January and February Releases

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I guess I will start by just giving a quick roundup of some noteable releases from January and February that I haven't mentioned yet. First, Hawksley Workman is back with his latest, called "Meat". Hawksley is a strange artist and you never know quite what to expect with him. While his last couple albums have been disappointing, this one is better, with great songs like "We'll make time" and "song for sarah jane". While It doesnt duplicate the success he had with my favourite album of his "Lover/Fighter", Meat is a decent pickup.

Next, Is the highly anticipated album from Massive Attack, called "Heligoland". This album has been in the works for years now, and is the first release from the group since 2003. Unfortunately, as tends to happen with highly anticipated and delayed albums, this one is a bit of a disappointment. There are a few good tracks, such as "Splitting the atom" and "girl I love you", but the album just doenst pack the same puch the previous ones did. I don't think they can ever top Mezzanine, one of the best albums ever made.

Other albums out recently are One Life Stand By Hot Chip, Romance Is Boring by Los Campesinos! and The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night by the Besnard Lakes. All of these albums are decent and have something worth checking out. Stay tuned, this year looks to be a great one for music, especially May, which sees new albums from Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, The New Pornographers, and The National.

-&Him

Transference

After 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, I had high hopes coming in to Spoon's newest album Transference. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Spoon returns with an album that is similar yet at the same time different than previous works. There are still the same killer pop hooks with Brit Daniel's distinctive lyrics and vocals. At the same time, however, the songs seem less in your face and fast paced, with Spoon opting instead for a more experimental slower sound. While this could be a recipe for disaster if not done right, the band pulls it off to create another great album. Highlights for me include: "Who Makes Your Money" (an instant favourite), "Goodnight Laura" (which has the feel of classic Beatles) and "Trouble Comes Running."

-&Him

Heartland

Well, It's finally here. I have been waiting almost 4 years for Final Fantasy to release a new album after 2006's He Poos Clouds, one of my all time favourites. And even though the name was changed from Final Fantasy to Owen Pallett, it's still the same artist and he has again managed to produce a stellar product. The album is described as a concept album about an ultra-violent farmer named Lewis in the world of Spectrum, who is coming to terms with his creator, Owen Pallett. I will admit, I was at first slightly disappointed with Heartland, as it is different from Pallett's previous work, but after taking some time to digest it, I now see that it is fantastic and love almost every track. The two opening tracks, "Midnight Directives" and "Keep The Dog Quiet", as well as the previously released "Lewis Takes Action" are immediately grabbing. Other tracks become better with more listens, such as "Oh Heartland, Up Yours!" and "Lewis Takes His Shirt Off". Finally, the closing track is a hauntingly beautiful song called "What Do You Think Will Happen Now?" All in all, Pallett is successful in creating his fantasy world, with settings, plot and characters in his songs/lyrics that translate into a strange and unique, but highly enjoyable album.

-&Him

Contra

A couple months back, Liz posted the news of Vampire Weekend's new album Contra. I was able to download the album a couple days ago, and I must say, it is really really good. It seems as though people either love or have this band, and I am one of the people that loves them. I thought their first album was good, but this one is definitely better. I would urge people who didn't like the first to give this a chance, it is worth it. Aside from the singles like "Horchata" and "Cousins" that were previously released (which are great) ones that are also good include "Run", "Diplomat's Son" and my personal favourite "Giving Up the Gun", a song that shows the band developing and improving their sound. I will definitely be picking up a copy of this album on Tuesday when I go to get the new Owen Pallett (The new name for Final Fantasy) album, I would recommend you do too. Enjoy!

-&Him

Favourites of 2009

Happy New Year everybody! I've finally gotten around to posting my list of my favourite albums of 2009. And here it is:

1. Handsome Furs - Face Control
2. The xx - xx
3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
6. Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
7. Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
8. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
9. Passion Pit - Manners
10. Annie - Don’t Stop
11. The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!
13. jj - jj n° 2
14. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
15. A.C. Newman - Get Guilty
16. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
17. Peter Bjorn And John - Living Thing
18. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
19. La Roux - La Roux
20. Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic
21. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
22. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
23. Metric - Fantasies
24. Matt & Kim - Grand
25. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
26. Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence
27. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
28. Say Hi - Oohs And Aahs
29. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
30. Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Once again, as it was in 2007, my favourite album of the year belongs to Handsome Furs - Face Control. I almost didn't make it my number one just because I didn't like it as much as Plague Park. But when all is said and done, I just couldn't find an album that I enjoyed and listened to as much. A very close second (it was at #1 for most of the last few months) was the fantastic self titled debut album by the xx. Rounding out the top five were Animal Collective, Junior Boys (another strong candidate for #1) and Phoenix who had the great singles 1901 and Lisztomania. The rest of the albums follow an approximate but not exact order, since it is hard to judge certain albums against each other. There is something on each of these 30 albums that I liked, and I would recommend most of them to everyone. Biggest surprises were A.C. Newman, Phoenix and Mos Def, who delivered more than I was expecting. Albums that weren't as good as I thought they were going to be, and therefore I found to be a bit of a letdown were The Raveonettes, Kings Of Convenience and Metric, but they were still decent. Notable debuts include the afore mentioned xx as well as Fever Ray and Passion Pit.

-&Him

Bat For Lashes

I've had the album Two Suns by Bat For Lashes for some time now, but it is only recently (and partly due to a Pitchfork review) that I have started to explore and like the whole thing. The single, "Daniel" I had listened to and loved earlier, but had kind of forgot about the rest of it. It is only now that I have listened to more that I realize how good of an album it is. This is mostly due to the opener, "Glass" a swirling, atmospheric song that tells a story of being in a fantastical place and a search for love. Other standout songs include "Moon and Moon" as well as "Pearl's Dream". My discovery of this album comes just in time for my end of the year list of my favourite albums of the year. Stay tuned in the next few days for that!

-&Him

Liz Trinnear: MuchMusic VJ!!!

There were over 4000. Now there is only one. Liz Trinnear, our very own "She" has won the MuchMusic VJ Search 2.0. Of anyone I know, I can't think of anyone that deserves this more. Liz is a kind, funny, intelligent person who has a great taste in music and great personal skills. I know MuchMusic made the right choice and Liz will be a great VJ and fan favourite for many years to come. Congrats Liz, I hope this is everything you dreamed of and more.

-&Him

New Final Fantasy!

I have been eagerly awaiting new material from Owen Pallett aka Final Fantasy for a long time now, ever since his last album He Poos Clouds, one of my all time favourite albums. It was announced awhile back that his next album, called Heartland, would be released January 12 of next year. The first single, "Lewis Takes Action" was released this week, and I can't stop listening to it. If you don't have it yet, and are a fan of Final Fantasy, you must get it, I can promise you will love it. It is available for free here http://www.dominorecordco.com/freelewis/. Now I just have a painful wait of a month (maybe less if it leaks) to hear the rest of what I'm sure will be a fantastic album. I will let you know more when I have the whole thing, but for now, enjoy this song by one of my favourite artists.

-&Him

P.S. Be sure to watch MOD this Friday and cheer on Liz!!!

Au Revoir Simone

I discovered this group after seeing their music video for the song "Another Likely Story", which I love, and have listened to many times since downloading it. The group consists of three women who all play keyboards and sing, which is definitely a unique setup, but it works. As you can guess, the sound is therefore based on electronic and synth sounds. The whole album, called Still Night, Still Light is alright, there are a few standout songs, but I find most of the songs blend into each other. This is fine if you just want to chill out (which this band is perfect to do to), but not too many songs are going to stick in your head or garner multiple plays. The songs worth checking out are the afore mentioned "Another Likely Story" as well as "All Or Nothing" and "Only You Can Make You Happy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q5V4OKEgx4

-&Him

Final 4!

And then there were four. Liz Trinnear has done it again, moving one step closer to winning MuchMusic VJ Search 2.0! If anyone can do it, she can. She joins Alli Walker, Marlon Palmer and Laith Hakeem as the last standing of thousands of applicants. Up next is a MuchNews Assignment, in which Liz will partner up with Laith to produce a pop culture story - which will air on Friday's MOD. Be sure to tune in, and to vote for Liz in every way possible! Keep up the support everyone, every little bit counts. Lets bring She&Him music to Much!

-&Him

The xx

Wow. That is all I can say after finally listening to this band. I had heard alot of good things about them, including a 8.7 rating by the usually stingy Pitchfork review staff. Now that I have listened to their debut album xx I can see what all the hype is about. A four piece British band of 20-year-olds (yes, they have accomplished much more than me who is older than that), The xx is successful at having songs that draw you in melodically and lyrically. With songs about love, sex and emotion, they really make you think and more importantly, feel something, which is something that I have found is rare with most music. Because of this, and how much I just intuitively like this album, It is definitely a candidate for my pick of top album of 2009. I think it goes without saying that you should check them out. Favourite tracks are "VCR", "Islands" and "Heart Skipped A Beat" but almost every song is awesome.

-&Him

New Twilight Soundtrack...OWNS

This is a movie I have not taken an interest in. I won't lie, I gave it a chance but you can't call me a "twi-hard" that's for sure.

That being said, the second film New Moon has by far one of my favourite soundtracks of 2009. Check out the line up:

1. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – MEET ME ON THE EQUINOX
2. BAND OF SKULLS – FRIENDS
3. THOM YORKE – HEARING DAMAGE
4. LYKKE LI – POSSIBILITY
5. THE KILLERS – A WHITE DEMON LOVE SONG
6. ANYA MARINA – SATELLITE HEART
7. MUSE – I BELONG TO YOU (NEW MOON REMIX)
8. BON IVER & ST. VINCENT – ROSYLN
9. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – DONE ALL WRONG
10. HURRICANE BELLS – MONSTERS
11. SEA WOLF – THE VIOLET HOUR
12. OK GO – SHOOTING THE MOON
13. GRIZZLY BEAR WITH VICTORIA LEGRAND – SLOW LIFE
14. EDITORS – NO SOUND BUT THE WIND
15. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – NEW MOON (THE MEADOW)

Did I forget to mention the fact that they pushed the release date of the soundtrack up because of the popular demand? Crazy I know.

Personal Favourites: Thom Yorke, Sea Wolf, Lykke Li, Grizzly Bear, Muse, Bon Iver, Killers, Band of Skulls and here is Anya Marina's music video for the track on the album:

Great Tune. Solid Album. Must Buy.

Website http://www.newmoonthesoundtrack.com/

Enjoy
-She

Timber Timbre

I am proud to say that this artist is a Canadian. Recently signed to the glorious Arts&Crafts record label, there is no doubt that he blends in with the family well. If you are a fan of artists like: Bon Iver, Patrick Watson, Blind Pilot, Wintersleep, Sufjan Stevens check this track out...

Demon Host-Timber Timbre


Oh Messiah


I need to see this fella live.

-She

Deadmau5

I am hooked. I have known of this DJ for a while but never paid much attention to him until I was laughing that Walmart had an advertisement for his album on their commercial. Thank you to the wonderful Luisa for introducing me to this talented little lad. It will be a must see DJ set next time he's around.
If you listen to the track Strobe all the way through (10 mins long) and don't like it, well then that sucks. This is one of those songs that you can imagine yourself at a bar on a beach, late at night on an island somewhere or driving, or pretty much just a motivating tune. Okay this is just rambling: Listen and enjoy.

-She

Metric Concert

This is a little bit late, but last Friday, I attended the Metric concert at Centennial Hall, here in London. I probably wouldn't have gone to the show on my own, but a friend was going and asked, so I went along. I have always liked Metric in the past, even though their songs have been kind of hit or miss for me. The last album, Fantasies (which they were on tour promoting) was disappointing in my opinion, with only a couple songs I really liked.
I'm not sure If it was the fact that Metric was touring that album, the fact that I was on the balcony, the performance itself, or some combination of the three, but I just wasn't too impressed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, and they did play some favourites like Poster of a Girl and Dead Disco, which was nice to see, but I really wasn't feeling it overall. I just wasn't drawn in, and there was nothing particularly special about the performance.
One positive was the performance of The Stills, who I love (probably more than Metric themselves) and have seen before when they came to Call the Office, also in London. While their albums have also been disappointing since their killer debut, Logic Will Break Your Heart, I think I just like their music better, and thought their performance was solid.
Additionally, I do like Emily Haines' solo work more than Metric, and was hoping she would maybe perform one of those songs, but no such luck. Haines actually also is featured in a Stills song, but that was not performed either.
Again, I'm not saying there was much BAD about it, but it certainly wasn't the best concert I have ever been to.
Note to self: If I see Metric again, get floor tickets.

-&Him

Wooo!

She just keeps on rolling! About an hour ago, Liz was announced to be one of the top 8 in the MuchMusic VJ Search 2.0! This is huge, and she definitely deserves to be there, beating out other talented hopefuls to make the jump from 16 to 8. This is a great step for Liz, but she still needs your support so keep on voting, as well as become her fan on facebook and follow her on twitter if you haven't already done so. Let's get her on the air on a regular basis, and get some recognition to our favourite indie bands. Liz will do nothing but help MuchMusic!

http://vj.muchmusic.com/liz/

-&Him

Zero 7

I have finally gotten around to listening to the new Zero 7 album, Yeah Ghost, And I must say, it is pretty good. For their 4th album, they opted to go with some new vocalists (previous albums featured the likes of Sia Furler and Jose Gonzalez), which is a good move, but I really don`t like the new folks as much as the old ones. There was something about Sia`s voice that just fit with Zero 7`s music, and I think that some of the songs on Yeah Ghost would be better with Sia and maybe some different choices than were made. Not to say the songs are bad, I just would have chosen some different vocalists. As for the sound, It is very in line with their previous work, incorporating many different styles with a focus on electronic beats and a low-key, relaxing tone. Highlights for me include Everything Up (Zisou), Medicine Man, and Ghost Symbol. Definitely worth checking out.

-&Him

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

This has been a long overdue post but by far one of my favourite current groups. Here is Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros appearance on Letterman.


I highly recommend looking into some of their other work. The recorded versions are all equally as wonderful.

-She

Matt & Kim

A while ago, Liz recommended a bunch of bands, and I was unable to check all of them out. One of these bands was Matt & Kim, a duet from New York. Their second album, Grand, was released early this year, and I have just recently started listening to them, after I heard one of their songs in a TV show. I really like their sound, upbeat, catchy tunes that remind me a bit of another duo and personal favourite, Mates Of State. The album is pretty good, can get a little sick of them after multiple listens, but definitely worth checking out. The most popular song would have to be "Daylight" which is one of my favourites, as is "Cutdown" and "Lessons Learned."

-&Him

Congratulations Liz!

Congrats to Liz (She) for making the top 16 in the MuchMusic VJ Search 2.0! The contest is just beginning, but after seeing some of the other finalists, I am confident that Liz can go far into the competition, and just might win the whole thing. And if that happens, maybe she can get some of our wonderful bands we discuss on here, the exposure they deserve! Make sure you follow the show and vote for her when possible! Show the love!
Click HERE to vote 5 hot/ 5 cool stars.

- &Him