Tag Archives: Vancouver

Monaco

167758464-1Monaco by Walltapper   (Paris, France)

 
 

Walltapper is an SEM Label rare candy. This Jazz-infused, electronic set of dance tracks incorporates a wide range of musical styles that otherwise remain unbound by the standard club song structure.  It’s this alignment that creates a friendly listen, inspiring movement with grace.  And, graceful as it is, this movement is rapid.  It constantly shifts energy, changes posture and relays a new sense of urgency to the listener that makes Monaco subway perfection. @Dingusonmusic

Snowbeast

Snowbeast by Snowbeast   (Vancouver, BC)

 
 

There is something so heartbreakingly beautiful about SnowbeastPerhaps it’s the mixture of growly vocals and smooth guitars. Whatever it is, I can feel the emotion just bursting out and it’s enough to set my soul at ease. This is an album that has impact and purpose and it’s such an honor for me to get to introduce it to the Dingus realm. @LeahLovecat

Kitty Kitty Kitty Meow Meow

Kitty Kitty Kitty Meow Meow by Scrambled Debutante   (Vancouver, Canada)

 

Well, well, well, I seem to have stumbled upon quite the little treasure. Kitty Kitty Kitty Meow Meow is made up of noise pop and a little something sweet…but not quite. Maybe the female vocals make it seem sweet but, as I listen I can’t help but think she would punch me in the face for even thinking that. Regardless, this bite sized morsel packs a lot of heat and guess what, you can download it all for free! How very generous. [Free Download] @LeahLovecat

Tribes

Tribes by Tribes   (Vancouver, Canada)

 

Tribes, thank you for being simple. Thank you for naming your EP Tribesfor keeping your song titles to one word each, for keeping most of your songs under three minutes long. Thank you a million times over. This little EP is just what you’re looking for if all of the above meet’s your fancy. There is nothing I love more than good noisy, sludgy punk rock and Tribes know how to pack a punch. So please, ready your stomach muscles and take every hit. @LeahLovecat

The Metal Microscope [#1]

Peering into the Metal Microscope this very first week, I want to lay our attention on a particularly awesome Vancouver band.  I found this band early this year in 2012 and their sound blew me away. I’m talking technical death metal here in the band Xenocide. To give you a little semantic reason to remember these guys, Xenocide means ‘the genocide of an entire alien species’ and the lyrics take the point of view of an arachnid hivemind of aliens bent on galactic oppression. This is not your typical death metal, and it will be a breath of clean unpolluted vacuum.

Galactic Oppression by Xenocide   (Vancouver, Canada)

The vocals skills in Xenocide are immediately apparent; they have bold lows that complement hoarse screams and…they are actually understandable. The music is approachable with pummeling drums and a groovy riffage that is overlaid with technical guitars. When you give these guys a listen, make sure to follow along with their lyrics on the bandcamp page.

Ænimus Demo by Ænimus   (Unknown)

Let’s focus the microscope now on a slightly more brutal band. They are known as Ænimus and they really pack a punch. Blistering solo’s, roaring vocals, and a super aggressive sound that makes you dream of killing babies, it’s all there. The combination of melody and vocals is Ænimus’ greatest strength but make sure to listen to the arching solo on Descent into Chaos just 30 seconds in. Exploding into entropy, it quickly demands attention, then saunters into an eerie solo that carves thoughts into the cerebellum. This technical deathcore band hails from the Bay Area in California, and they are working diligently on a brand new album which is sure to make them well known if this demo is any indication. Like their Facebook to keep up to date!  @MetalMicroscope

 

Cave Of Wonders

Cave Of Wonders by Phenstrom   (Vancouver, BC)

I really have got to hand it to people who contact me through Twitter. It shows me a few things: they read Dingus and therefore know my handle and that they have the guts to ask me straight out for a review. Well, I take Twitter very seriously and if someone goes through the trouble of following and mentioning, I’m bound to do my part in the game. Phenstrom recently contacted me and I was eager to hear the type of sounds they were making. Cave Of Wonders is full of avant-garde/pop, including a song called ‘Slammer For A Pog’ (which I am happy to say that I’m old enough to understand the reference). The whole Phenstrom story is something that you find yourself wanting desperately to believe, it’s one full of shaman’s and gypsies and adventures. It’s true. It’s all true. @LeahLovecat

NorthWestern Passages EP

NorthWestern Passages EP by T A W Р  (Vancouver, Canada)

Do you feel that sense of adventure?  It’s the same deep sense captured by Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky distilled into an epic chillwave aesthetic.  Rounding the corners with deep beats, Tawd capitalizes on your triumphant emotions, drumming up memories of past victories and challenges over-come.  Fluid and symphonic, like M83, NorthWestern Passages will wake you up, shake you out and get you ready for the day to come.  [Free Download]  Dingus

U.S. Caves

U.S. Caves by Caving   (October 15, 2010) *

It’s truly disappointing how many bad remixes exist.  You got to start to feel like DJs think we’re dumb.  Now, here’s the exception.  Presented formally as a tidy album of somewhat pertinent remixes, U.S. Caves by Caving is absolutely hypnotique.  Re-appropriating vocal samples in and reinventing atmospheres, the entire album feels 100% original.  Slathering it in adjectives couldn’t convince you as easily as a quick listen surely will.

EP

EP by Dead Soft   (September 22, 2011)

Dead Soft combines the greatness of the early surf rock movement with the greatness of the early 90′s indie.  The introductory EP shows a band concerned with reality over theatre, a record that, in aesthetic, yells lo-fi but in composition rivals anything.  Satisfying the pop hook craving while showing off a a bravado seen in only some of the most pretentious rock music, Dead Soft is anything but.

- Dingus