For an album full of such short songs it sure has taken me a long time to get around to writing about Oh No, It’s Love, the sophomore effort from The Bicycles.  Admittedly, I was initially put off by the large track listing, but this is one of the few bands that can pull of 19 songs and still come in at an easily digestible 37 minutes.  Add to that the fact that it’s a diverse, upbeat and highly enjoyable outing from start to finish and I’ve got nothing but praise for this Toronto band.

Listening to Oh No, It’s Love is the equivalent of having your ears attend the biggest party of the year—it’s frantic, fun and ridiculously intoxicating. Just when you think you’ve got one song’s awesome melody in your head the next one is upon you and wreaking mental havoc. Of course, the tunes aren’t just quick throwaways. They each represent a diverse and expertly crafted dose of melodic pop and no two of which are exactly alike. Be it the quirky opening assault of “Won’t She Be Surprised,” the stunning and hipnotically sweet “Once Was Not Enough” (currently my personal favourite) or the righteously rockin’ jaunt that is “Walk Away (from a Good Thing)” this album never lets up. 

Jam packed with more hooks than a pirate convention and unaffraid to straddle the lines of genre (“Stop Calling me Baby”), Oh No, It’s Love is a musical multi-vitamin and I highly recommend upping your daily dosage.

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The Bicycles - Won’t She Be Surprised

The Bicycles - Roland

Hear more at the band’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of Oh No, It’s Love here. Also check out the live clips from The Bicycles’ CD release party at Lee’s Palace a couple weeks ago here.

I’m jealous of quite a few people. My friend Luther, for instance, is a talented multi-instrumentalist who actually gets paid to play and write about music, my dad can build or understand just about anything and there’s a guy down the street who owns his own toy store. Everywhere I look there’s someone to envy and last week that list got a little longer with the birth of Jenny Omnichord’s baby boy, Otis.

You see, on the day of his birth little baby Otis was greeted by an entire album of duets made in his honour. I’m talking about Jenny Omnichord’s wonderfully titled Charlotte or Otis: Duets for Children, Their Parents and Other People Too.  Consisting of 18 children-themed duets with some of Canada’s best songwriters, this album delivers (pardon the pun) in a big way.  It features such WHK favourites as Wax Mannequin, Mathias Kom, Andrew Penner, Geordie Gordon, Andy Swan, Old Man Luedecke…hell, the entire thing is worth mentioning so I’ll stop there.

Unfortunately, the bulk of attention this release has received so far stemmed from Win Butler’s potential contribution. Long story short, it appears that bureaucratic red-tape killed that duet. If you ask me, it doesn’t affect the final product in any way, as one listen to “Dinky (A Baby Boy’s Discovery)” with David Celia makes me forget who that Butler guy is.

There’s too much good stuff on Charlotte or Otis to get into it all, but here are a few of my favourite moments:

- Andy Swan’s mature and reticent portrayal of a child as he explains his affliction to “Doctor Jenny” on “I Sneeze in Threes” (not to mention the guest appearances in that tune).

- Jenny’s rap stylings on “The Old Prince” with Shad.

- The idea that Otis (played by Tony Dekker) knows karate, which explains all the belly-kicking (“Do You Know Karate?”)

I don’t have children and won’t for a while, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying Charlotte or Otis in the least (something I don’t think you’ll hear many non-parents saying about Barenaked Ladies’ Snacktime ). In fact, it’s clear that this album isn’t simply something to entertain newborns, but a collection that Otis himself can appreciate when he’s older and understand the effort his mother and father undertook to properly greet him.

Most of us just got a hard smack on the ass from the doctor when we were born, but little Otis gets a custom made album of endearing duets. Add that to the fact that he’s being welcomed into the world by one of the most excited and unique mothers I’ve ever met and I’ve really got an axe to grind with this kid.

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Here’s one of my favourite duets:

Jenny Omnichord - The Day We Sang “Ba Ba Ba Ba” (with Jeff “Glacio de Fluvial” Munro)

And be sure to check out the Sappyfest footage of Jenny and Mathias perforing “What Happens to Animals,” as it was a hilarious moment.

Grab a digital copy of Charlotte or Otis here.

I met Geordie Gordon at the Scarborough Town Centre (ugh…). Laura and I were there waiting to be picked up to Join The Burning Hell on their eastern tour and it turned out he was a last minute addition to the convoy. Initially I couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated by his upwardly coiffed hair and plastic yellow sunglasses, though it wouldn’t take me long to realize how silly that was.

Geordie didn’t say much during the drive at first. In fact, he fell asleep on Laura’s shoulder in the backseat pretty much immediately. However, being sandwiched in a car with someone for a week makes for ample opportunity to get to know each other. In Geordie’s case it’s easy to let your guard down, as he projects a sort of exuberance that subdues any apprehension.

At some point during the trip I learned that, not only was he a member of The Barmitzvah Brothers (along with Jenny Omnichord, whose car we were riding in), but he also fronts The Magic (with Sylvie Smith and his brother, Evan Gordon).  Naturally, after hanging out for a week and really enjoying his company, I was eager to see what The Magic was all about.

The above preamble should make it pretty clear that I had a favourable bias going in to The Magic’s debut EP. However, I felt the need to share those details, as our first meeting perfectly mirrors the way that these tunes gradually won me over. Trepidatious at first listen, I didn’t want to get my hopes up—good people don’t always make good music!  Turns out, much like my initial meeting with Geordie at the mall, the exuberant and upbeat songs on this EP quickly subdued any apprehensions I might have had.

What can I say? Friend or not, these tunes are damn good.  Upbeat, addictive and diverse, it’s obvious that these guys have been around the block. Not to mention that they have a profound respect for the classics (hell, Geordie gave me my first real exposure to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours by bringing a copy on tour).

For what it’s worth, even if we’d never met I can safely say I’d be pushing The Magic just the same.

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The Magic - No Sound

Hear more at the band’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of the EP here.

It’s 3am. I’m on a streetcar heading east on Queen street with a long way to go.  My friends and I had initially met up at a loft downtown to see Woodhands, but the place was too damn hot so a few of us reluctantly sought the dingy cool of a pub a few blocks away. Unfortunately, not only was the bar in question no less warm, but it was also far too hip to have the dingy charm I was after.

After a scotch, a shot and a friend of mine causing a scene with the doorman we moseyed down the road. I turned my head for a second and my two sauced companions had stumbled into another bar. I left them to their fun and kept walking.

On the streetcar I dug out the ol’ headphones and looked through the ever-changing album selection for the perfect audio-nightcap. The usual just wouldn’t do. I wasn’t drunk enough to be mopey and introspective, but didn’t feel like anything too commandingly catchy either.  Carried in the inevitable direction of home, autopilot was in control and I sought the stoic guiding hand of some well-crafted beats.

This is where having extra room on your mp3 player comes in handy, as it allows for those otherwise forgotten albums to hang on just a while longer before being shuffled off to make space. In this case I’d been meaning to give Peter Project’s self-titled debut a solid listen for months, as I enjoyed what I’d heard, but ended up repeatedly pushing it off to the side.

Here was my chance: I finally got around to letting the beats of this album dance between my ears. Sure, a streetcar at 3am after an overdrawn night out might not be the best situation to really delve into a record, but in some cases it doesn’t get much better.

As each grooveilicious track sauntered through my shitty and ill-fitting ear-buds I couldn’t help but keep lamenting that I hadn’t given Peter Project some solid consideration prior. Not the usual fare for one of my many late-night trips home, the varied and expertly woven grooves quickly proved to be exactly the fuel my increasingly lethargic mind needed to make the trip.

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Peter Project - Fair and Square

Hear more at his Myspace page or grab a digital copy of the album here.

As the title of this post suggests, today is one of those lazy summer days in Toronto that is just humid enough to breed lethargy without the added burden of sticky discomfort.

Personally, as I slowly go about the day’s work I can’t help but feel like curling up with a pair of big headphones and nap the afternoon away to the sweet sounds of finger pickin’ goodness. Unfortunately for those of us who actually have to work for a living, a catnap really isn’t a viable option. Instead I’ll just settle for letting Ayla Brook sing a serene soundtrack to my lazy workday.

In that regard I couldn’t be in better company than Brook’s solo debut, After the Morning After, as it just doesn’t get much more serene than “Wake Up Early” or “Leave Anymore.” Throw the leisurely romp of “Sweater Song” into the mix and you’ll be thinking of greener pastures in no-time.

Of course, the entire outing isn’t solely devoted to delicate numbers. Songs like “One Two Three” and the title track are brimming with good ol’ piss n’ vinegar that could just as easily have you dancing around the room.  Though things come full circle with the fragile and elegant album closer, “Wonder” (a song that begs complimentary comparisons to John K. Sampson), as the serene once again wins the day. Not to mention the eerily appropriate opening lines:

“Workday’s all through, still some chores to do. Let them line up all across my bedroom floor.”

In any case, it doesn’t get much better than After the Morning After on a lethargic and lukewarm Friday afternoon.

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Ayla Brook - Wake Up Early

Hear more at Ayla Brook’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of After the Morning After from Zunior.

Aside from a few stellar tracks I pretty much missed Feuermusik’s 2007 critically acclaimed debut, Goodbye Lucille. It is for that reason that I wanted to get in early when it came to No Contest, their brand new sophomore release.

Even the most cursory listen to the Toronto experimental jazz outfit reveals something that is obviously not what I would usually have reverberating through the ol’ cans—yet at the same time I can’t help but want to hear more. There’s just such an expert balance between the jagged and the smooth—the comfortable and the jarring.

Those of you who flee from stereotypical jazz pretentions fear not, for Feuermusik imbue their jazzy leanings with a down to earth indie sensibility. If you ask me, that’s no small feat for a woodwind and percussion duo to pull off, which makes it all the more impressive.

Basically, on No Contest Feuermusik are in the enviable position of being able to push the boundaries of conventional music while still remaining grounded in accessible and uplifting composition.

Don’t be scared…

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Feuermusik - Full of Grace

Hear more at Feuermusik’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of No Contest from Zunior.

Well isn’t this interesting: just last night I posted about not knowing too many formidable bands capable of dishing the hard stuff and here I am the very next day heralding another righteous two-piece.

This time around it’s Vancouver’s Japandroids that have got my attention. Deservedly so, as these two guys know their way around a crashing and thunderous romp. Made up of Brian King and David Prowse, Japandroids have released two cataclysmic EPs to date. Their latest is a 5 song sonic boom appropriately titled Lullaby Death Jams.

What I’m really enjoying about these guys so far is their ability to deliver an explosive and agitated dose of loud rock while tempering that with inviting melodies and amicable alternating vocals. This is a dynamic that has been present since their 2007 debut EP, All Lies, but has definitely come to fruition on their latest effort.

Of course, back to back posts on hard-rockin’ two piece bands isn’t to suggest overt similarity between the two. In fact, there are some great points of contrasts between HotKid (the subject of Yesterday’s post) and Japandroids. For instance, the former is an excellent example of good ol’ straight-up fuzzy rock while the latter exhibit more complexity in areas like song structure and vocal interplay.

Actually, listening to tracks like “No Allegiance to the Queen” and “Darkness on the Edge of Gas Town” almost invoke the energy of bands like Spy Machine 16, which is a commendable thing for a two-piece to be able to replicate.

In the end I’m going to have to keep my eye open for more duos, as I’m really starting to believe that the two-piece bands are where the rock is at these days.

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Japandroids - No Allegiance to the Queen

Hear more at Japandroids’ Myspace page or grab digital copies of both EPs from Zunior.

47 songs!?! How does one even begin to tackle a magnum opus like that, Let alone record it?

For those of you who have no idea what I’m going on about, revered Toronto musician Paul Linklater recently released a monster of a collection entitled Smooth Sailing and How. In its entirety the mammoth release clocks in at over 2 hours and 22 minutes partitioned into 2 discs and an EP. I don’t even know where to start.

Anyone who has read a couple of my reviews ought to know that I often bemoan when a band “crams” too many tracks on an album, and I usually prefer shorter releases. In that regard you’d think I’d be salivating at the thought of ripping into the length of Smooth Sailing and How. However, Linklater has just made me realize that anything gets a pass beyond a certain point.

Put it this way: you know when your friend makes a joke that they realize isn’t very funny, so they keep it going anyway until the sheer ridiculousness of their dedication to it becomes hilarious? That’s pretty much how I feel about this—at around 20 tracks I’d have probably expressed displeasure (with length, not quality in this case), but at 47 songs I think it’s great. What did we learn by this? Less is more, but ridiculously excessive is even more than less…or something.

Whatever the case, I’m happy I dropped the $7 to pick this up (buy it yourself from Jibcut Records), as, not only is that a great deal at around $0.15 a track (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a bulk discount), but there are some superb tunes to be heard. Personally, I’m stuck on “Virginia C” and “Hard Time of Year,” and would recommend the album based on those tracks alone, but I’m still digging. Hell, the sheer length of Smooth Sailing and How combined with the fact that I can’t help repeating the above standouts means that I haven’t even gotten through the whole thing yet!

Of course, Smooth Sailing and How isn’t for the idle listener—you’ve got to put in the effort—but those of you willing to get knee deep in Paul Linklater’s latest will definitely be rewarded…and how.

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Check out a track from Smooth Sailing and How below:

Paul Linklater - Virginia C

Hear more at Paul Linklater’s Myspace page, as well as the dedicated pages for each disc (Disc 1, Disc 2, EP), and buy it direct from Jibcut Records right here.

I enjoy winter. What can I say? I like the snow and I get a kick out of wearing a toque. That said, it’s hard to look back when the weather brightens up, so you better believe there was no crying as I hung up my snow shovel this month.

Spring has definitely sprung in Toronto and these past few days in particular have been gorgeous. Personally, I’ve just been letting my unsightly long-ish hair flutter a swan song in the wind before the summer heat forces me into a barber’s chair. In that regard, I can’t think of a better soundtrack to these lovely April afternoons than Spring, the latest aptly titled EP from The Great Outdoors.

The first in a series of quarterly EPs commemorating the various seasons, Spring is three breezy tracks fit for the pre-summer months. In fact, I was incensed the very first time I heard the lead track, “Spring Flower.” This isn’t light praise either, as I’m the guy who pretty much slept through the last two Great Outdoors full-lengths, which I might just have to go back and dig up.

Basically, given the assured drive of “So Long Old Man,” the somber persistence of “Suzy’s Song” or the shear uplifting prowess of the previously mentioned opener, I’ve got a new appreciate for Adam Nation (the main man behind The Great Outdoors) and company.

Spring has only just begun and I’m already looking forward to summer based solely on the fact that I know there’s another seasonal EP on the way.

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Take a listen to my favourite track from the EP below:

The Great Outdoors - Spring Flower

Hear more at The Great Outdoors’ Myspace page or stay tuned to Zunior.com to grab a digital copy next week.

I’ve been sitting on this one for a while. What can I say, it’s taken some time for me to decide what to make of Afterparty Babies, the sophomore album from venerable Edmonton MC Cadence Weapon.

His heralded 2006 debut, Breaking Kayfabe, pretty much swooped in and became the party record for all my friends, but I’ve heard rumblings of dissent when it comes to this latest release. Of course, when probed for an explanation as to why they don’t like the album people start to admit that they haven’t actually listened to it, but heard it was “weird.” Granted, it is slightly unorthodox in places—especially for those expecting a straight-up hip hop album—but I bet a lot of people dismissed Afterparty Babies prematurely. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if some didn’t get passed the first track, “Do I Miss My Friends?,” with it’s layered doo-wop accompaniment.

That said, if you ask me, Afterparty Babies is an excellent party record in its own right, as it’s full of frenetically layered tracks that will get people moving. “In Search of the Youth Crew,” for instance, is a frantic and driven head-knocker (previously featured here), and listening to “House Music,” complete with “Bombs Over Baghdad”–esque rhythm, induces immediate bodily gyrations. In fact, the entire album shows an admirably diverse array of grooves that would be the perfect soundtrack to keep your party from stagnating. If the harried pace of the above tracks isn’t what you’re after, maybe the playful soul-vibe of “Real Estate” is more your speed—incidentally, this song is also an excellent showcase of Cadence Weapon’s smooth flow during the verses. I’m also a sucker for the little touches, like the Nintendo-style underpinnings of “Limited Edition OJ Slammer.”

Is it a flawless release? No. Personally I get put off by the lower pitch vocal overdubs (as on “Getting Dumb”, and most prevalent during the chorus to “Real Estate”). I also fear that this is the sort of release that will fall through some cracks, as It’s easy to see Afterparty Babies being too “weird” for casual hip hop fans. Though it’d be a real shame if people write this album off without giving it a chance, as it’s a cocksure and engaging release from a real talent that ought to be cranked for a capacity crowd.

Basically, as I said at the outset, it took me a while to decide what to make of Cadence Weapon’s latest, but in the end I realized that didn’t matter in the least, as I couldn’t stop listening to Afterparty Babies either way.

(see Hero Hill’s review of this album for another take, as those guys are a bit more tuned into the hip hop scene than yours truly).

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Cadence Weapon - House Music

Check out his Myspace page to hear a few more tunes as well as to peruse his current tour schedule. Those of us in the Toronto area will be pleased to know that Cadence Weapon is playing the Danforth Music Hall on April 25 with Buck 65 and Skratch Bastid. In the meantime, grab a digital copy of Afterparty Babies here.