Small Black - Small Black 12" (2009)

Hands down one of my favourite releases of the year. I think my short attention-span really forced me to embrace shorter records this year (that and I finally abandoned the painful, arduous process of forcing myself to "get" certain horrendously pretentious post-rock bands... cough...cough...Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion), and, to add to that, it didn't hurt that this record was just so damn enjoyable. From the moment I heard the drum-machine rhythm of opening track "Despicable Dogs" I knew immediately that I would love this band. I love the machine-like clank of "Weird Machines", the dream-pop bliss of "Bad Lover", the suave keyboard riff of "Pleasant Experience", and the funky bass-line of "Lady In The Wires" (which laughably always calls to mind that god-awful M. Night Shyamalan movie for me, although, let me clarify, the song is a million times better than that film and I'm not intending to imply any similarity in quality between the two).

Also, here's a remix of "Despicable Dogs" by Washed Out which has received quite a bit of blog love. Some people think it's better than the original. And here's another killer track entitled "Kings of Animals" (love the sing-along chorus) which appears on their Despicable Dogs 7".

Buy the 12"

Also: if anyone is wanting those recent Neon Indian remixes of Grizzly Bear's "Cheerleader", I managed to scrounge 'em up here and here.

R.I.P. Haydain Neale of jacksoul

News spread across Canada early this week of the death of 39 year-old Haydain Neale, frontman of Toronto based neo-soul band jacksoul. Neale succumbed to lung cancer on Sunday November 22nd at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. jacksoul was well-known for songs such as "Can't Stop" and "Still Believe In Love", both of which received heavy airplay on top-40 radio here in Canada in the early 2000s. "Can't Stop" in particular was a staple of my early adolescence and played a part in introducing me to listening to and purchasing music autonomously (for my old Panasonic blue and orange 40 second anti-shock CD player). I can still remember how floored I was when I first heard "Can't Stop", in that special way that you can hear and consequently become obsessed with certain songs in your youth. Wish I could find the actual video, I remember it as being comprised of cool black-and-white footage of Haydain singing. A great pop song, very full of nostalgia.

Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Real Life Is No Cool (2010), Baby Can't Stop EP (2009)

Haven't listened yet, but I'm excited. In the meantime I'll think I'm gonna cue up Where you go I go too as a refresher.

Also, here's the Baby Can't Stop EP from earlier this year which features both the full length and radio edit mix of album single "Baby Can't Stop" as well as the Aeroplane Remix and Aeroplane Dub of the song.

Xmas Picks: Destiny's Child - 8 Days of Christmas (2001), Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas (1994), A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)

So, the "Christmas Season" (or "Winter Festivities Season" for those of us reared in secular elementary schools) is nearly upon us. I haven't been to the mall in a really long time so I'm not aware if they're pumpin' the piped-in Kenny G./Harry Connick Jr. in Zellers yet, and we here on the prairies have been having record setting mid-teens temperatures for mid-November, but the festive feeling is ever so slightly beginning to creep into my consciousness. My sister has resolved to make "The Greatest Christmas Mix CD Ever!!!!", and, judging from some of the material she's compiled, it promises to be interesting - everything from a collection of Gregorian Christmas Mass Chants to MTV: TRL Christmas was in the stack that I helped her pick up from the library the other day. As a side note, MTV: TRL Christmas is everything that one would expect from any type of TRL associated material; it even has a few particularly awful songs that seem to have nothing to do with Christmas including the nu-metal, rap-rock excessive table-scratching of "Rock the Party" by P.O.D. (remember P.O.D. aka Payable On Death??? "We are we are, the youth of the nation!"). lol, I remember that song from one of my Big Shiny Tunes comps.

Anyway, I've always had mixed feelings about "holiday-type" music. Back in my more prudish "albums are meant as a singular artistic statement" phase, I regarded any such music with leery eyes. Like many things, however (prepare for vague statements), I think once you learn to just meet a song or a record on its own level, and to not expect the same thing from all songs or records, you find that you can listen to a variety of different types of music, intended for varieties of different target-demographics, and not get nearly as peeved as you may have previously. God, what a ridiculous sentence that was. Long story short = I learned to embrace commercial Christmas tunes. Here's some selections that I intend to blast this holiday season: 

- heart Michelle's ski-goggles 

- Mariah at her most fully clothed since 1994 (undoubtedly); compare this chastity-Santa-Suit get-up with the cover of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and the latter looks like soft-core

- features the seminal 90s Christmas song "All I Want For Christmas Is You"

- said by some to be the "Greatest Christmas Record Ever"

- Phil Spector makes use of his "Wall of Sound" production techniques to candy-coat a selection of Christmas tunes sung by The Crystals, The Ronettes, and Darlene Love among others

Real Estate - Reality EP

I really can't keep up, this week has been really good for unexpected releases (leaks) from the p4k hype types. Anyways, here it is, Real Estate's Reality EP.

Download and don't forget to buy it if you dig it, keep yr conscious clean.

Pre-order

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP

You fiends are coming here only to find a fake leak full of Poison songs, I suppose you deserve better. Here ya go.

Download

Pre-Order It, F(r)iends

Animal Collective round out a successful year of a landmark album release and extensive touring with a collection of unreleased songs, some Merriweather outtakes and some newer songs as well. Perhaps not as accessible as the lauded Merriweather Post Pavillion, the album is certainly just as dense. Featuring Avey Tare as the leading melodic force on most of the songs, the songs seem to have a certain kinship to both spastic nature Strawberry Jam and the dense, fluid nature of Merriweather. "Graze" starts off waking swell that hits stride halfway to a 'panflute' chorus and Animal Collective's vocal harmonies. "What Would I Want? Sky" uses a vocal sample similar to the trilly synth on SJ's "#1" against odd and consistent drum spasms, and again at halfway the Grateful Dead sample and Avey's lyric content change the song into a light anthem for a lonely day. Perhaps the most interesting and self reflective track, "On A Highway" has Avey singing his thoughts, and with Noah's added reverb drenched "ahhhs" and twiggy percussion. And with that, I'm ecstatic for this band all over again. So "jealous of Noah's dreaming." <3

/fanboyisms

Beach House - Teen Dream

Download 

Certainly a wonderful way to welcome the new decade, Beach House have prepared to release Teen Dream, for a January 25, 2010 release. And what a progression of their sound. Many will say this is their strongest set of songs ever, and they wouldn't be wrong. It seems like Beach House has changed the atmosphere up a little for this album, it's more celebrant, and as cheesy and over-said as it sounds, life affirming. The songs inspire awe and beauty rather than toil through the complications of love. Retaining the Beach House signatures, the drum machine, bendy and singular guitar tones, the organ, and Victoria's atypical 'female vocals,' the duo also venture into a more open sound with more use of piano, harp-like strings, and cymbals. 

Songs like "Norway" and "10 Mile Stereo" seem to reach such heights and spectacle they almost enter into a shoegaze territory similar to M83's Saturdays = Youth or Asobi Seksu's Citrus. Even opener "Zebra" sounds like an open and epic journey across an open countryside. Personal favorite, "Used To Be" is a beautiful account of the past and longing for a homecoming, complete with glorious building flourishes that include joyous string plucks, a swelling cymbal roll, and a spine chilling conclusion that has Victoria stretching her voice in a similar way to Devotion's "Turtle Island." To use a metaphor indicative of the music's atmosphere, Beach House have certainly left the shade of the trees and chosen to rest in the light of an open field for their Teen Dream.