weird canada

Tag: arbutus records

New Canadiana :: Blue Hawaii – Untogether

Blue Hawaii - Untogether

From the frosty dreamscape of Christina Bell:

Slip sliding away from bright summer music, Untogether is Blue Hawaii — the winter version. The darling duo have developed a sound fit for an ethereal pop wonderland. The album buzzes with sway-inducing beats mixed with sweet, sweet vocals. Although inviting, Untogether feels like an extension of Blue Hawaii’s own internally frosty dreamscape. At times incredibly introspective, the tracks can also be tantalizingly ambiguous and disconnected. This is perhaps a result of the pair’s decision to record the album away from one another as both members simultaneously pursued their own musical frontiers. Thus, the album is aptly titled. The final product is captivating and cool, a delicately crafted synth-drenched dream.

Du paysage onirique gelé de Christina Bell:
(Traduit par l’enrêvement captivé de Hugo Hyart-Dauvergne)

Se glissant loin de leur musique ensoleillée d’été, Untogether est la version hivernale de Blue Hawaii. Le duo chéri a mis au point un son parfait pour un monde pop merveilleux et éthéré. L’album bourdonne de beats dansants mêlés de douces voix. Accueillant, Untogether donne en même temps l’impression d’être le prolongement du paysage onirique intérieur englacé de Blue Hawaii. Par moments incroyablement introspectifs, les morceaux exaltent aussi par leur caractère ambigu et déconnecté. C’est peut-être une conséquence de la décision du duo d’enregistrer l’album chacun de leur côté, l’un et l’autre poursuivant son propre horizon musical. C’est pourquoi le titre de l’album est si pertinent. Le produit final est cool et captivant, un rêve trempé de sons de synthés, délicatement façonné.

Blue Hawaii – In Two II

Blue Hawaii – Sierra Lift

New Canadiana :: TOPS – Tender Opposites

TOPS - Tender Opposites
From the jazzy moxy of James Lindsay:
In a way, TOPS embodies the Arbutus aesthetic. A world where it’s always mid-summer, where the spirit of AM radio whimsically floats on warm air, and, because this is Montreal, we can drink in the park and not worry much about rent (I write this from Toronto where we worry about rent often and our musical equivalent might be the soon to be disbanded Foxfire). In TOPS, one can hear the jazzy moxy of Sean Nicholas Savage and Grimes’ fey vocals, touches of Tonstartssbandht’s echo pop and even hints of Doldrums’ psych-synths. If Arbutus was a novel, the TOPS chapter might be subtitled “Simpler Times, Happier Times.” And in a better world, this is what Stephin Merritt’s good moods would sound like.

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TOPS – Rings of Saturn

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TOPS – Diamond Look

New Canadiana :: Pop Winds – Earth To Friend

Pop Winds - Earth To Friend
From the modal vibrations of Aaron Levin:
The final release from Montreal’s Pop Winds has it’s genesis within the sub-atomic modal vibrations coursing through the fabric of space time. “Phonons” fades into pulsed existence, while the droning guitars and synth tones coalesce into Earth To Friend‘s mournful harmonies. The pervasive feeling of departures permeates the album’s sparse, cosmic catch, solidifying their popular emotion with minor-key elegance. RIP, friends. You were good to us.

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Pop Winds – Phonon

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Pop Winds – Sunlight

New Canadiana :: Sean Nicholas Savage – Flamingo

Sean Nicholas Savage - Flamingo
From the carnie games of Pam Haasen:
If small town fairs were hip to the culture of cheap thrills and cheese appeal that speaks to my inner child, I’d hear Flamingo on the tinny speakers beside my head while I wait in line for elephant ears and ride vouchers. Sean Savage is calmer and quieter here than I’ve known him to be. These are vaguely erotic hand-holding and ferris-wheel-secret-telling songs. I want to win the big bear prize for my gal and make promises to her while the sun sets. Lovely meets funny as Sean trills, woos and oohs you.

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Sean Nicholas Savage – She Was The One

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Sean Nicholas Savage – Chin Chin

New Canadiana :: Tonstartssbandht – Sinkhole Storm and Sandwich

From the monster waves of Gabriel Jasmin:
Two brotherly blazing long-form jams. Sinkhole Storm and Sandwich finds trashcan twang and dirty tremolo swells surfing atop monster waves of endless pulsing momentum. Amps cranked so far beyond breaking point, it’s a miracle such scorching tones didn’t eat right through the four-track tape. “Hotel For Gods” cools off from the acid heat wave with a steady, heady mixture of opaque synth and guitar ripples. A lasting, slow burning summer haze, and real tonal sludge.

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Tonstartssbandht – Sinkhole Storm and Sandwich (Excerpt)

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Tonstartssbandht – Hotel For Gods (Excerpt)

New Canadiana :: Count Dracula // Kool Music – Won Ton Jaz

From the kung fu tableau of Pam Haasen:
In my quiet bedroom I hear the Wilhelm scream of Count Dracula (a.k.a. Sean Nicholas Savage) echoing from outer space travel-log mixtapes as the ship travels faster than the speed of light over Montreal. From his U.F.O. he sends ray beams of steel drums, lilting vocals and, of course, catchy lyrics that no one else could pull off (sex, sweet sex). Kool Music offers a side of ’80s ice cold film soundtrack with a meditative swirl as the chewy centre. Calm before the sewer storm? Yeah. It’s a tableau of sex, action, sunglasses and chilly, kung fu svelte babes in the ‘hood.

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Kool Music – Hot House

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Count Dracula – UFO

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Count Dracula – True Love

New Canadiana :: Tonstartssbandht – Now I Am Become

From the Sean Connery of Jesse Locke:
The Tonstartssbros continue their plea for shred-head redemption with this fully zoned follow-up to the Russian tour tape. Hooting and hollering like a pair of chimps freed from captivity, they Jumanji through the streets while guitars wail the distress call. “Big Day Today” juxtaposes boys’ choir harmonies with undulating amp noise, “Eifdn A AOD Sulie” is a six-minute ramble through Newer Weirder Americana, and “Shot To La Parc” is my pick for Big Shiny Tunes 47. Grip with both hands and become.

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Tonstartssbandht – Big Day Today

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Tonstartssbandht – Shot To La Parc

New Canadiana :: Sean Nicholas Savage – Trippple Midnight Karma

From the disco double rainbows of Mark Teo:
Caressing serotonin receptors like streetlight halos after a summertime all-nighter, Trippple Midnight Karma soothes like an Alka Seltzer before naptime. Windows-down synth weaves between wham-chk syncopation — coming off like a middle-schooler’s imitation of an eras-passed softcore soundtrack — and laissez-faire Latin guitar solos, while Savage’s suave falsetto provides the Halls to the Sting of a sore throat. Hailed as his return to the bedroom, Trippple Midnight Karma has Savage producing disco double rainbows with a CMYK palette — or, perhaps, the best archeological find from Bleu Nuit’s coffers.

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Sean Nicholas Savage – Serious Eyes

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Sean Nicholas Savage – Getting To Know Myself

Recommended Grippage :: Grimes – Halfaxa

A while back I wrote about Grimes’ tour CDR Halfaxa. Well, as the tour CDR wasn’t really officially available, I thought I’d step in and tell you that its been officially released in a beautiful digipack via Arbutus Records! Grip while supplies lasts!

PS – I’m back after a short GOBBLE FEST break.

Hearts,

Aaron Levin
Weird Canada / Cantor Records

Grimes
Halfaxa
(Arbutus Records)
Montreal, QC
::web/sounds::

New Canadiana :: Sean Nicholas Savage – Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration)

Sean Nicholas Savage
Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration)
(Arbutus Records)
Montreal, QC
::web/sounds::


From the distant dancing of Jesse Locke:
DISCO DOESN’T SUCK. As perpetual Weird Canada favourite Sean Savage attests, the d-word doesn’t have to signify the brothers Gibb, a teenaged Travolta, or in the immortal words of Van Dyke Parks, “white boy pepper grinder madness.” Instead, Savage gives us swoon-worthy strings (with arrangements from the Silly Kissers’ David Carriere plus guest vox from singer Jane Penny), glittery synths, beachy bongos, and a soft-rock disco dancehall update to his classic pop romanticism. Turns out the Parisian night suit fits Savage perfectly.

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Sean Nicholas Savage – Misery Mountain

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Sean Nicholas Savage – Disco Dancing


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