Patrick Grant & The Flesh Vignettes - Gather All Around You

I worked with a guy called Patrick Grant this summer, working at Kops Records in Toronto. One day as I was rolling into work, he tossed me an EP he made. I gave it a listen that night and loved it! He recorded it at Back Bone Studios, an independent record studio in Toronto. I was really impressed by his thoughtful lyrics and especially by his guitar work! The aching, bending guitar of In The Basement at the Party is similar to J Mascis's (Dinosaur Jr.'s Guitarist/Frontman) solo material or the Magnolia Electric Company. Each song adds something unique to this EP, yet they feel connected through theme and mood. I connect to the EP because I think the songs all generally touch on that early part of adulthood, when you're still finding out who you are and what all these strange events we call life really mean.

Give Pat's EP a listen! here!

http://patrickgrant.bandcamp.com/

1. I Dont Want
2. Hanging in Gold
3. In The Basement At The Party
4. Silhouettes
5. Women

The Grey Kingdom

Hey guys,

Heres another local singer/songwriter for everybody to check out, Spencer Burton's alias, GREY KINGDOM. A split Ontario and British Columbia native, Burton has a rising musician in the Canadian folk scene. Signed with the amazing record company, DINE ALONE RECORDS, he has put out four releases since 2010. A simple and  honest artist, GREY KINGDOM's music is perfect for the more intimate moments of life, his melon-collie and somber confessions were able to strike a chord with me. Look out for his new album, which came out in January,  LIGHT, I'LL CALL YOUR NAME OUT "DARKNES"and his older EP, The WEEPING SUNS in the links below!

Whale Tooth

http://exclaim.ca/

I was at CFRC today for a few hours and have subsequently been on a Canadian inde-music mood. Later, I emailed my philosophy teacher from last year, which reminded me this band he showed me, WHALE TOOTH. These guys have an EP that I flippin loved! But for some reason I havent listened to it in ages!  Since rectifying that mistake, remembered how much I love these guys!

A Toronto band, Whale Tooth have put out a lone EP and a handful of other songs via sound-cloud and a new single called WOLVES. I have yet to see them perform which, has been eating me up, but I hope to rectify that mistake as soon as possible. Anyway, I'll shut up and give you the link to the EP and a video for the new single.

Two Hours Traffic

http://www.thecoast.ca/

Hey Guys,

Got another Canadian gem for you today, the Prince Edward Island band TWO HOURS TRAFFIC. I've loved these guys since their 2008 album LITTLE JABS which was nominated for a Polaris Prize! They put out another album, TERRITORIES, in 2009 and have a brand new album out called FOOLISH BLOOD.

LITTLE JABS still makes it into my listening circulation, a little two hours traffic always brightens up my day! The song STUCK FOR THE SUMMER never ceases to make me dance in public like an idiot.A really upbeat, dancy indie-rock band, TWO HOURS TRAFFIC is a great example of Canada's east coast indie-scene. I was really excited for FOOLISH BLOOD to be released and it didn't fail to impress. AMOR THE FRIENDS is an awesome tune with some relatable lyrics for any awkward Canadian teen...(not me obviously, I'm to cool). I personally liked LITTLE JABS better, but I implore you to listen to both and decide for yourself!

Vinyl Vice

http://cfmartinblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/

Greetings comrads, another new segement I've decided to start, Tim's Vinyl Vice. I have this rather costly problem, whereby every time I see a record store, I NEED to investigate. Today I was downtown and wondered into BRIAN's RECORD store on Princess and came away with two AMAZING records. Of course I wanted 76 records but my already stretched student budget... Nonetheless, I came away with two of my favourite albums from the 90's, NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL's IN AN AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA and NIRVANA's NEVERMIND.

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL is the project of Jeff Mangum, an incredibly strange man who put out one of my favourite albums ever in 1998. A few months after its release, Mangum disappeared, seemingly, off the face of the earth. He was known to do a late night radio show where he would play single notes on a keyboard for HOURS. Despite Mangum's weird-ness, IN AN AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA is a fantastic album! Recorded as part of the ELEPHANT 6 COLLECTIVE, this basically home recorded. Mangum made the album after learning about the diary of Ann Frank. He fell in love with her story and the innocence she represents in the midst a chaotic world.

"The only girl I've ever loved; was born with roses in her eyes; but then they buried her alive; one evening, 1945" - Holland, 1945

The album is beautiful because of its imperfection. The twangy, slightly out of tune, beat up guitar plays off Mangum's rough and often strained vocals. I am incredibly excited to get this home and bust out the deck and blast this full volume.

http://thechroniclesofmc.blogspot.ca

Nirvana's album NEVERMIND is probably THE defining album of the 90's. I can't think of another album that better embodies the break from over-the-top 80's pop ballads and defining the decade as one of experimentation and creativity. Released in 1991, NEVERMIND has the classic NIRVANA hits, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are probably being the most recognizable songs. But NEVERMIND is not a 'singles' album, it is a piece of art in its entirety. I mean, who hasn't run upstairs after fighting with your parents and blasted NIRVANA at full volume in a fit of teenage angst  screaming "YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND MOM!!!!". It's the albums ability to cut through the bullshit that makes this album and the entire genre so interesting.

Canadian Correlation

http://www.worldofmaps.com/product/CANA%20PATCH.html

Hey guys, So I thought I would start a new series of posts called the Canadian Correlation. I'm going to post about a few up and coming Canadian groups to demonstrate the clear correlation between good music and Canadian artists!

This week's post features Toronto band THE WOODEN SKY, Vancouver band SAID THE WHALE and London native SHAD.

THE WOODEN SKY formed in 2003 as a project of then Ryerson student, Gavin Gardiner. Gardiner has since been joined by other members and have been signed to the BLACK BOX label. They've put out three LPs and two EPs, including their most recent release EVERY CHILD A DAUGHTER, EVERY MOON A SUN, which came out last year. Like a combination of BOB DYLAN and the TALLEST MAN ON EARTH, Gardiner's unique vocals plays off the increasingly deep and layered backing. Falling somewhere between Folk and Rock, these guys are definitely worth checking out.

SAID THE WHALE is one of my favourite Canadian bands out there. After seeing them last year in Toronto, my love was multiplied! It started in 2007 as the child of lead vocalists Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft. A band grew around these two and they put out their first EP in 2007. They've released three LP's, with 2012's LITTLE MOUNTAIN which saw the band gaining much more success. With two vocalists, the band is able to provide a lot of variety in their songs. Lyrically, SAID THE WHALE often combines the themes of love and nature, like on BIG SKY, MT: "Above the ridge and through the valley; to find true love everlasting in delight". SAID THE WHALE was one of the best live shows I've seen, playing a nearly two hour show and never letting up, keeping the audience engaged and involved. I'm eagerly waiting for this bands next release!

Finally we have Kenyan born, London Ontario raised raised and Waterloo/Vancouver educated rapper SHAD. His first album in 2005 was financed by winning an radio contest, during his undergrad at Laurier University. He's put out two more LPs, including the 2010 release TSOL, which earned him more attention among the Canadian media and earned him the 2011 Juno Award for best Rap Recording of the year. SHAD  collaborated with DALLAS GREEN to put out a two song release last year and recently worked with Canadian legend K-OS on SHAD's new album FLYING COLOURS, coming out later this year. I've been waiting three years for this, as he SHAD has been off getting his Masters degree in liberal studies from Simon Fraser University. SHAD is a self described "student of the game", his lyrics are wonderfully insightful, playful and reflective. Take this for example from LIVE FOREVER:

"Maybe I dwell too much on legacy destinyLike I could ever read whats on the headstone ahead of meBut in my head I see we are carving the lettersEveryday that thought makes me live for the betterThe truth comes out but it starts at the centerThe heart of the matter is the matter of the heartThe hearts made of matter that you can't measureThat matters beyond measure like light when it treavels in the dark"
All these groups are worth checking out and keep an eye out for their upcoming releases!