Faith by The Ballantynes

Faith

How many Canadian gospel or soul bands can you name off the top of your head? Sad isn’t it? Well it’s time that you add The Ballantynes to that list. The Vancouver band just released their latest work this past April, the single “Faith” with a B-side to accompany it, and both tracks are very refreshing. The Ballantynes have four vocalists, two of which have incredible sounding voices with the range to boot.

Unfortunately, they finished their West Coast tour at the end of this past March and have never gone too far from home. If you’re anywhere near the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver on June 15th, check them out live. They won’t disappoint. And if you needed more incentive, they’ll also be playing with a band that has been discussed here before, the Zebrassieres.

-Matt

We Can’t Go Home Again by William Tyler

We Can’t Go Home Again

Despite the fact that Miley Cyrus is the biggest “musician” Nashville, Tennessee is currently known for, William Tyler makes up for that fact alone. With no lyrics, Tyler manages to bring a creative edge to instrumental music, and with only one guitar.

“We Can’t Go Home Again” has a main theme that manages to stay in your head and refuses to leave. With roughly six minutes and no real chorus or verses, the song manages to rework the same theme over and over again, all while avoiding the feeling of repetition. His only show this year in Canada is at the Panache NXNE showcase in Toronto on June 13. Other acts throughout the several days of NXNE include Mac Demarco, Social Distortion, Fucked Up, and a ton of other great artists. All of that AND William Tyler? Sounds like a good time.

-Matt

Hunting Season by Hands & Teeth

Hunting Season

Song 8

Straight out of Toronto’s Parkdale region is the super charismatic 5-piece band, Hands & Teeth. With 4 out of the 5 members having a mic in front of them, it allows for some wicked vocal harmonies. Not to mention, each of the singers are fantastic vocalists in their own right, but the harmonies they compose allow for the band as a whole to really shine.

Their most recent album, Hunting Season uses its catchy melodies and vocal harmonies extensively, all while being more than creative enough to avoid sounding like a one-trick-pony. The title track off the album starts off with a Bob Dylan-esque feel and as the song progresses, it continually gets better and better. These last two tracks off of Hunting Season really show just how good this band is.

If you’ve never heard of Hands & Teeth before, then you’ve definitely been missing out. With a new album due out in the near future, fans of the band can only hope the group will get some much deserved recognition from a wider audience after its release. They’ve recorded a few of the tracks thus far and are continuing the effort while touring at the same time. After the release of Hunting Season in January last year, the band followed it up with a relatively small tour ending at The Mansion in Kingston. With another show at Kingston’s The Mansion on May 25th, expect a great show from these guys. They are fantastic.

Will I Ever Dance Again by Stepdad

Will I Ever Dance Again

Music can express intense anger, make you think introspectively and existentially; it can make you feel humble, remind you of love, remind you of death, or if your feeling positive IT CAN JUST BE FUN. Sadly a lot of people forget that. Sometimes you can catch yourself taking music way too seriously, but every so often you’ll hear a song that reminds you that different music is loved by different people. Stepdad definitely can remind you of that.

Throughout the song it is constantly asked “Will I Ever Dance Again?” but it’s safe to say that the song answers its own question. If you don’t at the very least tap your foot to this song, then I can safely say that you’ve never danced before.

-Matt

We Want More by Zebrassieres

We Want More

I think they want more. You may ask, more what? Hell if I know (and I’m not sure if they know either) but I really dig this band.

This isn’t some typical “punk” that a few angsty teenagers recorded in their garage with the “YEAH, STICK IT TO THE MAN” mindset. This band is making music that they believe in, and you can feel the energy in every song they have throughout I Am A Human. The longest song on the entire album is two minutes, twenty-three seconds long. Short and sweet pretty sums it up.

-Matt

Greed Waltz by Do Make Say Think

Greed Waltz

When you discover a song and you really like it, you think to yourself,”I have to see what else they’ve come up with.” And then you search the internet intensely until you’re satisfied with what you’ve found. When I discovered Do Make Say Think this week, that’s exactly what I did. Finding out that they have been releasing albums dating back to 1997 definitely satisfied my hunger to find more of their material. All of it is incredible. Not a single song is mediocre in any way, shape or form.

“Greed Waltz”, believe it or not, is a live recording that was recorded in 2010 and was just released a few months ago on their label’s Soundcloud page. The fact that something this good was done live shows just how talented this band is. They’re on a tour in Europe right now, and hopefully they will be coming to Canada sometime soon. When they do, I’m grabbing a ticket at the first chance I get.

-Matt

Yukon Blonde @ the Grad Club March 23, 2013

A sold out night at the Grad Club with Lucy Rose and Yukon Blonde: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this show ever since the date was announced and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This was easily one of the best sounding live shows I’ve ever been to.

Lucy Rose and her band came down from the UK to tour with the boys from BC in hopes of expanding the fan base they succeeded in Kingston. They opened up the night with a great set, that to be honest, caught me totally off guard and was much better than any recording I heard previously. I ducked into the bathroom after they finished, and someone mentioned how surprised he was that the opening act was so good despite never hearing about them before. So please, Ms. Rose, come back to Kingston soon! You made a great first impression.

Yukon Blonde, unlike the opening act, had fans waiting at a sold out show with high expectations. I had only seen them live once before, at last summer’s Wolfe Island Music Festival, and they were definitely solid, but that show didn’t even come close to this one. This band has improved by leaps and bounds since then.

People in the crowd were singing along with every song, soaking in every minute of the set. I was doubtful, but they played one of my favourite songs of theirs, “Breathing Tigers,” despite it not being one of the band’s more popular tracks. It was easily my favourite part of the night. Through the singing, the clapping and all the smiles, it was easy to tell that everyone was having a good time.

The crowd demanded an encore and the band played a few more of their own tunes, along with an upbeat interpretation of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.” My brother came along with to me to the show despite never listening to Yukon Blonde previously. Let’s just say that by the end of the night he ended up buying an album from the merch table. It is very easy for me to say that the entire show was a resounding success.

-Matt

Bliss by Ten Kens

Bliss

Ten Kens: one the most creative psych bands I’ve heard in a lonnnng time, and easily one of the freshest sounds out of the country. Tame Impala and POND are great psych bands, both that I’ve discussed before, but the Ten Kens have such a distinct sound and it totally sets them apart from a lot of the other bands in the genre. Sadly, this also contributes to the fact that they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Namesake isn’t my favourite album of theirs, but that’s probably because the mood of the album is dark and disturbing. It’s almost bone-chilling, but that’s also part of the album’s charm. Bliss is my favourite track off of Namesake, but you shouldn’t take my word for it. Judge it for yourself! The whole album is available for a test run over on their bandcamp page along with all of their other recordings (which are also fantastic).

One more thing…

Where Were You Last Night by Big September

Where Were You Last Night

It being St. Patrick’s Day and all, I thought It would be appropriate to do some research, and find some upbeat music from a up and coming Irish band. I came across Big September, and when I heard that hook I knew I found something good. Whether you decide to binge drink today, or soberly celebrate the arrival of Catholicism to Ireland, you will enjoy this band regardless. Cheers.

-Matt

Vapor by Arthur Channel

Vapor

Arthur Channel is the product of John Green, Greg Richling, Alain Johannes and Jack Irons. “Vapor” is their premier track for their upcoming album, which should be due out sometime this year. The song is somewhat of a sadder sounding doo-wop with the two guitars doing a call and response between finger picking and accented chords right after. Green’s vocals are fantastic and complement the instrumentation very effectively. Let’s just say that I am very excited for the release of their debut album. The reason I am so excited comes partially from the history that a few of the members carry with them.

If the last two names mentioned earlier seem familiar, there’s a reason for it. Johannes and Irons are long-time friends, first collaborating together in the band, What Is This? It just so happens that Flea and Hillel Slovak were also a part of the group, both founding members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with Irons.