Make Some Noise | Local Music Collection

June's Recommended Recordings

Deep Dark United
Look At / Look Out (2007)

Led by Alex Lukashevsky, Deep Dark United creates avant-garde jazz infused with folk and rock influences. While DDU is probably too weird to garner major popular attention, the group's unique and talented musicianship has led to them being influential members of the Toronto music scene. In 2007, DDU played two shows at the Tranzac, and released the resulting live recording as Look At / Look Out.

The Slakadeliqs
The Other Side of Tomorrow (2012)

Until last year, Slakah the Beatchild was mainly known as a producer, having worked with such prominent Canadian artists as D.O., Divine Brown and Drake. With The Other Side of Tomorrow, Slakah demonstrated his own considerable songwriting chops, collaborating with  Shad, Justin Nozuka and Sweden's Magnus Tingsek to produce 14 tracks of folk and electro-infused soul that topped many critics 'best of' lists for the year. 

Black Mountain
Wilderness Heart (2010)

Vancouver's Black Mountain is the psychedelic hard-rock offshoot of lead singer Stephen McBean's other project Pink Mountaintops. A sonic hybrid of 70s hair rock riffs and grinding hard metal guitars, Wilderness Heart is a record that deserves to be played loud.

 

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May's Recommended Recordings

The Weeknd
Trilogy (2012)

In 2011, the music world was taken by storm by a series of freely released mixtapes by elusive Toronto singer The Weeknd. Since then his style of brooding, self reflexive R&B that conciously eschews pop-friendly elements has rebooted the Rythm & Blues genre and The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) has become an international sensation. Trilogy is the re-release of these three mixtapes (House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence), accompanied by three previously unreleased tracks.

The Besnard Lakes
Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO (2013)

Since 2003, Montreal's husband and wife team The Besnard Lakes have produced moody atmospheric rock albums that have won over fans and critics alike. On their fourth full album, Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO, Besnard Lakes are joined by Spencer Krug to create eight tracks of minimalist, artfully orchestrated shoegaze pop.

Daphni
Jiaolong (2012)

Daphni is the current stage name of Canada's chameleonic Dan Snaith. Previously releasing highbrow electronica as Caribou and Manitoba, Dan's name change indicates a shift in focus to more straight-up EDM. While this has made his latest album more accessible to the average listener, Snaith still deploys his considerable artistic chops to Jialong, and the result is a series of adventurous, inventive and seriously danceable tracks.

 

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April's Recommended Recordings - The Dusted Edition

We're very excited that Dusted will be playing in the stacks at the Parkdale Branch at the end of the month for a free, all-ages show. A collaboration between Brian Borcherdt and Leon Taheny, Dusted's album Total Dust was easily one of our favourite recordings of the last little while.

An amazing project in its own right, Dusted is only one of the many great groups that these two talented musicians have had a hand in. Keep reading for a list of other great albums from Brian & Leon!

 

April's Recommended Book: What Are You Doing Here?

 

What Are You Doing Here? A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal

(2012) Laina Dawes

In her debut book, What Are You Doing Here?, music journalist and photographer Laina Dawes explores black women's relationship to heavy metal, punk and hardcore music.

Get TOTALLY DUSTED: DUSTED live in the stacks, with special guest RITUALS April 27

Brian Borcherdt and Leon Taheny bring their project, Dusted to Parkdale Library for a free show in the stacks. Also playing, shoegaze art rock Rituals share tracks from their brand new EP. All ages.

Dusted + Rituals
Live in the Stacks
Parkdale Library
(1303 Queen St. W)
Saturday, April 27, 8 pm
Free, All - Ages

 

(Dusted photo credit: Julia Schill)
(Rituals photo credit: Thursday Friday)

What Are You Doing Here, LAINA DAWES?

"Talking about Toronto's aggressive rock scene... what else!"

Join metal journalist Laina Dawes and special guests CBC's Garvia Bailey and local musician Saidah Baba Talibah as they talk about their experiences blazing new ground in Toronto’s aggressive rock scene.

Dawes’ book, What Are You Doing Here, chronicles the challenges and rewards faced by black female metal fans.

 What Are You Doing Here
Runnymede Library
(2178 Bloor St. W)
Tuesday, April 23, 7 pm
Free

 

March's Recommended Recordings

PS I Love You
Death Dreams (2012)

Kingston rock duo PS I Love You are the type of band meant to be listened to loud. Paul Saulnier's dense, intricate melodies laid over top of Benjamin Nelson's hypnotic enveloping percussion on the band's sophomore full-length result in a fist-pumping sonic explosion that fully deserves to be cranked to 11.

Moonface (with SIINAI)
Heartbreaking Bravery (2012)

Spencer Krug has played with a whole pile of exciting Canadian acts (including Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake to name but a few). His newest musical project under the stage name Moonface sees Krug look across the Atlantic to pair with Finnish epic rock quartet SIINAI. The resulting project is an album replete with hallucinatory lyrics and rich audio landscapes, demonstrating Krug's continued exciting artistic exploration.

Snowblink
Inner Classics (2012)

In 2008 Daniela Gesundheit moved to Toronto, partnered with Dan Goldman, and founded the dreamy folk duo Snowblink. Since then, the two of them have toured with a whos-who of the Canadian music scene (including Feist, the Hidden Cameras and Owen Pallett), and released two critically acclaimed albums. On Inner Classics, Gesundheit's ethereal lyricism blends with complex and lush synth-augmented orchestrations to create one of the most beautifully memorable albums of the year.

February's Recommended Recordings

Mac Demarco
Rock and Roll Night Club (2012)
We can't even begin to figure out how to describe this recording. David Bowie meets Twin Peaks soundtrack with a little splash of late night radio? Whatever it is, its also really good. The first of two albums released by Montrealler Mac Demarco in 2012, Rock and Roll Night Club is a risky and welcome contribution to Canada's sonic landscape.

Dirty Ghosts
Metal Moon (2012)
Its a bit misleading to suggest that Dirty Ghosts is a Canadian band, given that it's lived out its entire existence in San Francisco. That being said, the band is composed of some expat Canadian punks who moved down to California a couple of years ago (for the burritos, no doubt). Dirty Ghosts combines the best elements of thrashy punk guitars with danceable drumbeats, resulting in an album that equally at home on a dancefloor or a moshpit. Now if we could only convince them to move back North...

The Diodes
Action/Reaction (1980/2012)

In the late 1970s and early 80s, the Diodes were making quite a ruckus in downtown Toronto. Often hailed as the city's preeminent punk band of the period, this fourpiece is credited for laying the foundation for Canada's punk scene. In 2012, Bongo Beat rereleased the Diodes classic Action/Reaction, 32 years after its initial release.  

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Get published: Broken Social Scene-inspired story contest

Remember YOU FORGOT IT IN PEOPLE?

Think Broken Social Scene-sters Leslie Feist, Charles Spearin and Brendan Canning might like to read a story by you?

Enter the Broken Social Scene Story Contest, sponsored by House of Anansi press, and get a chance to have your story published in THE BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE STORY PROJECT.

Need some inspiration?

 

Borrow the CD

Or read Anansi's book about BSS, THIS BOOK IS BROKEN.

And don't miss BBS at the Field Trip festival in June, marking the 10th anniversary of the record label that started it all, Arts & Crafts.

January's Recommended Recordings

The Wooden Sky
Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun (2012)
2012 was a good year for Toronto folk rockers The Wooden Sky. Their third LP was released to critical acclaim, and they spent the year touring around the world with the likes of Great Bloomers and Evening Hymns. Quiet and contemplative, Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun is an intimate experience that demonstrates this five piece's considerable musical talent.

Rae Spoon
I Can't Keep All Of Our Secrets (2012)
Spoon established their musical reputation as a country balladeer, and so for longtime fans their latest recording's electronic influences may come as a bit of a suprise. Written after the sudden death of a close friend, the album's sometimes poppy, danceable rythms create a counterpoint to the emotional depth to the rest of Spoon's superb songwriting.

Eight and a Half
Eight and a Half (2012)
Already dubbed a pop "supergroup", Eight and a Half is composed of drummer Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene and Dave Hamelin + Liam O'Neill of (now defunct) Montreal scenesters The Stills. Like many of the other recordings released of late, Eight and a Half has traded in the straight-up rock sounds of the members' previous projects for more synth-driven pop tunes.

 

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