Brooklyn Vegan gave Peter Bjorn and John a naaasty review of their Bowery Ballroom perfomance in NYC, but Gorilla vs. Bear has a video of them performing live on Conan which is pretty dope. You decide...

Reason to hate Fall Out Boy #346: They're pompous idiots!



Pete Wentz, biggest douchebag on earth, said this about FOB's new album's leak:

"This could potentially be one of the biggest leaks there is. If you think that every year computers, iPod, internet music grows exponentially and we're probably one of the biggest bands in rock music on the internet. ... Our job is to put out records and tour and make music. What are we gonna do? Sit at the plant and watch everybody? Some guy working minimum wage, why would he care how it affects us? It's a multi-pronged thing."

Thank you, Pete, for giving me another reason to hate your gawdawful band. Or maybe he just overlooked The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible leak which has been the latest buzz for weeks, or maybe Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot when it was leaked. Get humble, douche!

2007's "It" Bands (as anticipated by myself)

That's right folks! You can get a heads up on all the bands to look out for this year (or better yet, check out immediately and get the I-told-you-so satisfaction when they're the next Sonic Youth), all in one convienent place. Aren't you lucky!
Already it's shaping up to be a good year, and we're not even finished January. Afterall, we've already passed the one day wonder that was January 23rd, also known as the day all indie kids maxed out their parents credit cards on new releases. We've also seen promising comebacks, or plans to comeback from Modest Mouse, The Shins, Radiohead, Bjork and Smashing Pumpkins. The bills for Coachella and Bonnaroo 2007 have been released, along with it many reunions of our favourite old timers such as The Police, Rage Against The Machine and The Jesus and Mary Chain. All this, and the blogsphere has been buzzing with bands on the uprise. Here are some of the bands that I do believe the hype about:

Andrew Bird



You heard it here first, Andrew Bird will be 2007's man of the moment. His new album, Armchair Apocrypha is already making a huge splash on countless blogs. That much coverage has to account for something, right? Plus his first single "Heretics" is slammin'. Get it at I Guess I'm Floating.

Deerhoof


^{How could you not love such a happy looking band?}

Again, going to be big, big, BIG this year. Gorilla vs. Bear has jumped the gun and called their single "Matchbook Seeks Maniac" their favourite song of 2007 (and you can score it over there too). Their January 23rd release Friend Opportunity will be all over the place in the next 11 months, so get on that!

Menomena



Just ask the guys over at Amp Camp. Their new album Friend and Foe has been in their 'Featured Albums' section for a while now, and shows promise of staying for another little while. Very accessible, shinslike music makes for popular sales over there. You can get a couple of MP3's over at Stereogum('Wet And Rusting' reccomended).

Panda Bear

^{(I'm afraid I can't find a picture because all google images generates is pictures of panda bears)}

The last, but certainly not the least. Panda Bear's new album Person Pitch is going to be so gigantuous this year in the indie/blog world, Google images will have no choice but to have loads of pictures of Panda Bear, rather than panda bears. Many, many blogs have sung their praises, most notably Gorilla vs. Bear's obsession with the new album. Please, for your sake, pick this one up! You can grab a couple of MP3's over at Gorilla vs. Bear.

I know I posted that article I wrote for my school newspaper before, but i redid it with some better bands. Enjoy!

- - -

Band Spotlight: The Best Bands You’ve Never Heard Of.

So you want to listen to indie rock and roll? You want to rythmlessly sway back and forth at concerts, chatting it up with people you’ve never met before about how the band you’re watching was better on their first album, and their latest stuff is a little over-produced? Well, I can’t help you. It takes years to build up a collection and vast foundation of useless band trivia to become a true indie rocker. But these bands are the best in the genre and listening to them will at least get you a head nod from experts (if not a long-winded explanation of how the lead singers side project is better than the band itself).
The Smiths:
I thought I’d start with the basics; the Smiths are kind of old news but are an important cornerstone in the genre. They were a very successful indie band from the 1980’s British invasion and were internationally recognized for their electric live performances and beautiful studio albums. They were fronted by the acclaimed lyricist Morrissey, warmly nicknamed the Pope of Mope for his melancholic and dark lyrics, and one of the most influential frontmen in indie rock. Although they aren’t together anymore, Morrissey has taken on a successful solo career and his still recording critically acclaimed albums.
You’ll like them if you’re into: Coldplay, Belle & Sebastian, Any band with strong accents
Recommended Album: The Queen Is Dead
Recommended Tracks: Bigmouth Strikes Again, Vicar in a Tutu



M. Ward:
Ah, indie pop. My all-time favourite oxymoron. And why not when a man like M. Ward writes such beautiful indie pop music. The refreshing simplicity of his music and unforgettable lyrics will give your ears a welcome vacation from over produced drone, whether you’re into that or not. Don’t like to hear politics in your music? Neither do I. I associate politics with complications and frills, which Post-War is not. The name is misleading, but the album is incredible, no strings attached bliss. Not only does he deliver on this album, but his live show is also not something you should miss. Do your ears a favour and pick this one up today.
You’ll like him if you’re into: Bob Dylan, the acoustic guitar
Recommended Album: Post-War
Recommended Tracks: Chinese Translation, To Go Home



Fujiya & Miyagi:
As a general rule, I usually steer clear of bands which have names I can’t pronounce as I figure if their name is, the music must also be over my head. But as we saw with Post-War, things aren’t always what they seem. This band is neither Japanese, nor a duo as their name would lead you to believe. They are actually a trio from the UK who share interests in early-90’s electronica and alter egos (Fujiya is Steve Lewis, & is David Best, and Miyagi is Matt Hainsby). Yes, they are technically an electronica band, but don’t be intimidated by the genre title. If there is one band who will get you into electronica, it will be Fujiya & Miyagi (or Hot Chip in my case). Fujiya & Miyagi have just released their latest album, Transparent Things last month and you can bet it’ll be a vital 2007 collection piece. So take a chance, pick it up, and delve into the wonder that is electronica music.
You’ll like them if you’re into: Heavy bass lines
Recommended Album: Transparent Things
Recommended Tracks: Collarbone, Ankle Injuries

Need It..Got It



After weeks of antici....pation! I finally got the new Shins CD; Wincing Away The Night. I also got Malajube's Trompe L'oeil and Wolf Parade's Apologies To The Queen Mary, a couple of CD's that has been on my "Need It" list for months now. I brought Wincing Away The Night to school because I already got emails asking to rip the CD. Where as the excitement of buying a just released CD gone, and why has 'ripping' become so popular. I can't really talk because I rip CD's all the time, but if people want it so bad, why don't they just buy it.
My french teacher has a collection of 700+ CD's and is selling all of them because he said he's backed them all up on his computer, which only further proves my point.

Oh, and this just in, Dinosaur Jr. seems to be coming out with a new album this year. Stay tuned for more on that.

Pictures of the New Dinosaur Jr. Nike Dunks



Pretty dirty, huh? Well also pretty expensive, so I probably won't be getting them, as they are $150 and too lush for my taste.
They're released Febuary 10th in Toronto.

The Day Is Finally Here!



Today is one of the best days of 2007 for CD collectors, as pretty much all this years anticipated and acclaimed albums have been released TODAY! Just in case you didn't know, here's a list:
Justin Dorion - Woke Myself Up
Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Here
The Good, The Bad, and the Queen - s/t (UK only)
Field Music - Tones Of Town (UK only)
Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
Rob Crowe - Living Well
Of Montreal - Hissing Fawna: Are You The Destroyer?
The Shins - Wincing Away The Night
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Animal Collective - People EP
Bird And The Bee - s/t
Kristen Hersh - Learn To Sing Life A Star
Vietnam - s/t
Menomena - Friend And Foe
Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs

I don't exactly have the budget to get all of these, nor do I want every single one, but you can bet I'm going to get my hands on The Shins, Of Montreal and Fujiya & Miyagi, and if I'm feeling up for it then I'll also get Menomena and Deerhoof.
You Should Do The Same!

This is a article I wrote for my school newspaper, and although the issue doesn't come out until valentines day, I have nothing to write today so I'm putting this in. Enjoy!
- - -

So you want to listen to indie rock and roll? You want to rythmlessly sway back and forth at concerts, chatting it up with people you’ve never met before about how the band you’re watching was better on their first album, and their latest stuff is a little over-produced? Well, I can’t help you. It takes years to build up a CD collection and a vast foundation of useless band trivia to really become a true indie rocker. But these bands are the best in the genre and listening to them will at least get you a head nod from experts (if not a winded explanation of how the lead singers side project is better than the band itself).
The Smiths:



I thought I’d start with the basics; the Smiths are kind of old news but are an important cornerstone in this genre. They were a very successful indie band from the 1980’s British invasion and were internationally recognized for their electric live performances and beautiful studio albums. They were fronted by the acclaimed lyricist Morrissey, warmly nicknamed the Pope of Mope for his melancholic and dark lyrics, and one of the most influential frontmen in indie rock. Although they aren’t together anymore, Morrissey has taken on a successful solo career and his still producing critically acclaimed albums.
You’ll like them if you’re into: Coldplay, Belle & Sebastian, Anyone band with strong accents
Recommended Album: The Queen Is Dead
Recommended Tracks: Bigmouth Strikes Again, Vicar in a Tutu

The Decemberists:



Ah, indie pop. My all-time favourite oxymoron. And why not when bands like the Decemberists write such beautiful indie pop music. They are fronted by the charismatic Colin Meloy, a man with a passionate relationship with his acoustic guitar, and backed up by guitarist Chris Funk. This past year they released The Crane Wife, an incredibly well received concept album based on a Japanese folk tale and their first release on a major label. They take cues from influential 90’s indie bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel who also did the tragic concept, pretty acoustic guitar dance on their album In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.
You’ll like them if you’re into: Neutral Milk Hotel, 18th Century Fables
Recommended Album: The Crane Wife
Recommended Track: O, Valencia!, Summersong

The Shins:



Yes, I realize that the article is called ‘The Best Bands You’ve Never Heard Of’, and you have heard of the Shins, but they are still an indie band, and I chose them for one important reason: they have a new album coming out in 2007 (January 23rd, to be precise) and I’m sort of following a pattern here. That’s right folks, you heard it here first (unless you follow this kind of thing as closely as I do), the Shins are releasing a new album called Wincing Away The Night. It has yet to be released, but through the magic of the internet, I streamed the entire album and I have to say it looks promising. The same old Shins writing style you know and love, but much better produced coupled with a clear higher budget for recording. Some girl sitting in a café once told me “The Shins will change your life”, and although I can’t say my life has changed much since I began listening to them, they’re arguably the most recognized indie band out there and have made many people slightly happier (the kind of happy you can only get from listening to that good old indie rock and roll).
You’ll like them if you’re into: The OC or Garden State
Recommended Album: Wincing Away The Night
Recommended Track: The Phantom Limb (first and currently only downloadable single)

Why do I keep buying more and more cds when I don't even get the time to listen to them? I haven't even gotten through my Neko Case CD in its entirety yet, and i've had it for months. I just bought a self-titled Specials album (which caught my eye because it was produced by Elvis Costello) and Sean Lennon's 'Friendly Fire'. Well, to be fair, I've listened to both those albums through already even though I just bought them a couple of days ago, but I still have a bunch I haven't gotten through yet. My problem is I go back to London, go to Grooves and get a kind of Grooves fever. I have to buy, buy, buy all the CDs i want but clearly don't have the money for ( I still have a long list of 2006 releases i have yet to get)

Speaking of releases, here's a list of 2007 releases that I'm really anticipating:
1/23 The Good, The Bad, The Queen (uk only)
1/23 Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
1/23 Of Montreal - Hissing Fawna: Are You The Destroyer?
1/23 The Shins - Wincing Away The Night
1/23 Deerhoof - Friend Oppurtunity
1/23 Menomena - Friend and Foe
2/06 Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
3/06 !!! - Myth Takes
3/20 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
3/20 I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends

As you can see, January the 23rd is going to be quite a big (and expensive) day. Mark your calenders!

I went on a little shopping spree on Thursday and splurged on 7 cds. Yeah, it was a lot but 4 of the 7 were used and great
prices. I got:
NaS - Hip Hop Is Dead
Nina Simone - Remixed and Reimagined
Cat Power - The Greatest
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
Bob Dylan - Greatest Hits Volume 1
Lady Sovereign - Public Warning
The Smiths - Rank

I'm pretty happy with all of them, especially the Nina Simone album. It's a great listen, pick it up.

Back to school tomororw and not terribly happy about it..


_{This is obviously an old picture of OM but Google images pretty much only generates pictures of Montreal when you type in the band name}

but I just bought my Of Montreal ticket for march so I guess things are looking up..
You can get their brand new single from Jan 23rd's 'Hissing Fawna: Are You The Destroyer?' called 'Labyrinthian Pomp' at Stereogum, along with a preview of the fold-out album art.

That's all for now, seeing as I have a lot of packing to do but i'll post more when I get into my routine.

Thank goodness for Christmas money and Boxing Day sales...



because otherwise I wouldn't have the means to update my collection with a couple of vital 2006 releases. On boxing day I wasn't going near the mall, but I did head on downtown to Grooves where they had a buy-3-get-4th-free deal. I picked up Final Fantasy's 'He Poos Clouds', Belle & Sebastian's 'The Life Pursuit', Beirut's 'Gulag Orkestar', and Camera Obscura's 'Let's Get Out Of This Country'. Somehow I didn't believe the hype about these album upon their actual release and either ignored or never got around to buying them. But with all the 2006 Best Of Lists released, I realized all the gems that got away. There's a couple more I have yet to pick up such as Peter, Bjorn and John's 'Writer's Block', Joanna Newsom's 'Ys', Cat Power 'The Greatest', Grizzley Bear's 'Yellow House', The Hold Steady's 'Boys and Girls in America', Yo La Tengo's 'I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass', and Malajube's 'Trompe L'oeil'. Yeah, quite a ways to go I realize. But to be fair I just started getting into the blog thing (reading them that is) a couple of months ago so I missed a lot of the hype about these albums. They'll all make their way into my collection soon.
For 2007, I can't wait for the realease of some highly anticipated albums such as The Shins 'Wincing Away The Night', Of Montreal's 'Hissing Fawna, Are You The Destroyer?' and The Apples In Stereo 'New Magnetic Wonder' (all of which I plan on picking up upon their actual release and not at the end of the year).

This year I plan on going to see The New Pornographers in Toronto on Febuary 3rd, The Roots on March 24th in Toronto and Of Montreal over my spring break in Montreal (date unknown at this point)

Yep, looks like it's going to be a great year.