix of their godawful new single, “Get On Your Boots”, and now this. Not to hate on Lenny, but if Justice starts covering “American Woman”, I may revoke my withstanding invitation the duo have to any parties I may throw in the future.

Can I get some love for Doves and their new album? These guys, who had a minor hit in 2000 with “Catch The Sun”, may be one of the most criminally underrated British rock bands. Their fourth album is entitled Kingdom of Rust and the band will be at the Sound Academy on June 1st.

Yesterday we announced that Eagles of Death Metal will be at the Kool Haus on August 2nd, and now we can also confirm via Queens of the Stone Age’s website, that Josh Homme’s “other” band will also be on the bill. Let the sexy times ensue.

Have you heard the new Green Day single? You haven’t? Good, it sucks. This whole “90s revival” thing is starting to get slightly out of hand…

My good friend and fellow j-school classmate, Jeremy Singer, recently got the chance to speak to Metric’s Emily Haines and James Shaw for arts and entertainment website andPOP. Check out the interview here. In other Metric-related news, the lovely Ms. Haines will contributing guest vocals to a song by The Crystal Method for the American electronic duo’s upcoming fourth studio album, Divided by Night. The song is entitled“Come Back Clean”, and the album is scheduled to be in stores on May 12th and the duo will be at Guvernment on May 8th.

For Fucked Up fans, the Toronto band will be playing an all-ages show at the Phoenix on July 16th, along with Women and more acts to be announced. Tickets are $16.00 and are on sale now!

That’s all I have for today, have a great rest of the week!

Cheers,
Max

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Now That Its Over, This Weight Is Off My Shoulder

April 23rd, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Gentleman Reg @ Sonic Boom for Record Store Day

Gentleman Reg @ Sonic Boom for Record Store Day

“I feel like I’m dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I’m a pretty sound sleeper – that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.”

I didn’t say that. Heck, the guy who did say that – one Stephen Colbert – was talking about getting the chance to speak at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, but I think this statement captures my feelings the last few days as I wrap up my first year of university. I finished my last exam yesterday afternoon, and now I’m beginning to say my goodbyes and getting ready to make the move from downtown TO to the strange wilderness that is North York. Now that school’s done, I’m hoping to be posting twice as often on here and covering even more shows and interviewing even more artists and bands.

International Record Store Day was this past Saturday and I got the chance to check out the festivities at Sonic Boom, which included solid performances from the likes of Gentleman Reg, Green Go and Hooded Fang. But we all know this day was about the free shit, and there was plenty of that; including vinyls from Josh Reichmann and Controller.Controller., a Paper Bag Records sampler and some pretty cool posters and pins. And just because the event has passed, doesn’t mean that you still shouldn’t be out there supporting your local record stores.

Twitter and Pitchfork. If there are any two cultural trends that I shouldn’t be following, it would be the latest social networking craze and the holier-than-thou tastemaking music website. But damn was their staff’s Twitter coverage of last week’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival pretty darn funny (sample Tweets included “there’s a guy next to me with a 4-year old with no earplugs. parental epic fail” and “killers open with “human” and “somebody told me.” they know they’ve still got another hour plus up there, right?”), and the next best thing to actually being in the middle of the Californian desert, dancing and sweating with thousands of complete strangers to everyone from Leonard Cohen to My Bloody Valentine to Paul McCartney. To read more about what you missed and to follow PItchfork on Twitter, click here.

Fleet Foxes are coming to Massey Hall in August! The date has yet to be finalized, but according to Chromewaves, event promoters recently confirmed this announcement.

How can hip-hop be dead when Kanye West and Clipse are still here? Their shit-hot collaboration, “Kinda Like A Big Deal” (which you can listen over at Kanye’s blog here), features some “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”-style boasting, honest-to-goodness rapping from South Park’s most recent target and bodes well for the Virginia duo’s upcoming third album.

While everyone and their mothers have been turning out remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Zero” recently (including MSTRKRFT, Animal Collective and N.A.S.A.), I thought I’d share with you a remix of a song from a band a little closer to home. Rio party-starter’s The Twelves turned out this remix of Metric’s “Help, I’m Alive”, which takes the original and turns it into a slab of French disco.

Hope y’all enjoyed, and celebrated accordingly, everyone’s favourite non-statuatory holiday on Monday. I’ll leave you with a few 4/20-related gems; here is Alexisonfire covering Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf”, a videofeaturing everyone’s favourite cuddly, family-friendly rapper (and avid cannabis supporter) Snoop Dogg, and some guy named Bob Marley talking about…well, you know where I’m going with this.

Cheers,
Max

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News Update!

March 24th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau

Deradoorian

Deradoorian

It always sucks to read about events that you missed out on but there wasn’t much I could do about this year’s SXSW. I will begin planning my hitchhiking plans for next year though; something along the lines of when Sideshow Bob hung on for his dear life to the bottom of the Simpsons’ car in that one episode. Okay, maybe I need to work on my plan a bit.

Even though I missed out on amazing acts such as PJ Harvey, Camera Obscura and Dinosaur Jr. the band that I was most excited to read about was Toronto’s very own Rural Alberta Advantage (of which a blog accidentally called the Royal Alberta Advantage). Something tells me that the trio’s appearance at this year’s festivities will mark the beginning of something big. Already, they’re receiving fantastic praise from Pitchfork,Brooklyn Vegan and Paste Magazine and now everyone is asking the big question: Why are these guys not signed yet? Even Pitchfork has said “This band could be huge.” Well The RAA are already huge to me, but Pitchfork is right – they are going to be bigger. Congrats, guys!

In other news…

Passion Pit has cancelled their upcoming Canadian tour, so please disregard my news yesterday about Ruby Coast. That is a bummer. (Thanks to nowhere for the tip)

Camera Obscura is going to be back in town on June 27th at Lee’s Palace.

Gregory and the Hawk will be at the El Mocambo on May 2nd.

Metric will be making an appearance (and performing) at The Edge 102.1 studios (228 Yonge St.) on April 14th (the same day their new album, Fantasies will be released). They will also be making an in-store appearance at the HMV Superstore (on Yonge, near Dundas) on April 9th from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. And last but not least, according to ‘For the Records’, Metric and Holy Fuck are apparently going to be at the Mod Club on April 14th (via Beggars Group Canada) but there has been no mention of this elsewhere. I’ll keep you posted; if this is actually true though, it sounds very exciting!

Holy Fuck will be playing a free show this summer at Harbourfront, as part of the annual Beats, Breaks and Cultures Festival on July 10th.

John Richman and Vic Chesnutt will be at The Great Hall on June 25th.

Jay Reatard will be at the Mod Club on June 29th.

Deradoorian has a new song out called “You Carry The Deed”. Listen to it here!

More of a Dirty Projectors fan than Deradoorian? Well you can listen to their recent set at SXSW here!

Buck 65 has formed a new band called Bike For Three! The band will consist of the MC himself and Belgium’sJoelle Phuong Minh Le (Greeting From Tuskan). Read more about it here.

i(heart)music is offering up live mp3′s of Hannah Georgas’ recent Radio 2 concert. Download it here!

The French Kicks will be at the Horseshoe on April 27th. Tickets are $11.50.

According to their MySpace, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees will be back in town on June 17th and 18th for NXNE. Excellent!

And for those in Mississauga (because I know you’re out there, reading this), the Mississauga Waterfront Festival will be taking place June 19-21 (unfortunately the same time frame as NXNE) this year at Port Credit Memorial Park. The first night will include Sam Roberts and Kathleen Edwards, with Spoons and 54-40 on the second and Bruce Cockburn and Hunter & Collectors’ Mark Seymour on the third.

And playing on Canada Day in M-town will be the one and only Sloan. Pending on the line up for Harbourfront’s Canada Day festivities (as I’m there EVERY year), I may actually be in Mississauga this year. Wow. (Again, thanks to ‘For the Records’ for the news)

Happy listening!

Musically,

Melody

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News Update!

March 16th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau

The Bicycles

The Bicycles

Hello!

Hope you all had a fantastic two weeks without the Singing Lamb. Do not fear though, I am back now and new posts will be up! Canadian Music Week was eventful to say the least. Stay tuned for a little review of my two days of action (as I skipped out on Wednesday and Friday) later tonight/tomorrow morning.

I’m not going to run through every piece of news that I missed while on lamb-cation, but here are a few important things to take note of!

Album news:
- Bob Dylan has announced that his new album, Together Through Life, will be out on April 28th. For more info and a sweet photo of the album cover, go here

- Just like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shortly after the leak of their album, Metric has also pushed up the release date of their upcoming record, Fantasies to March 31st. If you pre-order the album on the band’s website now, you can get a limited edition package with bonus tracks and free posters.

- Regina Spektor has announced a new album entitled Far. A release date and tracklisting has yet to be announced but read more about it in this interview!

- Arts & Crafts have been busy lately with the signing of Years (Broken Social Scene’s Ohad Benchetrit), Zeusand Still Life Still (the latter two of which the Lamb has mentioned already). Years will release its self-titled album on May 5th, Still Life Still’s debut EP is scheduled to be released in June, followed by a full length in August, and last but not least Zeus will have an EP out this spring. To add on to this, long time A&C memberApostle of Hustle has announced a new album entitled Eats Darkness that’ll be released on May 19th. For the tracklisting and mp3 of the new track “Perfect Fit”, go here!

Show announcements:
- The Rosebuds @ Lee’s Palace on April 13th. Tickets are $10.00.
- Ponytail @ DeLeon White Gallery on April 27th.
- A Camp @ Mod Club on June 1st. Tickets are $15.00.
- Beirut, The Dodos @ Phoenix on July 9th. Tickets are $25.00.
- John Doe & The Sadies @ Horseshoe on April 30th. Tickets are $17.50.
- Bowerbirds @ Drake Hotel on May 2nd. Tickets are $11.00.
- MUTEK, Guillaume & the Coutu-Dumonts, The Mole and Pier Bucci @ the Drake Hotel on April 9th.
- The Famines @ Rancho Relaxo on May 15th.
- Cut Throat Britva will be playing a free show at the Horseshoe on March 24th.
- Chester French and Hollywood Holt will open for Lady Sovereign at Lee’s Palace on May 1st.
- Peter Bjorn and John will open for Depeche Mode at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 24th.
- Here We Go Magic will open for Grizzly Bear at the Phoenix on June 5th.

There is some sad news to end this post though. If you didn’t catch The Bicycles at the Horseshoe (as part of Chartattack’s CMW showcase), you may have missed out on their last show…ever. According to a press release on March 11th, the Toronto band will begin an “indefinite hiatus” after that show. They will continue to work on music videos, and film and TV projects, but the band has no plans for the future at the moment. Drummer Dana Snell can still be seen playing for Gentleman Reg, as can guitarist Andrew Scott with Sebastien Grainger’s band and Andy Lloyd on tour with The Born Ruffians. The band will be missed by the Singing Lamb and this blog post is dedicated to you. Best of luck in the future!

Happy listening!

Musically,
Melody

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News Update: Metric

January 29th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau

Metric

Metric

Quick update!

As I opened the page for CBC Radio 3 tonight, I noticed a blog about Metric – and low and behold, a release date and album title has finally been revealed!

Metric’s upcoming follow-up to 2005′s Live it Out, entitled Fantasies will be out on April 14th and will continue to be released via Last Gang Records in Canada, whereas they will settle for an independent release stateside and on Broken Social Scene-family label, Arts & Crafts in Mexico. The album (both CD and vinyl) will also be available for pre-ordering starting March 2nd on the band’s website.

Also, taken from another source, here’s the tracklisting:

Fantasies
1. Help I’m Alive
2. Sick Muse
3. Satellite Mind
4. Twilight Galaxy
5. Gold Guns Girls
6. Gimme Sympathy
7. Collect Call
8. Front Row
9. Blindness
10. Stadium Love

Exciting stuff! Can’t wait. For more, check out their MySpace or their official website!

Happy listening!

Musically,
Melody

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The Year in Review: Saddle Creek, eh?

December 12th, 2008 | By: Melody Lau

Sebastien Grainger

Sebastien Grainger

By the time you read this post, you will have already forgotten all the good, bad and Pitchfork’d of 2008, but for those who want one last reminder, I am going to go through a couple of things one more time; for 08′s sake.

As I flip through the pages of the Spin, Under the Radar and Exclaim’s year-end issues, I can’t help but realize Saddle Creek’s Canadian additions this year, which came as a pleasant surprise.

Known for being the one-time home of Rilo Kiley and the original creation of Bright Eyes heartthrob, Conor Oberst (along with Justin Oberst), Saddle Creek was, at one point, the rulers of “the Omaha Sound” and more importantly, strictly American. But as of July last year, all those notions were shot down, or shall I say headed north, to snatch some Canadian talent.

July 20th 2007 saw the first of three signings, Tokyo Police Club. These Newmarket natives’ debut EP, A Lesson in Crime, was an immediate success with critics and although I had lost all interest by July, anticipation was running high for their follow-up, debut album. This signing clearly made an impact on the label and the band as publicity was at a high (again, not that I noticed…I don’t like Tokyo Police Club, to be frank – that rant will come soon though). Since then, TPC have embarked on some exciting tours around the world, made an appearance on Desperate Housewives (Nice. Was Lipstick Jungle not available?), and are now – as I write this post, not as you read this – finishing off a Christmas tour with Metric, Sebastien Grainger, The Dears and DJ Mike Relm. With the release of Elephant Shell in April ’08 on Saddle Creek as just the beginning of TPC’s relationship with the label, the band is sure to have many more successes in the New Year. Oh, and they were even given a brief shout out at the beginning of a Hills episode. Wow. Please don’t ask me how I knew that…

Roughly a year later, on July 17th 2008, Saddle Creek went on to announce two more signings – this time, Montreal’s Land of Talk and ex-DFA1979 drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger. Now these were the truly pleasant surprises. As a long-time fan of Land of Talk’s debut EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, I’d been waiting for too long for this band to release an LP. And with Grainger, I’d been a die-hard fan of Death From Above 1979 for years and with the disappointment of MSTRKFT’s LP, The Looks, I anxiously awaited Grainger’s return to rock. But thankfully, with the help of their new home at Saddle Creek, both were able to release their long-awaited albums later this year to fairly good reviews across the board. 2009 will surely be a good one for both. If you haven’t listened to Land of Talk’s album, Some are Lakes or Sebastien Grainger’s self-titled debut, I seriously advise you to do so. The rest of this post can wait!

So will this be a regular, routine investment by Saddle Creek from now on? Have they foregone their Omaha roots for our Maple Leafs? Only 2009 (and on) will tell now, won’t it. Here’s to hoping though as I quite like this union. Saddle Creek, good job.

Tangents of Angry Proportions:
I write this additional section as a way to beg for arguments. I would like to think as a journalist I can and will view all perspectives of an issue – and my issue just so happens to be Tokyo Police Club. Don’t get me wrong, I loved A Lesson in Crime and I can understand that their formulaic successes are credited to their energetic, short tunes. But therein lies the problem – you can’t do much with such a formula. With these boundaries, where can one really go? To me, since that EP, everything this band puts out sounds similar to one another and with repetition, you may get consistency but you also get boredom. I am bored of this band.

This theory was projected to new heights when I saw TPC play (for the second time) at the aforementioned Christmas tour (named Jingle Bell Rock) at the Sound Academy (don’t even get me started on my hatred for the venue). I had two problems, one relevant and one irrelevant.

Irrelevantly, I personally thought that The Dears deserved a longer set than TPC as the Dears were robbed of their time onstage. If you haven’t seen the Dears live, I highly recommend you do; if you have seen them, at the Jingle Bell Rock tour, I suggest you see them again, when they play a real set. These guys are amazing.

But back to relevancy, Tokyo Police Club’s set was way too long. Half-way through, I grew angrily impatient and knowing that their set wasn’t going to be over till they played “Nature of the Experiment”, I prayed every time they began a song that it would be that one. It felt like I was watching them play the same song over and over, but in slightly different variations of rhythms and riffs. Now repetition has induced boredom and anger. That mixed in with a very claustrophobically crowded venue and it will drive anyone insane.

I liked them the first time I saw them because they played a short set. Short and energetic – just like their songs. That was before Elephant Shell though so they only had a handful of songs to play. But I liked that. So my solution, either have them play sets restricted to 30 minutes and under or don’t have them play at all.

Correct me if I’m wrong.

Musically,
Melody

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