Diamond Joel Plaskett unleashed his most ambitious work to-date last year with his 3-disc, 27-song, epic Three.  With the help of Ana Egge and Rose Cousins on accompanying vocals, Plaskett found himself  with another album shortlisted as the best full-length Canadian release of the year; the other album was Ashtray Rock from Plaskett’s full-band project [...]

I haven’t listened to Metric in months.  I didn’t really fall in love in love with their last album.  After waking up to this song this morning, I’ve decided it may be time to re-evaluate certain life-decisions I’ve made.  Sick Muse was the 3rd single released in support of  Metric’s fourth full-length effort Fantasies, which hit [...]

The Dears‘ fourth full-length studio release Missiles hit shelves on October 20th of 2008, though it had been completed almost 6 months earlier.  During this delay, the band found themselves in the unenviable position of being forced to shop their record, as relationships with previous labels had “run their course” and a self-release was not financially [...]

Polaris Prize winner/mathematician/artist formerly known as Manitoba/Canadian indie-electronic act Caribou is back with a new album for 2010.  Slated for an April 20th North American release and an April 19th UK release, Swim will mark Caribou’s first full-length effort since the critically acclaimed 2007 album Andorra; Andorra beat out albums from Canadian indie heavyweights such [...]

Up tonight is another haunting installment from Calgary’s favorite indie/experimental-rock artist Chad VanGaalen. VanGaalen demonstrates his talent as an animator/illustrator with the video that accompanies Molten Light, and allows us to be pleasantly horrified both visually and sonically.  The song itself can be found on VanGaalen’s 3rd full-length effort Soft Airplane, released in September of 2008 [...]

Owen Pallett’s highly anticipated follow-up to He Poos Clouds found it’s way onto shelves last week (January 12th).  Across Canada, fans finally began their journey through Pallett’s conjured-up world of Spectrum, with help from the album’s narrator Lewis; Heartland is a concept album narrated by a farmer named Lewis as he comes to terms with his [...]

Here’s a fun little activity for everyone:  The next time you have nothing to do, grab the blankets off your bed, throw them across your couch/coffee table creating a fort of sorts, shut off every light in your house/apartment, climb in with a flashlight, and listen to the new Timber Timbre album; friends of mine [...]

After a relatively quiet 2009 (It would be nice if my relatively quiet years included an album I produced being shortlisted for the Polaris Prize), Hawksley Workman is poised once again for a big year; the Polaris-shortlisted album Workman produced was Hey Rosetta!’s masterpiece Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through [...]

I’ve got another fantastic song today, from a band that seems to have an affinity for creating fantastic songs.  Last year, Hey Rosetta! unleashed (yes, unleashed is a fair description) their second album Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) to the masses.  With Canadian indie legend Hawksley Workman [...]

I Was Stabbed by Satan can be found on K’naan’s first Polaris-nominated album The Dusty Foot Philosopher, released in the summer of 2005; his second Polaris-nominated release came this year via his sophomore effort Troubadour.  On top of the nomination for best Canadian independent album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher would take home the Juno award for [...]

When the Toronto hardcore punk band Fucked Up took home the 2009 Polaris Music Prize in September, they announced that the $20,000 award would be used to fund a charity release for missing and murdered indigenous women.  This past week, the idea was realized in the form of a remake of the 80’s Christmas classic [...]

Today’s track is another fine piece of Canadian hip-hop from Toronto’s own k-os.  Eye Know Something can be found on k-os’ 2009 Polaris long-listed LP Yes!, released in Canada on April 14th 2009 and digitally in the US on November 17th; the physical US release is set for February 2010, along with a video for [...]

Today’s song is off the highly anticipated forthcoming album from Owen Pallett aka. Final Fantasy aka. one of the best live performers you will ever see.  Lewis Takes Action can be found on Final Fantasy’s 3rd full-length effort Heartland, set for release on January 12th of 2010.  Earlier this year Pallett revealed that the follow-up to [...]

I’ve got one more song for everyone tonight from the husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, and their indie-rock/shoegazing project The Besnard Lakes.  Now consisting of 6 members, The Besnard Lakes have released 2 full-length albums to date.  For Agent 13 can be found on the band’s most recent album, the 2007 Polaris [...]

Another great song up today, this time from the Montreal indie-rock singer/songwriter/band-of-the-same-name Patrick Watson.  The Great Escape can be found on Watson’s 2nd full-length album Close to Paradise, released in September of 2006.  The album would go on to be named the best Canadian independent album of 2007 by the Polaris Music Prize, edging out an [...]

More today from the Hamilton, Ontario indie-rock band Arkells.  Blueprint is the closing track to the band’s critically acclaimed debut LP Jackson Square, released on October 28th of 2008; the album was among the 40 Canadian independent releases long-listed for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize.  The band rode the success of Jackson Square to the 2009 [...]

As I suspected would happen, I forgot to turn off my alarm clock last night, and was jolted to life this morning with far less than the appropriate amount of sleep.  The Boys Are Leaving Town began blasting through my room, and in my confused haze I came to realize just how much the song [...]

Gone, Gone, Gone is another number from the pride of Nova Scotia, Joel Plaskett, and his 3-disc magnus opus Three.  Released in March of this year, Plaskett’s 3rd full-length solo effort captured his 2nd Polaris nomination, however I’m not completely convinced this album should be considered a solo-album proper.  For myself, the backing vocals (I use the word [...]

A lot has been written about the Toronto hardcore-punk band Fucked Up since the release of their sophomore full-length album The Chemistry of Common Life last year.  The album has been labelled, by some, as a hardcore album that is too indie-rock to please the distinct tastes of the hardcore crowd, and by others as an indie-rock [...]

I had planned on posting this earlier in the evening, but upon returning to my apartment after buying my mother going-away sushi, I found that “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama” was airing on HBO.  Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, or in my case a Canadian, this is a movie [...]