Redanda – “Thru The Days” [Listen]
You used to inspire
Fill my heart’s desire
My favourite band of C’s (Corey, Connor, Chris, and Curtis) just dropped their newest release, the EP Reverse Tranny Club. What’s the meaning behind the title? It’s up to you! Once again, Michael Keire is tearin’ it up over at Threshold – it sounds awesome. It was mastered by another one of my musical favourites, Ben Somer, in Toronto. Redanda have a bunch of releases under their belt over their short years as a band but this one really hits the mark and captures the signature sound they have been honing.
Teenage Kicks – “Houdini” [Listen]
I don’t want to hear it
I don’t want to fear it
The powerful sound of Teenage Kicks comes brothers Jeff and Peter van Helvoort. You can feel the energy and passion blast through with every listen. Their first full-length album Spoils of Youth, which they describe as “The product of our collective insanity” is out on April 29th. If the first couple tracks we’ve heard are any indication, it’s going to be a big moment for the band. Catch them live at The Casbah on April 2nd with The Glorious Sons.
Billy Moon – “Monsters” [Listen]
I can’t walk in my own house tonight
The name Billy Moon has been popping up more and more lately on the scene. The band’s second EP Bicycle was released in April 2013 and with a ton of local shows around the city, they’ve been gaining a lot of momentum. Billy Moon has a brand new EP on the way – perhaps there will be an I Heart Hamilton radio exclusive coming up! Catch them opening for The Pack A.D. alongside Pkew Pkew Pkew on March 20th at The Casbah.
The Folk – “In Silence” [Listen]
We’ll do the best we can
To correct the wrong
Forgotten tones
Will flood the night
The Folk are a five-piece band based in Toronto (with roots in Guelph) and have a unique dynamic, which they describe: “We are best friends, roommates and two of us are fraternal twins. People tend to notice – one consistent observation is how our friendships shine through our live performances.” Their debut album We All Say, recorded live off the floor, was released this month. They supported the release with a show at The Baltimore House and are continuing with a few more Ontario dates before heading out East.
Drew Smith – “Good Company” [Listen]
Sail your worries out to sea
I would make good company
Could my heart, my soul at least
Bring comfort to your every need
It was lovely to hear a new single by singer-songwriter Drew Smith this month. This song follows suit with the hypnotic, haunting quality I’ve come to love in Drew’s music and that I discovered with his album Secret Languages which was released in 2012. Drew accompanied the song with a creative video featuring Hamilton jumprope team Jumpstations. The athleticism demonstrated by the team is unreal! Drew decided to help support the team by donating sales of the single from the month of March on Bandcamp to help finance their journey to the world championships this July in Florida. A very cool local collaboration.
Molly Babin – “Home Town” [Listen]
Leave, girl
Run and hide
Don’t look back for all of time
Molly Babin’s storytelling is a refreshing change of pace from a lot of the local music I’ve been listening to right now. This closing track is my favourite off her new EP Ghost of a Chance, released this month. Molly celebrated the release with a show featuring Matt Sajn of Northern Primitive, Brad Germain of Dinner Belles/Spruce Invadors, and Amber Edgar. Be on the lookout for more from Molly.
Marie Avery – “Sailing” [Listen]
I wouldn’t wanna stop you
If you wanna run away
The singer-songwriter’s bio begins: “Marie Avery may have appeared out of nowhere.” She appeared on my radar in a similar way. Marie’s EP The Fire, released in January 2013, is a well-crafted collection of five songs that features collaborations with local talent Bill Majoros, Amber Edgar, Kori Pop, Loretta Hale, and more. Many of those musicians can be seen in the video for this song.
Brendan Philip – “Shadow Ceremony” [Listen]
Where has the time gone
Has it been any time at all
I caught wind of Toronto R&B artist Brendan Philip through his collaborator Jahmal Tonge (from The Carps and his work with Thunderheist and MSTRKRFT). Jahmal’s production is described as dancing “between bombastic rap inspired beats, with the tempered chaos of his punk rock influences.” Being a huge fan of his past musical endeavors, I’m not surprised I’m really into the sounds of this project. Brendan Philip should be on your radar.
Haolin Munk – “Strange Ways” [Listen]
I remember the first time I saw Haolin Munk – it was at a party thrown by some local artists in the Sonic Unyon building (the artists no longer occupy that space but many of them went on to found HAVN). The four musicians, calling themselves Hysteria Sibernia at the time, played for hours and it blew my mind! It had been quite a while since I had seen Chris, Connor, Aaron, and Josh live, so I was excited to see them this month at 93.3 CFMU’s annual fundraiser show. They’re not your typical jazz quartet – they’re rockstars up there.
STACEY – “Share (YDID Mix)” [Listen]
If I were her
I’d do the same thing
You’re too amazing to share
STACEY’s self-titled EP, released late last year, was one of my favourite new discoveries. It’s hard to compare the stripped-down, minimalistic sound of the original release with this new remixed EP, STACEY (Reconstruction); both are so great. These reconstructed versions were done by YDID and Style of Tigers. As the release says, “black and white turn to colour” and new life is breathed into these five songs.
Arcade Fire – “Afterlife” [Listen]
When love is gone
Where does it go?
It made me feel like a real radio DJ recently when I got to throw to this song on my show at 93.3 CFMU. I can’t get enough of this single, which the band performed live on the first week of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. My Instagram feed was flooded with photos of fans at their recent Toronto show – no doubt an incredible spectacle.
– Kristin
