Bleu Nuit – Le jardin des mémoires [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, alternative, band, Bleu Nuit, Canada, Group, indie, Le jardin des mémoires, Montreal, Music, Music Video, Musicians, Review

A band you definitely need to check out is Montreal’s Bleu Nuit.
They released their long awaited debut album called Le jardin des mémoires translation means The garden of memories.
This wonderful post-punk album is a fusion of what I think sounds like Malajube and Preoccupations.
Hence the album was produced by Malajube’s Julien Mineau.
If you like the whole dark jangle pop and post-punk but sung in French, this is something you need to listen to.
Get the album which is out on Michel Records.
Best tracks:

• Trou Noir
• Le ruban magnétique
• Féminin masculin
• Concentration
• Boule de cristal

Le jardin des mémoires get:
/10

Pup – Morbid Stuff [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, band, Canada, Group, indie, Morbid Stuff, Music, Music Video, Musicians, Nestor Chumak, Pup, Review, Rock, Stefan Babcock, Steve Sladkowski, Toronto, Zack Mykula

Pup who is becoming Canada’s Punk Rock saviours dropped their second album Morbid Stuff.
Filled with intense octane punk rocking music with easy sing along lyrics.
While the band isn’t slowing things down on the record and touring.
One of the best rocking albums to listen to in 2019.

Best tracks:

• Morbid Stuff
• Kids
• Free at Last
• Scorpion Hill
• Sibling Rivarly

Morbid Stuff gets:
/10

Nathan Shubert – When You Take Off Your Shoes [Review]

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2019, Album, Album Review, Ambient, artist, Bigo & Twigetti, Canada, Classical, Experimental, Instrumental, Modern Classical, Music, Musician, Nathan Shubert, Vancouver, When You Take Off Your Shoes

I was listening to KEXP on a Sunday morning.
They have this great show called Pacific Notions which showcases modern classical and ambient music.
The DJ played this wonderful tune by Vancouver’s Nathan Shubert.
The title track When You Take Off Your Shoes just grasped me.
Very melodic that mixes field records and classical music.
It is like walking in the woods on a nice sunny morning.
Think of Nathan Shubert as the West Coast version of Jean-Michel Blais.
When You Take Off Your Shoes is a very soothing and moody album that mixes field recordings and classical music to make wonderful ambient soundscapes.
The album is out on Bigo & Twigetti.
Best tracks:

• A Beacon, a Pulse
• When You Take Off Your Shoes
• Pencils
• A Thought, Persisted
• A Breath

Flying Hórses – Reverie [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, artist, Bonsound, Canada, Classical, Experimental, Flying Hórses, Instrumental, Jade Bergeron, Montreal, Music, Music Video, Musician, Ottawa, Reverie, Review

Flying Hórses is Canadian composer Jade Bergeron.
Reverie released back in February 22, 2019 is the sophomore release by the Ottawa/Montreal artist and signed to Bonsound.
As the artist states:
“This is a heartbreak record, everyone has one. If popstars can have them, so can composers.”
Tragic as its sound, it is a lovely and beautiful album that fills up full of texture, using layered vintage musical ornamentation including a giant turn-of-the-century music box, horns, vibraphone and double-bass, and held down with piano.
An exceptional album to listen to when you are very stressed out.
Best tracks:

• Comfort
• Fearless
• Isolation
• Unsettled
• Asleep

Favorite 5 Tracks from Blur’s 13

Tags

13, 1999, 2019, Album, Alex James, alternative, band, Best Of, Blur, British, Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree, Graham Coxon, Group, London, Music, Music Video, Musicians, Review, UK

I didn’t know that Blur‘s sixth album 13 just turned 20 years.
The album came out on March 15, 1999 and I am a few days left posting this.
Check out this article from Stereogum about 13.
Decided to pick my favorite 5 tracks from that album.
In case you were wondering why I Got the Law (Demo) is in this list because the Japanese version of the album was the bonus track. (Lucky them and it was a hint of Gorillaz’s Tomorrow Comes Today)

Emilie Kahn – Outro [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, alternative, band, Canada, Emilie Kahn, indie, Music, Music Video, Musicians, Outro, pop, Review, Secret City Records

There is a certain warmness when looking at the album cover of Emilie Kahn‘s Outro.
The Montreal artist released the long awaited second album after a three year hiatus.
Emilie didn’t ditched Ogden (her harp) but still played a big role on Outro.
The album was produced in collaboration with Warren C. Spicer of Plants and Animals, shows a craftswoman come into her own.
‘Outro’ is a pained look back at the past as Kahn pores over every misplaced feeling and bad call.
Teeming with adulthood’s melancholy, Kahn offers indie pop crafted with a miniaturist hand toward intimacy, while still reaching for the grandiosity of the genre’s icons.
One of my favorite albums to come out so far in 2019.
Overall there is a wonderful and beautiful soundscapes mixing synths and instruments like the harp.
Something about the beginning track Swimmer which is elegant and tragic at the same time.
Other great tracks that shows how she is taking chances are Three, Will You? (Who will take of you when you get older) and Never Good Enough (where she drops the s-bomb).
Best tracks:

• Swimmer
• Island
• Three
• Will You?
• Aquarium

Said the Whale – Cascadia [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, alternative, Ben Worcester, Canada, Cascadia, indie, Jaycelyn Brown, Music, Music Video, pop, Review, Said The Whale, Tyler Bancroft, Vancouver

Been a fan of Said the Whale as long as I can remember.
Surprised on the announcement of their sixth album Cascadia which came out on February 8, 2019.
It wasn’t that long that they were out promoting their fifth album as long as your eyes are wide which came out in 2017.
In my opinion, that album was more dark and heavy emotional album and pushed the envelope on their sound and lyrics IE Miscarriage.
What is significant about this sixth album is that they jumped ship from Hidden Pony to Arts & Crafts.
Probably to get a better distribution deal and broader appeal to open the doors for outside of Canada.

Business of Dreams – Ripe for Anarchy [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, artist, Business of Dreams, Corey Cunningham, indie, Los Angeles, Music, Musician, pop, Ripe for Anarchy, singer, Slumberland Records

This came accidentally through my email and luckily saw the show on January 22, 2019.
Los Angeles’ Business of Dreams is the project by Corey Cunningham (Mike Krol) is all about emotional catharsis.
The second album Ripe for Anarchy is a through-and-through ode to indie pop.
11 wonderful dreamy, breezy and upbeat catchy poppy lyrical music that makes you want to think about summer and lie on the grass looking at the clouds.
Parts of the music is reminisced to 90s New Order a-la “Regret” or something British indie pop from the late 80s/early 90s.
It is early in 2019 and hopefully make this on the best of 2019 list.
Ripe for Anarchy is out on Slumberland Records.
Best tracks:

• Chasing that Feeling
• Ripe for Anarchy
• N.R.E.A.M.
• Naive Scenes
• Keep The Blues Away

I’d give Ripe for Anarchy:
/10.

Sneaks – Highway Hypnosis [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, alternative, electronica, Experimental, Highway Hypnosis, Merge Records, Music, Music Video, Musician, Sneaks, USA

Third album by Washington D.C. artist Eva Moolchan who goes by Sneaks.
Highway Hypnosis is filled with heavy sample electro-downtempo music.
The whole album of 13 tracks runs about 30 minutes.
I was hoping that since Sneaks is on Merge Records, that she would be pushing boundaries and take some risks on this album.
Meaning the tracks would go pass the three minute mark.
But still a great album to chill out to.

Mike Krol – Power Chord [Review]

Tags

2019, Album, Album Review, alternative, indie, Merge Records, Mike Krol, Music, Music Video, Musician, Power Chord, punk, Review, Rock, USA

Mike Krol‘s long awaited fourth album Power Chord comes out on January 25, 2019.
It’s been four years since his Merge Records debut Turkey.
Picks up where he left off with his high octane garage power pop music.
Judging by the album cover, the theme on this album is about disappointment, heartbreak, being knocked down and insanity about music (No not about his love life).
A cohesive tight garage rock production that doesn’t sound sloppy at all.
Still has that angst in tracks Little Drama, Left for Dead and Nothing to Yell At.