It’s a bad season not to have a snow shovel. In fact, it’s snowing in Hogtown right now and, unfortunately for me, I broke my landlord’s shovel this past weekend while attempting to clear out a place to park my friend’s car. Promising that I’d replace it, I loaded We Are the Hunters, The D’Urbervilles debut full-length, into my iPod and dutifully made my way over to the local mall (ugh…).

Last week, when I featured standout track, “Hot tips,” I described the song as confident, seductive and pounding. Having since had the time to give We Are the Hunters a few more listens in its entirety while searching for a snow clearing implement, I have no problem attributing those adjectives to the rest of the album as well.

Opening in admirable instrumental fashion with the pervasive mood-setter, “Knock Out the Fat,” and followed by the menacing title track, it becomes obvious early on that there’s just something knowingly cocksure and sinister about this entire release. I mean, there I was walking across the parking lot of the Gerrard Square mall, a 25 year-old over-privileged dork with a large coffee in one hand and bags of groceries in the other, and just listening to We Are the Hunters had me feeling like a tough, streetwise Tarantino character who had a shotgun tucked safely beside his skim milk.

Maybe it’s lyrics like the anthemic “We are hunters / it’s time for killing“ (from the title track) or the weighty bass of songs like “This is the Life,” but this album just seems to lend a certain sense of badass gravitas (now there’s an album title!) to an everyday stroll.

Of course, at their worst, The D’Urbervilles can run slightly into Killers territory, but thankfully this is rare. More often than not they evoke the riotous energy of early Constantines (hmm, it seems I’ve been beaten to the punch on both of these comparisons by Chart and Exclaim! respectively…alas). There’s also a nice vocal interplay here between the urgent bursts of group shouting and the Ray Davies-esque croon of Tim Bruton (as evidenced on both “Hot Tips” and the title track). However, as the previously mentioned opener suggests, The D’Urbervilles seem just as confident letting their explosive riffage do the talking, with quite a few of the songs featuring large instrumental breaks that are just as engaging as their vocalized counterparts.

Unfortunately for me—not to mention my overly passive landlord who likely won’t press the issue—the mall was sold out of snow shovels, but at least I got to feel like a hotshot as I strutted my stuff through Home Depot.

—

Check out two more songs from We Are the Hunters below:

The D’Urbervilles - Dragnet

The D’Urbervilles - National Flowers

Once again, The D’urbervilles are in the midst of a sizable Canadian tour, so check out dates at their Myspace page, but those of you in Toronto ought to get out their CD release at the Tranzac on Mar. 14.

Grab a digital copy of We Are Hunters here.

Those of you who have been waiting with baited breath for the next installment in Hero Hill’s Canadian Mixtape Project can rejoice, as the Ontario selection went up this weekend.

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of this project and recommend that everyone head on over and download it (as well as last month’s Nova Scotia installment). Of course, this time out I have a particular bias, as I was asked to submit some recommendations of my own.

Not wanting to make my picks overly redundant in the grand scheme, I cheated a little and tried to only choose bands that Hero Hill hadn’t previously mentioned at length. That was no easy task, as they’d covered just about everyone I could think of, but here are the 5 that I was left with:

Wax Mannequin (Hamilton)

The Burning Hell (Peterborough)

The Sunparlour Players (Toronto)

Sandro Perri (Toronto)

The Wooden Stars (Toronto)

None of my Toronto picks made the final mix, but I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a collection of my own that focuses on Hogtown specifically. What do you think? Got a band or artist you feel ought to be included? Let me know and let’s get the ball rolling!

—

Check out a track from the Wooden Stars’ excellent 2007 release, People Are Different, below:

The Wooden Stars - Orphans

Hear more at their Myspace page or buy a digital copy of the album here.

It’s shortly after 2 am as I write this and I’m at the tail end of a damn cold night in downtown Toronto. Having gone out for cheap martinis to celebrate a friend’s birthday I did my best to bundle up, but the ever-piercing winter was insatiable as I trudged to the subway. On a whim I ended up listening to Gabriel Minnikin’s Wandering Midnight during my travels. This proved a wise decision indeed.

To be honest, I haven’t given Minnikin’s sophomore release much of a listen since it came my way a few months ago, which is a shame, as I enjoyed it initially. Now that It has seen a few more passes through my headphones I’ve got to say that it is the perfect partner for a harrowing journey, be it frigid or otherwise. That said, rest assured that I’m not about to pull out the old chestnut of an album being “warm” or capable of “warming” during the cold months (a cliché I’ve used before, to be sure), as there’s something about Wandering Midnight that is almost devoid of temperature. It is simply a good companion—the John Wayne to my Jesse Custer, if you will (a little Preacher reference for all you comic book fans).

In fact, that half-joke of a pairing is given slightly more weight when you consider that it is easy to envision Minnikin’s deep and understated vocals belonging to some sort of retired cowboy. He croons with the confidence of someone who as been far and away—a figure who ruminates over somber subjects (“The sorrow in the shadows of the skeletons I’ve laid to rest…”—he sings on “No End”) but no longer necessarily leads a life of hardship. This vocal quality grounds more upbeat on songs like “Montague” and “Brundretts” while still allowing their arrangements—the latter complete with horns and slide guitar—to brighten the mood.

Of course, when all is said and done I suppose the most telling aspect of my low-temperature inspired enjoyment of Wandering Midnight is the fact that I’m now cozy inside my apartment and am still glued to my headphones.

—

Check out the title track from Wandering Midnight below:

Gabriel Minnikin - Wandering Midnight

Hear more at Gabriel Minnikin’s Myspace page or buy a digital copy of the album here.

As I’ve said numerous times, while primarily a digital guy I still really enjoy having my favourite albums on vinyl. The reason I’m mentioning this again now is because listening to Tricot Machine’s fantastic self-titled debut brings up a similar dynamic when it comes to language. You see, I’m an anglophone who rarely ever leaves my English-speaking environment, but I still take pride in a working knowledge of French. Unfortunately, much like my turntable, my French-speaking ability is in a slight state of disrepair.

This idea of wanting to rehabilitate my limping knowledge of Canada’s other official language gives me an immediate interest in French indie music, though I unfortunately don’t usually get access to all that much of it. Thankfully for me, Tricot Machine’s debut recently fell into my lap and I couldn’t have asked for better.

Lighthearted and fun, with witty and endearing lyrics (“Je voulais être l’Homme de 6 millions/Mais à 15 000 par année/Je suis mieux de pas trop dépenser”*) Tricot Machine’s piano driven folk-pop is just what I needed to get my French on. In fact, as if a tuneful album full of addictive songs like “L’ours” (which won the ECHO songwriting prize) and “Pas Fait en Chocolat” wasn’t enough, Tricot Machine’s comprehensive liner notes actually include the chords required to play the songs on the album as well!

So, not only do I get to hear great tunes, but I get to flex my French muscle and learn to play a few new songs at the same time. If I can only get it on vinyl then I could die a happy man (though a new needle for my turntable would be a good start as well).

—

Here’s the song I want to take a crack at first (from which the above lyrics were taken) as well as the previously mentioned ECHO award-winning track:

Tricot Machine - Super Ordinaire

Tricot Machine - L’ours

Check out the colourful video for “L’ours” here and hear some more tunes at Tricot Machine’s Myspace page. Also, grab a digital copy of the album here (with complete artwork) and jam along.

* “I wanted to be the 6 Million Dollar Man, but at $15, 000 a year I’m better off not spending too much” - A very rough translation…

Last week venerable Canadian blog, Hero Hill, began an amibitous and commendable undertaking by way of the Canadian Mixtape Project. The goal here is to give exposure to great Canadian artists by providing collections of tracks organized by their province of origin. I’m not sure if each province/territory will be featured, but, if the first installment is any indication, it’s going to be a great way to discover some excellent Canadian music that you otherwise might not have had the opportunity to check out.

Beginning with Nova Scotia, the first mixtape is an excellent collection of East Coast indie music that highlights the diverse array of talent to be found among the ospreys (the national bird of NS). Not only does it include some established heavy-hitters like Wintersleep (my 2007 band of the year) and Joel Plaskett, but it also features lesser known (at least in these parts) bands the likes of Fall Horsie (whose debut, From the Seam of Doors, a Cone of Light, is a great listen, by the way) and Daniel Ledwell (the voice of In-Flight Safety—also included in the mix—whose upcoming solo release, Two Over Seven, is showing some definite promise). Of course, one of my favourite parts of this diverse collection is definitely the stuff I haven’t heard of before, like the smooth rhymes of Ghettosocks or the eccentric sounds of Ghost Bees.

Let me tell you, if I hadn’t already been tempted to pack up and take off to Halifax (as I said in my Sleepless Nights review), then you better believe I’m practically packing my bags now!

Ontario looks to be up next in the mixtape series and my mind is pouring over who I’d want to see included. In fact, I’ve actually been asked to contribute the names of a few bands that I think ought to be mentioned. I’ll probably post my choices here at some point, but in the meantime feel free to suggest a few.

—

As for Nova Scotia, there’s only one band I can think of that I’d like to have seen on the list that wasn’t: Mardeen. So consider the excellent songs below (taken from Mardeen’s 2007 debut full length, Read Less Minds, which was previously featured as one of my top unsung albums of last year) my meager contribution to the excellent first installment of the Canadian Mixtape Project:

Mardeen - Kids

Mardeen - Telephones

Grab a digital copy of this album here.

It doesn’t really make sense for me to like 45s as much as I do—by and large I only seek things out on vinyl if I really, really enjoy them (space restrictions make this essential). Otherwise I’m a digital guy who enjoys all the convenience and portability that entails—like having my tunes at the click of a button. That said, there’s something about having a physical single in front of you (I almost said something about holding a 7″ in your hand, but that just sounds dirty).

For a time the CD was the dominant form of music consumption and it made sense, but, with MP3s and the like gradually taking over, those shiny little discs are becoming an obsolete middle man. However, personally I don’t think that the ascent of digital media means that people will stop wanting to covet their favourite songs or albums in a physical form.

This is where I come back to 45s and my illogical appreciation for them, as they have come to be a sort of trophy representing a person’s musical taste. Do I throw a single on my record player every time I want to rock-out to my favourite tracks? No, as I’ve also got them on my computer, but do I still appreciate being able to hold the physical manifestation of said tracks in my hands as I rock out? Of course.

In case you’re wondering where this has all come from, yesterday The Constantines released their first ever 7″ single. I didn’t run out and buy it, but if I was passing by a record store and saw it for a few bucks I think I’d pick it up. The A-side, “Hard Feelings,” which will also grace their upcoming full-length, Kensington Heights—due out in April—is excellent by the way and bodes very well for the new album.

—

Stream both sides of the new Constantines single at their Myspace page.

In the meantime, here’s the title track from a 7″ vinyl EP by The Exploders that I can’t get out of my head:

The Exploders - What’s What & Who’s Who

You can buy the vinyl EP from Teenage USA or grab a digital copy here.

This really shouldn’t work as well as it does. That was my first thought as I listened to Jenny Omnichord’s (Jenny Mitchell of The Barmitzvah Brothers) debut solo album, Cities of Gifts and Ghosts.

Of course, as part of The Barmitzvah Brothers she’s already seen her fair share of endearingly off-kilter songwriting, but an entire album of songs played on the omnichord? On paper that’s a concept that seems far too reliant on shtick value, but somehow Mitchell has managed to find a precarious balance between novelty cheese and just plain fun.

Truth be told, I had no idea what the little electronic instrument even was before I picked up this release, though it’s clear that many others do, as the list of guest omnichord players on this album includes such names as Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) and Jon-Rae Fletcher (Jon-Rae & the River). Actually, the whole album is crammed with notable indie names. In fact, a different producer was used for each track, with production credits including the likes of Don Kerr, Dave Clark, Bob Wiseman and Jim Guthrie among others.

It would seem to me that the influx of different omnichordists and producers was a good idea too, as it keeps things fresh on an album that could have easily lost its novelty early on. Jenny herself indicates as much to Exclaim! Magazine, as she says:

“I felt this project would really suffer if it was only looked at from one angle; it’s only one sound and one voice and if I went with one person how could they possibly make each song distinct? It was also a way to satisfy my curiosity about all these people who’ve offered to help over the years.”

Of course, all the songs on Cities of Gifts and Ghosts were written by Mitchell herself, so credit where credit’s due, but it’s nice to have your friends come out and lend a hand (not to mention some quirky backing vocals, as on “Ghost Flyers in the Sky”).

I admit that I expected this album to be a self-indulgent novelty project with a few notable guests, but after a few listens I’m ready to eat my words. The beats are rudimentary, the vocals are understated and infatuating, and the songs are catchy in their simplicity. Basically, Cities of Gifts and Ghosts gives the amicable impression of someone doing something sheerly out of enjoyment. How can you criticize that?

Now where do I get myself one of these omnichords?

—

Check out a track below:

Jenny Omnichord - Gone So Far

Listen to a few more (including a cover of The Guess Who’s “These Eyes,” not present on this album) at Jenny Omnichord’s Myspace page or buy a digital copy of Cities of Gifts and Ghosts here.

You can learn a lot from Dave Clark.

A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who has played with the likes of Rheostatics, Gord Downie, The Dinner is Ruined and Rock Plaza Central to name but a few, he’s pretty much a Canadian indie rock icon. I mean, this is the guy who played on both Melville and Whale Music, two of my favourite albums (not to mention the Rheostatics’ best work).

These days Clark’s time is split between imparting his years of experience as a music teacher and acting as a producer/session musician from his Toronto-based Bon’s Cave Recording Studio. I’ve recently had the good fortune to make his acquaintance and, I’ve got to tell you, this guy is a born educator.

Over the course of a beer (or three) the other night he dispensed sage advice on everything from coming up with a good stage name (I had the gall to complain about “Paul Watson” being too generic before realizing who I was speaking to—Dave Clark Five anyone?), microphone tips and strategies to help keep sane while working from home (which both of us do).

It’s no surprise then, that he’s also recently put together a book. Called How To Conduct …Yourself! Conducting Cues For Instant Musical Composition, the book defines and illustrates an array of gestures meant to help eager jam-leaders everywhere conduct their sessions with utmost spontaneous fluidity—a veritable glossary of music based sign-language. A few flips of the page and you’ve got an arsenal of non-verbal cues up your sleeve to facilitate the collaborative experience (not to mention a bunch of goofy pictures of Clark himself). The perfect stocking stuffer for that hard-to-buy-for musician in your life, perhaps?

—

I saw a few copies of How to Conduct…Yourself! on the bookshelf at Soundscapes, otherwise you can order it here.

Of course, if that’s not your thing, then you could always give Clark’s music a listen instead, as he still finds time to flex his songwriting muscle. Evidence of which can be seen in Zunior’s latest attempt at a live webcast, which you can view here.

He’s also playing with the Woodshed Orchestra at Tranzac on Dec. 22.

Looking for something interesting to tease your brain as it titillates your ears? Look no further!

The basic premise is this: Henry Svec, of Peter Mansbridge and the CBCs (which Canadian readers will recognize as a fantastic band name), has released a “live” album called Lives the Part, where he tells stories and plays songs under the guise of Henry Thomas, the actor who played “Elliott” in the movie ET. It’s a tough concept to do justice with just one sentence (not to mention without my brain exploding). Thankfully, Svec himself explained the motivation behind the new persona in a recent interview with Until Monday, where he states:

“I have always wanted to create a character to perform and write songs through. Also, I’d always toyed with the idea of doing a one-person sort of fringe theatre play. I guess I just found a way to do both at once as “The Boy from ET.”

He goes on to detail just how much of the character is based on the real Henry Thomas (essentially nothing aside from the fact that he was a child actor known for having starred in ET) and furthermore that Thomas himself is not at all happy with the concept (read the entire interview here).

High concept aside, Lives the Part has Svec proving himself to be a great storyteller who can weave an interesting and entertaining yarn. Of course, this is to say nothing of his skills as a songwriter, as he’s got some charming chops as a vocalist with a knack for witty and comedic lyrics that are still touching when it counts. Take “A Stompin’ Tom Cover” for instance, which is put forth as a supposedly unrecorded Connors tune (the claim being that Thomas learned this song from Connors himself—whom is said to be Thomas’ uncle):

“I loved a girl once, but she only loved rockstars/I caught her one night getting filled by April Wine’s guitar player so hard/the whole town could hear it…”

Which ultimately culminates in the maxim: “It doesn’t matter where you are as long as you can see the stars”—a line that fits nicely as a potential Connors refrain. In fact, you feel for “Thomas” during this track, as he urges the audience to participate and is instead greeted with silence. Actually, the curious twist on this “live” album is that the audience never participates—not a clap or a holler is heard throughout, just whispers of conversation being held in spite of the “performance.”

All told, Lives the Part is definitely one of the more inventive releases I’ve gotten my ears on in a while, and it boasts some excellent songwriting from a Canadian talent. The lengthy stories mean that you might not listen from start to finish every time, but the songs themselves will keep you coming back—if your head doesn’t explode first.

—

Here’s a particularly charming track from Lives the Part for your own personal bewilderment (right-click, “Save Link As” to download):

The Boy from ET - In Quebec (Fuck You, Gerrard Depardieu)

You can listen to a bunch more at The Boy from ET’s Myspace Page, or buy a digital copy of the album here.

So, after my previous whining about not having heard the latest Acorn release, you’ll never guess what I’ve since received…

The stand-up guy that Rolf Klausener is, he sent a digital copy of Glory Hope Mountain to tide me over until I track down the vinyl LP (which I will, by the way, as it’s definitely an album worthy of coveting). In a bit of fortuitous coincidence and unbeknownst to the amicable Acorn-founder, today is also my birthday, which means that I now get to ring in a quarter-century of existence while enjoying an album that has eluded me until now—thanks Rolf!

That said, birthdays are a funny thing. They’re our own personal New Year’s celebration. While January 1st marks the beginning of a new calendar year, it’s a very detached and impersonal instance—a collective excuse to throw a big shindig, show how good we are at counting back from 10, and kiss that cute girl at the stroke of midnight without it having to mean anything (unless she’s into it, of course). On the opposite note, it doesn’t get much more personal than your birthday. I mean, it’s a yearly marker for another personal trip around the sun. If you’re lucky there might even be a few people who appreciate the fact that you’ve made it this far and will express as much with the appropriate amount of candles or a funny card (my all time favourite showed a picture of a cat dressed like Elvis that read “Happy Birthday from Elvis Prrrsley.” Oh man, gets me every time.)

Selfish, self-glorifying and grandiose, our birthday is also a damn humbling experience (which is probably why so many people hate them). It’s an affirmation of our life while also confirming that we’re steadily traveling on the conveyor belt to grey hair, hip-replacements and daisy pushin’. Pessimistic? Nah, that’s just the way it goes—can’t get worked up about that. Just blow out the candles, eat some cake and strap yourself in for another jaunt.

Come to think of it, as Glory Hope Mountain soars through my headphones, I can’t think of a more fitting (albeit out of context) way of putting it than in the spirited and driven “Crooked Legs”:

“I’m watching the road with two young eyes to guide me. I’m making my way while the sun cannot stain me. I’m going as far as these crooked legs take me.”

Happy birthday to me!

—

Listen to some tracks from Glory Hope Mountain at The Acorn’s Myspace or check out their website for info on where to buy it.