Kara Keith - “Kick This City”
What I love about this song is…well, there’s so much since there’s so much in the song. At first you might think it’s just another piano driven singer/songwriter tune but then the synthesizer kicks in, the childlike choir, and the horns. It’s quite quirky and cool at the same time. Great song.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Rockers To Swallow”
Rhythmic, gnarly guitars combined with Karen O’s equally gnarling voice = Simply awesome. Together with “Down Boy”, this is the best track of their latest EP.

Eskimo Joe - “London Bombs”
I had never heard Eskimo Joe until a Sean sent me their CD a few weeks ago, thinking I would like it. And he was indeed correct! This song particularly grabbed me: the piano is absolutely amazing, followed by the strings. A sad, beautiful rock ballad.

Miracle Fortress - “Digital Love”
Daft Punk goes indie. Miracle Fortress covers one of my favorite tracks by the duo, and the result is very good - it’s a bit softer and less electronical than the original of course, but the cool guitars are still there. So good!

Lykke Li - “Tonight”
This track means a lot to Lykke Li personally as it was one of the first demos she shared with the world on the internet, which is why she’s now put up the finished version. It’s a lovely ballad, perfect for late night listening.

- Cecilia

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Do you find yourself pining away for the halcyon days of dance-punk? (Like say, 4 years ago). Are the heavy electro sounds of Justice & Boyz Noize confusing your dance legs? Do you cry yourself to sleep every night, praying you’ll wake to the angular guitar of a new Franz Ferdinand album?

Fear not! The Fashion have decided to answer your prayers as well as the plaintive cries of your neglected dancing feet!

Hailing from Denmark, these 4 lads sound something like a combination of the aforementioned Franz Ferdinand, Hard-Fi, and possibly Blink-182. Sounds like an odd combo, I know. Yet, they manage to pull it off.

Their debut album is already available in Denmark, and will be coming to the US this Spring courtesy of Epic. In anticipation of the release, we’ve been given 3 copies of an EP - that serves as a sort of prequel to the album - to give away to our readers. All you have to do is leave a comment including your email (don’t worry, only we can see it), and the first three entries will get a copy of the EP, including a poster & stickers. That’s not too difficult, is it?

The Fashion EP Tracklisting:
1)Like Knives
2)Solo Impala (Take The Money And Run)
3)The Funeral Dept.
4)Solo Impala (Take The Money And Run) - Music Video

WINDOWS MEDIA AUDIO STREAM: The Fashion - Like Knives

Video: The Fashion - Like Knives

- Sean

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The debut effort from Los Campesinos!, Hold On Now, Youngster…, will release via Arts & Crafts on April 1. The album will feature the single, “Death To Los Campesinos!” as well as the acclaimed “You! Me! Dancing” (Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Songs of 2007). The Cardiff based septet recorded the album outside of Toronto with producer David Newfeld.

Tracklisting:
1. Death to Los Campesinos!
2. Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats
3. Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(s)
4. Drop It Doe Eyes
5. My Year In Lists
6. Knee Deep At ATP
7. This Is How You Spell “HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics”
8. We Are All Accelerated Readers
9. You! Me! Dancing!
10. … And We Exhale And Roll Our Eyes In Unison
11. Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks
12. 2007, The Year Punk Broke (My Heart)

Click here to stream the album on Rhapsody.

Download: Los Campesinos! - “You! Me! Dancing!”

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Let It Bleed (1969), the Rolling Stones

Let It Bleed is the grandfather to albums such as Wilco’s Being There and Ryan Adams’ Gold (with Neil Young as the connecting father in the rock world). It mixes acoustic country-tinged songs with sinister bluesy electric songs without thinking “career” album. Career albums are made in the moment after all, and pull from a moment in time.

Recording the album immediately following their first tour of the United States in three years, one cannot help but think that the country music influence took solid shape based on their travels. Though he doesn’t appear on the album, Gram Parsons had just left the Byrds and was also a strong influence on the country elements that the Stones were exploring at the time, hanging with Keith Richards and lending the group his collection of country LPs. “Country Honk” is the acoustic predecessor to the more popular electric version of “Honky Tonk Women”. Complete with fiddle, this one sounds like it was recorded on a front porch deep in the American South.

The honky tonk influence continues with the title track, which probably could have used a more lyrically familiar title. The lyrics should bring it to mind: “Well we all need someone we can lean on- and if you want it, you can lean on me”. The stripped down Robert Johnson-penned “Love In Vain” includes pedal steel guitar as well as Ry Cooder on mandolin. Not just a note-for-note rehashing as so many artists have done with songs by Robert Johnson, the Stones truly make this one their own.

The political landscape of America in the late 60’s may have also influenced the dark electric material. Arguably one of the best songs in rock, “Gimmie Shelter” practically personifies the dark underbelly of the 60’s. From Mick’s overblown blues harp to the blood curdling screams of the word “murder”, the word never sounded so much like the act itself. “Monkey Man” shows Mick preening and paying homage to blues metaphors; screeching and hooting to find his monkey woman.

The album finishes with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, complete with French Horn, B3 organ and choir. Real artists are too busy being artists to think of the legacy they’re leaving behind, but the set of perfect conditions influenced the Rolling Stones in making Let It Bleed a career-defining album.

- 1kHz

Download: The Rolling Stones - “Gimmie Shelter”
Download: The Rolling Stones - “Country Honk”

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Washington DC’s These United States crash landed my inbox today. The band’s debut long player is unleashed upon the world March 4th…it is entitled The Three of Us at the Gates to the Garden of Eden.The band describe it as a wide eyed amalgamation of psychefolk with a punk rock ethic. What is not in question is the bands determination to get the music out there, having played over 300 shows in the last two years. Not just stateside, but self financing themselves through Europe last year. This year, they have been invited to play probably the daddy of all music festivals, Glastonbury UK. in June.

The band are looking for more dates through June in the UK so any would be promoters/venues contact me or the guy’s direct. On the limited material I have heard so far, I think the album is destined to spin for a while with me. It’s seriously good stuff, especially the kind of off the wall radio friendly “First Sight”. Jesse Elliott is a great songsmith in the making. Before they hit the UK the band are playing numerous dates in the States. Go check them out!

- Mark

MP3: These United States - “First Sight”
MP3: These United States - “Sun Is Above And Below”

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Husband and wife Nathan and Mandy Tensen-Woolery, aka Ghost In The Water are set to release their album Tooth, on April 8. In preparation the duo is offering the first single, Clean Sinks and Folded Laundry for free up until the album release.

If you’re a fan of soft electronic music enveloped in strings and guitars, I strongly suggest you take the opportunity to download this. Besides for the beautiful lead track the single also includes a great b-side, the more upbeat How To Draw a Ghost, both of which will feature on Tooth.

Get the tracks below, or, if you rather have the zip which includes cover art, head over to Hidden Shoal for the free download.

MP3: Ghost In The Water - “Clean Sinks and Folded Laundry”
MP3: Ghost In The Water - “How To Draw a Ghost”

- Cecilia

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The Razor Cartel are a Melbourne based trio who wear their Clash influence on their sleeves. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, folks. I had never heard of the band prior to receiving a copy of their EP this week. It was released in 2006 and received positive press in the land down under, but was virtually ignored Stateside (until this post, that is).

The 4 songs are reasonably fuss free and provide the listener with a little over 13 minutes of listening satisfaction. If you like the song I’ve shared blow, make a point of visiting their Myspace page to check out a few of the other songs that are available to stream. The band has posted a few live performances that are available for download as well.

“…”The Shakedown” is a reminder that it’s often simplicity in music that can elicit the biggest things” - Forte Magazine

Click here to purchase The Razor Cartel EP from iTunes.

MP3: The Razor Cartel - “The Shakedown”

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A message from our friends at Planetary Group: Once again, we will be partying two full floors at Maggie Mae’s, where we had well over 2,000 people show up last year for our delicious meats and open bar.* On Thursday, March 13th, the grills will be hot and the stage will be even hotter as we bring 5+ hours of some of the greatest performances of 2008.

Bands include: American Princes, Elf Power, Cloud Cult, South, Longwave, Starsailor, The Shackeltons, Mostly Bears, Portugal. The Man, and Look See Proof.

Co-sponsored by Tankfarm Future Sounds and dropcards, Planetary Group’s Skewer party will begin at 12pm until 5:30pm. We will have bag giveaways, filled with goodies and cool stuff!

Don’t worry…the barbeque will come on plates, not in bags.

MP3: Longwave - “No Direction”
MP3: Longwave - “Wake Me When It’s Over”

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The first time I listened to The Kills‘ new album Midnight Boom, I came away surprised and slightly confused. The overbearing crunchy guitars of No Wow have been replaced with a minimalist sensibility akin to that of The Blow; on songs like “Getting Down”, where guitarist Jamie Hince mumbles over a dirty electronic groove, I was shocked by how effective The Kills can be even when they are quiet.

Their post-punk edge is present in spurts but takes a backseat to a more dancy sound overall. “M.E.X.I.C.O.C.U.” clocks in at a limber 1:37 and rocks harder than almost any song on the album thanks to Hince’s unrestrained shredding. Alison Mosshart’s sultry vocals are still in place, quick and cathartic on the album’s more stripped down songs. Cheap and Cheerful starts out with a scratchy cough from Mosshart, who seems eager to let her listeners know that she isn’t taking the band’s shift in sound too seriously. By the time the song ambles into its groovy breakdown, I didn’t miss the amped up guitar whine of The Kills’ earlier releases.

As Midnight Boom progresses, the songs become dirtier and more addictive. The ramshackle stomp of “Sour Cherry” is probably the most effective on the album, propelled by Mosshart’s monosyllabic coos and Hince’s well-timed licks. “What New York Used To Be” opens with a drone that fades to reveal Mosshart’s staccato vocals, lamenting the gentrification of the Big Apple over electronic glitches. Even the downbeat album ender “Goodnight Bad Morning” manages to be charming and spacey without any elaborate instrumentation. This is a sharper, cleaner The Kills, and I don’t miss the old days.

- Andrew

MP3: The Kills - “U.R.A. Fever”

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Besides an obvious love for the caps-lock key, HILOTRONS also seem to have a thing for the happy dance sound of 80’s new wave. And hey - so do I! So no wonder I pretty much fell head over heels when I heard their latest single, “Dominika”.

Together since 2002, these Canadian boys have now joined forces with Kelp Records to release their third LP, “HAPPYMATIC” on April 1. And after listening to it, I’m happy(matic) to report that the rest of the album is filled with quirky, fun new wave pop that’s hard to resist, no matter how foul of a mood you may be in.

And since HILOTRONS apparently are considered as “one of Ottawa’s finest live acts”, they are appropriately going on tour in support of the new album:

April 4 – OTTAWA, ON @ Grad Club
April 8 - HAMILTON, ON @ Casbah w/ Mahogany Frog
April 9 - WATERLOO, ON @ Jane Bond
April 10 - TORONTO, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern w/ Sunparlour Players
April 11 – PETERBOROUGH, ON @ The Montreal House
April 12 - WINDSOR, ON @ Phog Lounge
April 17 - GUELPH, ON @ Ebar w/ The Magic
April 18 – SUDBURY, ON @ Townehouse Tavern
April 19 - MONTREAL, QC @ Club Lambi w/ Woodhands & Mixylodian

MP3: HILOTRONS - “Dominika”

- Cecilia

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