Major Lazer

So, it looks like summer is finally upon us, and this one is shaping up to be a doozy so far. And with the warm weather that summer brings, you are going to need some new tunes to serve as the soundtrack. Having a party this weekend, and you don’t know what to play for music? Or perhaps you’re going on a road trip, and you need the perfect driving playlist. Never fear, that’s where I can help. Below are seven mixtapes/mixes from a variety of artists and DJs, that’ll perfectly suit your summer activities, whether it be getting ready to go out dancing or mowing your lawn.

Who: A-Trak’s Dirty South Dance 2
Featuring: Lil Wayne, Drake, Ludacris, David Guetta
Top track: A-Trak – “Ain’t I A Joker (Yung LA vs. Joker)”
Summer activity: This is the sequel to Montreal DJ A-Trak’s wildly popular Dirty South Dance mixtape, which takes tracks from some of the biggest names in Southern hip-hop, and mashes them with dance club bangers. This one will sound great rattling out of your car trunk while driving around downtown on a Saturday night with the windows down.
Serve with: In the words of the infamous Bryan Williams, aka Birdman, aka Baby, why not try a “24-hour champagne diet”? On second thought, maybe not.

Who: Major Lazer & La Roux Presents Lazerproof
Featuring: Major Lazer, La Roux, Amanda Blank, Rusko
Top track: La Roux – “I’m Not Your Lemonade (Heroes ‘N’ Villains Remix feat. Gucci Mane)”
Summer activity: Working out. Take one part Diplo and Switch’s futuristic Major Lazer reggae/dancehall riddims, and one part La Roux’s anthemic “me-against-the-world” choruses, and you have the perfect recipe for a mixtape that’ll make you want to sweat it out. Special shout out to whoever designed the mixtape’s awesome Iron Man 2-inspired cover artwork.
Serve with: Rasta Monsta, How To Make It In America’s Rene Calderon’s drink of choice.

Who: Woodhands’ Pre Party Jamz Vol. 92 for NickyDigital.com
Featuring: Gucci Mane, Kraftwerk, N.A.S.A., The Bug
Top track: Peter, Bjorn & John – “Nothing To Worry About (Woodhands Remix)”
Summer activity: In Woodhands’ write-up for this mix, the band says that they “never fuck with DJs”. But after listening to this pretty seamless 45 minutes of tunage, an eclectic mix of American hip-hop, British dubstep, and Swedish indie pop, I’m pretty confidant in saying that if you by chance find yourself attending a party with Dan Werb and/or Paul Banwatt, you could do far worse than letting them pick the music. Throw this one on at your next house party, or getting ready for a night out on the town, and it’ll be sure to get everyone dancing.
Serve with: Nothing says “summer drink” quite like a mojito. If you’re in Toronto, might I recommend grabbing one at the swankier-than-thou Drake Hotel? Coincidentally enough, this is where I saw Woodhands perform for the first time, and I promise you their bartenders don’t disappoint.

Who: Jean Grae’s Memorial Day BBQ Soundtrack for Flavorwire.com
Featuring: Marvin Gaye, Kool and The Gang, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Stevie Wonder
Top track: Michael Jackson – “PYT” (duh)
Summer activity: Canada Day BBQs, Independence Day BBQs, or just about anytime you are firing up the grill and having people over in your backyard. An old-school playlist, but a good one.
Serve with: Pabst Blue Ribbon (R.I.P. Dennis Hopper) and some sort of barbecued meat. Or a Smirnoff Ice (please read this if you aren’t familiar with “Bros Icing Bros”, the hottest new drinking game/method of public humiliation sweeping North America).

Who: Pretty Much Amazing’s PMACAST No. 29 – Summer Playlist 2010
Featuring: Animal Collective, Free Energy, LCD Soundsystem, jj
Top track: Sleigh Bells – “Infinity Guitars”
Summer activity: On a boat. Or, if you don’t have one (or had to sell yours because of that damn recession), than burn this podcast (featuring some of the hottest new tracks from all your favourite bands) to a CD and bring it to the beach for playing in your boombox (sorry for the multiple Lonely Island references).
Serve with: Ice cream. Om nom nom.

Who: CBC Radio 3 podcasts
Featuring: Everything that’s good in Canadian music; think Tokyo Police Club, Hey Rosetta!, Shad, etc., no Bieber or Nickelback.
Top track: Depends on your mood. Check out the Holy Fuck and Faunts in-studio sessions.
Summer activity: Roadtripping. According to this helpful/not-so-helpful guide from eHow, “Road trips are fun, especially when you have some fun tunes to accompany them. Making a mix is so easy, but pleasing everyone in the car is a different story.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. With any luck, whether you’re heading to an awesome summer music festival or just having fun getting lost, with these podcasts you’ll have sing-alongs that rival this one.
Serve with: Canadian beer. Sometimes it’s just that simple. Don’t drink and drive though!

Who: Midnight Conspiracy’s Dead Fame Tour Mix
Featuring: Radiohead, The Dandy Warhols, Dragonette, Miami Horror
Top track: Crystal Castles – “Crimewave (Midnight Conspiracy Remix)”
Summer activity: Mowing the lawn. Because, you know, it won’t mow itself.
Serve with: A ridiculously overpriced iced coffee from Starbucks to reward yourself for a job well done.

Photo Credit: Aimee Power

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Evolve Music and Awareness Festival is a three day outdoors festival that happens every summer in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. This year Evolve will take place from July 23rd to the 25th, and is set to be even bigger and better than previous years. Here are five reasons why you should attend the festival, which was voted “Best Music Festival In Canada”, by listeners of CBC Radio 3 Spotlight from across the country. For more information, you can head over to the festival’s website, or check out Evolve on Facebook or Twitter.

1. A lineup you won’t see anywhere else

Evolve has always boasted a diverse list of acts, from up-and-coming East Coast bands, to established Canadian musicians, to international DJs, and this year’s edition is no different. Just some of those performing at this year’s Evolve: New York’s Easy Star All-Stars performing Dub Side of the Moon (which, in case you were wondering, is exactly what you think it is), Toronto’s Woodhands (and occasional co-conspirator, Maylee Todd), VICE Records-signed punk duo Lullabye Arkestra, Newfoundland’s folk-rock six-piece Hey Rosetta!, Montreal’s Champion & His G-Strings, Edmonton freak-pop outfit GOBBLE GOBBLE, famed Canadian children’s performer Fred Penner, and plenty of homegrown talent including the likes of Rich Aucoin, Jenn Grant, Skratch Bastid, and Old Man Luedecke. Halifax Rocks, a two-day outdoor concert that takes place the same weekend (headlining this year are Kid Rock and the Black Eyed Peas – ugghh), should be taking notes.

2. Location, location, LOCATION

With all due respect to Antigonish (some of my good friends go to university there), the place ain’t exactly the Nightlife or Music Capital of the World. So, why then, is it the perfect place to host an outdoors music festival? Because the actual venue is located on a grassy, 225-acre field, lined with trees and only a ten minute walk away from the Atlantic Ocean, therefore serving as the perfect weekend gateway from crowds, traffic, and work responsibilities. With paid festival admission, wristband holders are allowed to camp for free, and did I mention there are waterfalls nearby? So be sure to pack your swimsuit – that farmer’s tan won’t go away on its own.

3. Tickets to Evolve are (relatively) affordable

If you act now, a three day festival pass will set you back approximately $125. Now granted, that may sound like a pretty hefty fee, but keep in mind it includes access to all the performances (there’s no such thing as overpriced “V.I.P. passes” at Evolve), plus camping and parking for the weekend.

4. More than just music

Here are just some of the other activities and workshops that Evolve-goers will be able to participate in during the weekend: introduction to massage therapy, yoga and meditation classes, cargo net and hammock construction, hoola hoop dance instruction, yurt construction, drum circles, and an art show (whew!).

5. What other summer music festival can say they’ve been endorsed by Elizabeth May?

Actual quote on Evolve’s (incredibly well-designed) website from none other than the leader of the Green Party of Canada/every Canadian comedian’s favourite political punching bag, Elizabeth May: “Evolve is a great event and rapidly recognized as THE alternative and green music event of the summer. Hats off to the Evolve Team!” In its eleven years of existence, Evolve has strived to be eco-friendly not only in the way the festival is run, but by promoting environmental awareness during the weekend through workshops, booths by local grassroots organizations and vendors, etc. And that’s an accomplishment worth tipping a hat to.

Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells – “A/B Machines”

Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce you to Brooklyn buzz band no. 45, 056, Sleigh Bells. Their recipe for success? Take one guy (Derek Miller, former guitarist in Florida hardcore outfit Poison The Well) and one girl (singer Alexis Krauss, who spent time in the teen-pop group RubyBlue). Next, record some demos and have a major coming out at the CMJ music festival in New York City, all without having a full-length album to your name. Add upcoming tour dates at pretty much every major American music festival (including SXSW, Coachella, and the Pitchfork Music Festival), stir in a healthy dose of blog love, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. “A/B Machines” is a delicious slab of glitch-pop, complete with buzz-saw guitar licks, distorted drums, and Krauss’ giddy chanting. According to a recent post on their MySpace, we can expect the debut album from the duo sometime this year. Also, the word on the street is that these two are going to helping out with producing the upcoming M.I.A. album (that’s your cue to get excited). Sleigh Bells will be opening up for Yeasayer at Lee’s Palace on May 1st, so get your tickets while they last.

Woodhands – “P’iss”

If you haven’t heard it yet, Woodhands’ new album is good. Really, really, really fucking good. The dynamic duo of Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt have managed to outdo themselves with this album; Remorsecapade contains some of the most sexually-charged (“Sluts”), emotion-baring (“I Want To Be Together”), frenetic (“Coolchazine”) and anthemic (“CP24″) songs that the band have recorded to date. And while it’s far too early in the year to call, I’m pretty sure that come next December, we’ll be seeing this album on a lot of people’s “best-of” lists. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we get this absolutely hilarious “Z-side”, a tongue-in-cheek stab at none other than the music website everyone loves to hate, Pitchfork. As far as diss tracks go, it’s certainly no “Ether”, but it does sample Kanye outbursts, lets Werb scream random obscenities and complain about the site’s poor HTML coding, and allows Banwatt to rap and give Eminem a run for his money. This might even better than the duo’s cover of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl”, and that’s saying something. Get it for free over at Paper Bag Records’ website, and check out Woodhands’ MySpace for upcoming tour dates near you.

Rihanna – “Rude Boy (Diplo Rudeboyz Remix)”
Major Lazer feat. Elephant Man – “Halo (Beyonce Cover)
Major Lazer feat. Busy Signal & M.I.A. – “Sound Of Siren”

Diplo is by far one of the funniest “celebrities” that I follow on Twitter. But when the globetrotting DJ isn’t Tweeting about wild partying in New Orleans (“Switched slipped pon some beeds and broke his coxix”), or starting faux beefs with everyone from Sean Kingston to Miley Cyrus, he’s sharing new tracks and remixes. And Diplo’s been busy lately. During the Grammy Awards, we got this tongue-in-cheek cover of “Halo” in response to Beyonce’s winning night, and shortly after, a mashup of Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” and M.I.A.’s “Boyz” and another new Major Lazer track. Can anybody stop this guy? Oh, and expect a new Major Lazer EP this spring, featuring a remix from none other than Radiohead’s Thom Yorke (!!!).

Jay-Z – “Lucifer (Mako Reactor)”
Clipse – “Virginia (Lost Woods)”

I don’t play video games. Maybe its because, unlike most children of the 90s, I grew up with two younger brothers in a household without a video gaming system. Occasionally I’ll pick up a plastic Rock Band axe or the microphone, but when my roommates start killing zombies on Left 4 Dead 2 or trash-talking 12-year-olds on Halo online (how do you like that not-so-subtle product placement?), it doesn’t really interest me. I’m not trying to be preachy, because I waste more than plenty of time on my MacBook, but video games have never been my proverbial cup of tea. However, there is something geeky cool about a mixtape that takes songs from some of the biggest names in rap today, and mashes them from instrumentals from classic video games. And as Massachusetts’ Team Teamwork know, you can’t get much more classic than Final Fantasy 7 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, pairing Hova’s Black Album gem with the former, and the drug-hustlin’ Clipse’s “Virgina” with the latter. Download them both for free via Team Teamwork’s website (via Matt Braga).

Erykah Badu feat. Lil Wayne & Bilal – “Jump in the Air and Stay There”

What is it about Erykah Badu that brings out the best in other musicians? As Chris Rock once joked to Rolling Stone, “Outkast did a great record [Aquemi] while Andre was with Erykah. Common made a great record [Electric Circus] when he was with Erykah. Before I write any more jokes, I think I’m gonna call Erykah Badu.” This time around, she’s getting Lil Wayne to bring his A game, on this track from Badu’s forthcoming album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (which is easily an early contender for the worst album title of the year). And let’s face it – Wayne could probably benefit from a swift kick in the behind these days, and he rises to the challenge, to contribute some sharp verses that remind us why he might just deserve his self-appointed “Best Rapper Alive” title. “I go nuts like a Danish”? Great line. If Weezy teaming with the woman who has been called the “Queen of Neo-Soul” isn’t enough to get you excited, this song samples from Parliament Funkadelic and also features a crooning hook from soul singer Bilal. Yes, that Parliament Funkadelic. Hell of a music video too.

Japandroids – “Art Czars”

“Here’s your money back, here’s your punk rock back.” If you didn’t think that Japandroids could get any better, than this newest single from Brian King and David Prowse, proves that the Vancouver duo are more than a one album wonder after making the sublime Post-Nothing. Unfortunately these guys won’t be making an appearance at this year’s Canadian Music Week, but you can catch them in Toronto on April 3rd, when their upcoming North American tour brings them to the Horseshoe Tavern.

Harlem – “Psychedelic Tits”

If you ever wondered what would happen if King Khan and the Black Lips hooked up while on peyote, and had a illegitimate love child together, then wonder no longer. Not to be confused with Brooklyn’s Harlem Shakes, Harlem are three guys from Austin, Texas who enjoy a nice pair of cutoff denim shorts, Patrick Swayze’s performance in Dirty Dancing, and some band named Nirvana. They also enjoy making scuzzy garage-rock songs about drugs, Disneyland, and their dream girls, not necessarily in that exact order. From last year’s album, Free Drugs, which was made available as a free online download, “Psychedelic Tits” ain’t exactly Shakespeare when it comes to lyrics. But it is infectiously catchy, and it makes me want to drag out my BBQ in the middle of winter, invite a few friends over, crack open a tall boy, and have a party in my backyard. The band recently signed to Matador and their debut album, entitled Hippies, will be out April 6th. Harlem will also be touring around the States the next two months, but unfortunately, there are no Canadian dates as of right now. You can check out this song, and several more, by moseying on over to Harlem’s MySpace.

Oh No Forest Fires – “A Letter Of Apology To My Parents For Becoming An Alcoholic (Song For Claudia)”

R.I.P. Oh No Forest Fires, we hardly knew ‘ye.

Phoenix – “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Bob Dylan Cover)”

If anyone still had any doubts about Phoenix being the biggest band in the world right now, than the last two weeks should have silenced any doubters. First they won the ridiculously-named Grammy for “Best Alternative Music Album”, which resulted in some absolutely hilarious awkward interviews on the red carpet, including one with MTV Jersey Shore celubu-tard Snooki. If that wasn’t a big enough crossover, how about “1901″ in a fucking car commercial? Or “Liztomania” in the trailer for a godawful-looking Hollywood romantic comedy? Just when you thought these guys had completely sold-out though, they go ahead and put out this stripped-down, unpretentious cover of Bob Dylan’s “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”, a song that appeared on Dylan’s 1966 classic Blonde On Blonde. Recorded as a live five minute acoustic cover for the German magazine Musikexpress, this song has no flashy synths or dance-pop drum beats, just strumming guitars and Thomas Mars’ earnest vocals. It looks good on them.

Ani Difranco

In the spirit of staving off the winter blahs, I’d like to introduce you to (or remind you of) an absolutely lovely festival that takes place in my backyard – an exaggeration, but it is pretty close by. As some may know, the legendary Hillside Festival finds its home at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area and is an annual weekend extravaganza full of swimming, dancing, workshops, and excellent musicianship tied together with the threads of community and environmental consciousness. Truly, the only problem with Hillside is that it takes place but once a year. As a way of tiding us over the unbearably long stretch between summers, the masterminds behind the Hillside concept dreamt up a sister festival, this one being indoors and and taking place during the chilliest season. In its third year running, the (one-day) Hillside Inside Festival will be taking place on February 6th at the Sleeman Center in Guelph, with the likes of Ani Difranco (only Southern Ontario appearance!), Hawksley Workman, Final Fantasy, Martin Sexton, Basia Bulat, Rural Alberta Advantage, Bahamas, Woodhands and many others gathering to kick the snowy weather in the pants.

For more details and tickets, check out http://www.hillsidefestival.ca/

What are you waiting for? Grab your reusable Hillside mug and I’ll see you there!

Woodhands – CP24 from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

Surfer Blood

vitaminsforyou – “Shelter (The xx Cover)”

If I haven’t made it clear over the past few weeks that I love this band, let me make it evident: I fucking love The xx. In just three weeks their self-titled debut album has become a lock for my year-end “Best Album” list, and their covers and various remixes (like this one) just add to my appreciation. So you can only the imagine alarm bells going off in my head, when I read this week that the band recently cancelled gigs because of “exhaustion”, and keyboardist-guitarist Baria Quereshi’s departure for unnamed reasons. However, the band’s tour dates with Friendly Fires are still on – and that’s good news for North American fans. To tide you over until then, here’s an (even more) spaced-out cover of “Shelter” by a gentleman whose stage name also shows a blatant disregard for proper capitalization, Toronto-based producer and musician Bryce Kushnier’s electro outfit vitaminsforyou. If you missed out on getting tickets to the December 2nd show at the Phoenix, The xx will be back in Toronto on April 20th, opening up for Hot Chip (!!!) at Kool Haus.

Hexes & Ohs – “H-H-Highschool (Hexes & Ohs Hip Hop Mix)”

Is anybody else surprised that it took this long for Hexes & Ohs to put out a remix album? The Montreal duo (and perennial Lamb favourites) of Edmund Lam and Heidi Donnelly make ridiculously catchy and hyperactive electro-pop songs, with plenty of keyboards and synths, that seem perfectly suited for remixes galore. Last week, fans of the band finally got a eight-song digital EP entitled SHARE (Remixes), which is only available on iTunes and Hexes & Ohs’ website. As their website describes it, “SHARE (Remixes) is a remix project featuring collaborations between Hexes & Ohs and seven of their admired fellow Canadians friends. They are the Bicycles, Camaromance, DT666 (aka Patrick Pentland of Sloan), Montag, OPOPO, Sloan and vitaminsforyou [see above]. Unlike typical remix albums, this one here is a two way street, Hexes & Ohs have their songs remixed and in turn remix others’ songs. The result became a sort of dialogue between the artists. It’s colorful and diverse, but unified by the common ingredient.” My favourite is the hip-hop rework of “H-H-Highschool”, a song that is pretty damn catchy to begin with, but the remix of the Sloan song is pretty nifty (and slightly unexpected) too. If you are looking for the soundtrack to your next dance party, look no further than this EP.

Wale – “Triumph”

So Wale’s official debut album just dropped, but thanks to the “magic” of Internet leaks, you could already listen to the entire album online several weeks previous. And while everyone was so quick to drool over the Lady Gaga-assisted “Chillin’”, there are plenty more hidden gems on Attention Deficit. The album features a who’s who list of producers including Cool & Dre, The Neptunes, and frequent collaborator, Mark Ronson. This is one of two songs produced by TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek (the other, the possibly ironically-titled “TV in the Radio”, features K’Naan); who contributes a horn-heavy beat on this one, which perfectly suits the rapper’s jubilant lyrics. Criticize the Washington-born rapper all you like, but you can’t say he doesn’t have his charms: he has a great sense of humour (“She swallows everything like Kirby”? Hilarious!) and has plenty to say (past material has dealt with race relations, misogyny against women and intelligent commentary on the state of rap music circa the 21st century) – something that’s missing for the dreck passing as Top 40 rap these days. On “Triumph”, Wale boasts, “Cause you slumdog, and I’m the millionaire.” Not yet, but he’s getting there. This album should get the attention that Wale feels he’s been missing – what he does with it next is his move.

Juelz Santana feat. Yelawolf – “Mixin’ Up The Medicine”

Fair warning: if you thought K’Naan releasing a mixtape which featured him rapping over Bob Dylan songs was a little bit “out there”, than this song is going to probably going to be too much for you to handle. This time its Dipset-affliated, Harlem rapper Juelz Santana (white folks might recognize him from his 2005 hit single, “There It Go (The Whistle Song)”, or more recently from his guest vocals on “You Ain’t Got Nothing”, Lil Wayne’s most gangster song on The Carter III), who bites the chorus and flips the beat from the most unlikeliest of songs: Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. Suffice to say, the line “Johnny’s in the basement mixing up the medicine” takes on a whole new meaning coming out of the rapper’s mouth. Sure, Santana’s original lyrics leave something to be desired, but the way the sample is turned into a hypnotic, drug-addled groove, you can’t help but feeling like someone slipped you some of said “medicine”. Take the trip for yourself here.

Lil Wayne – “I Feel Like Dying (Flying Lotus Remix)”

And speaking of drugs…My roommate recently turned me on to Los Angeles’ Steven Ellison, an experimental multi-genre music producer, DJ, and laptop extraordinaire, who goes by the name of Flying Lotus. He also happens to be the nephew of American jazz great Alice Coltrane. FlyLo’s latest album, last year’s very-stellar Los Angeles, is a mixture of headphone-friendly psychedelia, electronic blips, and hip-hop that you might hear on an Adult Swim program. This is the second time he’s tackled a Lil Wayne track, his “Robo Tussin” remix of “A Milli” is staple in his DJing set. This time he takes the woozy “I Feel Like Dying”, a song which I have to admit isn’t my favourite that Weezy has ever done (that Auto-Tune chorus annoying as hell), and makes the rapper somehow sound like he’s on even more drugs. I’m not one to advocate recreational drug use but if you do, than you need to give this song a listen over at Flying Lotus’ MySpace here.

The Very Best feat. Kano – “Julia (Remix)”

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the next big indie music scene: Africa?!?! That’s right you read correctly, it would seem that the newest mecca of buzz-worthy artists and bands, is none other than Joseph Conrad’s so-called “dark continent” (in an semi-related note, is it weird that I actually enjoyed reading that novel?). It seems like these days you can’t click on your favourite music website and/or blog, without reading about the latest face-freshed band from Freetown or Johannesburg. I’ve already featured Jo’Burg’s BLK JKS on the Tuesday Twelve before, but this week I have two new African groups worth your time. Chances are that you’ve heard of The Very Best – Malawian-born, London-based singer Esau Mwamwaya and European production team Radioclit – before, or at least read about them on P4K. The group first came to music media’s attention with Mwamwaya’s versions (sung in his native Chichewa tongue) of “Paper Planes” and Vampire Weekend’s “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, which lead to a mixtape (2008′s Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best) and this year’s debut album, Warm Heart of Africa. Warm Heart of Africa features thirteen sunny, upbeat Afro-pop tracks that also has plenty for hipsters to love – the album features vocal assistance from M.I.A. and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, and borrows samples from songs by Architecture In Helsinki and MJ. On this remix, British rapper Kano gives shoutouts to The Streets’ Mike Skinner, references Pretty Woman, and promises a girl, “[that] I’ll never Chris Brown you”. Funny stuff.

Desmond & The Tutus – “Kiss You On The Cheek”

Who’d have thought that a band named after a iconic activist could make music so gosh-darn catchy? It kind of makes you wonder if Nelson & The Mandelas is taken for a band name… My second African band this week is Desmond & The Tutus, a quartet that hail from the city of Pretoria, South Africa. They aren’t quite as well known as The Very Best yet, but these guys are too talented to stay a secret from North America much longer. Desmond & The Tutus want to get you up off your ass and jiving, and their saccharine-laden pop songs full of snarky digs like “Your girlfriend looks like Willy Nelson”, will do just that. “Kiss You On The Cheek” reminds me of Scottish band The View, and features the best harmonica solo you’ll hear this year not on a Bob Dylan record. Plus, you have to love a band whose mission statement says, “You will have fun or else you will die. Not because we’re going to get all offended and poke your eyes out with sharp sticks or anything but rather because you’ll be trampled to a bleeding pulp by all the happy dancers jumping around like little crazies. You’ll dance. You’ll cry. You’ll eat. You’ll touch yourself [maybe]. You’ll cut your hair. And then you’ll dance again.” Give Desmond & The Tutus a listen here and let’s hope we see them on this side of the Atlantic in the near future.

King Khan & BBQ Show – “I’ll Be Loving You”

You know who’d I love to hang with out? That King Khan dude. I can only imagine what spending a day with the Montreal-born, Berlin-raised Arish Khan would be like, but I’m guessing he would first teach me his fashion and guitar-playing secrets, followed up by jamming out with his good musician friends whom include Black Lips and GZA, and our day would end with taking magic mushrooms with BBQ Show (also known as Mark Sultan) and his manager and probably end up in jail (on second thought…). Until that day comes, I’ll have to make due with Khan and Mark “BBQ” Sultan’s new album, Invisible Girl. If you know these guys, then you know what to expect: Khan’s Little Richard-style vocals, 60s doo-wop, and straight-up psychedelic garage rock with delightful double-entendres and a message of love. Sweet album artwork too. Check out the video for the song, which features the duo playing in a demolition site, over on Pitchfork here.

Surfer Blood – “Swim (To Reach the End)”

Has the quickly approaching Canadian winter got you feeling all gloomy and down? Want to get away from it all, but the deteriorating state of the economy has left you too poor to afford your annual vacation to Cancun? Never fear, ’cause I have the band for you! Surfer Blood are five twenty-somethings from Florida – guitarist and lead singer John Paul Pitts, drummer Tyler Schwarz, guitarist Thomas Fekete, bassist Brian Black, and percussionist Marcos Marchesani – who make reverb-heavy, lo-fi garage pop tunes that sound like they were recorded in someone’s basement. Their forthcoming debut album, Astro Coast (scheduled for a January 19th release), was actually recorded in the band’s dorm room during their freshmen year at the University of Florida. And although these guys hail from West Palm Beach, singer Pitts’ Brian Wilson-esque harmonies and hooks that are reminiscent of early-Nineties Weezer, make the band sound more like they are from the West Coast than anything else. These guys had a major coming out at New York City’s CMJ Music Festival this year, and these songs should fit nicely into the iPods of fans of Japanese Motors and Japandroids (who Surfer Blood is opening for on the Vancouver duo’s upcoming American leg of their tour). So slip on a good pair of headphones, make yourself a nice tropical drink, put on this song, and let your thoughts take you to a warmer place. The shoveling can stand to wait a few more hours.

Dr. Fox’s Old Timey String Band – “Kids (MGMT Cover)”

One of MGMT’s biggest singles, covered by a banjo-fuelled Irish outfit? What kind of strange, alternate universe is this? There’s not much info to be found about this band, other than a MySpace page (on it, there’s also a version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack), and this incredibly catchy take on “Kids” that is now making the blog rounds. It shouldn’t work as a novelty cover, but it kind of does, and that’s enough. In MGMT-related news, the New York duo recently announced their new album (entitled Congratulations), will be out in early-2010. Mark that down on your calendars and get pumped.

Woodhands – “Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant Cover)”

Its hard to believe that Toronto-based label Paper Bag Records has been around for seven years. The little indie label that could started in 2002; and has been responsible for launching the careers of Broken Social Scene, Tokyo Police Club, and European acts like Denmark’s Under Byen and Swedish-Italo disco singer Sally Shapiro, among others. To help celebrate their seventh anniversary, the label has put on an EP of rare and previously unreleased covers by Paper Bag artists, which is available as a free download here. The Seven Year Itch EP includes Toronto darling Laura Barrett’s tinkling kalimba version of Beck’s “Gamma Ray”, Montreal’s Winter Gloves covering Nirvana’s grunge classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and Outkast’s “Behold A Lady” like you’ve never heard it before, as re-imagined by Toronto’s one-man-show Slim Twig. But the highlight here is Woodhands’ electro-pop take on “Electric Avenue” – originally sung by 80s one-hit wonder Eddy Grant – a song that perfectly suits the duo’s high-energy performances and one that has been a regular in their setlist since early summer (On a semi-related note: guys, new Woodhands album in 2010? Please?). So here’s to Paper Bag Records – can’t wait to see what the next seven years bring.

Various Artists – Indie Music Filter Presents: Hand Drawn Dracula Mixtape

While I’m on the subject of Toronto-based indie labels, there’s no way I could go without passing on mentioning this free online collection of songs from the folks over at Hand Drawn Dracula Records. The label was formed by Toronto artist/musician Casey Mejia and Holy Fuck frontman/solo artist Brian Borcherdt, and has a small-but-talented roster of artists and bands (mostly from Toronto), all of whom appear on this mixtape in some fashion. The mixtape includes songs from By Divine Right (whose debut album on HDD, Mutant Message, is scheduled to come out next month), folk-pop sweetheart Julie Fader, newest HDD signees and definitely a band to watch for Bishop Morocco, experimental trio of a dozen genres Off The International Radar, Montreal meets Halifax rock band Contrived (members of Holy Fuck and Wintersleep), and of course, Borcherdt himself, who seems to be pretty damn prolific these days (I spoke to him several weeks ago at an in-store, and he told me that a new H.F. record is on the way next year). All of these artists have played, toured and recorded together, which makes Hand Drawn Dracula feel more like an extended family rather than a Canadian record label. And though the days are getting colder, listening to these songs is like the musical equivalent of cup of hot chocolate – they make you feel warm and content inside.

Junior Boys @ Lee's (Photo Credit: Ryan O'Shaughnessy)

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m not one to dance at shows a lot. But this was not the case for last Friday’s Junior Boys & Woodhands show at Lee’s. Partially because I would stick out even more than usual if I didn’t and truthfully – how does one not want to move at a show like that? Are you an emotionless robot or something?

Woodhands, whom I mustn’t lie was the reason I was at the show to begin with, has grown into local electro-dance heroes in the past couple of years, with their gut-wrenchingly addictive toe-tapping rhythms and in-your-face sing-along tunes. Duo Dan Werb (vocals, keytar) and drummer Paul Banwatt never disappoint in their live sets, giving it everything they’ve got (and then some) and always guaranteed to leave the stage drenched in their own sweat. Playing mostly old material from their 2008 release Heart Attack, the band strayed away from revealing too many new tracks from their upcoming album (entitled Remorsecapade, out January 26) which of course leads me to tell you that you’re just going to have to wait until the record’s out and they tour again. There are only a handful of bands I would let loose and dance to and Woodhands are definitely on my list – you should consider them on your list too. Just sayin’.

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

Junior Boys was a significantly more toned down set compared to the fun and exuberant energy of Woodhands’ set – which is a plus but also quite the big negative as well. Pros of Junior Boys: consistency. These guys know how to be consistent throughout their set, maintaining an atmosphere and energy that must’ve been fifty times more compelling to experience in the pit (of which I had left after Woodhands and opted for a spot at the back instead). The con? As good as the band sounded – it was literally heart-poundingly good – it wasn’t amazing. There’s something about Junior Boys’ music that just doesn’t pounce at me and grasp my attention when I listen to it, albeit this purely subjective as the large audience that occupied Lee’s enjoying JB would probably argue. If we were grading shows, Junior Boys would’ve gotten a B- but an enormous E for effort! Oh well, maybe next time.

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

Patrick Wolf @ Mod Club (Photo Credit: Jackman Chiu)

I was having lunch with a friend around mid-afternoon, several hours before the opening shows of this year’s NXNE, when the rain began pelting the streets of downtown Toronto. I was woefully prepared for this weather; despite having checked the forecasts online days in advance, and arrived soaked at the place of another friend on Bathurst Street (where I would be basing myself and – occasionally – sleeping for the week’s festivities). However after toweling off and heading to catch my first of many shows, Patrick Wolf, with openers Jaguar Love, Plasticines, and Living Things, I realized that from the small crowd outside the Mod Club (a venue that I was eager to experience for the first time) that the weather had done nothing to dampen the spirits of concert-goers. This tour should have been called the “Blond(e)s Have More Fun” Tour. With the exception of the dark-haired boys in Living Things, all of the other lead singers (Jaguar Love’s Johnny Whitney, Katty Besnard of Plasticines, and the main man himself, Mr. Wolf) were sporting various golden coiffures. The lineup was curated by the folks at hipster fashion magazine (let’s call it what it is) NYLON, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more eclectic group of artists on any summer tour elsewhere. Can you think of another tour where you’d see a freak electro-tinged hardcore duo, a French girl pop-punk group, a mopish-haired, anti-Bush, anti-religion garage rock band and a cabaret pop star all perform on the same bill? That’s what I thought. I can’t wait to see who these guys come up with next year to top themselves. Yet for such diverse styles of music, the acts all seemed to complement each other perfectly and the mostly all-ages crowd at the Mod Club were treated to a solid show. Ladies and gentlemen at NYLON, take a bow. You’ve deserved it.

Jaguar Love
Perhaps the most unlikeliest band to be on the tour, Portland duo Jaguar Love got the night started off with a bang, playing their party-starting anthems full of dirty guitar riffs and buzz-saw electronic flourishes. Anyone that has seen the band before might have noticed the former trio is now a duo, having gotten ridden of drummer Pretty Girls Make Graves’ Jay Clark and instead utilizing a drum machine, with the exception of“Highways of Gold” and one or two others, played all new songs. Lead singer Whitney’s high-pitched girlish voice is one that you either love or hate (depending on your feelings for the now-defunct Blood Brothers – there’s no middle ground), and with Cody Votolato (also in a pastel-coloured shirt) adding some honest-to-goodness melodies, they make for a high energy duo that has the possibility of self-combusting at any moment. The duo got the audience into it early by jumping into the crowd for a sing-along, and by my account, stayed on the ground for more than they were on-stage. Oh, and those two cardboard tigers (what, couldn’t Whitney and Votolato find any cardboard jaguars?) that adorned the stage during their set? Good call.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jaguarloveband
Website: http://takebacktheradworld.com/

Plasticines
Before the Plasticines started, I had my doubts that this was a real band, and not a quartet of gorgeous, waifish models plucked from the runways of Paris, and thrown money at to start a band by some fat cat producer. And while Andy Warhol himself couldn’t have came up with a more-perfect dream band, the truth is that these gals can play. The band takes their name from a lyric in The Beatles’ “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” (“plasticine porters with looking glass ties”) and are one of several Parisienne teenage bands, referred to collectively as “les bebes rockers”. Dressed in a black sequin dress, lead singer Besnard looks a little like Blondie, sings like Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hanna with the tongue-in-cheekiness of CSS’ Lovefoxxx (the band does have a song called “I’m A Bitch”), and got the straight boys in the audience wound up as she flaunted and teased. The rest of the band – guitarist Marine Neuilly, bassist Louise Basilien and drummer Anais – were dressed in long t-shirt dresses, leggings and flats, as if they’d stepped out of the pages of NYLONthemselves. To describe their sound as “riot grrl pop-punk” might seem like an insult but their songs, full of catchy hooks and bratty come-ons, definitely fit that description without making the Plasticines any lesser of a band. These girls may speak in French and sing in English, but any language barriers were bridged with their rockin’ cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”.

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

Living Things
Judging by the lack of people singing along to their songs, it was pretty obvious that the majority of the audience hadn’t heard of the Living Things before tonight. But that seemed to suit the band from St. Louis just fine; that just meant that they had to work harder to win the crowd over. The quartet (three siblings and one childhood friend) came out of seemingly nowhere to release the fantastic debut Ahead Of The Lions in 2005, which Rolling Stone named to their year-end best album list, and the single “Bom Bom Bom” was featured in a cellphone commercial (a curious choice considering the song’s anti-war themes). After that though, the band just disappeared into thin air and no one knew what they were up to until now. Touring behind their new album, entitled Habeas Corpus, the band was eager to bring their straight-up politically and socially-charged garage rock (Mama was a Black Panther) to the Toronto audience. They played a mix of older and newer material including the new single “Oxygen”, which with its huge drawn-out chorus, shows these guys might just have some stadium ambition after all. Critics decry these guys’ songs as sounding all the same, but Living Things believe in the “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” approach. After “Bom Bom Bom” got a rise out of the crowd – with Lillian Berlin shaking his hips in a manner that would suggest he’s spent some spare time watching footage of Mick Jagger in concert – the lead singer decided that it was due time to jump into the frenzied crowd. The biggest thrill of the night for me came when I was handed the microphone during the acronym-laden, “I Owe”, and I got to sing along after my voice had cracked from yelling a long time ago. Perfect.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/livingthings
Website: http://www.livingthingsmusic.com/

Patrick Wolf
From the get-go, Wolf made it clear that this was his show, and everybody else was just lucky to be along for the ride. Dressed in an outfit that is impossible to describe unless you were there (but included smeared red glitter, a large black flower brooch, a high-waisted black trousers and a white overcoat – you can see pictures of the whole show at Chromewaves here, Wolf was determined to put his recent troubles with San Francisco police behind him and put on a memorable show. The bisexual singer easily commanded the stage with a theatrical performance worth of Bowie; snarling, preening, posing and singing on his knees. I wasn’t familiar with his music, but compared to the opening acts, Wolf has had a pretty prolific career. His set varied from sweeping folk-pop violin solos (“Damaris”) to piano ballads, and aggressive spoken word (the end of “Count Of Casuality”, were the singer howled “Ten thousand human lives”). Unfortunately the show ended on a sour note as Wolf threatened the sound guy, threw the microphone stand, and walked off during “Tristan”. Given Wolf’s reputation as a prickly character, there were no doubts in the audience that this wasn’t staged. Apparently after I left, Wolf eventually returned to the stage in nothing but an open shirt and a thong and proceeded to tear through several more tracks. Just further proof that Wolf is one singer that truly plays by his own rules.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/officialpatrickwolf
Website: http://patrickwolf.com/

Woodhands @ Drake Underground
It started out as a “secret show”, but by the time I arrived at the packed-to-capacity Drake, its clear this set from Toronto’s favourite electro-poppers Woodhands was anything but. These guys have been on my must-see list of artists ever since I arrived in Toronto, so after waiting about half an hour to get into the basement of the Drake where they were playing, I was excited to finally see them live. They didn’t disappoint. Woodhands’ music is for everybody, from jocks to nerds to music fans. Dan Werb wields his keytar like its his….well, you know what, and exudes a confidence on stage that reminds me of a nerd that got into a party thrown by the cool kids. If Werb is the geeky brains of the group, Paul Banwatt (who also drums in the decidedly more-mellow The Rural Alberta Advantage) is the brawn, thumping away on the drums like there was no tomorrow. You can tell these guys are having fun onstage and it reflects on the crowd. Their chemistry was highlighted when Banwatt messed one of his vocals, and told the crowd that, “He [Dan] said its cute when I fuck up.” Back-dropped by a velvet curtain and a large disco ball, with movie projections on the walls, their set inspired tons of sweaty, alocohol-fuelled, spontaneous dancing. The crowd was treated to all the hits from the duo’s debut Heart Attack LP; “I Can’t See Straight”, “Under Attack”, their now set-staple cover ofEddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue (those shouting out requests for their version of were unfortunately turned down) and the thunderously received “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting”. Maybe it was the fact that I had abused my media pass to get into one of Toronto’s swankiest watering holes, maybe it was the several vodka and cranberries that I had tipped back, but this show was one of the week’s best.

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