Canadian Music Blogs

Fresh Snow, Data Romance, Del Bel, and more at NXNE
Frank YangI’m sure some would look at the last full day/night of a music festival as an opportunity to go hard or go home, I took NXNE’s Saturday schedule as an opportunity to go small and go (relatively) local. I’d kept a pretty conservative schedule through the festival this far, after all, why stop now? [...]

The National, Still Corners, Hayden, and more at NXNE
Frank YangWish as we might, the day show still hasn’t quite taken hold of NXNE the way it has its heavyweight south by southwestern cousin, but there are things worth seeing and doing in the daylight hours if you look. And sometimes those things will take you to places like Urban Outfitters, who were hosting [...]

Mikal Cronin, Diana, Moon King, and more at NXNE
Frank YangI acknowledge that most coverage of NXNE referencing “night one” would be referring to the actual first night of the festival – that being last Wednesday night – but since instead of being out at the clubs, I spent that evening dealing with plumbing issues and catching up on Game Of Thrones, “night one” [...]

Jim Guthrie Takes his Time making it onto the 2013 Polaris Prize long list
Colin MedleyThe 2013 Polaris Prize long list was announced yesterday, and unlike past years where there were a number of obvious frontrunners for inclusion, whether because they were by the biggest artists or had the biggest buzz over the preceding twelve months, there actually didn’t seem to be a lot of “gimmes” amongst the records [...]

The Postal Service and Mates Of State at The Air Canada Centre in Toronto
Frank YangThough generally referred to as a reunion, the return this year of The Postal Service to active duty is unlike most others in that it’s to mark a very specific occasion – the 10th anniversary and reissue of their only album Give Up – and comes with absolutely no promise or expectation of carrying [...]

Shad + Skratch Bastid – The Spring Up
Unless this is literally your first time on the hill and you’ve ended up here by accident (perhaps looking for this popular classic from yesteryear), I’m going to assume you’re a Canadian music enthusiast, and the mere mention of a collaborative EP from Shad and Skratch Bastid will have you leaving this post behind in(...) Hey there! You should read this original post on the hill by going here: Shad + Skratch Bastid – The Spring Up

Contest:: Win a copy of Chris Eaton, A Biography
When asked, I often say my favorite piece of writing is a simple passage from Dan Chaon’s book You Remind Me of Me. It’s nothing more than a quick description of a man opening a can of tuna, but the wording is flawless. The gentle sigh of the can opening, god, I’ve read it so(...) Hey there! You should read this original post on the hill by going here: Contest:: Win a copy of Chris Eaton, A Biography

Quick Hitters:: Royal Canoe Bathtubs
You know that guy that pumps the shit out of Souls of Mischief, Fela or Jaco Pastorius the minute the sun comes out? You’ve seen him, driving windows down with his music crushing factory grade speakers. Yeah, that is 100% me. I can’t even pretend it’s not. Summer jams don’t really need anything than a(...) Hey there! You should read this original post on the hill by going here: Quick Hitters:: Royal Canoe Bathtubs

Polaris Pondering:: Jim Guthrie Takes Time (Instrumentals & Demos)
At my age, it’s probably weird that I care about music so much. Odd that a passion that started as soon as I could afford to buy cassettes persists longer than friendship, employment, love and almost anything else in my life. Odd that I still want to find records that leave a mark, not just(...) Hey there! You should read this original post on the hill by going here: Polaris Pondering:: Jim Guthrie Takes Time (Instrumentals & Demos)

Favorites-of ’13:: Culture Reject Forces EP
It seems like decades since we last heard from Michael O’Connell. His self-titled Culture Reject LP was a refreshing collection of loops and transitions; a musical journey that brought together the influence of countless remote locations and one man’s vision. Forces is a different beast. O’Connell still lets delicate picks and frantic percussion meld into(...) Hey there! You should read this original post on the hill by going here: Favorites-of ’13:: Culture Reject Forces [...]

Nominations for the 5th Annual Shadow Polaris Are Now Open
This is the 5th year that we've done the Shadow Polaris at NxEW. It is a chance for fans, any and all fans, to tell us what should have been on the Polaris long list, the Polaris short list and who should have won. In 2009 Julie Doiron won with I Can Wonder What You [...]

2013 Polaris Music Prize Long List (Shadow Polaris Coming Soon)
The 2013 Polaris Music Prize long list is, probably, the most diverse list yet. Just about every genre and region of the country is represented in one form or another and it includes both established acts with multiple previous Polaris mentions (Besnard Lakes, Metric, Tegan and Sara) and newer acts who are still working to [...]

Toronto: Catch Olenka and the Autumn Lovers Twice This Thursday
By now you are being inundated by NxNE events, but if you get the chance you should really check out Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. They have been one of my favorite acts for years and on Thursday, June 13 you get two chances to see them and grab the new 7-inch 'It's Alright' The [...]

SoundClash Festival Unveils Line-up
The SoundClash Festival has unveiled the details of the 2013 event, it will run from July 12 to 14 at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. The festival shines a spotlight on emerging artists. The theme of this year's event is "terrain", giving the bands performing a chance to explore their roots while redefining the parameters of their [...]

UN Unveil Summer Tour Dates
Montreal Electro-punk-dance-pop duo UN have announced the dates of their summer tour. Kara Keith and Jen Reimer is also offering a free stream of their debut album UN Titled. Check 'em out on the following dates; Friday, June 14th, 10pm - Sneaky Dee's (M for Montreal showcase) @ NXNE, Toronto Friday, June 21st, 6pm - Alexandria Centre @ [...]

If my friends ran the government
When you ask bands why the make music–what’s the motivation behind your band?–the last thing you’d expect to hear is that they’re trying to raise $700, 000 to “purchase a functioning airship for a music festival that will take place over Lake Ontario”.  Then again, the band’s name, Blimp Rock, should have been a dead giveaway. Will [...]

Happy Father’s Day Motherfuckers
The followup to the fabulous 2011 Degeneration Street is in the works, but Murray A. Lightburn has taken a bit of a break from working on the next Dears record to focus is attention on a solo album proper. At the Dears’ website  and Lightburn’s own personal site, he describes MASS:LIGHT  as an  ” electronic pop opera soundtrack”, and given the [...]

You changed my life
While the rest of the interweb pontificated on Yeezus this Friday night, I was giving Austra‘s sophomore album Olympia another couple spins before putting my thoughts down.  The temptation to get in on the zeitgeist of the moment was strong, but the allure of Olympia proved to be much stronger. Though they are pegged as [...]

MUSiC ALLiANCE PACT: June 2013
 CANADA: Quick Before It Melts Ketch Harbour Wolves - The Good Blood Weaving together history, mythology and their own personal experiences, Ketch Harbour Wolves’ new album, Queen City: Volume One, is their first of what is expected to be a multiple disc project that aims to create a sonic map of their home, Toronto. The Good Blood is [...]

2013 Polaris Music Prize Long List
The Polaris Music Prize announced in Long List for 2013 yesterday, singling out 40 albums released in Canada this past year as standing heads and shoulders above the others.  It is an eclectic and diverse collection of nominees, more so than any other year I can think of.  From these 40, the jury will determine a short [...]