Falling Archer sent an email to let me know that both these Vancouver bands are worth your time…
Let’s start with Juvenile Hall. Falling Archer says “they have kind of a Bikini Kill sound.”
and Falling Archer says of The New Values “their album shreds! total old school so-cal punk vibe.” They have a song about Don McKellar… and that’s neat enough to get a feature.
I got an email today from Robert Dale. The Seattle (not pictured above) musician and producer has recorded his first song as Belgian Fog (pictured above, Belgium from Nat Geo).
You’re going to hear a wonderfully quirky and catchy indie pop song. Lyrically, he hooks you in with a song filled with the self doubt that I am sure so many of us can relate to.
Robert, I hope your journeys put you on the Clipper for a show in Victoria some time! I’d try to make some time to see Belgian Fog.
They got that drink The London Fog (or the more grown up London Fog), I wonder what a Belgian Fog would taste like?
Gosh darn, this song is catchy. I think I love it.
Today, we travel to the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina for some lo-fi garage rock & roll. The Sweets are brothers Justin and Zach Romaro. These bros are making a fuzzing howling rock filtered through a vintage 60s pop haze. if you’ve been feeling FIDLAR, Jeff The Brotherhood, The Oh Sees, Ty Segall or Wavves…. you might find something here to enjoy too.
They are on a mission to release tons and tons of music. You know, whatever works for you. A sampled a bit of the Hai ep… and liked all four songs. I’ll share Pol Plastino’s new soundtrack jam.
The Scottish trio Chvrches sound delightful. Perfect pop music and one of Coral’s current faves. We’ll have to get our hands on the Recover ep when it comes out March 25th. Today a blog called A Feast of Beast posted a song that was new to me. I could not find a proper stream so I ripped their stream and I’ll share it here with you.
Chvrches – “Now Is Not The Time”
Such a pretty song. The band is getting all the hype with the BBC’s Zne Lowe calling the upcoming ep the “hottest record in the world!” Dare to believe the hype?
Choirs are so hot right now…. and you’ll hear one in the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs single “Sacrilege.” Their new record is called Mosquito and it will come out on April 16th.
Consequence of Sound says: “It’s one spicy little rocker which features a 20-person gospel choir. Needless to say, somebody’s been listening to ‘Gimme Shelter'”.
I don’t know what I think about Bonehoof‘s cover art. I think I kind of like it!
The Victoria bluesy folk rockers but out an ep on February 9th. Benji dropped off a copy for me at The Veneto Lounge and I’ve had it in the Purple Mini-Van since.
Finally got around to checking out the Oscar nominated documentary Searching For Sugar Man last night. My man Jay was telling me about this film at a radio remote awhile ago, he told this outrageous tale of a forgotten 70s singer from Detroit. Through a weird wrinkle of fate, a controlled and closed society, and the lack of the Internet, became a huge star in South Africa.
Sixto Rodriguez was a folk singer from Detroit who gigged locally in dive bars around the scene. Two Motown producers had heard of him and came to check him out. They were convinced he’d be the “next Dylan” and got him signed to Sussex Records. With Sussex, he recorded two albums… 1970’s Cold Facts and 71’s Coming From Reality. Both albums were commercial flops in the US and he was dropped from Sussex two weeks before Christmas in 1971.
Rodriguez mostly gave up his musical career. He remained in Detroit and worked manual labour jobs while raising a family. He toured briefly. He went to University and got a degree in Philosophy and was also politically active. While the story might have ended there for many, something peculiar happened to Rodriguez.
In the 70s… an Australian record label bought the rights to his back catalog and album became popular there. A “greatest hits” album was sent to South Africa. There the album became the soundtrack to the Anti-Apartheid movement. Rodriguez did become aware of the Australian fame and toured there twice in ’79 and one last time in ’81 before slipping back into obscurity.
But in South Africa, he remained a mystery, and to Rodriguez, he was unaware of his popularity there. Its a pretty outrageous story and the documentary was worth my time.
Victoria’s Mindil Beach Markets‘ put out a record on March 5th called It Might Take Long. To get us amped, they tapped Innovate Imageworks to craft a music video. Frantic, I think there are ghosts in there, the times are good.
Eh-sides win with this beauty from across the Strait. Vancouver-bred but Euro based Rykka came across my desk in an email from DJ Boitano.
Rykka recorded previously under her given name, Christina Maria. Through experimentation and tour, she developed an edgier sound, some electro, and some pop. Last year she hopped in a Vancouver studio with producer Ryan Guldemond (best known for fronting Mother Mother) and put together a record called Kodiak (April, Vissen Records).
The first single is “Blackie” which The Province describes: “sounds as dark as its title, all anguished vocal submerged in echo and a bubbly kind of electronica.”
