Homeboy Sandman - "Wade In The Water"

Wade on into this new Homeboy Sandman cut. Great, sparse production on this one.

Dum Dum Girls - "Rimbaud Eyes"

Don't be dumb. Open your Rimbaud Eyes (and ears) to this new track. Too True out on Sub Pop January 29th 2014.

2013 In Review - The Longlist Part 2

To quote the great Steve Miller, "time keeps on slipping, into the future." I had intended to get Parts 2 and 3 of my Longlist up before New Years' Eve in time for the annual countdown show on UMFM, but went on holidays with my family. Traveling with 3 kids under 5 is quite an experience and doesn't leave time or energy for talking music. So the cat is out of the bag on my Top 20 songs and albums, but I'm still going to share the other great records I enjoyed in 2013 before we get too far into 2014. _________________________________________________ Derrick Hodge - Live Today [Blue Note] I couldn't find a stream of "The Real," the lead-off track that immediately convinced me of Live Today's merits as a top album of 2013. "Message of Hope" isn't the barnburner "The Real" is but it certainly holds its own. Yosi Horikawa - Vapors [First Word] First Word Records have stepped up over the last year to earn a place alongside Tru Thoughts, Thrill Jockey, Ubiquity and a few other select labels I always make time for. Needless to say, I made time for Vapors, and you should too. Sample some "Maki." Doug Hoyer - To Be A River [Old Ugly] I owe this one to The Pro From Dover - I might have overlooked this record when it arrived at the station but he mentioned he'd heard good things and thought it might be up my alley. Songs like "Already Gone" proved him right. Kvelertak - Meir [Sony/Indie Recordings/Roadrunner] I have a thing for sweeping, symphonic metal. Maybe the closet classical nerd in me (seriously, I got high school credits in musical theory) finds echoes of my past in the squall of music like Alcest, Russian Circles and this record from Kvelertak, featuring "Bruane Brenn" below. Lady - Lady [Truth & Soul Records] This one almost made it on the strength of the song below alone. "Money" was one of my Top 20 songs of the year and found its place early when I posted it here on RR in January of 2013. If you're a fan of the retro-soul folks like Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones are slinging, make a date with Lady. The Lytics - They Told Me [Camobear] I still remember when these guys were so fresh we had them play our Orientation Week stage to a couple dozen beer gardeners. Bigger is better for local hip-hop act The Lytics as they've justifiably blown up in the past few years. Majical Cloudz - Impersonator [Arbutus] I had two opportunities to see Majical Cloudz play in Winnipeg and I continue to kick myself for missing both of them. If they're coming to your burg, check them out - or at least listen to "Childhood's End" and the rest of Impersonator to find out what you're missing. Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle [Ribbon Music] Marling is darling. The Mavericks - In Time [Valory] I was so stoked to find out The Mavericks were back after a lengthy hiatus. My uncle first introduced me to the band with 1995's Music For All Occasions. I was going through an "I hate country" phase and he convinced me to give them a try. Lord knows what other great music I would have missed out on if The Mavericks hadn't ended that phase. "Back In Your Arms Again," indeed. Jenks Miller - Spirit Signal [Northern Spy] I mentioned labels I always make time for in the Yosi Horikawa entry, but I should add that Northern Spy (along with Cuneiform and Silber Media) is a label I find fascinating. I never know exactly what I'm going to hear from its roster of artists, but I frequently make great discoveries and hear sounds I have never heard before or can't hear anywhere else. For instance, the title track from Jenks Miller... The Moas - The Moas [Independent] This one came in on cassette and I think that's apt as it could've found a home on my walkman back in high school alongside Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine tapes. Disappointed they couldn't attend this year's Big Fun Festival, but fingers-crossed they make their way to Winnipeg at some point. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady [Bad Boy] We live in a world where Janelle Monae has enough of a Q rating to be a Cover Girl. Hopefully the folks that have seen her commercials take the time to listen to her music. Monochromie - Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep [Fluttery Records] Instrumental post-rock? Yes please. If these type of sounds are your thing, Thursday nights from midnight to 4am on UMFM are strongly recommended. Laura Mvula - Sing To The Moon [Blue Note] "Green Garden" is gorgeous. While the rest of Sing To The Moon doesn't quite go as sky-high as that song, such heights are hard to sustain. Nightlands - Oak Island [Secretly Canadian] This was an early-year release that hung on throughout the months without wearing out its welcome. "So Far So Long" indeed. Nymph - New Millennium Prayer [Northern Spy] Another great title-track from another great Northern Spy release. Ola Podrida - Ghosts Go Blind [Western Vinyl] Here's another longlist entry from a previous Top 10 performer. How many is that now? Oldfolks Home - Black & Blue [Head In The Sand] Ricardo Lopez-Aguilar is quite the guy - not many people could come out the other side of a divorce with a record this upbeat (Shoot Out The Lights anyone?). Black & Blue is the silver lining to his cloud. Oshima - The Age Of Shapes [Head In The Sand] A second local release on Head In The Sand, this one from roster boss Michael P Falk whose primary gig is as the leader of Les Jupes. Oshima is decidedly different and undoubtedly beautiful. Pale Eyes - Sweatshop [Independent] A mixtape of tracks from 2010 to 2013, Toronto's Pale Eyes sent this one to the station and the picture of the old Memorex cassette on the cover took me back while the music took me forward.

Oddisee - "Invisible Walls"

We'll get back to the 2013 year-end rundowns in a minute, but let's take a quick pause and listen to some brand new Oddisee. As if dude didn't just release one of the best albums of the year in The Beauty In All (and a dope mixtape accompaniment in the form of Tangible Dream), he's also got new ish for the new year. "Invisible Walls" will appear on the Mello Music Group comp Mandala Vol. 1, Polysonic Flows out January 28th 2014. Peep it now!

2013 In Review - The Longlist Part 1

Well we're at that point in the calendar when the parents are running around buying items of their kids wishlist and the folks like me are creating lists of a different sort. My compatriot at UMFM, Station Manager Jared McKetiak and I will be doing our NINTH annual Year End Wrap-Up show on New Years' Eve counting down our Top 20 Songs and Albums. Normally I cut it really close to the wire in whittling my longlist down but I have to record the program early this year as I'll be away for NYE and so my Top 20 has been finalized and my "missed it by that much" list is burning a hole in my soul. These are the albums I considered by didn't select - I think they're great though and there's a bunch of them so this list is divided into three parts. The first 20 selections alphabetically are below. ____________________________________________________ A Tribe Called Red - Nation II Nation [Pirates Blend] This is the record I had hoped would take home the Polaris Prize amongst the shortlisted albums. Jay Arner - Jay Arner [Mint] I got hip to Arner when I was visiting family in B.C. and discovered the Bleating Hearts. While that band is no longer, Arner soldiers on and released a great record under his own name. He also swung by UMFM and did a great live session for us. Baths - Obsidian [Anticon] Cerulean was my #8 record of 2010. Obisidian is no slouch of a record either so it's saying something that a great record from a past Top 10 act didn't make the 20 this year. Beliefs - Beliefs [Hand Drawn Dracula] This Toronto duo was one of my discoveries of the year - the folks at Hand Drawn Dracula always bring the goods, but with this Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine inspired record, they brought the great. Big Deal - June Gloom [Mute] More shoegazing tunes, this time from a London UK duo on Mute. James Blake - Overgrown [Atlas/Polydor] Another past top performer that didn't make the final list this year (seriously, I could have made a different Top 20 with just albums from past Top 10 album creators). Blue Hawaii - Untogether [Arbutus] Great year for Arbutus Records and for Blue Hawaii member Raphaelle Standell-Preston who you'll hear more from on New Years' Eve. Boats - A Fairway Full Of Miners [Kill Rock Stars] This isn't just on here because I'm on it (seriously though, I sang some vocals on a record on KRS!!!). Klachefsky and co. continue on with the off-kilter but on-point pop they've always crafted. Bosq of Whiskey Barons - Bosq y Orquestra De Madera [Ubiquity] Ubiquity is one of those labels I always make time for when it comes to reviewing their new releases (and their re-issues on Luv 'N Haight) and the fine folks there hooked me up with an early 7-in. from Bosq that served to stoke my fires for the full-length. This is some dancehall madness here. Botany - Lava Diviner [Western Vinyl] I already shared this cut from the album back in August, but if you missed it give it a listen now and then check out the rest of the record. Danny Brown - Old [Fool's Gold Records] While he's made a name for his mixtapes, Brown dropped a pretty outstanding album here. Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap [Independent] Speaking of mixtapes, this is the best of the year. Go cop it at Chance's homepage. Louise Burns - The Midnight Mass [Light Organ Records] Burns was #6 in 2011 for Mellow Drama, a garage gem a la Dum Dum Girls, but she went darker here. Curious to see where she goes next. Bill Callahan - Dream River [Drag City] I can't remember which site put this at #1 for the year, but this understated, beautiful album from Callahan is getting love on a lot of lists. Deservedly. Classixx - Hanging Gardens [Innovative Leisure] Borderline is a stand-out track I've been spinning all year, but the rest of the album is of a note. Chris Forsyth - Solar Motel [Paradise of Bachelors] Forsyth is like James Harden when he was on OKC. Best sixth-man in the biz and always solid off the bench - with Kenzo Deluxe on Northern Spy last year and the four-part Solar Motel on Paradise of Bachelors this year, dude just continues to do things with the guitar that I love, but just haven't put him in as a starter. The selection below is just a tease of the 12-minute-plus full take of Part III. Grand Analog - Modern Thunder [The Shadow Cabinet] Former Winnipeggers went big city and bigger sound on Modern Thunder. Admittedly it's been years since they moved to T.O. and they've been moving toward the new sound over an even longer period. The good get better and this is their best. Grey Reverend - A Hero's Lie [Ninja Tune] I still scratch my head over this coming out on Ninja Tune - I guess there's the Bonobo connection, but as part of the NT roster this is even more left-field than Fog. That said, it's also gut-wrenchingly beautiful and I'm just glad it got released. headshotboyz - highlelujah [Independent] I have Andrew Jervis to thank for introducing me to this production team from Budapest. His Bandcamp Weekly podcast has become a must-listen and it's where I first heard selections from highlelujah. Don't sleep on either. Tim Hecker - Virgins [Paper Bag Records] I kinda think this record is going to make the Polaris shortlist for 2013/2014 - or at the very least the longlist. It's been greeted with universal acclaim and that's saying something for a work this dark and unique.

Charles Bradley ft. the Budos Band - "Changes" (Black Sabbath cover)

Christmas came a little early. The fine folks at Daptone Records put this little chestnut up on Soundcloud yesterday. If you were lucky enough to score the Black Friday Record Store Day 7-in. then this isn't new, but Bradley covering Ozzy was a surprise for me...

Black Dirt Oak - Wawayanda Patent

While I'm still mulling over my faves of this year, the first great album of 2014 has already crossed my desk. MIE Records, by way of Northern Spy, will be releasing Black Dirt Oak's Wawayanda Patent. BDO is a group comprised of members of Pelt, No Neck Blues Band, Desert Heat, Rhyton, Pigeons and more and hopefully some of those names will get you excited. I'm lucky enough to have heard the whole album, but here's the first track they've shared widely; "Florian's Wind."