The infamous Montreal music scene. At one time the home of some incredible bands and the creation of a sound that defined and raised Canadian independent music to the standard it sits at today. Then it was sucked in, chewed up, and spit out by the media hype machine. What began as a genuine and beautifully crafted creative expression quickly deteriorated into a very shitty, very contrived initation, masquerading as the real thing.

“Have you heard that new band from Montreal?”

“No, are they good?”

“I haven’t heard them either, but probably. They’re from Montreal!”

“Cool.”

Now, I don’t want to sound bitter. I LOVE Montreal. It is the absolute bee’s knees. To prove it, I’ll let you know about this great band that calls it home. Out of the ashes of the legacy built by bands like Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, and The Unicorns comes Parlovr.

I instantly liked this band from the first time I listened to their self-titled album. Armed with plenty of poppy hooks, twangy guitars, and mildly strained, up-beat vocals this band will make you bob your head. You might even feel like dancing. Yeah, you probably will want to dance, so make sure you are somewhere with lots of pretty boys/girls when you put this on.

Hiccup! – Parlovr

Sever My Ties – Parlovr

So great music is still being made in Montreal, just like in every other major city in the world. While a person’s surroundings are obviously an influence, how good, or not good, a band is should never be judged by what city it comes from.

And anyone who still doesn’t believe that I love Montreal is welcome to fly me out there and I will gladly show them how much fun it is.

-slobby

Ok, so winter is actually kinda shitty. I wake up in the morning and it’s dark, and guess what it is when I leave work? That’s right, dark. At 5:00. Bullshit. And it’s all rainy and dreary outside, which makes me feel even worse about  failing on my New Years resolutions. And I have to wear a jacket, like, all the time. Sorry Winter, but you suck. You make me sad. Almost as sad as when I have to go to work. If my job and Winter had a baby together it would probably look a lot like Hitler.

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With all the Michael Jackson nostalgia circulating through the media and social landscapes these days, I thought that I would ad my own little tidbit. This is the real deal. In 1989/90 U.S. Gold and Sega released the Michael Jackson video game, “Moonwalker”, to coincide with the release of his movie by the same name. I remember playing this game at Chucky Cheese when I was a kid and as I recall it was quite a fun game. At the time it was just awesome, now it seems a bit creepy and weird, and a little more awesome. (more…)

When you find an album that spans every moment and perfectly backdrops your day to day, you’ve got something great. Here is a collection of albums we felt portrayed the very best of the year 2009.

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Ever heard that song ‘Parentheses’?

Thats The Blow, made up of Mikhaela Yvonne Maricich and Jona Bechtolt (YACHT).

The song was a big hit in 2007, off the album Paper Television. The sound on the record is characterized by minimal electronic beats and vocal melody provided by Maricich. It’s a nice listen, managing to somehow sound sparse and full at the same time.

Pile Of Gold – The Blow

What I really want to talk about though, is the Blow that existed before 2004. Actually at this time it was just Maricich by herself, releasing a couple of records under the name ‘Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano’. One of these records was ‘Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight into the Blow’, put out in 2001. It’s not what one would expect after listening to ‘Paper Televsion’. Maricich uses an acoustic guitar and her voice to create incredibly raw songs. Reminiscent of  Kimya Dawson and The Moldy Peaches with guitar playing that reminds me of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’. It is relaxing and quirky and the perfect thing to listen on a rainy weekend afternoon.

Milkmaid – Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano (the Blow)

My Heart – Get the Hell Out of the Way of the Volcano (the Blow)

Nothing – Get the Hell Out of the way of the Volcano (the Blow)

iceonthetrail

Grandaddy – Nature Anthem

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Beirut – Scenic World

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M83 – Fields, Shorelines and Hunters

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Japan11

Yeasayer – Red Cave

The Kinks – Apeman

Fleet Foxes – Meadowlark

artandstars

Yeasayer – Sunrise

Attack In Black – Seeds

Julie Doiron – Heavy Snow

lionsteeth

Real Estate – Green River

Constantines – Hyacinth Blues

Akron/Family – Crickets

slobby

Born Ruffians – Foxes Mate for Life

Beirut – Elephant Gun

Animal Collective – Grass

We love cover songs here at Bluegrassish.com, so we’ve banded together to pick out a couple of songs each for you to enjoy. Also there is talk of a Bluegrassish Podcast being made. I personally am a avid podcast listener so this seems to be a good way to break into that media form. If you have an interest or suggestions for the podcast please do drop us a line.

Thanks!

Artandstars:

Taken By Trees – My Boys

Solange – Stillness In The Move

Cadence Weapon Ft. Final Fantasy – Mini Tv’’s

Rock Plaza Central – Sexyback

Lionsteeth:

The Constantines – Don’t Be Denied

Devo – Satisfaction

Anthony And The Johnsons – Crazy In Love

Broken Social Scene – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Slobby:

Electrelane – I’m On Fire

The Glimmers – Physical

The Shins – we will become silhouettes

Iceonthetrail:

Bonnie Prince Billy & Tortoise – Cravo e Canela

Grizzly Bear – Owner of a Lonely Heart

Nina Gordon – Straight Outta Compton

It seems that Vancouver Island has become a breeding ground for great bands lately. A prime example is Colourbook. For the past few months their self-titled album has been in heavy rotation at my house, in my headphones, at my work, and just about anywhere else I could possibly listen to music. I simply cannot say enough good things about this band. Their songs are just so fucking great. Each one a ride that takes you up and then brings you slowly back down again while managing to leave you high. They accomplish so much: great use of many instruments, fantastic tempo changes, beautiful vocal harmonies, and the list could go on and on. There is great depth to the music, so much so that you could listen to the songs over and over again for a long time (like the amount of time it takes to have a shower, cook dinner, eat dinner, and then write a blog post on colourbook) and still want to listen once more.

In case you haven’t noticed, I really like Colourbook.

You will too.

Krakatoa – Colourbook

The Wimbledon Riot – Colourbook

Just this past Monday I had the great fortune of seeing these two wonderful bands play at the Biltmore.  I arrived, much to my dismay, in the middle of the Ruby Suns set. The song “Oh, Mojave” was being played, but it sounded different. It was a more stripped down, much more electronic version of the song. And something was wrong onstage. “There is mischief afoot!”, I thought to myself. After listening to the Ruby Suns studio album, “sea Lion”, I was positive that there had to be at least 6 or 7 people in the band. But up on stage there were only 3. Did my eyes deceive me? Where were the others hiding? Turns out the three onstage had  tiny versions of themselves hidden in sampling machines and keyboards, so they could double their beautiful music out put. The result was an amazing show. It definately had a more stripped down feel compared to the record, with a bigger emphasis on the electronic aspects of the songs. This worked out well though, at some points making me feel as if I were listening for the first time. Varying from soft lullabies to dancy upbeat pop music that had all three members (Ryan McPhun, Amee Robinson, Bevan Smith) doing multiple things onstage at once, the performance was just as engaging to watch as it was to listen to.

Oh, Mojave – Ruby Suns

Adventure Tour – Ruby Suns

Next up were the Dodos.  

They played a wonderful set full of danceable pop and catchy melodies. Lead singer/ guitar player Meric Long displayed a masterful talent with loop machines, looping both his vocals and guitar riffs, sometimes simultaneously, and adding loads of depth usually unheard of for a three piece pop act. Add to this the absolutely fan-fucking-tastic drumming of Logan Kroeber, beautiful rolls on the floor tom with plenty of rim shots and booming beats with sharp snare hits that had me dancing involuntarily, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a great band. But wait, there’s more. A third member, Keaton Snyder, was playing a giant vibraphone and another floor tom! Infusing yet more depth into the songs. Especially during the slower breakdowns. At one point both Long and Snyder were playing the vibraphone with bows from a cello. The result was a haunting, yet very pretty, humming melody. It was something that I have never seen before, so for that reason and so much more, I suggest that you go check out the Dodos. It’s for your own good. And go see them next time they are in town, you won’t be disapointed.

Paint the Rust – The Dodos

The Season – The Dodos

It’s not called the grind for no reason. Every one of us out there has had to work a job they hated, day in day out, until you feel as if your soul has be ground up into a messy pulp. If you haven’t ever experienced this this feeling then I offer you a simultaneous “congratulations” and “fuck off”, you are either so lucky or so filthy rich.

I just finished George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London”.  The book is a chronicle of the time Orwell spent in poverty while living in Paris, working as a dishwasher (plongeur), and in London, living as a tramp. Containing some fine social commentary, the book is an examination of poverty and injustice existing in the midst of metropolis. After leaving Paris, he theorizes on the significance of his work there, which was low paying with long hours, physically demanding, and completely useless:

“It does not matter whether his work is needed or not, because work in itself is good – for slaves at least…The mob (the thought runs) are such low animals that they would be dangerous if they had leisure; it is safer to keep them too busy to think…Fear of the mob is a superstitious fear. It is based on the idea that there is some mysterious, fundamental difference between rich and poor. But in reality the mass of rich and poor people are differentiated by their incomes and nothing else, and the average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit…Since there is no difference between the mass of rich and poor, there is no question of setting the mob loose. The mob is in fact loose now, and – in the shape of rich men – is using its power to set up enormous treadmills of boredom.”

Word up George. You said it.

Here’s a few songs to help get you through the grind. You’ll like them whether you are rich or poor, promise.

Wake Up – Dr. Dog

007 – Desmond Dekker & The Aces