Category: Listen Up

By: Sean Carsley September 12th, 2013

Aidan Ridgway backs solid writing with mature vocals on his debut album Simple Things For Simple Minds. The best quality of Ridgway is the insightful writing. The term “wise beyond his years” can be applied here. The first track, “Anagrams”, clocking in at 7:46, carries its weight not only through its acoustic arrangement, but its haunting backing vocal (supplied by Olivia Morton).  “Another Day in Nowhere” is reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” but has a more anxious rhythm and is filled with a dirty guitar and a quiet anger. This song alone makes the album worth listening to.

A funky, fun jazz beat backs “Another Side of Loneliness” that once again makes you nod your head in time. But the song remains grounded because of his timbre. Some tracks have a repetitive coffee house feel, but it’s easy to compare him with a young Dallas Green or Gord Downie for the lyrics alone. One can only hope that Aidan Ridgway will take the best parts of his debut and continue producing.

Aidan Ridgway – Simple Things For Simple Minds 

{http://soundcloud.com/aidanridgway/sets/simple-things-for-simple-minds}

Be sure to follow Toronto Music Scene on Twitter @TorontoMusic and Sean Carsley @carsley92

By: Myles Herod July 24th, 2013

Following 2011’s samshing debut The Darcys and 2012’s self-made reappropriation of Steely Dan’s classic AJA, the Toronto quartet’s latest LP, Warring, is a culmination of more than three years of writing and six months of studio craft.

Sources tell us that the album’s focus is aimed at sonic detail, to which The Darcys’ love of post-soul and jazz are proudly palatable alongside their sound of unique art rock.

Produced by Tom Mcfall (Stars, Bloc Party) and mixed by Dave Schiffman (Vampire Weekend, System of a Down), their album will be released on September 17th on Arts & Crafts:

Lead single: The Darcys – The River 

{http://soundcloud.com/arts-crafts/the-darcys-the-river/s-1QS8r}

Be sure to follow Toronto Music Scene on Twitter @TorontoMusic and Myles Herod @MylesHerod

By: Sean Carsley July 17th, 2013

If you spent the afternoon grooving with good friends and listening to The Dine Alone Summer Sampler, chances are you said one of two things: “Who is this?” or “I need to get this.” It’s a mixing bowl of alternative sound.

Who doesn’t love Monster Truck? Don’t say “me” under your breath because “My Love is True” is a great start. The Dodos then come in with “Confidence”, relying on a thin treble sound which is kind of hypnotic until it breaks into a fanatical Doors climax. Ivan & Alyosha have a Young the Giant melody that doesn’t quite cross the finish line while The Weeks create a staccato sound that makes you bounce your head in rhythm. 

Buried deep in the set list is City and Colour’s “Of Space and Time”. Dallas Green seems to set everything alight lately but this one comes off a little more subdued. Perhaps for the sake of keeping all things equal on the album, Dine Alone specifically chose this track and not something that would instantly perk your ears.

Billy Bragg’s “No One Knows Nothing Any More”, rife with brilliant lyrics, contemplates everything we believe in without sounding like university students overflowing with rhetoric.

Equally great, yet a sonic about face is Single Mothers “Baby”, which grabs you by the throat, evoking that eff-you, ’70s punk spirit. 

The word “eclectic” emerges but it’s genuine for an album like this. It has a little bit of everything, and by listening to it, it introduces you to bands you may not have discovered otherwise. You can also think of it as a great way to burn an afternoon and enjoy a sunny ass day. 

Dine Alone Records – Summer Sampler

{http://soundcloud.com/dine-alone-records/sets/dine-alone-summer-sampler-2013/}

Download the album here: http://dinealonerecords.com/sampler

December 1, 2011

December is now upon us and the holiday season is here, so to celebrate Dine Alone Records has released a holiday sampler for music fans everywhere.  Unfortunately the album doesn’t have their artists doing Christmas carols, but this “stocking stuffer” contains 17 tracks featuring bands like City and Colour, Monster Truck, Parlovr, Library Voices, Deer Tick, The Sheepdogs and more.

Download the sampler at: Dine Alone Records

Continue reading “LISTEN UP: Dine Alone Records releases free sampler for the holiday season”

Download Young Galaxy’s entire remix album Versus for free!
November 23, 2011

Young Galaxy is offering a free download of their remix album Versus, a compilation of a year’s worth of commissioned remixed tracks featuring songs by Handsome Furs, Junior Boys, Grimes and Paper Bag Records labelmate Austra. We’ve been listening to this remix album all morning and there’s one track that has really caught our attention. Young Galaxy offers a new take on Swedish musician Johan Agebjorn‘s track “Watch The World Go By.” Listen below to the ambient, dreamy song and download the entire remix album. We’ll have a full review of this disc in the near future. Young Galaxy plays the Phoenix alongside Austra on Dec 1st.

Continue reading “LISTEN UP: Johan Agebjorn – “Watch The World Go By” Young Galaxy Remix – Get the entire album free!”

November 16, 2011

I know, I know it’s not even December and here we are sharing Christmas songs with you. But seriously, BC-native Joshua Hyslop‘s version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is absolutely stunning and too precious to save for a snowy day. I’m writing this from a coffee shop and it looks cold out there. People are bundled up. The special here is an Eggnog Latte (ew!). And if it weren’t for crumpled, orange leaves lying everywhere you’d swear you could feel winter rolling in. Christmas is over a month away, but lose yourself to Joshua’s soothing voice immediately. Consider this an early present!

Continue reading “LISTEN UP: Joshua Hyslop “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas””