Wow. Dan Mangan’s debut album, Postcards & Daydreaming, has just made me realize something:

I can’t for the life of me write an ampersand…you know, that little “&” symbol (though to those of you who might have thought I was talking about the frisky monkey from Y: the Last Man—I feel you…).

Seriously, every time I try to write one of these little bastards it just looks like a cursive capital “s” or a mangled treble clef. Sure, it’s easy enough to type one (see: & & &), but a guy’s got to get away from the computer every now and then. I for one like to dim the lights, haul out the big headphones and lay back with a notepad…er…but I digress.

Hmm…

Wow. Dan Mangan just made me realize something else: clearly Postcards & (sure, sure, rub it in…) Daydreaming is some form of audibly ingested brain relaxant—I mean, just read what I’m going on about…ampersands!

Of course, as the subtle and invigorating melody of “Unnatural Progression” eases its way between my ears I’m not surprised that an inability to pen a symbolized conjunction is the biggest worry I’ve got at the moment. With soothing vocals and delicate accompaniment, this album starts working its magic from the opening lines of “Not What You Think it is”—like a hot bubble bath after a hard day…er…if I was into that sort of thing—and, frankly, if you’ve still got woes by the end of “Ash Babe” then maybe life just ain’t worth living!

Hmm, you think if I keep this album strapped to my head for good I’ll never worry about finances, bemoan environmental issues or lament my broken vacuum ever again?

It’s worth a shot.

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Give the mental relaxation powers of Postcards & Daydreaming a try for yourself by listening to a few tracks below (right-click, “Save Link As” to download):

Dan Mangan - Unnatural Progression

Dan Mangan - Journal of a Narcoleptic

Dan Mangan - Western Wind

Buy a digital copy of this album here.

Hallowe’en on a Wednesday–what a rip-off.

Oh well, I did the dress-up thing on the weekend (next year I have to pick a more recognizable costume–try explaining who Jesse Custer is all night). As for tonight, after taking a walk around the neighbourhood to see what the Riverdale ghouls are up to (there’s actually a house nearby that went all out with a full stage production, called Halloween Idol), I’m spending the night in with some good ol’ fashion spooky tunes.

That said, you don’t get much more ghoulish than Calgary rockers Forbidden Dimension, and their latest riff-rockin’, face meltin’ release, A Cool Sound Out of Hell, is the perfect soundtrack to any Halloween themed hootenanny.

Released by the good folks at Saved By Vinyl (complete with digital download codes for the tech savvy), there’s just no beating the balls to the wall, spook-themed rock about werewolves, haunted houses and generally ghostly subjects that Forbidden Dimension does so well.

So, whether you’re setting the tone for a fist-pumping costume party or just riffing in a leaky basement apartment (ie, me), throw on the following tid-bit from A Cool Sound Outta Hell and let out your demon.

Forbidden Dimension - A Cool Sound Outta Hell
(right-click, “Save Link As” to download)

Happy Hallowe’en!

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Check out some other tracks from A Cool Sound Outta Hell at Forbidden Dimension’s Myspace page or buy a digital copy of the album here.

While you’re at it, take a look at the other excellent records on offer by Saved By Vinyl here.

I have a confession to make: I bought my very first Radiohead album today.

I know, I know…Kid A…OK Computer…blah, blah, blah. What can I say, it took the hype behind the way their latest album, In Rainbows, is being released to really grab my attention (for those of you who don’t know, it can be bought and subsequently downloaded at Radiohead’s website for whatever amount you choose…it’s true…seriously). So, on a lark, I tossed the band a few digital Pound-Sterling and slapped on the big comfy headphones (newly purchased from eBay, no less).

That said, what does a previously ambivalent listener like myself think of the new album? I must say, it’s pretty damn good. Diverse, layered and addictive, there’s really nothing here not to like—especially given the fact that you can get it completely free if you so choose, though it’s definitely worth a few bucks in my opinion.

In fact, if there is any criticism I have for In Rainbows it’s more to do with nit-picky details of its release. For instance:

1) Throw your supporters a bone and at least include a cover shot in the ZIP package—if not full artwork (no-frills package to spur orders for the souped-up Discbox, maybe? Hmm, on that topic, will there be a vinyl option in future that doesn’t necessitate the 40 Pound price-tag?).

2) Also, while MP3s encoded at 160kbps are better than average, it wouldn’t have been too much to ask for better (CD quality 192kpbs perhaps?).

3) Not to mention the slightly irksome feeling towards the level of personal information I was asked to enter prior to receiving my download (why does Radiohead need my phone-number–is Thom Yorke going to call me for dating advice?).

Of course, given that this really is a trial effort of a potentially ground-breaking new method of distribution, there are bound to be bugs.

Nevertheless, the moment I read about these new tactics I heard the collective shlop of record executives filling their pants in fear; I also sensed the drool collecting on the chins of insubordinate indie supporters everywhere. There are new rules to the game now, folks. Sure, for the moment these new rules might only apply to bands that happen to be able to afford the status of being among the biggest in the world, but it’s a start. Of course, I suppose the simple fact that a usually uninterested listener like myself bought In Rainbows at all is indicative of the potential for success in this new approach (or at least the inherent novelty).

That said, I wouldn’t call myself a total Radiohead convert just yet, but if someone tossed a few of their previous releases my way I wouldn’t skeet shoot ‘em.

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Once again, you can download In Rainbows here for whatever you’d like to pay. In the meantime, let’s throwback to a more innocent time, shall we?

There is no shame in an EP. Not only is this form of truncated collection a means that fledgling artists flock to in their infancy, but even respected musicians often choose to release EPs in favour of the much heralded Long-Player. Iron & Wine, for instance, have released several such collections over an increasingly illustrious career, and Blankets!, by The Acorn, definitely springs to mind as an EP I would gladly take over a good deal of recent full albums. Thus, I wholeheartedly applaud the decision of Newfoundland sensation Hey Rosetta! to trim down their much lauded East Coast debut, Plan Your Escape, in favour of a miniature, and more marketable, collection of pop tunes.

In fact, I find it refreshing when a band has the wherewithal to realize that it might be in their best interest to shed a bit of musical excess. This comes two fold, as, not only are we constantly subjected to bloated pieces of self-indulgent drivel (forgive me, I’ve just been presented with the new Raine Maida solo disc), but the onset of digital music delivery has made for an aesthetic of instant gratification that rewards a rabid lack of attention span. That said, I’m not sponsoring the death of the Long-Player, I just appreciate a band that opts to take intermediate steps as they build towards a more fully realized future album.

Basically, don’t intend to fill my ears for 40 minutes unless you can make each song count, something that, as Hey Rosetta!’s “Another Pilot” bounces through my decidedly small headphones (my go-to-pair bit the dust last week), I’m confident these East Coasters could deliver if given the right opportunity.

Actually, the advent of digital music has allowed for an interesting gray area between EP and LP, as, in the case of Hey Rosetta! at least, the songs that they left on the cutting room floor are still available to supporters through the band’s website, accessed by download codes included with the shortened version of Plan Your Escape.

As for prospects of a future full-length from the band, Hey Rosetta! have teamed with musician/producer extraordinaire, Hawksley Workman (as stated in the article linked above)—a no-brainer having listened to the EP—in creation of an album intended to escape the studio sometime in the new year.

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Check out Hey Rosetta! live at The Rivoli on Oct. 6. In the meantime, here’s the brand new video for “Yes! Yes! Yes!”:

While you’re at it, listen to a few other tunes at Hey Rosetta!’s Myspace Page or pick up Plan Your Escape here.

Maybe it’s the upcoming election in Ontario, but lately I’ve found myself wishing I put half as much energy into reading up on politics as I do listening to music. Who knows? Maybe I could even start a blog centered on the world of local government—we all know that’s not going to happen, but it’s an interesting thought. Instead I’ll just put on the latest Spy Machine 16 album, How Things Come Apart, and drift into an imaginary world where the candidates are impassioned and cocksure and the debates occur on the dance floor.

You see, these politically-charged Guelph kids have managed to retain a sense of reckless spunk without becoming bitter or apathetic towards to paltry state of Canadian governmental pandering and promises. Call me a cynic, but I just gave up an hour and a half of my life watching a debate between the three lead candidates for Premier of Ontario that left me frustrated and dejected. Believe it or not, I actually turned the television on with a tinge of excitement—pleased with myself for trying to be a responsible citizen—and, as an undecided voter, I looked forward to watching a clear choice emerge from the vague and ill-defined rubble. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), it turns out I’m far more incensed by listening to the political dance-punk of Spy Machine 16 than hearing out any of the three provincial party leaders.

“Are you ready to throw down?” SM16 ask at the end of “On Struggles for Change and hope”—the answer to which was clearly in the negative when it came to this debate.

Hoping to gain new insight into the electoral race, I was instead presented with the equivalent of Dalton McGuinty doing his best Michael Cera impression while Hampton and Tory urinated on him from either side. Hampton stumbled through like an amateur, giving an uncharismatic performance that Darrell Hammond would’ve had a field day with, while Tory, unfortunately the most personable, just whined—“But Dalton, you promised. But Dalton, you made politicians look bad”—good God, man! Of course, that’s not to say McGuinty was any better, as nothing came from his mouth that hadn’t already appeared in a campaign commercial—and don’t get me started on that half-cocked, sideways grin.

However, the real kicker came afterward, when all three parties issued statements claiming victory in the debate—VICTORY? All anyone won after watching that debacle was the uneasy right to cast a last minute vote based solely on an affinity for the colours on election posters. I might as well base my vote entirely on who Spy Machine 16 tell me to endorse. That said, as the stunted and frenetic “Paperwork” bounces energetically through my headphones, I can’t help but think that there’s always the Green Party…

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Catch Spy Machine 16 live at Sneaky Dee’s on Oct. 7. In the meantime, listen to a few tracks from the highly recommended How Things Come Apart below (right click, “Save Link As” to download) or pick up the album digitally from Zunior here.

Spy Machine 16 - On Struggles for Change and Hope

Spy Machine 16 - Autobiography: Some Notes on What’s Been Called “Internalized” Racism

I bought Where the Bungalows Roam, Jim Bryson’s latest record, on vinyl after having seen him play one afternoon at a Kelp Records/Saved by Vinyl NXNE gig at the Global Village Backpackers Hostel in Downtown Toronto. Laid-back, witty and soothing, he had mesmerized a crowd that, until then, had congregated nearer to the bar and free hamburgers than any of the day’s previous acts.

This was the first new album I had ever purchased on vinyl (unless you count the Face to Face record I picked up in Montreal about 8 years ago that was left on the train by a friend later that day—damn you Shaun! …actually, he probably did me a favour). Don’t get me wrong, I’m a digital guy. I’ve got a knock-off Taiwanese MP3 player and gigabytes worth of music on my laptop, but there’s just something so comforting about this massive and delicate piece of wax imbued with the ethereal, musical centre. Don’t worry, I’m not about to preach the benefits or “warmth” of vinyl over digital advances, as I think they both have their place, but I will say that vinyl is easily the most human of musical formats; representing mind/body dualism almost perfectly, vinyl ages and eventually dies, leaving a degraded and dusty husk, the once vibrant soul to which being no longer accessible. It’s high maintenance too, demanding attention in the form of changing sides, preparing the needle just right and keeping the surface clean.

Ok, to some this is likely reason enough to leave this antiquated format to the hippies, but, as Jim Bryson’s “If by the Bridge” crackles in my massive headphones, I’m that much more incensed. Let the MP3s have jogging, commuting and file sharing—each commendable in their own way—but leave introspective nights under the dim light of the stereo to vinyl. When I want to multi-task I’ll throw an album on Winamp, but when I want to enjoy music for its own sake—as an event, more than just a play button—give me a big, shiny record to slap on the turntable (that said, I wrote this after listening to the album all the way through—twice). Incidentally, many labels, including Saved by Vinyl, who put out the excellent Jim Bryson LP that was the muse for this nonsense, are now offering free MP3 downloads with the purchase of a vinyl album—the best of both worlds. Sorry CD, I fear your days are numbered.

In the meantime, check out this rough mix of “If by the bridge” (right-click, “save as” to download, or hit the play button to listen). You can buy a digital copy of the album here.