Video Review: Battles Take It Away with LaBlogotheque

La Blogotheque is continuously celebrated for its passion for sharing music through words and images. They consistently manage to do so with their Take Away Shows; this one featuring New York based trio, Battles, is no exception. The folks are at it again, this time however, in an expansive lounge in the city hall of Paris, France where the experimental rockers perform Wall Street and Futura from their upcoming album Glossdrop. Both songs occasionally seem to be all over the place and, at one point, don't seem to go anywhere but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Battles manage to pull the various melody sequences together while La Blogotheque supply us with one of their most visually compelling videos to date. The editing accomplished in this gem is insane and paired well next to the intricate, multi-layered harmonies found in this Take-Away session. To check out La Blogotheque click here.

Black Dogs

Black Dogs are a talented folk duo from Ottawa. I had the pleasure of recording them play some tunes recently, here are two of them:

Murphy
Murphy by Black_Dogs

Vices
Vices by Black_Dogs

Join their group on facebook and stay tuned for upcoming shows!

Music Review: COOLRUNNINGS' Dracula Is Only The Beginning

COOLRUNNINGS are an other-worldly five piece band from Knoxville, Tennessee. Their full-length, Dracula Is Only The Beginning, follows a number of EPs and singles released through their label Dracula Horse.

This album reads like a eclectic best-of; the band members trade instruments and styles from song to song without losing a step. Though they list Brian Eno, the Ramones, and african percussion amongst their influences, COOLRUNNINGS are very much a band of this era. As never before, young musicians these days are able to expose themselves to a vast and exotic universe of music. You get the impression that these guys are happily floating in that universe, drawing on the tones and textures which most help illustrate their vision.

The standouts on this album include Thunderbirds, whose chugging muted guitars and stomping toms immediately draw you in. I can Be Dreamy pairs Ramones-esque vocals with a unique drum pattern, distorted synths and jangly guitars which combine to create a cloudly haze of a song which shouldn't work, but does. Fort Kid is the beautiful and evocative album closer, a stirring whirlwind of melodies which fold into each other and eventually surrender to sweeping strings. If as the title suggests, this is only the beginning, then the future is bright.

COOLRUNNINGS' Dracula is Only The Beginning is out now on Dracula Horse.
03 Thunderbirds.mp3 by DRACULA HORSE

Music Review: Bass Drum of Death's GB City

Bass Drum of Death are an energetic rock duo from Oxford, Mississippi. Their sound is a infectious blend of stoned garage rock, punk, and blown-out power pop. GB City, the bands debut, is the perfect soundtrack to your next rockin' party. Standouts such as Nerve Jamming and Young Pros are super-catchy and sure to get your feet stompin' in an instant.

Save for the odd diversion, members John and Colin keep a heavy foot on the gas pedal throughout the album. They maintain a blazing pace whilst singing about partyin', girls and other issues which befall a teenage soul. Its the energetic playing and crafty arrangements however, that keep you hooked.

GB City is out on Fat Possum April 12th. If you happen to be in TO April 20th, they'll be at Velvet Underground.

Bass Drum of Death- Nerve Jamming

Music Review: Javelin's Canyon Candy

Javelin is a fun loving art-beat duo based out of Brooklyn, New York. Cousins Thomas Van Buskirk and George Langford originally garnered attention with their colorful live setup involving numerous painted boomboxes, each transmitting sound via FM radio wave. After the release of a few singles and the heavily circulated internet classic "Jamz N Jemz", they were signed to David Byrne's world music label Luaka Bop. Now comes their follow up to 2010's "No Mas", Canyon Candy, a trippy musical road trip through the Wild West of yesteryear.

Inspired by touring through the American Southwest, Javelin first sought out to offset their hectic high-energy shows, by crafting slow cowboys-by-the-campfire beats. Picture the likes of Madlib or J Dilla digging through old country-western records.

Canyon Candy doesn't pretend to be a fully-fledged album. At just over half an hour, as the title suggests, it is more of a delectable curiosity than fully-featured epic. Even the songs themselves often clock in at under two minutes, leading this listener to play out certain favorites over and over. See if you can't the resist melodic night-time desert yodel of "Cowpoke", or the purple setting-sun inspired "Saddles Sores". As the entire album alludes to Spaghetti Westerns of another dimension, I recommend you throw it on the sound system while cooking spaghetti for dinner one evening. You will be transported to the canyons of the Rio Grande, shootouts, showdowns, fresh spices and pasta, will dance together, beautifully.

Canyon Candy 10" is out as a on April 26th, Record Store Day, accompanied by a 12 minute video previwed below:

Canyon Candy Promo from Mike Anderson on Vimeo.

Music Review: Salem at Wrongbar + Weekend Photo Fun

SALEM - ASIA from SALEM on Vimeo.

This past weekend I ventured to Toronto to see the band Salem perform. While I’m disappointed to have missed Ottawa Fashion Week, I have to admit that Toronto was amazing in another sense. I hung out with old friends, including Hilary, an industrial design student at OCAD, played music with my host, Cameron, and quite enjoyed Salem’s smoky show at Wrongbar.

I tried to describe Salem to the guys in my Toronto rideshare and I got as far as “witch house, dark electronics, infused with hip-hop” before said rideshare dudes noticed my black nail polish and wrote me off as weird. Yes, Salem are weird, but they’re weird in a sexy and dark sort of way. If you enjoy anything from electronic, glitch, hardcore, grimy dubstep, shoegaze, witch house + a thousand other subgenres of music, you should check out this band. They first gained popularity a few years ago due to the power of the interwebs – but their online buzz does not always translate well to the live world. At SXSW last year, they were booed off stage for a weak performance. Ignoring these slips, however, this American mid-west group continue to internationally tour.

Salem actually pulled together a good set in Toronto. I found it humourous, though, how while the audience was quite into the music, the band made no attempts to be into the audience. Salem's disenchantment is curious: their presentation seems to almost eroticize cult references. They combine theatrical elements: dark make up, eerie electronics, thick fog, fishnet and cloak-like clothing....and from a band completely disaffected of the audience around them, an omnious performance heightens religious speculation. But one must consider things like the name of one of their albums: “Yes, I Smoke Crack” (2008), alludes to how factors more substance related than religious may be what Salem parallel their spookiness towards.

I enjoyed Salem's set. I appreciate how they've combined many different genres of music without much much care to necessarily respect original styles (for instance, the rapping does not necessarily honour original hip-hop clarity, as they seem to put more weight on rhythm than wanting us listeners to understand what they're even rapping about). Their ability to push artistic boundaries within their performances, recordings, and videos is both refreshing and bold. And after the smoke dissipated and we all went home, the rest of the weekend in Toronto was full of wholesome fun. Toronto is always such a ball: I’m quite glad it’s just a few hours away so us Ottawans can catch some rare shows. While these are no Szeto shots, here are some photos from my weekend in Toronto:

Music Review: Lykke Li's Wounded Rhymes

When Lykke Li's debut album, Youth Novel, came out in 2008 I played it on repeat in my car and grooved to her soft voice and catchy beats for about six months. Since then, I have been getting my fix by listening to a collection of remixes and anxiously awaiting a follow up. Lykke Li's sophmore release, Wounded Rhymes, came out earlier this month and I have once again been made a fool of while belting out her tracks at red lights.

[photo credit - www.lykkeli.com]

In the three years since Youth Novel was released, Lykke Li has toured the world, drank a lot of whiskey, taken trips to the desert, and had her heart broken - and it shows. Wounded Rhymes has a much grittier sound than her debut, showcasing raw and powerful vocals we didn't get to experience with Youth Novel. There are some very sad moments on Wounded Rhymes. Tracks like 'Unrequited Love' and 'I Know Places' feel incredibly intimate, both songs feature strong vocals and honest lyrics paired with only the soft strumming of a guitar.

While it's obvious many of the songs on this album were penned during a period of heartbreak, fans of Youth Novel need not fret as Wounded Rhymes also offers its fair share of upbeat tracks featuring tribal drum beats and catchy choruses that you can easily dance to. Check out the video for her song 'I Follow Rivers' below, and click here to view Lykke Li's website.

Hotshotcasino - Friday March 4th

Ottawa's own Hotshotcasino will be playing at Café Nostalgica this friday. After taking a four months "break", the band has decided that it's time to give their friends and fans a long-awaited sweaty dance party with no cover charge! They will also be joined by Yuri Bakker, a talented kid studying at Juilliard School in New York. He will apparently blow our minds away.

When asked about their upcoming show, bassist Greggory Clark says: "The plan isn't to play new music from the record in progress, but to lay down some groove, funk, jazz and blues that we don't usually perform. Yuri Bakker is coming up from NY to make this night really fun. We've played a few gigs with him on tour last October and it was probably the happiest any of us had felt performing all year. He's going to add some killer keys (think a la Herbie Hancock) and he'll also be spinning a set of electro music for everyone at the show". Still not convinced? Then hear for yourself by listening to the link below or click here to hear more of Yuri's electrifying sounds.

It will also be Day 41 of Pascal Huot's 100 songs in a 100 days project. Almost halfway there, the songs are getting stronger everyday. Click here to get a taste of his daily tunes and support his ongoing project. Seeing the show on friday is not only a good reason to support local musicians, but it's also going to be one hell of a party. So, I'm definitely excited and will be attending with my fish eye camera in hand. Stay tuned next week for photos of the show... in case you miss out on the party.

Music Review - Oh Land

Just found out about Oh Land and had to fill you in. As her website states she is a product of extremes. "A disciplined ballet dancer who was educated with the Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet schools coupled with a 'circus-like' upbringing courtesy of a family of creative souls. Their unique and individual talents have left deep imprints on how Oh Land experiences and interprets the world around her." She has created a soundscape that dreams as hard as it dances. Her performance style confronts the audience with elements as sonically and visually diverse as drum pads, an omnichord, and a front projector system that broadcasts homemade visuals across balloons. She's rocking and I suggest you check her out.

Music Review - Keek

Ottawa has an amazing local music scene and what better way to kick off the first issue of The Fashion Press print issue with one of the fastest growing local Ottawa bands, Keek. Having already gone head to head with the likes of Katie Perry, Sean Kingston, The Plain White Tee's, Far East Movement, and Bruno Mars and each time coming out on top, Keek is definitely worth checking out.

The 5 member band consisting of Connor Whitehead, Kyle Williams, Marek Lubanski, Matt Belanger and Kyle Megill have only been together for 8 months and have already dropped an EP, received consistent radio play on more then one station, and have a tour under their belt. There is no doubt that the pure talent in Keek and the dedication is paying off, and in such a short period of time.

The five member band is always playing shows around Ottawa and Ontario in general. If you have the chance to, go out and check out one of their shows. Its always a party and you'll be singing along in no time. Keeks music is a pop-rock fusion of catchy lyrics that people of any age can relate too, upbeat rhythm and killer guitar.

If you want to check out Keek, and I highly recommend you do, you can find their album on Itunes, or head to www.myspace.com/keekmusic or follow them on twitter. Keep your eyes and ears open if you live in Ottawa, they are always playing local venues and heading back into the studio this winter for a new EP. To see these guys interviewed by The Fashion Press get you're hands on our first issue dropping October 29th.

Music Review - Sleigh Bells

I was immediatly taken aback while giving Sleigh Bells a listen for the first time. For some reason I expected it to be another cute little indie chick duo, but was I ever surprised to find out about their heavy drums and guitar and pop vocals.

This opposite sounding duo is made up of Derek E. Miller, formerly the guitarist of a hardcore band called Poison The Well, and Alexis cross who was formely the member of a pop group called Rubyblue in her teens. Their roots definetly come out in their new project. The whole thing is like a big juxtaposition, and its great! The beats hit really hard and the vocals stay light and girly. I would almost compare them to a better and more rock Crystal Castles [especially their track "Straight A's"], and maybe other garage rock bands with female vocalist, such as Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls, but really, they're bringing a fresh new sound for the moment

Their debut album Treats came out on the 11th and deifnetly lives up to its name.

Every track is really a treat, but heres a few I absoulutly adore:

Tell 'Em, this is the first song I heard from them, and the first track on the album. Great opener all around, I was blown away! Love every second of it I dont even know if I could describe it, but luckily its available for streaming and download [here].

"Rill Rill" (Or "Ring Ring"?) is another. Really sounds like The Go! Team (which Im a big fan of), one of the lighter and cheerier tracks of the album.

"A/B Machines" is to die. Really hard bass, screeching guitar, and handclaps. Really intense and hard hitting track.

Its hard not to go on, but Ill leave it at that.

The whole album is available for listening on their MySpace and available for purchase exclusively through the iTunes Store by M.I.A.'s label, N.E.E.T. Recordings. Be sure to check it out its really worth the listen!

-laura schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Caribou

After 3 long years we finally get to hear from the fantastic Caribou once again with the release of his latest album Swim.

Formerly known as the artist Manitoba, Daniel Victor Snaith has been mor popularly known as the talented Caribou (after being forced to change the name of his act). Coming from London, Ontario, this Canadian musician graces us with some amazing electronic beats and a beautiful soft and haunting voice. His music really sets the mood whether it makes you feel happy, sad, and, most of all, inspired.

My stand out track for him in general would have to be the masterpiece "Irene". It feels so empty, and so full of emotion at the same time; the best "chill out" mellow track I've ever heard.

But back to this latest album, Im finding theres more energy in these tracks than from what I've heard from him before. The music seems more intense. You can give the tracks a listen for free here.

Giving it more listens now I am finding this album to definetly be a grower, at first I thought I was dissapointed with it, being such a big Caribou lover, but I really do enjoy this album after all. Caribou is a genius and makes some beautiful tracks, and who am I kidding, theyre always hard to resist. The whole thing offers most of the same old Caribou style with a bit more dancibility, so no complaints there.

My stand out tracks for this album: "Kaili", "Leave House", and the closing track, "Jamelia". But I also enjoyed the single "Odessa" which was released for download some time ago [and available for download here]:

All in all I guess I wasn't let down by Caribou after all, and Im dissapointed in myself for thinking he did. He is definetly an amazingly talented musician, cant wait to hear more from him, even if it takes another 3 years.

-laura schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Goldfrapp

The always awesome English electro duo Goldfrapp is back with another great album, "Head First".

"Head First" offers that great pop music with plenty of 80's inspiration as we've come to expect from Goldfrapp. With that said the new album is nothing surprising, but its full of plenty of great tracks thatll make you want to sing your lungs out and dance around in some legwarmers.

Stand out tracks for me are the very danceable "Shiny Warm", the peaceful "Voicething", and of course their catchy new single, "Rocket":

[The back up dancers have some pretty amazing jean vests.]

You can preview all the tracks at [their site], top left.

Though I did like this new album, for me, it just doesnt compare to the older ones, in paticular 2005's "Supernature" and their absoutly brilliant debut back from 2001, "Felt Mountain". It was definetly enjoyable and fun, but it was nothing new and exciting.

I loved "Felt Mountain" for how beautiful and strange it was. I found all the tracks off the album to be just spectacular, but songs like the entrancing and surreal title track, "Felt Mountain" and the cabaret styled "Oompa Radar" were really special.

And of course who can forget how much fun "Supernature" was with hits like "Ohh La La" and "Ride A White Horse" [and its hilariously disturbing video].

So yes, "Head First" was a good album, but come on Goldfrapp, surprise us next time!

-laura schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Gorillaz

Gorillaz, everyones favourite virtual band, are finally back after their hit album Demon Days back in 2005! The highly anticipated new album, Plastic Beach was realeased just a few days ago and it definetly does not dissapoint.

Gorillaz stay true their unique musical style, bringing back plenty of hip hop, pop, and electronica, with some great twists. Many of the tracks are very relaxing, some even live up to the beach theme, especially "To Binge" featuring Little Dragon (who also supplies additional vocals in the track "Empire Ants"), but theres also some fun songs to contrast that such as the hilarious track "Superfast Jellyfish. In addition to all the guest appearences from the likes of Snoop Dog, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Mike Jones, Bobby Womack and many more, we are blessed with Damon Albarn's beautiful voice as always, and boy does he ever deliver.

A definite stand out track for me is "White Flag" featuring Bashy, Kano, and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music, the arabic intro is amazing, and coupled with the rapping make it a really unique and fun track. The title track, "Plastic Beach" featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, was also one I loved from the first listen, its really just beautiful haha.

But honestly, I found all the tracks to be fantastic. Theres a great mix of mellow slow tempo songs with Albarn's amazing voice along with some fun, crazy hip hop and pop type songs as well. Something for everyone, and every mood.

The whole album is available for streaming [here], as well as a track by track guide given to us by Murdoc available [here].

And as always with any Gorillaz album everything is completly interactive on their fantastic website: Gorillaz.com. You can sign up and play the new "Plastic Beach Adventure Game", which I have yet to complete. Part of the fun about them being an animated band is following the crazy plotline about the interesting characters.

-laura schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Black Moth Super Rainbow

Black Moth Super Rainbow is an American band who definetly has a sound of their own.

Very experimental and very psychedelic, their distorted vocals and array of analog electric instruments give them a very dreamy, and almost alien, sound.

Formed in 2002, they've been around quite some time and have quite the discography, but throughout their albums and EPs they've been able to keep their distinct sound and they have been consistantly amazing. I find their songs similar, but it isnt a bad thing when their music is so fantastic.

I'm sure it must be magical to see them live haha.

Their lastest album, "Eating Us", came out back in May, and it definetly does not dissapoint. They've also been kind enough to offer various downloads on their own website so be sure to check them out!

-Laura Schütte. [more from me here]
[been a little busy with portfolios lately sorry about that]

Music Review - Delorean

Delorean is a spanish 4 piece band originating from the Basque country, but now located in Barcelona. Theyve been around a while, and even started out playing some emo/punk stuff believe it or not, but they finally gained some hype after the release of their EP"Ayrton Senna" back in May 09'. Their poppy and happy sound always reminds me of a sunny summer day haha. Its just light and fun with some great beats; not to mention the accents. They can't not cheer you up with their recognizable sound.

Take a listen to their hit "Deli" and a pretty amazing mixtape[which they've made available for download]:

As well as making their own music, they make some pretty great remixes and have put their spin on some great artists including The Teenagers, Franz Ferdinand, and The Mystery Jets. You can download their most recent remix of "Islands" by The xx here off their blog.

They recently announced their upcoming full-length album entitled "Subiza", which will be out March 15th. Until then, theyll be touring with Miike Snow [which I will hopefully be catching in early April], jj and Lemonade.

Feel free to check them out at their MySpace or their FaceBook.

-Laura Schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Karin Dreijer Andersson

Karin Dreijer Andersson is a swedish goddess.

Her voice is so distinct and as well as the persona she has created for herself.

Probably best known for being in the popular swedish electro duo The Knife, which consists of her and her brother. They're famous for being mysterious and always wearing masks, pretty stange pair of siblings, but they make some great music.

She also has a fantastic solo project that made its debut in 2009 with her self titled album Fever Ray. Her work as Fever ray is truely beautiful and unique. Stand out tracks are definetly "Seven" and "When I Grow Up", which has this magical video:

She recently won "best artist" at the swedish P3 Guld awards [fantastic award show] for her work as Fever Ray, with a very strange acceptance speech:

She's crazy, forget Lady GaGa, Karin is way more amazingly theatric. She also done some great collaborations with the Norwegian electro duo Röyksopp on their tracks "What Else Is There", "Tricky Tricky" and "This Must Be It". Whatever she's involved with, her amazing voice and accent work perfectly and beautifully.

Recently, she is back with The Knife and teaming up with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock to create a opera based on Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" called "Tomorrow, In a Year", how neat does that sound? You can sneak peak a track entitled "Colouring of Pigeons" [here] at their site. Its spectacular. The whole thing will be out on March 1st so mark that on your calenders.

-Laura Schütte. [more from me here]

Music Review - Vampire Weekend

So we've all been waiting to hear from Vampire Weekend since their first self-titled album came out back in '08, so I was very impatient for Contra to be released. With their same old preppy sound and a few twists, I was not left dissapointed. They even prepared this fancy little widget for you to give it a listen:






I fell in love with Vampire Weekend the first time I heard their crazy quick paced hit "A-Punk". It was such a new sound for me. Their music was very distinct to them as well, and in the first album it all followed this. I feel like Contra sounds more experimental, with some tracks even sounding like the keyboardist's side project Discovery, theres definetly more variety this time around. Its a little weird since its as if they had found 'their sound' in the first album, but now they're trying out new things.

They've really hit it big with Contra though, A-Punk did get plays on the radio, but I've had friends telling me how Contra is all over the HMV, not to mention all over the blogsphere. It's huge, but how can anyone not like these guys?



They're fantastic. So fun. So fresh. I had the pleasure of seeing them live in the summer, and I will be impatiently waiting til the next time they're near.



-Laura Schütte. [more from me here]