Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O. has experimented with other projects for a few years.  She’s done movie soundtracks, an opera called Stop The Virgens, and a few shows here and there as Native Korean Rock.  And with the future of Yeah Yeah Yeahs seemingly on hold for the moment, it was only a matter of time before we heard […]

Back in March, John Ridgard and Beck Wood – aka Coves – released their debut LP Soft Friday to UK and European audiences only, and it received widespread acclaim. It was only last week that the album was made available to North American audiences by Nettwerk (although you could hear various tracks on their YouTube channel and Soundcloud), thus giving […]

Despite starting off as a member of Brookyn indie band Yeasayer, collaborating with Caribou and Of Montreal, and being the musical director of ATOMIC BOMB! The Music of William Onyeabor, which included contributions from David Byrne, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), and others, Ahmed Gallab remains a virtual unknown outside New York’s music scene. In many ways, […]

There is a lot of great stuff coming out on Tuesday, that means this weekend’s Weekend Stream is stacked! Justin Townes Earle’s Single Mothers is streaming on NPR. Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant’s Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar is streaming on CBC (Canada) and NPR (US) Hiss Golden Messenger’s Lateness of Dancers, which Rich reviewed on Thursday, is streaming via […]

This is an album I’ve been anticipating all year, Hiss Golden Messenger’s Lateness of Dancers. The North Carolina based duo of singer/songwriter M.C. Taylor and Scott Hirsch have been releasing records as Hiss Golden Messenger for a little over five years, but have played music together for much, much longer. Their blend of folk, rock, country and pretty much everything […]

NYC’s Interpol has had a winning formula since their first album Turn On The Bright Lights.  Driving bass lines, Paul Banks’ unique voice and guitars cutting through all of it.  Though since their last record, Interpol, the band lost one of its most distinctive features, the bass playing of Carlos D. After Carlos left the band, they had a few […]

I remember being asked by a friend how I would describe Blonde Redhead. My reply was, “Unconventional.” Since their formation twenty years ago and now through nine albums, the legendary New York City trio have never been ones to follow trends. Instead, they’re constantly pushing boundaries, taking the listener to places never before imagined or heard. Every note and every […]

Ruthie Foster has been a favourite of mine for a while now. As I wrote back in June, I first “discovered” Ruthie Foster back in 2007 when she performed at Ottawa Bluesfest. She performed two shows at the festival – a mid-summer’s day set that had the audience of some 2,000 people completely captivated and more showed up to find […]

I’ve been a fan of Brenda Earle Stokes since her days as Brenda Earle (ie, back in high school in Sarnia, Ontario). She was (and remains) a few years younger than me, but we ran in similar circles during our teen years. She was recognized as a talented kid at the time, one you would be wise to watch and […]

Tucson, Arizona based Singer-songwriter Brian Lopez made some waves with his debut LP Ultra. He’ll be back for his follow-up Static Noise which will be out September 23.  Ultra was a great album, that many people, including Lopez pegged as “eclectic” but Lopez has decidedly attempted to make Static Noise a more focused effort, and from what I’ve heard so […]

24 Year old Barrie Lindsay of Boston is also known as Grammar.  This week, she’s sharing “New World” which will be on her upcoming five track Grammar EP which will be released next month. It’s a beautiful electronic-driven track with gorgeous, lush harmonies and a real laid-back and dreamy vibe, despite the lyrics “I’m getting reckless”.  Take a listen below! […]

It’s easy to forget how great of a songwriter J Mascis is. Due to his association with the distortion, punk-infused, grunge rock of Dinosaur Jr., which he founded in 1984 with Lou Barlow and Murph, Mascis is acknowledged as being one of the leading contributors to the rise of alternative rock and grunge and for his superb guitar skills. Not […]

A bit more manageable weekend to stream some new music. Here are some of our picks. Blonde Redhead, the legendary New York City indie band, will release their ninth LP, Barragán. Stream it on NPR (US only) and The Guardian (UK only). Unfortunately, there isn’t a Canadian stream available at this moment. Another NYC-based band, Interpol, are streaming El Pintor for a good […]

A couple of years back, North Carolina band Floating Action caught my attention, mostly because of overwhelming praise from My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James.  Upon listening to 2012’s Fake Blood for the first time, I knew that praise was completely justified.  They have a sound like a futuristic Dr. Dog, or maybe a barebones My Morning Jacket, it’s wholly […]

The New Pornographers, one of this generations most successful supergroups, return to form with their 6th album Brill Bruisers.  Unlike most supergroups, The New Pornographers have evolved slightly more organically.  Originally a project for Carl Newman the group kept expanding and adding additional musicians from the ever expanding Vancouver indie music scene.  Their works often felt like a place for […]

For Those Who Like: Zola Jesus, St. Vincent, Imogen Heap In 2008, Texas native Sarah Jaffe released Even Born Again, an EP of heartbreaking, acoustic indie-folk that caught the attention of several publications, including Rolling Stone. She followed that up with her first full-length album, the well-received Suburban Nature in 2010. The album included “Clementine” and “Summer Begs’”, two singles […]

Gothenburg Sweden’s post-rockers Killers Walk Among Us’ debut self-titled LP is officially released today in the US and UK.  It’s a really impressive record, it’s an indie rock record, but it does have some prog tendencies, and features singer Stefan Holmberg’s very unique voice.  The single, which you can stream below, “Bonjour Tristesse” is an epic build, concluding with a […]

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the Canadian-Ukrainian shoegaze duo Ummagma, so we were quite intrigued and excited to hear they were involved in the debut LP, New Born from Russian based Roma Kalitkin, known as Sounds of Sputnik.  The first track, “New Born” is a stunner, it sounds so full, with some incredible vocals from Shauna McLarnon […]

From releasing at last count 18 solo albums, the countless other albums he’s released with Mikal Cronin and as a member of bands like Fuzz, Epsilons, Party Fowls, The Traditional Fools, The Perverts, and Sic Alps, and producing albums, such as White Fence’s excellent For the Recently Found Guilty, Ty Segall‘s influence and imprint are everywhere. With a resume this […]

For Those Who Like: Best Coast, The Balconies, The Dum Dum Girls, The History of Apple Pie Inspired by ’60s girl-pop and influenced by the surf-pop of Best Coast and the indie jangle-pop of The Dum Dum Girls in their early years, Beach Day’s sophomore album, Native Echoes, is a fun album to end the summer. For that matter, it might the album […]