The Olympics

Pretty much missed the jumping off point on this, but its the Olympics here in Vancouver. Fuck Buttons have the aptly named unofficial Olympic anthem that has been repeating on my ipod all week.

Fuck Buttons - Olympians

Cultural Olympiad

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics officially get under way this Friday February 12. While the average Vancouver citizen is unlikely to be able to afford any event tickets, the corporate big wigs at VANOC have done a decent job of organizing free events for the average person to enjoy.

Here are some of the highlights from the free concerts happening in and around Vancouver duing the games.

Fri Feb 12th - Bedouin Soundclash - 10:00 @ Ontario Pavillion
Sat Feb 13th - Jet's Overhead - 8:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th - Daniel Wesley - 10:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 13th - Hey Ocean - 8:00 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 13th - Bedouin Soundclash - 9:30 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 13th - Wilco - 10:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sun Feb 14th - Mother Mother - 8:00 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sun Feb 14th - Daniel Wesley - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Mon Feb 15th - Sloan - 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Mon Feb 15th - Jet's Overhead - 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Mon Feb 15th - Matisyahu - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 16th - Alexisonfire - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 16th - Buck 65 - 9:30 @ Livecity Downtown
Wed Feb 17th - Hawksley Workman - 9:30 @ Ozone
Wed Feb 17th - Hot Hot Heat - 9:00 @ Holland Park
Thur Feb 18th - Our Lady Peace - 9:45 @ Ozone
Fri Feb 19th - Deadmau5 - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Fri Feb 19th - Dan Mangan - 8:00 @ Holland Park
Fri Feb 19th - Sam Roberts - 9:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 20th - Sam Roberts - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 20th - Mother Mother - 10:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 20th - Hey Ocean - 8:30 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 21st - The Odds - 7:30 @ Holland Park
Sun Feb 21st - 54-40 - 9:00 @ Holland Park
Tue Feb 23rd - Constantines - 8:00@ Livecity Yaletown
Tue Feb 23rd - Wintersleep - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Wed Feb 24th - Wintersleep - 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Wed Feb 24th - Damian "Jr.Gong" Marley - 9:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Thur Feb 25th - Wintersleep - 9:30 @ Ozone
Fri Feb 26th - Tokyo Police Club - 9:45 @ Ozone
Sat Feb 27th - Matt Mays - 6:30 @ Livecity Yaletown
Sat Feb 27th - Matt Mays - 10:30 @ Atlantic Canada House
Sat Feb 27th - Wide Mouth Mason - 9:30 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 27th - Tokyo Police Club - 9:00 @ Holland Park
Sat Feb 27th - Wintersleep - 10:00 @ Holland Park

Livecity Yaletown:
David Lam Park, Vancouver

Livecity Downtown:
Cambie St between Dunsmuir St and W Georgia St, Vancouver

Holland Park:
13428 Old Yale Rd., Surrey

Ozone:
Minoru Park, Richmond

Ontario Pavillion:
Concord Place, False Creek, Vancouver

Atlantic Canada House:
Granville Island

Wintersleep - Dead Letter and the Infinite Yes


Mother Mother - Wrecking Ball


Constantines - Love and Fear

One Life Stand

The new Hot Chip album entitled One Life Stand is out today. They are embarking on a North American tour commencing April 16th. No Vancouver date announced yet.

Hot Chip - Alley Cats

Four Tet

Electronic music can be terrible. It can be loud, obnoxious and tacky. Fortunately electronic music can be fantastic. It can tell a story, convey an emotion or just make you want to move. Four Tet's new album is an example of the latter. Released on January 26th, 2010, There is Love in You is already being labeled as album of the year by some listeners. I espcially like the glitchy track "Sing."

Four Tet - Sing

The House Of Supreme Mathematics

Good news music fans. On January 25th, Oxford, England's Foals announced that they have recently finished recording their sophomore album. As of yet, no release date has been announced for the disc entitled The House Of Supreme Mathematics. Another one to get excited for. 2010 is already shaping up to be a good year in music.

Foals - Big Big Love (Fig. 2)

The Trapeze Swinger

I was able to catch a performatnce of Iron & Wine at Austin City Limits the other night on public television. Sam Beam was performing with a full band with no less than six members. Song arrangements sounded somewhat different than those on record, however, they still sounded great. I would love to see Iron & Wine perform live in a sit down venue to really appreciate the nuances and intricacies of his sound.

Incidently that same night, In Good Company was on the tele as well. The best thing about that movie, other than Scarlett Johansson of course, would be the soundtrack, which features three songs by Iron & Wine. The highlight from both the Austin City Limits concert and the In Good Company Soundtrack is easily "The Trapeze Swinger."

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger (live)


Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger

Embryonic

Widely acclaimed for their elaborate live performances which feature constumes, confetti canons, puppets and frontman Wayne Coyne traversing through the crowd in a giant bubble, the Flaming Lips have come to be known as a band that every self-respecting concert-goer must see before they die. A staple at summer music festivals, The Lips have gained more notoriety and fanfare in recent years for their wacky stage antics than for their studio offerings.

In 2009, the 23 year indie rock veterans released their 12th full-length studio album. The disc entitled Embryonic is described as "a wonderfully weird parade of sonic delights: an arresting consummation of the Lips' two-and-a-half decade career." (1)Take album opener "Convinced of the Hex" for example. This track was concieved during an full band jam session early in the writing/recoring process.

While Embryonic sounds and feels like a Lips' record, several other artists also made contributions to the disc. German mathematician Dr. Thorsten Wörmann contributed to the track "Gemini Syringes", synthpop band MGMT contributed to the song "Worm Mountain", and Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) contributed to the songs "I Can Be a Frog" and "Watching the Planets" which were recorded by Wayne Coyne over the phone.

Certainly not an album to overlooked, The Flaming Lips provide one of the greatest highlights from 2009.

The Flaming Lips - Convinced of the Hex


The Flaming Lips feat. Karen O. - I Can Be A Frog


The Flaming Lips feat. Karen O. - Watching the Planets


Bonus Tip: Check out the "Watching the Planets" video (Warning - NSFW)!

Fuck Buttons

As every year comes to a close, music critics and music elitist alike take the opportunity to compile their inevitable "Best of" lists. It is an opportunity, at least for this listener, to review such lists and pick up on albums and artists that might have been missed the first time around.

Take for instance Fuck Buttons. An artist easily overlooked with a moniker too similar to other recently hyped bands to warrant any real distinction. 2009 was fucked - Fuck Buttons, Fucked Up, Holy Fuck. Fuck was to 2009 as Crystal was to 2008 - Crystal Castles, Crystals Stilts, Crystal Antlers, etc. I mean, who can really keep track?

Fuck Buttons are an experimental duo from London, England. Their critically acclaimed second album Tarot Sport was released in October 2009. Tarot Sport is a cerebral journey of swelling anthematic electronica. Lead track, "Surf Solar", slowly yet defiantly pushes through the fuzz to hit the listener right between the ears and leave them wanting more. And Tarot Sport certainly delivers as its seven tracks spread over an ambitious 58:35. Album closer "Flight of the Feathered Serpent" brings the journey back down to earth with its settling melody layered over top of a triumphant drum beat.


Fuck Buttons - Surf Solar


Fuck Buttons - Flight of the Feathered Serpent

Anticipating 2010

As 2009 rolls around to a close, we look forward to 2010. While 2009 was a bit of a ho-hum year for new music releases, the new year is proving to be one to get excited about. Here are a select list of new releases coming our way in 2010:

Spoon - Transference (January 19)

Indie rock veterens Spoon, start off Q1 with their seventh full-length release Transference.





Tracklist
01. Before Destruction
02. Is Love Forever?
03. The Mystery Zone
04. Who Makes Your Money
05. Written In Reverse
06. I Saw The Light
07. Trouble Comes Running
08. Goodnight Laura
09. Out Go The Lights
10. Got Nuffin
11. Nobody Gets Me But You

Spoon - Got Nuffin'.mp3


Hot Chip - One Life Stand (February 9)

After a 2009 that saw hot chip members release a bevy of side projects, the quintet are back with a new album. Title track and lead single "One Life Stand" takes a few listens to get in to while the balance of the record is said to be more mid-tempo and disco influenced than 2008's Made in the Dark.

Tracklist
01. Thieves in the Night
02. Hand Me Down Your Love
03. I Feel Better
04. One Life Stand
05. Brothers
06. Slush
07. Alley Cats
08. We Have Love
09. Keep Quiet
10. Take It In

Hot Chip - One Life Stand.mp3




Shout Out Louds - Work (February 23)

The nostalgic swedes are set to release their follow-up to 2007's Our Ill Wills. The lead single "Walls" is carried by a hooky piano riff.


Tracklist:
01. 1999
02. Fall Hard
03. Play the Game
04. Walls
05. Candle Burned Out
06. Throwing Stones
07. Four by Four
08. Moon
09. Show Me Something New
10. Too Late, Too Slow

Shout Out Louds - Walls.mp3



Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks (March 1)

Scottish band Frightened Rabbit pick up where they left off 2008 with new album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. Vocalist and guitarist Scott Hutchison notes that the album is “about an escape and maybe even a slight breakdown...it's semi-fictional. There's a protagonist who is possibly male but it doesn't really describe my life because if I did that it wouldn't make for an interesting album this time around as I’ve been quite solid and content, thankfully.

Tracklist
01. Things
02. Swim Until You Can't See Land
03. The Loneliness and the Scream
04. The Wrestle
05. Skip the Youth
06. Nothing Like You
07. Man/Bag of Sand
08. Foot Shooter
09. Not Miserable
10. Living In Colour
11. Yes, I Would

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land.mp3



Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat (March 9)

Canadian indie rocker Jason Collett is set to release his third solo album. Collett continues his home-town story-telling on tracks such as
“Lake Superior”, “Winnipeg Winds” and “High Summer." An early Spring release, Rat A Tat Tat should warm us up just in time for summer.

Tracklist
01. Rave On Sad Songs
02. Lake Superior
03. Love Is A Dirty Word
04. Bitch City
05. High Summer
06. Cold Blue Halo
07. Love Is A Chain
08. Long May You Love
09. The Slowest Dance
10. Winnipeg Winds
11. Vanderpool Vanderpool

Jason Collett - Love is a Dirty Word.mp3



Broken Bells - Broken Bells (March 9)

After giving two thirds of his Shins bandmates the boot, front-man James Mercer is out with a new project. This time teaming up with producer Danger Mouse the duo are calling themselves Broken Bells. The first single "The High Road" has a bit more of a plugged in and synthetic sound than we were used to with Shins material. This one could be good.

Tracklist:
01. The High Road
02. Vaporize
03. Your Head Is On Fire
04. The Ghost Inside
05. Sailing to Nowhere
06. Trap Doors
07. Citizen
08. October
09. Mongrel Heart
10. The Mall and Misery

Broken Bells - The High Road.mp3



Jónsi - Go (March 23)

Sigur Ros frontman Jónsi Birgisson will release his first solo album this year. Go initally began as a low-key acoustic record, but, according to jónsi, “somewhere along the line it just sort of exploded”. the result is a joyful and dramatic album, featuring ecstatic string, brass and woodwind arrangements. Known for singing in his native icelandic and made-up language hopelandic, most of Go features the vocalist singing in English.

Tracklist
01. go do
02. animal arithmetic
03. tornado
04. boy lilikoi
05. sinking friendships
06. kolnidur
07. grow till tall
08. around us
09. hengilas

Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi.mp3



EF - Mourning Golden Morning (April 1)

Little known swedish post rock band EF are out with a new album this year. Like previous releases, there will be no North American release for this record, however, the album will be available digitally April 1.

Tracklist:
01. Escapade #1
02. Sons of ghosts
03. K-141 KYPCK
04. Longing for colors
05. Fyra
06. 401 Lwa
07. Alp Lugens and beyond


Furthermore, the following also have albums planned for 2010 that may or may not be worth getting excited about.

Vampire Weekend - Contra (January 12)
Yeasayer - Odd Blood (February 9)
Interpol (Q1 2010)
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Q1 2010)
MGMT - Congratulations (Spring 2010)
Arcade Fire (May 2010)
Fleet Foxes (2010)
Band of Horses - Night Rainbows (2010)

Album Highlights from 2009

2009 provided a bit of a ho-hum year for new music releases. As most artists toured in support of strong albums from 2008, last.fm listening stats reflected that. However, beyond the shortage of new offerings from established artists, 2009 provided some pleasant surprises as well as introductions to new artists.

In no particular order, here are the album highlights from 2009:

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix


Even as I preface by saying "in no particular order", to this listener Phoenix had the most listenable album of the year. Behind the strength of first single "1901" Phoenix broke into the "mainstream" in 2009. Follow-up single Lisztomania provides perhaps a clearer window into the mid-tempo groove that this album provides through its 8 seamless tracks.

Phoenix - 1901


Phoenix - Lisztomania



The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love


One of the most highly anticipated albums of the year, The Decemberists released The Hazards of Love in follow up to 2006's nearly flawless The Crane Wife. A concept album, The Hazards of Love follow the story of young Margaret who falls in love with a shape-shifting forest dweller named William, much to the resentment of Williams mother, the Queen. While the story can be a bit confused at times with Colin Meloy adopting the narrative of several characters, this album is best listed to live as concert-goers had the opportunity to do so during the Decmberists' 2009 tour. Backed by the strength of guest vocalists Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), The Hazards of Love overcame some early mix reviews to establish itself as one of the Decemberists' strongest releases to date.

The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid


Tegan & Sara - Sainthood


For their latest release, Tegan & Sara attempted something that they had never done before - writing songs together. The identical twins from Calgary packed up and shipped off to New Orleans where they would spend several weeks penning songs for their new album. Ultimately when they returned to Canada to record their album the collaboratively written songs were systematically cut. The only song which had made the grade, "Sainthood" ultimately had to be scrapped as well as the twins were unable to secure copyright clearance for the sample they used in the song. The result - Tegan & Sara provide us with their most plugged in and riff-heavy album to date with an album named in honour of that song and those early collaborative writing sessions.

Tegan & Sara - Hell

Tegan & Sara - The Cure


Bonus song - Tegan & Sara provided vocals for Tiesto's 2009 Kaleidoscope Release "Feel You in my Bones"

The Antlers - Hospice



Perhaps taking a page out of Justin Vernon's Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago, Antlers' Peter Silberman locked himself in relative seclusion to pen Hospice. Another concept album of sorts, Hospice, follows the story of a man losing a loved one to cancer and having to witness her death first-hand. Depressing? Yes. Sonically pleasing? Absolutely. Tip: Listen to this albums on high quality headphones to get the aural illusion that Silberman is whispering his heart-felt lyrics directly into your ear.

The Antlers - Bear


Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care


The Junior Boys continue their unique brand of indietronica with Begone Dull Care. Album highlight and lead track Parallel Lines holds a tight beat as Jeremy Greenspan's icey falsetto vocals pick up the slack. Perhaps darker then previous releases the poppier "Bits & Pieces" and lead single "Hazel" provide a balance and make the album more accessible to a broader audience.

Junior Boys - Parallel Lines


The xx - xx


London newcomers The xx produce one of the most unique and coolest sounding albums of the year. Co-vocalists Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim croon back and forth on top of a minimalistic blend of indie rock and electronic elements. With a rolling basslines that rarely achieve a bpm beyond that which can be considered an crawl, this album leaves the listener wanting more.

The xx - Night Time

The xx - VCR


Dark was the Night



A benefit compilation album, Dark was the Night provided funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS while providing listeners with rare and unreleased offerings from such indie superstars as Sufjan Stevens, Feist, Justin Vernon, Ben Gibbard, Spoon and the Arcade Fire.

Grizzly Bear and Feist - Service Bell


Fever Ray - Fever Ray


Fever Ray is the debut solo album from of Karin Dreijer Andersson (The Knife). Heavy on the vocal effects, Fever Ray is dark and weird in all the right ways.

Fever Ray - When I grow up


The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules


The Whitest Boy Alive provide funky baselines, riffy guitars, tight drumming and keyboard punches all in the name of dance music.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Island


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!


Yeah Yeah Yeahs release another quality album highlighted by singles, "Zero" and "Heads will Roll." Adopting a more synthy sound with each progressive release, the YYY's are better for it as they grow as artists out of New York's garage rock scene from which they got their start.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll



Peter Bjorn & John - Living Thing


A grossly under-appreciated album at this time of year, even by this listener's standard, Living Thing was a great follow-up to 2006's Writer's Block. This album was quirky and fun and somewhat darker than one might expect. Living Thing was on heavy rotation early in the year when there was a lack of other new material from which to get excited about.

Peter Bjorn and John - It Don't Move Me



Honourable Mentions:

Matthew Good - Vancouver
Silversun Pickups - Swoon