Concrete Knives – Be Your Own King

Album of the year so far…just sayin!

Full review at the Line of Best Fit.

Adam Green and Binki Shapiro

There is something to be said about brutal honesty when it comes to lyrics about love. Our two protagonists (or are they antagonists) not only make beautiful music together, but also share in the disappointment of it all. Full review at The Line of Best Fit.

Apparat – Music for Theatre

Apparat’s Music for theatre is truly a stunning piece of artistry and if you like that post-rock ambient sort of thing, it fits as a double bill. Full review at The Line of Best Fit.

Merz – No Compas Will Find Home

I really enjoyed this album from Merz. The album has some great catchy hooks, subtle synth work, lovely textures and a range of emotions. Since my review at The Line of Best Fit, ‘Toy’ has warmed its way into my perma playlist.

Best Albums of 2012

A little delayed, but well worth it. Here is the list of albums that I can’t seem to play enough this past year. There is a mix of local and international acts. Download link below.

10. Said The Whale – Little Mountain. This is pure indie pop sweetness with tons of great hooks. Introspection combined with good times permeates the album. It’s an essential from Vancouver’s sweetest band.

9.  Kid Koala – 12 Bit Blues. A turntableism savant, Kid Koala continues to produce some amazing records, this being his finest work to date. The LP comes with all sorts of gimmicky thing like a build your own cardboard turntable or domino set, but it needs none of those. The music is enough to set it apart.

8. Roberta Bondar – Roberta Bondar EP. Saturated psychedelics that are raw and beautiful. A little fuzz is always important on top-ten list.

7. The Evaporators – Busy Doing Nothing. A compilation album with some great bands and a killer cover of the pointed sticks by Franz Ferdinand. The track on the mixtape features Nardwuar and Andrew W.K. at their best. This song is worthy of an air guitar or two.

6. J. Riley Hill – J. Riley Hill. His quivery voice sounds like it may have seen too many holiday spirits. That coupled with Hill’s unique blend of minimal musical arrangements and catchy motifs makes this one a keeper.

5. Apollo Ghosts – Landmark. Best described as playful punk,  the Apollo Ghosts continue in their tradition to produce tracks that easily cement in the subconscious. Lovely stuff.

4. Beach House – Bloom.  Bloom is the perfect soundtrack to the rain coast. This album is all about watching the world go by through rain soaked windows.  Infinite sadness provided by sweeping organs is destined to raise hairs.

3. Ketamines – Spaced Out. From the venerable Mammoth Cave Records, the first “full length” from the Ketamines is 28 minutes of fuzzed out rock and roll at its best.  There are some real gems here that sound like they were composed in the most spirited of garages.

2.Niki & the Dove – Instinct. The synth bands have arrived for spots one and two. From Sweden, Niki & the Dove have rewritten the way music is to be composed. Instinct is a complex romp of melody, harmony and synth excellence. I like to call it a brilliant protest of pop norms.

1. Soft Moon – Zeroes. Powerful, dark, hyperactive and down right frightening, this synth-punk affair should not be played alone in complete darkness. Actually, it really should and it works amazingly well to scare the geebies out of kids at Halloween.  The track featured has a most unique ending (or lack of one) and epitomizes the adrenaline soaked fever of the album.

Download the Mixtape.

Tracklist:

10. Said The Whale – 2010

9.  Kid Koala – 2 Bit Blues

8. Roberta Bondar – Children

7. The Evaporators – Hate Being Late

6. J. Riley Hill – Alone

5. Apollo Ghosts – Landmark

4. Beach House – Myth

3. Ketamines – Teenage Rebellion

2.Niki & the Dove – Mother Protect

1. Soft Moon  – Want

Enjoy.

Happy New Year

Happy Feet – A Soul Uplifting Video

C2C – Happy Feat. Derek Martin (official video)
http://vimeo.com/onandonrecords

Young Fathers – Tape One

Some excellent, socially aware hip hop from…Scotland?!? Probably not the first place on your mind when you think of a vibrant hip-hop culture, but this is a fantastic record. Check out my review at The Line of Best Fit.

 

Bjork – Bastards

I will not lie, Bjork is brilliant. She is constantly pushing and pulling the dimensions of conventionality and whether her music is euphoric or totally non–listenable, the art is appreciated. But Bastards,  The remix to Biophilia, is merely curated by Bjork, so we can excuse some of the uncomfortableness which the album affords. There are also some great moments as well. My full review at the Line of Best Fit.

 

Parents So Hip They Can’t See Their Pelvis Vol 1 A – K

Ok, so here is the deal. I love independent music and I have fostered this appreciation with my own kids, now 5 and 7 years old.  instead of listening to the garbage that will eventually inundate them on mainstream radio, I try all sorts of independent music in the car and make playlists according to their responses. All of the songs on this mix, the first of many mixed-tapes to come, often elicit requests to repeat, induce sing-a-longs or invoke spontaneous air drums from my toughest critics. My kids either know the words, hum along or love to dance to these tunes.

Titled Parents So Hip They Can’t See Their Pelvis A-K, this mixed-tape is free from sexually suggestive music found in the main stream (which is often degrading to women and not the best example for our young girls), nor does it contain any explicit language. Genres range from indie-pop, folk, dance and even a bit of post-rock. Track list is below including a bit of info about the bands or why the song was chosen. I hope you enjoy! Do send feedback and if you like what you hear, get on yer networks and share!

Parents So Hip They Can’t See Their Pelvis – Vol 1 A – K

Tracklist (Short Version)

Tracklist and Information:

1. Maybe With Me – Apollo Ghosts

• Apollo Ghosts are from Vancouver and my kids love many of their songs. They are upbeat indie-rock at its best.

2. There’s No One In The World – Apples in Stereo

• Hailing from the US, their album titled Travellers in Space and Time is enjoyed by my kids from start to finish.

3. Way Back Home – Bag Raiders

• From down under, The Bag Raiders’ self titled album is full of great dance club anthems that are catchy as heck. This one tops the list.

4. Born With A Broken Heart – David Wax Museum

• I saw them at the Vancouver Folk Fest…They use a donkey jaw bone as an instrument! Thankfully my kids liked it as well so the disc was bought. Two or three nice upbeat tunes for road trips.

5. Harmonizin remix – Delhi 2 Dublin

• Delhi 2 Dublin is by far my offsprings’ favourite band. Even before they saw them at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, my kids knew every nuance of every song and constantly request that we play this stuff. This track is remixed, but their earlier efforts does a great job of fusing Bhangra with an Irish fiddle and Dub.

6. Symphony No. 1 – Emily Wells

• This and Symphony No.2 are popular among the little back seat drivers. This is taken from the album titled Symphonies.

7. Real Thing – Franz Ferdinand (A Pointed Sticks Cover)

• Taken from a compilation put out by the rogue Vancouver journalist and punk singer Nardwuar, my daughter can’t stop singing the chorus.

8. A Song About California – Hey Ocean

Great local indie-pop at its finest. A very catchy song and their albums are always upbeat. A little piece of useless info for ya, Ashleigh Bell, the lead singer, also does voice overs for the new My Little Pony cartoon series.

9. Alone – J. Riley Hill

My kids love the horn section in the opening track featured on the mixtape. The rest of the album is excellent for the adults as well.

10. Go Do – Jonsi

Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson is the lead singer of Sigur Rós. Though I wouldn’t recommend most of the post-rock epics (solo or band) for the kids based on pure glacial pace of the tracks, ‘Go Do’ off his live album has had great success in the car.

11. All Is Love – Karen O and the Kids

Cheated on this one because the song is taken from the soundtrack of Where the Wild Things Are; somewhat meant for kids. Still, this one is a keeper.

That is the A – K instalment of Parents So Hip They Can’t See Their Pelvis. Good on ya for trying to introduce your kids to quality independent music. Download the mp3, throw it on your personal device, and play it in the car or house anytime you feel you need to get your groove on. Check back for future mixes and feel free to send feedback and share. If you like what you hear, go buy the album from the artist.

The Soft Moon – Zero is the title, but top ten is the result

This album ended up tops on my 2012 list. It is a journey into a dark, adrenaline soaked synth-punk world where you just might be a bit nervous to turn out the lights. High quality stuff. Full review at the Line of Best Fit.