Elephant Stone by Elephant Stone (Montreal, Canada)
Elephant Stone’s self titled album is made up of pop and rock, summer rays and ice cream cones. It’s the stuff you wish for when you think of the hazy days that wait for you. June, July and August are going to be filled with the sounds of Elephant Stone, a sort of updated version of The Shins, if you may. It’s about time someone decided to give this genre an upgrade. @LeahLovecat
Posted in A: Lovecat, T: LP/EP
Tagged Canada, DIY Recording, elephant stone, Montreal, rock
Keep Me Guessing by Bliss (Montreal, CA)
Another great find thanks to this years’ NXNE lineup. Bliss is an alternative-pop band from Montreal, piano driven soulful songs under a blanket of spacey guitar and keys. Vocalist Abigail de Burgh Galwey brings a Florence Welch/Adele twist to the bands’ melancholy yet radio friendly tunes. Their most recent release has 5 solid tracks to win over all of North America and anyone lucky to be in attendance to this years’ festival will surely see that Bliss is a new force to be reckoned with. @thinknotsleep
Tagged A: Dingus, alt-pop, Alternative, bliss, Canada, Folk, indie, indie music, indie pop, indie-folk, Montreal, New Music, nxne, pop, rock
Featherweight by Archery Guild (Montreal, CA)
A new discovery from the NXNE festival lineup is local Montreal based big indie ensemble, Archery Guild. The band has 2 tracks that are up streaming on their bandcamp in promotion for their upcoming full-length and are making their way over to Toronto this June to take part in the festivities. Chaotic and lovely at once, over 9 members permanently make up the guild although just as many outsiders have taken part to record and perform on tracks. Let’s not even think about the funding it’d take to get these dudes on tour. Cool songs though…a little heavy on The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene (blame Canada) sound but always fun to hear a bunch of energetic youngsters gang together with numerous instruments from horns to strings to guitars and anything else they can get their hands on. @thinknotsleep
Manger du bois by Canailles (Montréal, Canada)
I have stumbled upon the Francophone bluegrass album of my dreams. This tight eight-piece, with guest musicians on a few of the tracks, is producing cajun music that sounds like it traveled from Acadia down through the South and right back up to Canada. The lead female vocalist’s tone would fit just as easily in a punk band, especially when she wails in tracks like ‘Ramone-moi.’ For now all I can do is tap along, but you can bet when I get home I am breaking out the air fiddle. @AshleyCanino
Tagged bluegrass, cajun, Canada, canailles, DIY, Folk, francophone, manger du bois, Montreal, quebec
‘Tis the season to be thankful to all of you for welcoming me to the blog this Fall. Scouring the interwebs for tunes to share has been so rewarding. You’ve tweeted and liked and–one can only hope–played, downloaded, and supported the artists responsible for your aural pleasure. ‘Tis also the season for giving. The artists we’ve featured have been sharing their gifts with us all year, and while it is the thought that counts, the free music doesn’t hurt either. Now I present to you my top five EPs/LPs of two-thousand twelve, by DIYers representing three different countries. Imagine that these came in homemade wrapping paper.
5// Toumrakata by Téhessé (Lyon, France)
Sexy and quirky Toumrakata was one of the first EPs to get me really excited as a new Dingus staffer. Téhessé is a promising trio experimenting with a blend of trip-hop and soulful vocals, daring to explore the edges of acceptable synth behavior in their first outing.
4// In Basements by The Sea Life (Washington D.C.)
There are a lot of talented people uploading their audio creations to the internet, but I try to be as discerning as possible when bestowing the Best New Music title. There was no question, though, that In Basements deserved it. Whether through lyric driven tracks or songs where vocals are sparse, this release speaks to me.
3// Heavily Spaced by Each Other (Montréal, Canada)
Heavily Spaced is the most dynamic, yet cohesive release I covered on the blog this year. A lot of bands I come across in the discovery process, even ones I like a lot, don’t have a cultivated sound. Each Other sounds like Each Other. Identity is a quality that’s taken for granted, but one that is very necessary for any band to become your favorite. Unless your favorite band is Radiohead.
2// Wolf Like a Stray Dog by Norwegian Arms (Philadelphia, PA)
Wolf Like a Stray Dog lands in the sweet spot of notes acoustic, electronic, and organic making it another obvious choice for Best New Music. Norwegian Arms’ progressive approach to Folk is revitalizing, heightening a listener’s energy and awareness. They are on tour for the rest of 2012 so check the dates and try to catch them on the road. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them live yet, but something tells me this duo puts on a great show.
1//Go Into The Light Smiling by Quiet Loudly (Brooklyn, NY)
Go into the Light Smiling dropped in July, before I started at the blog. I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Quiet Loudly for the first time in November in Brooklyn, NY. All of the passion and energy in their recordings is brought to the stage ten-fold in their live performance. The CD the band submitted that night permanently lines my disc tray at work and I return to it throughout the day. Sure, I could just stream from the bandcamp, but with songs so substantive, playing off of a physical object just feels so much more right. @AshleyCanino
Isoloir 2 by Max Richard (Montréal, Canada) *
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Let’s get down to this satanic shimmy shimmy. Max Richard has struck gold, fucking gold. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Praise satan-praise satan. Mac Richard has set the oilfields on fire with a twisted, backhanded brush from the chin. So next time you’re thinking about driving your car off the side of the expressway, unbuckling your seat bealt, prepared for flight, remember Isoloir ep2. [Free Download] @Dingusonmusic
Posted in A: Dingus, C: Best New Music, C: Free Music
Tagged Canada, Isoloir 2, max richard, Montreal
Heavily Spaced by Each Other (Montréal, Canada)
The Heavily Spaced EP is so fluid that it was difficult to highlight just one or two tracks. ‘A Strong Spinning’ brings out all of the best elements of this release: deceptively simple rhythms and lyrics, fuzzy hooks, and straining guitar sounds that call out a tension in their music you may miss otherwise. Each Other is on tour through the end of the year–catch them live on the East coast, or over in Europe. [Free Download] @AshleyCanino
Tagged art-rock, DIY, Each Other, EP, Heavily Spaced, Montreal
‘Legs’ by Oddmind (Montreal, Quebec)
Grungy lo-fi goodness from Oddmind. Despite clocking in at just under 2¼ minutes, ‘Legs’ manages to run the gamut, dynamic-wise. It starts out loud and blistering, then sinks down into a comfortable groove, and finally, builds and builds until it threatens to erupt (and yet never does). Compare to certain moments on BSS’s You Forgot It In People. Oh and apparently, Oddmind has been releasing a new single every few days, so definitely take note. @Solidusonmusic
Shadow of the Colossus by Shadow of the Colossus (Sacramento, California)
Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite metal DIY bands. Their band name is coined from the PS2 game which I’ve never played, but I’ve seen some videos and you basically run around on a horse slaying building-tall monsters. In the same way, Shadow of the Colossus will slay you. This is a death metal band without limits, with insane technical leads, growling vocals and killer screams. The best part is they have a full high quality album out in 2010 with another one coming this year. The 11-track album is entirely playable on Bandcamp, has lyrics as well and goes for just $7. Themes are death, politics, and video games.
Perpetuation by Derelict (Montreal, Canada)
Rarely do I make impulse buys, but after 60% of a song by Derelict, a Montreal technical death metal band, I had to buy their $5 album. This isn’t a new DIY band, their first full-length came out in 2006, but their latest release is extremely solid. Derelict adds just enough melody to differentiate themselves from other bands, but they move FAST. This is crushing metal that attacks the ears and pleases the brain. Lyrical themes talk of war and injustice but with album Perpetuation, they move into many criticisms about humanity today including references to wealth, banking, politics, religion, and technology. @MetalMicroscope
Tender Opposites by TOPS (Montreal, Canada)
TOPS have quite the gem on their hands with Tender Opposites. I feel like this album is everything I would want for a night full of blinking lights and a bit of romance. TOPS have taken a psych/new age sound and turned it into something lustfully exquisite. Perhaps it’s the French influence, but Tender Opposites is so soft and beautiful that it makes me want to lay on my floor and have my own personal listening party. Lovecat
Posted in A: Lovecat, T: LP/EP
Tagged Montreal, pop, psych, tender opposites, tops
