Bedroom Pop from Shawn Kim

Wanted to sort of kick off Tuesday with something playful that came across the old desk this week…a new track from Canadian Shawn Kim. He kind of teases the listener, sort of like Majical Cloudz, operating with this theatrical vocal riding atop a simple groove, a la the majority of classic bedroom pop. But, at the one minute mark, the beat drops in and the song begins to swell and blossom; it ends up fading back out through the song’s latter half, but that hook, however brief, really drove this song into my subconscious…like a bedroom version of Jens Lekman or something.

Dan Mangan – More Or Less

Rating: ★★★★☆

I had to search our own site to find out how long it’s been since I’ve posted an album review and I will refrain from embarrassing myself with the exact timeframe, though you could search yourself I guess. We as an ATH staff have been neglectful as a whole when it comes to album reviews and we are hoping to rectify this moving forward. Hopefully you can understand that if an album has brought me out of my review slumber it must be a great one. The very soon to be released new album from Dan Mangan, More Or Less, is just such an album because, holy hell, it’s impressive. Hit the jump for some thoughts, photos, and tunes.

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Let’s Get Rowdy With Priors

It’s Friday and I think we could all use a good kick in the face right? Maybe not a literal kick in the face but how about a nice wake up call from our friends in Montreal based band Priors. Their new single “New Pleasure” is two minutes and twelve seconds of sheer badass, rock n roll punk music. If most bands could pack this much energy into such a short amount of time, the world would be a better place.

Priors will be releasing the New Pleasure LP on November 16th via Slovenly Recordings.

Dreamy Pop From Tallies

As I am always done for a strong female lead vocal, I’m sharing this new song called “Beat the Heart” from Toronto based outfit Tallies. It certainly sounds like something straight out of the 80s alternative era with vocals that are eerily reminding me of Neko Case. Not sure I could imagine two things which sound more like a perfect union. This is going to be on heavy rotation for me today.

Tallies will release their debut self-titled album on January 11th via Kanine Records.

Premiere: Family Video Drops New Tune

You might remember a few weeks back that we dropped news that Family Video would be releasing a new album on Lost Sound Tapes; Long Time Listener, First Time Caller will be released on March 16th. The video below is for one of the standout tracks from the LP, offering listeners a glimpse of the quiet bedroom pop being crafted by J. King. The song sounds fragile, like it could break in your hands, yet the emotional appeal washes over you; it seems so personal that you almost feel like you shouldn’t be listening. I love the way the guitars pick up just before the 1:30 mark, giving an ever so slight touch of energy. Pre-Orders for the new cassette can be found HERE.

 

SXSW Interview: AHI

The impending joy/doom of SXSW is right around the corner folks! As of today, we are only a month away from the music portion of the festival, and even closer to interactive and film. Not to worry, ATH once again has you covered as your guide to all the best musical acts you need to check out during the week. Today seems like a great day to begin our onslaught of coverage with an interview from Tornoto indie-soul artist AHI. Like we did last year, we will be asking multiple artists similar sets of questions so you can see a variety of perspectives on the festival. Hit the jump for full interview.

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Banger From Preoccupations

The Canadians formerly known as Viet Cong, now known as Preoccupations are readying what is sure to be one of the top albums of 2018. I’m probably a little late on this since I was in a snow day stuper yesterday, but when songs are as good as “Espionage”, I’ll share them late or not. The track has a very 80s electronica, new wave feel to it with the usual intense vocal delivery from frontman Matt Flegel. This is shaping up nicely.

Preoccupations will drop New Material on March 23rd via Jagjaguwar.

Say Hello To Blue J

It’s always nice to hear from old friends in bands when you weren’t sure if they’d parted ways with the music game. Today my rekindled musical relationships comes by way of old pal Justice McLellan who formerly fronted the Canada based outfit Ruby Coast. If you don’t remember those guys, they played an ATH SXSW showcase for us many many moons ago. Well now Justice is working on a new project called Blue J and he just sent us over this nice new track “Early Show”. It’s definitely a hushed beauty sort of song built beautifully over a multitude of layers and intricate sounds. We’ll be sure to share more as we know more.

New Single From Rural Alberta Advantage

Much has been said on this here website about Toronto based band Rural Alberta Advantage. Though with all that coverage in the past, we’ve somehow managed to completely flake on posting about the band’s latest album. I’m rectifying our foolishness with a quick blurb about the group’s most recent single “Toughen Up”. This really is typical RAA music here with always impressive vocals from Nils Edenloff, beautiful harmonies from Robin Patch, and a reliable tight, folk rock sound throughout.

New album The Wild is out on October 13th via Saddle Creek (pre-order).

Don’t Sleep on This Mu Tune

Canadian due Mu garnered a lot of early praise for their II EP, but they’ve been rather quiet since that time, until this week when they dropped a new single. The song seems simple in structure, letting vocals gently float on top of guitar strumming at the start, then adding a layer of looped beats beneath. Beats and layered textures provide you escapism until the tune’s end. There’s also an accompanying video for this new single that you can find HERE. Don’t miss this tune; it’s a gem for sure.

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