Vancouver’s Dan Mangan is best known in his home country as a talented singer-songwriter with an occasionally gravelly and always expressive voice. In 2012, he won two JUNO Awards — including New Artist of the Year — for his album Oh Fortune.
Now, Mangan has decided to scrap his bread-and-butter approach to folk earworms, form a band, and go in a knottier direction. His fourth album, Club Meds, is his first as Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, a Vancouver-based band featuring experimental musicians and past collaborators like Kenton Loewen, Gordon Grdina, and John Walsh. The result of a two-year hiatus Club Meds finds Mangan in a completely different headspace compared to his previous efforts. Here, the songs are more fluid and less conventional, backed by looping synths, intricate drum patterns, and cascading guitars.
Dan Mangan transitions nicely into this relatively experimental frame of mind. Opener “Offred” serves up a beautiful dose of guitars and synth-induced atmosphere, with Mangan’s distinctive baritone vocal nicely blending into the chaos. Singles “Vessel” and “Mouthpiece” are the most straightforward tracks of the bunch. Despite the electric guitar arpeggios, “Mouthpiece” feels closest to Mangan’s earlier material, with rapidly strummed acoustic guitars and a fiery chorus. Other highlights include the title track, which boasts whammy pedal effects that make it feel like a moodier cousin of Radiohead’s “My Iron Lung”, and “Kitsch”, a slow-burner so mesmerizing it can be forgiven for initially off-putting lyrics like “Ladies in dresses/ Whores in the bedroom.”
Elsewhere, however, “War Spoils” is a droning snoozer that’s more distracting than mood-setting despite the pretty instrumental flourishes. And sometimes the arrangements feel like they’ve been taken too obviously out of the Grizzly Bear playbook: intricate, ominous chord progressions from uniquely tuned guitars. Despite its mixed offerings, Club Meds is a fascinating and unpredictable new direction from Mangan, surviving its own missteps. A few risks fail, but everything’s more interesting.
Essential Tracks: “Offred”, “Club Meds”, and “Kitsch” From the album Club Meds by Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, 2015
The striking, warped pop of Candy is the latest track to be shared from Weaves’forthcoming self-titled debut LP.
Encapsulating the Canadian band’s high-wire approach to songwriting the track is, according to singer Jasmyn Burke, one of her earliest collaborations with guitarist Morgan Waters and remains one of her favourites.
“Candy” is the second single from Weaves‘ debut album out June 17th, 2016 via Kanine (US), Buzz (CAN) & Memphis Industries (ROW)
They’ve also announced a massive UK tour for the summer
07 June – Tunbridge, Wells Forum #
08 June – London, Dingwalls #
09 June – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge #
10 June – Edinburgh, Electric Circus #
11 June – Liverpool, Studio 2 #
12 June – Manchester, Deaf Institute #
13 June – Nottingham, Bodega #
14 June – Cardiff, The Globe #
15 June – Cambridge, Portland Arms #
30 June – Derby, The Venue
01 July – Bedford, Esquires
02 July – Aldershot, West End Centre
03 July – Brighton, Hope and Rain
04 July – Guildford, Boileroom
12 July – Leicester, The Musician
15 July – Southwold, Latitude festival
17 July – Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
19 July – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
23 July – Huntington, Secret Garden Party festival
2-4 Sept – Salisbury, End of the Road festival
# w/ Beach Slang
Dine alone Records, Over the course of a decade, our mission has been rooted in uniting fans with one common purpose — an unconditional love of music. With many members of the Dine Alone family now starting families of their own, the journey into parenthood has triggered a desire to introduce younger generations to good old-fashioned rock and roll.
Dine Alone Records is amping things up this summer when the Red Bull Tour Bus hits highways across Canada to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the iconic independent music label. The ’67 GM transit bus that transforms into a ground shaking sound stage will host some of Dine Alone’s best musical acts for select FREE performances from coast to coast.
The month-long series showcases some of the record label’s most notable current artists including Tokyo Police Club, Yukon Blonde, James Vincent McMorrow and k-os, all on the back of the legendary Red Bull Tour Bus as it transforms into a fully operational soundstage for the series of outdoor shows. The Tour Bus heads East after Saskatoon, making stops in Hamilton, and finally Halifax. More event details will be announced as available.
Making its debut on the Bus Tour is Dine Alone’s rolling record store “Wax on Wheels”, an immersive record buying experience on the road equipped with charging stations and wifi. Music lovers will be able to hang out under an awning-covered patio and get a unique opportunity to purchase titles from the Dine Alone back catalogue, as well as rare and limited releases and a special selection of Dine Alone merchandise.
The first single from their second Domino release.
Canadian punk band White Lung have will release Paradise the follow-up to their excellent 2014 LP Deep Fantasy on May 6th via Domino Records. The announcement comes with a video for lead single ‘Hungry’, which features actress Amber Tambyln clinging to youth and beauty through a number of unconventional methods — like rubbing Bible pages on her face. The clip also features a cameo from Deafheaven lead singer George Clarke.
White Lung – Hungry (Official Video) Taken from the new album “Paradise”, coming May 6 on Domino.
Andy Shauf is a name you might not be familiar with, but we urge you to discover. Andy is a storyteller, a singer of heartbreak and regrets, isolation and loneliness, reflecting his prairie surroundings in Canada.
Shauf is a singer-songwriter from Regina, Canada, who released his second album, The Bearer of Bad News, at the start of this year. His performance at Harpa, Icelandic Airwaves one of my favourite shows of the weekend – his voice carries shades of Elliott Smith, without ever drifting into pastiche, and his songs run like short stories – colourful, precisely-told and compelling.
Meticulously written, his beautiful debut album ‘The Bearer of Bad News’ is warm and welcoming, bathed in weathered piano, dampened drums, softly-strummed guitars and clarinet, which lends its unique timbre to brighten – or hauntingly underscore – the songs’ darker undercurrents.
Just Announced! Levitation Vancouver 2016 is taking place on June 16th – 18th at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park and at multiple downtown venues. Lineup and ticket info will be released soon
We are very proud to announce the Levitation Vancouver 2016 Lineup! Early Bird Malkin Bowl 2-Day Passes and Night Show Tickets are on sale, Fri Feb 26 at 10am PST! Tickets & more info atlevitation-vancouver.com
Bruce Springsteen specializes in heart-busting, big-life-moment songs told from the perspective of someone who knows time is short so you better make every second and every song count. Also every concert.
The iconic New Jersey heartland rocker gave us over three hours of total passion and commitment at the AirCanada Centre, in support of his The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set, which celebrates the 35th anniversary of 1980’s The River, a four-album effort that he and his nine-piece E Street Band played front to back.
The final chords of one song barely finished ringing out before The Boss, looking lean, tanned and handsome in hues of black and grey (and his trademark jeans), counted in the next one with gusto.
Occasionally he offered up an intro. Independence Day, he said, was about being stunned by the discovery of your parents’ humanity, of realizing for the first time that they once had dreams of their own. “It’s a song about adult compromises,” he said, “and the blessings those compromises brought.”
Uplift immediately returned with the familiar opening notes of Hungry Heart, especially when he held back for the first verse and let us sing it on our own.
The continued push-pull between serious and fun, between dark and light, between sprawling “compositions” and lighter-weight fare – Crush On You, You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) – was hugely satisfying.
And after so many Behind The Music-type rock band documentaries, it was great to see seemingly genuine playfulness among the musicians onstage, many of whom have been in the E Street Band since the 70s and 80s. With drummer Max Weinberg and bassist Garry Tallent holding down a steady back beat, the others harmonized and soloed and did cute little moves in sync.
Blazing saxophone is as fundamental to Springsteen’s sound as lonesome harmonica, and Jake Clemons, nephew of deceased E Street member Clarence Clemons, captivated, especially on an epic rendition of The PriceYou Pay, one of the set’s standout numbers. Guitarists Patti Scialfa and Steven Van Zandt turned out powerful harmonies all night, often sharing the centre mic with Springsteen and appearing on the Jumbo screens.
Crowd interaction was also high. Springsteen regularly left the singing to us, lighters came out during gorgeously melancholy The River, and an 89-year-old woman celebrating her birthday got the chance to waltz with The Boss during Dancing In The Dark during the greatest-hits portion of the set as her elated daughter looked on.
Despite the concert already being two hours deep by that point, it was that greatest hits section that offered up some of the most energetic moments.
The Promised Land (requested via a sign held high) hit hard. Patti Smith Group’s Because The Night, which Smith co-wrote with Springsteen, was a mind-blowing surprise, his version more triumphant than Smith’s during her last few visits to Toronto and featuring a dazzling, almost comically lengthy guitar solo by Nils Lofgren that ended with him shredding while spinning around and around in a spotlight.
Brilliant Disguise was gorgeous, with a slightly changed chorus melody. The crowd lost its mind during Badlands, Born To Run and the aforementioned Dancing In The Dark.
We hit the three-hour mark. “Are you ready to continue?” Springsteen shouted. “Are you ready to continue?”
Ready or not, he gave us Rosalita and a cover of the Isley Brothers’ Shout, which he repeatedly extended in an almost compulsive way. “I’m just a prisoner of rock and roll!” he shouted, almost apologetically, as it finally rolled to a close. There was, of course, no need for an encore.
Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live in Toronto on February 2nd, 2016
Concert Setlist:
1. Meet Me In The City
2. The Ties That Bind
3. Sherry Darling
4. Jackson Cage
5. Two Hearts (W/ It Takes Two ending)
6. Independence Day
7. Hungry Heart
8. Out in the Street
9. Crush On You
10. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
11. I Wanna Marry You (W/ Here She Comes intro)
12. The River
13. Point Blank
14. Cadillac Ranch
15. I’m A Rocker
16. Fade Away
17. Stolen Car
18. Ramrod
19. The Price You Pay
20. Drive All Night
21. Wreck on the Highway
22. The Promised Land
23. She’s The One
24. Candy’s Room
25. Because The Night
26. Brilliant Disguise
27. The Rising
28. Thunder Road
29. Badlands
30. Born To Run
31. Dancing in the Dark
32. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
33. Shout
“The First Time” from Donovan’s forthcoming full-length LP: “Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled” – out February 26, 2016.
We’re excited to finally announce the release of Donovan’s fourth full-length album Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled. Donovan Woods’ work is guided by a mantra that only sounds simple: Good songs win.
Woods, a Juno Award nominee, was raised in the small city of Sarnia, Ontario, to the sounds of country music, with a healthy dose of folk and pop, a combination that instilled in him a strong belief in the power of a good melody, the importance of everyday language and the potential of a carefully-crafted song. While amassing a catalogue of rousing and acclaimed music of his own, he has worked with some of the top songwriters in North America to craft cuts for performers ranging from Alan Doyle to Billy Currington.
It’s not that Woods makes music that is a product of both country and folk; it’s that he makes music that shows how distracting the line separating the two can be. Like with so many songwriters of note, what matters isn’t what you call it, or where it comes from, but the stories you tell, and the voice you use. And whether it’s Tim McGraw singing from atop a full-throttle stadium-show stage or a line whispered by Woods himself in a more intimate environment, one thing remains clear: Woods’ is a voice that demands attention.
That attention has been quick in coming, bringing international accolades, a growing number of fans inside and outside the music industry, and proclamations like “Canada’s best-kept secret,” “piercingly honest” and “quietly anthemic.” Throughout his work, Woods has remained focused on his one deceptively unassuming intent: crafting good songs – with an emphasis on ‘craft’.
Available on CD and vinyl on February 26th, 2016, but you can head to iTunes to pre-order your copy now, and get two songs .
Here is an absolute gem from another Canadaian a singer songwriter’s and my first introduction to Ottawa’s KalleMattson and I’ve been enthralled by his Ryan Adams-esque songwriting charms. His latest record, Avalanche, contains six tracks and we could argue all day about whether it ought to be deemed an album or an EP or a mini-album, but all that needs to be said is that this is the strongest, most cohesive and affecting body of work I heard all year.
Kalle: “Avalanche took it to the next level in a lot of ways, there’s been a lot of really positive things. I’d never had songs on Canadian radio before and that’s been a really big thing for me. This was my first record on a major label in Canada and we did a lot of video stuff too.”
“These were six songs I was writing for another record but it didn’t feel like they totally connected to the batch of songs that no-one’s heard yet. They fit together as a mini-record. Even though it’s maybe considered an EP, or whatever, there’s flow to it, the songs connect to each other lyrically. They were the first six I wrote after Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold [released in 2014]. That record took a lot out of me. I was writing about my mom [who died when he was 16]. It’s hard to follow up something that’s your life all in this one entity”.
Tipped by Grimes,hear are a band from Montreal.She-Devils are an icy, untamed Montréal duo whose sample-heavy output made our jaws drop at the tail end of 2015. Singer Audrey Ann has one of the most mesmerising voices around, and there’s a dreamlike quality to their material that feels coolly cinematic
Simple but hypnotic retro-sounding 60’s cool pop that is constructed using samples. This young Montreal duo has been getting much buzz on blogs.
Extremely psyched to hear the debut single and the video from Montreal minimalist avant-pop duo Audrey Ann and Kyle Jukka, know as the She Devils. On their forthcoming EP, the group (who have been making waves in their hometown with their compelling gigs, brilliantly meld warped, exquisitely selected samples with Audrey Ann’s stark, swaying melodies to create deceptively simple jams that seem to draw from ’60s French pop, vintage surf rock, obscure exotica, and heartfelt dream-pop, resulting in something sort of modernly timeless and eliciting haunting, almost Lynchian dream sequence vibes. She-Devils claim to have “no interest in exhibiting any kind of refined musicality,” but “rather intend on creating impressions that burrow into the heart and imagination,” and they certainly nail the latter part of that mission statement on the sweetly trippy self-directed video for the hypnotic and infinitely replayable “Come“:
We made a video! We’re announcing an EP! We’re going on tour!
This is my official statement about the video hehe :
Visually Kyle really likes 90s TV and I’m more into 50s glamour, I’d say thats what went into this video. We shot it in my bedroom with the help of a couple friends (Neil Corcoran, Devon Welsh.) It was simple and very fun and I think it shows. Both of us love cinema and are acutely affected by colours. It was our first time making a music video. It feels really good to make something visual that is in harmony with our music.
The Fat Angel Sings 