Swedish All-Stars

Do you remember those days in high school when almost every person you pass in the hallway could’ve easily fit the profile of a stereotypical group? You know...the “popular” folks, the athletic jocks; the nerdy Asians...the list can go on and on. Well that’s the feeling I get whenever I see a video clip of Lykke Li’s crew of musicians accompanying her as she sings. Let’s just call them the Swedish All-Stars. The first time around, Li was surrounded by the All-Stars which consisted of members of Shout Out Louds, The Concretes, Laakso, and how can we forget Robyn. This time around, the popular Take Away Shows Series (from La Blogotheque) follows Lykke Li and fellow tour buddy, El Perro Del Mar as they spontaneously perform songs on the streets of San Francisco (I believe). The first time, not only were there more people, but Robyn took away most of Li’s vocals during the chorus of “I’m Good, I’m Gone”, which was fine, but just a tad annoying after the 36th time viewing the clip. For the Take Away Series clip, Lykke was able to take the reins more with the lead vocals, especially for the cutesy pop number, “Dance Dance Dance” (in which, Li did in fact dance to while singing). Anyway, see for yourself HERE.

In other news, the line-up for the up-coming outdoors All-Caps show has been announced. On August 9th, people of all ages can enjoy a free show which includes the likes of Huckleberry Friends, Hooded Fang, and Word Burger. Details to come (sorry, I’m too sleepy and tired at the moment...). Thus far, I have not heard of the latter two acts, but I must recommend listening to some Huckleberry Friends as they are pretty wicked.

Happy listening/watching!

"The Buzz"

I remember looking through last month’s issue of Exclaim! Magazine and seeing Nirvana The Band The Show in it. Not only did the name immediately catch my eye, but after reading the article, I was very intrigued by the concept of the online show as well. Obviously knowing me though, I quickly forgot to go home and search for it (in my defence, I was distracted by Ladytron’s amazing live show that night). But when I ran out of things to look up today, I suddenly remembered that article and paid a visit to the show’s website before I forgot again – and I must say, I fucking love this show now.

Nirvana The Band The Show revolves around the two comedic members of a band fittingly named, Nirvana The Band (duh) and their ambitious goal to one day play a set at Toronto’s Rivoli. As a result of such desires though, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol are driven to extreme (yet hilarious) lengths to try and get their band booked.

I’ve got to say, I rarely laugh really hard at many jokes on television shows, but literally five minutes into the first episode, I was dying with laughter. The love-hate chemistry between Matt and Jay are endearing to watch and one can never predict what Matt will say next or come up with. It’s also refreshing to see Matt and Jay run around familiar spots of downtown Toronto, mainly situated around the Queen and Spadina area, as that is where the Rivoli is located. Also, each episode seems to have its own unique theme/parody, including episodes based on Lost, CSI or even Fraser. Episodes aren’t nearly as long as regular shows on TV, so if you’re looking for something short to watch online, I definitely endorse Nirvana The Band The Show. Now create the buzz.

WATCH HERE

Additionally, I noticed that Jay McCarroll actually owns a MySpace Music page with music up, so feel free to check that out as well. “The Suck” is pretty good, as is his cool cover of Bjork’s “Hyperballad”. His music’s not bad – he should definitely be given a spot at the Rivoli one night.

LISTEN HERE

In other news, Sub-Pop’s The Ruby Suns will be opening for Tilly and the Wall on August 2nd at the Mod Club. Unfortunately, I won’t be making it to the show (which makes me want to cry as I’ve been waiting to see Tilly and the Wall for years now!) so someone better go and let me know how it goes.

In other news, if you were able to make it out to today’s Ladyfest garage sale at Kensington Market’s *Hotspot Gallery, we’d like to thank you a million! I apologize for not informing you on the time as I didn’t find out until last night. Anyway, the clothes were amazing (I was able to nab a couple of things) and all the other miscellaneous things were also equally wonderful and interesting. If you missed out, then shame on you! Please do attend Ladyfest in September though! Schedules and details to come.

Why I Want To Save You

There hasn’t been much from the Stars camp lately besides an unexpected Polaris nomination and continuous touring in support of said nominated album, In Our Bedroom After The War. The only news indicating that some sort of music was being created and produced from any member of the band would be Torquil Campbell’s newly surfaced side project, Dead Child Star – which isn’t bad, but just never satisfied my Stars appetite much. So it comes as a complete surprise to see that today, Stars posted a new song entitled, “Why I Want To Save You” on their MySpace. The track itself is not terrible as it follows the typical Stars-signature indie-pop swoon that their previous works all share. As per usual, Campbell and Amy Millan’s harmonic beauty is framed with atmospheric keyboards and sweet percussions (provided by bassist, Evan Cranley). Can’t wait to see what else the band’s been secretly stashing away from us fans. For now, you can listen to “Why I Want To Save You” HERE.

In other news, Toronto’s very own We Take Lovers is giving away their new EP for free online right now, I guess as some Radiohead-esque move. I’m not too familiar with the band and to be honest, I don’t really remember why I looked them up a few weeks ago and added them on MySpace. Either way, that post was able to capture my attention and I’d encourage you to check it out too. I haven’t fully listened to the EP yet, but I will get back to you as soon as I do! You can download HERE.

Time Warp!!

I was just browsing around and trying to catch up on some news when I noticed that MTV is supposedly remaking one of my most favourite movies ever, The Rocky Horror Picture Show...what the hell! This is just wrong, you DO NOT remake such a classic. This makes me sad. Anyway, let's boycott MTV shall we? I guess I boycott enough anyway though, since I don't have the channel and therefore don't watch any of their "wonderful" shows.

Also, for those looking for things to do this weekend, I suggest you head out to Miracle Fortress at Sneaky Dee's on Saturday night and head on over to a good ole garage sale at Kensington Market on Sunday! Secret City's Miracle Fortress will be accompanied by Think About Life and Ruby Coast, so that sounds like a must-go. If you haven't already picked up and listened to the Polaris-nominated gem, Five Roses, I recommend you do it as it is quite a remarkable album. On Sunday, Toronto's Ladyfest will be holding a garage sale to raise money for the annual festival that will take place later on this year in September. Garage sale, clothes, great neighborhood, great bargains, great cause...what more do I need to say to convince you? Times and specific locations are not finalized yet, but I should know by tomorrow what the deal is. Be sure to be in the area at least! Support Ladyfest, buy some stuff!

Oh and most important piece of news...I bought a laptop yesterday! And I am currently typing on it, all Carrie Bradshaw-style. Okay, not so much an important piece of news as its just something exciting I felt like sharing...I'm done.

Something For All Of Us...

So to catch everyone up to a couple of things in the past few days, The Born Ruffians, Jamie Lidell and Goldfrapp announced upcoming shows in Toronto (not together, although that would be a great show). Local buddies, The Born Ruffians will be headlining at the Opera House on November 1st ($12.50), as will Jamie Lidell on October 9th ($17.50). Goldfrapp, on the other hand will be taking the stage at the Music Hall on September 14th.

Speaking of good ole British acts such as Lidell, the Mercury Prize nominees were recently announced. For those who are unfamiliar, the Mercury Prize is basically where the Polaris Prize was derived from. This year’s list includes:

Adele — 19
British Sea Power — Do You Like Rock Music?
Burial — Untrue
Elbow — The Seldom Seen Kid
Estelle — Shine
Laura Marling — Alas, I Cannot Swim
Neon Neon — Stainless Style
Portico Quartet — Knee-Deep In The North Sea
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset — The Bairns
Radiohead — In Rainbows
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — Raising Sand
The Last Shadow Puppets — The Age Of The Understatement

Personally, I like the Polaris list better. But then again, I am very biased. Radiohead, Laura Marling, British Sea Power and Estelle are the only ones of which I am very familiar with therefore I can’t fairly judge this list. Adele was quite popular throughout the year, so I’m not surprised to see her, as well as The Last Shadow Puppets (seeing as the Mercury Prize is normally of fan of the Arctic Monkeys). As for whom I believe the winner would be? I have no clue. I can’t even give a pretend-academic prediction. Radiohead?

Off top note: Brendan Canning will be on MTV Live today. If you don’t have MTV (like me), visit their website tonight and it should be up by then. BSS Presents Brendan Canning’s Something For All Of Us…came out this week and I suggest you run out to your record store and buy it now. If you like Broken Social Scene, that is. It’s quite the staple in a BSS collection. There are no plans for the band to play in Toronto yet, but they will be at this year’s Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal – of which I will trek seven hours there to just to see them. Yes, I’m crazy.

Also, mark September 27th on your calendars, folks. That Saturday will mark the second annual Star Trek convention at the Tranzac Club, cleverly entitled, Trekzac. Star Trek is awesome, and as is the Tranzac Club – so if you would like to enjoy a full day of fun and activities (Ferengi games! Parrises Squares! Cheap beer!), come on down and have a grand ole nerdtastic time! The night time portion is (most likely) going to feature bands such as Woodhands, Laura Barrett, The Rural Alberta Advantage (!!!), and Gravity Wave. But equally as amazing will be the daytime festivities, which will promise intense discussion panels, fantastically Star Trek-related games and even a casino this year. All proceeds for this event goes to the Tranzac, so do your part in the community! Check it out HERE.

I was cruising Stereogum several days ago when I noticed a new Devendra Banhart video featuring gal pal, Natalie Portman. The video for “Carmenita” is like the most bazaar, yet intriguing Bollywood musical I’ve even seen. It’s Bollywood on mushrooms. Needless to say, I enjoyed it; especially since I’ve never listened to Banhart prior to this video. Anyway, watch it HERE.

Skelliconnnection

Just a quickie update on a couple of things.

First off, I was informed yesterday that the wonderful Chad Vangaalen will return to Toronto for a show on October 4th at the Mod Club. Great artist, great venue - this can only spell success. His new album, entitled Soft Airplane, will be out on September 9th. Exciting!

Also, if you haven't heard already, King Khan and the Shrines will be playing an in-store show on Thursday, July 24th at Sonic Boom. I must admit, I've never listened to them before (well, I briefly paid their MySpace a visit last night) but I'm excited to see how this goes. Word on the street is that he is quite incredible live and I've never been one to refuse free music. The in-store will be taking place at 7 p.m. but I'd advise you to go a little earlier as this will probably get packed by showtime and if you're unfortunately stuck at the back and are short (e.g. me), you'll probably see very little of the band.

On a separate (and random) note - I just started listening to Carbon Dating Service and they are really good. I like what I hear. Stay tuned for a far more interesting and detailed post to follow.

That's it for now.

Top Six: Vol. 3

Top Six time! I’ve been fairly obsessed with some of the things on this list, so this is going to be a good one.

1. The Rural Alberta Advantage

Like I’ve mentioned before, I read Chromewaves everyday. Therefore I am bound to discover a heap of bands from it. One of them just so happens to be my new obsession with a Torontonian band named The Rural Alberta Advantage. This trio also coincides perfectly with my new found love for Woodhands, as both of them share a drummer – Paul Banwatt; while Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff complete the band. Their “indie-rock folk songs” have a sense of familiarity with me and easily made their way into high rotation on my playlist in the past couple of weeks. Their album, Hometowns, is packed with melodic perfection, including “Don’t Haunt This Place” and “Luciana”. The RAA are slated to play one upcoming date in Toronto at this year’s Summerworks Music Fest on August 14th. Check them out now HERE.

2. All-Caps Madness

I’ve always been aware of the miracle workers more commonly known as the people behind the All-Caps shows in Toronto. Their basic premise is to bring great music to people of all ages, by hosting monthly shows (either indoors or outdoors) filled with fanfare and excitement. This month is no different. On Saturday, July 26th, an indoor show will be held at the WhipperSnapper Gallery on College St. featuring the fantastic Colourbook, Brides and Cobras Cobras Cobras. (Show starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are $6). This will be followed by a summery outdoors show on August 9th at Dufferin Grove Park with an exciting “to be announced” line-up. So regardless of your age, come out for these shows as they will probably be more fun than being with a bunch of uninterested bystanders drinking in a dingy bar anyway! (Not to insult those people though. I completely respect them. Just consider this to be an advertising technique/angry youngster talk)

3. Feist on Sesame Street

While most of her original fan base has deteriorated away with bitter “selling-out” rants, I still remain a loyal and loving fan of Ms. Leslie Feist. If anything, this recent YouTube clip of her upcoming appearance on Sesame Street has made me love her even more. I’ll agree with everyone – this song works much better in such given situations and it is in fact, perfect for Elmo and his friends to learn counting with. I find the re-written version weird, but still adorable nonetheless. Feist will return for a show at the Air Canada Centre (I still can’t understand this. Okay, I can…but it’s just plain awkward!) in November. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster.

VIDEO: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9fciD_II7NI

4. Return of Vinyl

To me, vinyl was never “out” but I was reading an article in the Rolling Stone recently about the sudden rise of the mighty record again. Sales have been booming again and I can’t be happier as many of my favourite artists are releasing their music on vinyl. Its sound is better, its artwork is bigger – what’s not to love about records? My recommendation for vinyl shopping would probably be Criminal Records on Queen St. and Rotate This, which recently moved slightly down the street to a larger location.

5. Frosh Rumour Mills

I just had to mention this as I am starting university in the fall and like any other music junkie, this is far more important than school itself. I cannot confirm rumours for any other school except for Ryerson, but I’m pretty sure we’ve figured it all out already. So far, it is a sure thing that Thunderheist and the Team Canada DJs will be opening acts, which should be interesting because I’ve heard many good things about Thunderheist’s performance at Harbourfront, opening for Toronto’s Crystal Castles. The “top-secret” headliner is yet to be announced, but all bets are on Bloc Party. They will be in town for this year’s V-Fest and knowing my luck with getting bands that I like Ryerson students will mostly likely be treated with a performance by these Brit-indie-rockers. Personally, I’m not a big fan of them. I’m quite tolerable of their music, but I would much prefer anyone else. Looks like I’ll be headed back to U of T once more. (U of T has had Metric, The Weakerthans, Stars and The Hidden Cameras play for their frosh week for the past 2 years – amazing)

6. Top Six Playlist:
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Don’t Haunt This Place
Woodhands – I Wasn’t Made For Fighting
Ladytron – Runaway
Mother Mother – O My Heart
Thunderheist – Jerk It
Plants and Animals – Good Friend

Applause Cheer Boo Hiss...Applause!

Everyday, when I open up my Windows Explorer, I am greeted by five homepages. Yes, most people think it’s completely unnecessary and ludicrous, but I think of it as convenient. I can quickly browse through each page before proceeding to my regular, compulsive e-mail checking and get my daily fix of music news. It is especially helpful if said news I am reading is important. Case and point, today on Chromewaves when I read that Land of Talk is finally releasing their long-awaited full length!

The first time I encountered Land of Talk, I was at Fort York’s Dog Day Afternoon for headliners Metric (in 2006). They were first on the bill, so from what I gathered and remembered, they were really good. This proves a lot, seeing as I didn’t like many of the other acts on that day’s bill (Holy Fuck, Electric Six, Secret Machines). Shortly afterwards, I picked up their EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss and I immediately fell in love with them. Their straight-forward indie-rock sound was likable, infectious and singer Liz Powell’s voice attracts the singer like a magnet. Since then, I’ve been waiting like crazy for a full-length, as the band had promised that they were in the process of recording. It’s almost been two years now and I’ve grown a tad impatient, but thanks to Chromewaves, I was informed this morning that the band is finally releasing Some Are Lakes independently in Canada (awesome!) and in the States via Saddle Creek (say what!), whom also recently signed ex-DFA1979 member Sebastien Grainger, as previously mentioned. What am I hoping this means? Well tour dates, of course! I’ll keep you posted.

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/landoftalkmtl

UPDATE: Also, to elaborate upon yesterday’s post about Halifax’s Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts, I was able to gather a little more information on their official website – which I neglected to check out because I couldn’t find it. Smart. Anyway, there seems to be a couple more tour dates for the band, but none indicating a budge from the Maritimes. It’s funny that I mentioned both Julie Doiron and Laura Barrett in that previous post too because as MySpace would show, Peek cites Doiron as an influence and as the official site confirms, they are in fact opening for Barrett at an upcoming gig in Halifax. I’ve also configured a proper formula to describe Peek’s music as I am listening to her more and more –> quirky Regina Spektor pianos + Laura Veirs’ appearance + Julie Doiron’s voice + Camera Obscura (just because) = Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts. That sounds like a perfect mash-up, doesn’t it? Correct me if I’m wrong as this is what I got out of my sense of musicality and knowledge. Her album, From The Photographs can be purchased here and partially listened to either on her MySpace or on the first link given.

Backyard Talent: Vol. 1

I’ve always been a strong supporter of local talent. With the invasion of so many international acts each day, it’s quite comforting and nice to see an artist floating around your very own backyard. That is why I have (finally) decided to start my own series of posts, highlighting Canada’s hidden gems. No, not Broken Social Scene or The Arcade Fire – any band who's performed on a late night talk show or have received press for supporting Obama (YES) does not fit in this category. We’re talking about acts that you may have never heard of! Hiding in the bushes of Alberta or Manitoba! Why I am doing this now, you may ask. Well, it’s quite simple – just a sudden surge of Canadian artists that I’ve been looking up via MySpace and various other blogs and websites recently, mixed in with a large dose of procrastination. I’ve been meaning to do this, but as per usual, laziness gets to me like a disease – a very frequent one. To start off this lovely series, I shall introduce Halifax’s Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts.

Funny how Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts describe their sound as “Indie/Pop/Black Metal” when this band’s music evokes all sunshines and ponies to me. Yes, I get that most artists don’t take that part of their MySpace page seriously but it was still an interesting observation nonetheless. I originally stumbled upon Peek’s page in a chain reaction of clicks, starting with Let’s Get Baked’s MySpace page. I was merely taking a look at the radio station’s long list of guest chefs when I saw the band’s photo on the station’s “Top Friends” list. Out of curiosity, as the photo looked quite adorable (and often, that’s enough to catch my eye), I clicked on their MySpace page. And the rest is self-explanatory I guess…I mean history, the rest is history.

My initial reaction to “Stand Right There” was that it was a catchy little tune and indeed offered an indie-pop sound. Peek’s voice is quite comparable to many others (Julie Doiron, Laura Barrett, etc) but in a unique sense but also makes it hard to pick out from a crowd at times. The melodies were cute and hooky, as mentioned and overall, offered a lot of potential. From what I’ve gathered from their site, they released an LP entitled, From The Photographs last April and toured extensively around eastern Canada for a bit, in support of said album.

Information about the band at this moment is unclear, but I am left very curious and am very anxious to look for From The Photographs at my local shops. There are three upcoming shows for the trio in Halifax, but hopefully they plan to return to Toronto soon for some more shows. All in all thus far, they’ve definitely won over my heart. I can deal without the strange cat obsession though.

MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/laurapeek

O My Heart

I was quite infatuated with Mother Mother’s debut album, Touch Up, last summer. The fun, theatrical harmonies were reminiscent of something I may see in a musical and each track on the record was as melodically catchy as it is cute. Since then though, I have heard slim to nothing about the whereabouts of the band – until now.

In recent weeks, I’ve re-discovered the Vancouver quintet on MySpace with a trio of new songs and announcements of a new record out in September. Needless to say, I’ve been completely hooked to the new tracks and I am drowning with excitement to hear the whole album. Title track, “O My Heart” is a bass-friendly, sing-along with all the essential Mother Mother elements, but with a clear development and evolution from the last record. The other two tracks, “Burning Pile” and “Body of Years” are equally as good, offering indie-pop-rock perfect for the fall.

I’ve yet to see Mother Mother play a proper set live (I’ve only seen them play an in-store at Criminal Records), but I would love to see them play some of these new songs whenever they decide to start touring all of Canada again. Thus far, the band only has plans for west coast shows, close to home, but come fall I can guarantee some shows heading to central and eastern Canada – and most definitely (and importantly, to me) Toronto. O My Heart will be out on September 16th, via Last Gang Records.

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/mothermotherspace

On that note, label mates, Metric are still in the studio putting together their follow-up to 2005’s Live It Out. If you’ve paid close attention to the band, as I have, you would notice a slew of new songs live. Most do signify a significant shift from their record and most can be heard via live bootlegs or YouTube clips from Coachella, their MySpace live session or various other gigs they’ve played in the past year or so. If you’d like some mp3’s, let me know and I’ll post them. Stand out tracks so far include “Satellite Mind”, “Freddie” and “Gimme Sympathy”. No official release has been set yet, but there are numerous guesses and rumours floating around. I’d bet money on a 2009 release, definitely not a fall release though. Sorry guys.

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/metricband

One of my most favourite bands from Last Gang was Death From Above 1979. Since their (predicted, yet tragic) break-up a couple of years ago, we’ve seen bassist Jesse Keeler resurface with an electro-dance project (alongside DFA producer, Al-P) MSTRKRFT. And as much as I liked their album, The Looks, it just was no DFA1979 and that made me sad and ultimately, disappointed. Other the other half of the sorely missed duo, drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger had mentioned his own solo career, but eventually faded into the misty fogs of Toronto. Well in the past year, he has also resurfaced (thank god!) and like a game of Where’s Waldo, he’s been making sporadic appearances around the Toronto music scene, opening for acts like Bloc Party. Earlier this week, I noticed that he was also signed to American power-label, Saddle Creek and is slated to finally release a full length in the fall. We’ll see how this will fair against MSTRKRFT’s lacklustre debut. Hopefully this will finally satisfy that dark, lonely hole in my heart left by DFA1979.

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/sebastiengrainger

Under Attack

Sorry to scratch the Ladytron, Poni Hoax and Woodhands review. I am a bag of lies. Or to be more honest, just a bag of laziness. But I’ll tell you this – Woodhands sure made an impression on me. Enough so, that I haven’t been able to stop listening to their album, Heart Attack, in about a week. During a coffee shop discussion I had with a friend, about the recent Polaris shortlist nominees, we both concluded that Woodhands was terribly robbed of a nomination.

The Toronto duo (of Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt) are known for their creativity when it comes to the blips and beats created in their music, both on record and in their live performance. And from the moment that Werb pulled out the keytar on the Harbourfront stage, I knew I was in for a treat. On record, one can really appreciate all of the little intricacies of the instrumentation blended with the sometimes rough, sometimes smooth shared vocals of Werb and Banwatt. The additional female vocals (provided by the amazing Laura Barrett on album closer, “Sailboats” and Maylee Todd on the opener, “Dancer”) creates such a dynamic balance to the beginning and end of the album and the middle consists of some killer tracks that’ll be sure to light up any dance floor in town. All of this on record is the equivalent of a bomb contained in a box – it is meant to blow up and really make a bang live. And that, it does. When I saw them at Harbourfront a couple of weeks ago, I had not listened to the album. In fact, I had never heard a Woodhands song (although I knew of them). When I heard them live though, it was very reminiscent of a Death From Above 1979, but with ten times more electronic music (so, like a tidal wave of MSTRKRFT taking blanketing over the music) and with such energy coming from just two people, that it felt like 18 (which is the equivalent of a Broken Social Scene!) Anyway, my point is that they were just radiating and blasting energy left and right and that definitely caught my attention, not to mention the witty banter in between. AH, I know my thoughts are quite scattered at the moment, but I think I got my points across. Woodhands currently have no plans to play a show in Toronto, but as soon as they do, bring your dancing shoes! I’ll try to keep you posted.

Speaking of Paperbag Records (oh yes, I forgot to mention, but Woodhands are indeed signed to Toronto’s Paperbag Records), another band to look out for from the label are Montreal's The Winter Gloves. I first saw/heard them when I saw them play an in-store with Plants and Animals at Criminal Records during Canadian Music Week and thought they were quite impressive; but was in need of some work. After a little inquiry, I realized that the drummer was very familiar. And not surprisingly, he turned out to be quite the familiar face. Patrick Sayers was the drummer for Young Galaxy, before leaving for The Winter Gloves, presumably. Nice to see though, as this band does possess a lot of potential. Their debut album, About A Girl, will be out on September 9, so watch out for them! The album was produced by Jon Drew, the same one who produced records for Tokyo Police Club (whom they toured with briefly) and Fucked Up, so this should be a really good one. Tours are bound to pop up soon, as they begin to do press for the album in a month or so, so I’ll also keep you posted on that.

Vanished

So I will eventually finish writing my mini-review for the rest of the Harbourfront shows I attended this year, but I just wanted to post the official shortlist nominees for this year's Polaris Music Prize. Et voila!

* BLACK MOUNTAIN — In The Future

* BASIA BULAT — Oh, My Darling

* CARIBOU — Andorra

* KATHLEEN EDWARDS — Asking For Flowers

* HOLY FUCK — LP

* PLANTS AND ANIMALS — Parc Avenue

* SHAD — The Old Prince

* STARS — In Our Bedroom After The War

* TWO HOURS TRAFFIC — Little Jabs

* THE WEAKERTHANS — Reunion Tour

A few surprises. Firstly, there's no Crystal Castles. Crystal Castles were, at least in everyone's opinion, the front-runners to win the prize. Not particularly because they had the best album, but just the most press and controversy. Another surprise, neither good nor bad, was the appearance of Stars on this list. Although I adore the band and I love literally anything they throw at me (not to mention that I busted my ass to see them 4 times this year), but In Our Bedroom After The War is just simply not as strong as some of the other longlist nominees, not to mention in comparison to their previous works. Pleasant surprises include Basia Bulat, Plants and Animals and Caribou. If I have to bet money, I'd say any of those three (or Holy Fuck, although I must admit, I'm not a fan) are fair game. So if you're a gambling man/woman, start betting now! But if we learned anything from last year's winner, Patrick Watson, it may not always be the favourite that takes home the cash. So think wisely. Good luck, everyone! The winner will be announced in September.

Psst: Is it just me or does the lead singer of Plants and Animals look like Sam Roberts in that picture?

Oh, Canada!

Well I hope everyone had a fantastic Canada Day!

I, like many others, celebrated it Polaris-style at Harbourfront (again) this year. Polaris Prize long-list nominees, Plants and Animals and Basia Bulat both played sets alongside Laura Barrett and Martha Wainwright on Tuesday at various stages in the parameters of the lakeside. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch the ladder pair, but I was lurking about long enough the see the former.

I came to a rather random, yet important conclusion about Plants and Animals after their set in the Brigantine Room - they’re much better live than on record. Till this day, I’ve yet to fully listen to their debut LP, Parc Avenue. It’s not because it’s bad or anything, but I just couldn’t put my finger on the reason why…until I saw them live again (the first time I saw them live was just prior to their album release at Criminal Records). Although the intricately beautiful instrumentation on the record is admirable, I don’t feel that I can fully grasp the beauty of each note until it hits me in person. Watching each member play in front of me and seeing how that energy transcribes over to the transfixed audience really makes me realize how powerful their music can be. The liveliness and presence of each song was much more captivating, especially stunners such as “Bye Bye Bye” and “New Kind Of Love”. The only downside to the performance was the ridiculously unnecessary use of smoke machines, but to a certain extent, those were even able to mend its way into the show as well. Those are fortunately not a regular fixture in their shows though; or at least not to my knowledge. Although many artists sound different and more energetic live, I feel that Plants and Animals will be solely a live band for me. I’m gradually getting there though, as I am listening to the record more and more in recent days. (Fun fact: I’m listening to “Bye Bye Bye” now!)

Basia Bulat on the other hand, will never disappoint me – both on records and in person. The last time I saw Bulat live was at her CD release show in September for the now-Polaris-nominated hit, Oh, My Darling, so I was overwhelmed with anxiety to see her again. From what I can remember, not only is she and her band adorable to watch, but they were quite the act musically as well. Playing in the open space of the Sirius Stage, underneath a Canadian flag plastered on the reflective ceiling and sweetly dancing lights just above their heads, served Bulat and her signature folk sound surprisingly well. Each song danced across the audience nicely and the sound was overall really enjoyable. Stand out tracks included opener, “Heart of My Own,” “The Pilgriming Vine” and the always uplifting and joyful single, “In the Night”. This just proves the well-roundedness of the band. I can only see brighter horizons for Bulat in the foreseeable future – maybe a Polaris Prize? I’m really hoping she makes the short-list at least, as there is some tough competition from some equally talented acts. But for a debut album, this girl is the shit. (Sorry for the profanity and lack of proper phrasing, but come on…it’s Basia Bulat!)

All in all, it was yet another successful Canada Day. I personally think last year’s show featuring Final Fantasy was far better, but then again I am being severely biased because I am in love with Owen Pallett. Either way, I can’t wait to see what next year may offer!

Plants and Animals' Website

Basia Bulat's Website

This is does not spell the ending for Harbourfront though, my friends. There is a slew of upcoming free shows to check out this summer, including free shows from Ladytron and Crystal Castles on July 4th and 5th, respectively. DO NOT MISS THEM. (For further info, visit: www.harbourfrontcentre.com)