DANIEL, FRED & JULIE - S/T

This album is the result of a one-off collaboration between Daniel Romano (of Attack In Black), Fred Squire (formerly of Shotgun & Jaybird), and Julie Doiron. The partnership of these three talented individuals may seem unexpected, but if you've been following these artists over the last few years you'll understand the dynamics of this "supergroup". The story goes that one day this past summer, young Daniel had the idea to make a record of old folk songs with his pal Fred. He took the train down to Sackville, NB, and set up shop in Fred's garage. Julie stumbled upon them there and asked if she could sing on the album, which they thankfully let her do. In a few short days they had the whole thing done!

What makes this album so great isn't just the songs (all but two of them are well-known folk standards such as 'Down By The Weeping Willow' and 'Clementine') but also the simple fact that it ever got made. In 2009 alone, Attack In Black released three records (their third full-length Years (by one thousand finger-tips), a split 12" with Baby Eagle, and Still Jimmie with Shotgun Jimmie). Julie also released her ninth LP, I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day, which featured Fred Squire throughout. You can tell that everyone really enjoyed making this record and that a lot of care and love went into it, from the singing and arrangements down to the packaging. It's truly a special treat for fans of any of the artists involved, and worth checking out for anyone looking for an escape to a time when music was simple.

EVENING HYMNS - Spirit Guides

Organic stuff is all the rage right now with our food and drink, so why not with our music, too? OK, maybe not, but if that was the case, I would suggest stocking the aisles of your favourite organic music shop with Spirit Guides. This nine-song album exudes a connection to the natural world—so much so that the soaring chorus to "Mtn. Song" proclaims that "the world is a mountain", while penultimate track "November 1st, 2008, Lakefield, Ontario" is an unaltered five-minute field recording of a rainstorm.

But Evening Hymns bandleader and songwriter Jonas Bonnetta doesn't just sit back and let nature do all the talking. Spirit Guides may be a lush, unhurried foray into ruminant, orchestral folk-pop—complete with the able backing of members of bands such as Forest City Lovers, The D'Urbervilles and Ohbijou (whose drummer Jamie Bunton recorded the album)—but these ruminations ain't just granola. Instead, the record embraces the grey, with tracks like "Dead Deer" and "Broken Rifle" shifting ably between brilliant light and murky menace. This gentle tug-of-war is carefully expressed by gorgeous arrangements that see the record blossom effortlessly from guy-and-a-guitar plainspeak into full-throated calls of strings and voices.

It's a record that conveys the balance of solitude and lump-in-the-throat beauty one encounters on their best hikes in the woods—moments where you go to witness nature but end up thinking more about your own place in it. In this way, the natural world this record ultimately delves into is that of human nature, its casual approach disarming you to its powers within.

(Evening Hymns will perform a live in-store set here in our shop on Wed. Dec 2 at 7pm.)

CALIFONE - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers

Tim Rutili may just be one of the most unsung forces in American indie. Diminutive and bespectacled in person, his music has always taken on a similar quality. It sounds shy, intelligent, questioning, and worthy of a good conversation—if you can figure out how to begin one. And that's always been the dividing wall between him and a potentially larger audience. Whether leading Califone, or his old '90s band—the far more rock n' roll Red Red Meat—Rutili makes very few attempts to reach out to his audience. And thank God for that. Placing the onus on listeners to come to him may not have made Rutili a rich man, but the wealth visited upon those people who do make the effort is immeasurable. Having listened to his music for nearly twenty years, the man's output has never wavered in quality or curiosity. Funeral Singers is the latest in a long line of stellar albums which explore the links between archival folk, blues, rock n' roll, avant-garde, gospel, and makeshift electronics. This record is supposedly the soundtrack to a film Rutili directed that will arrive in 2010. What shape that film will take is anyone's guess, but given the cinematic, patient and inquisitive nature of his mind, you can bet it will be worth your attention. Until then, please get this gorgeous record—this band is a real treasure.

VA - Dirty French Psychedelics

This is not the 'official' psychedelic sound, but rather a sound that has been overlooked by revivals from the '60s to the '80s, ignored for lacking easy categorization. In 1970s France, moody orchestrations by Jean-Claude Vannier for the epochal Melody Nelson session with Serge Gainsbourg (as well as the less-acknowledged but artistically equal Brigitte Fontaine Est...) combined with the clash of exotic folk and cosmic jazz on the Saravah label to create an atmospheric and far-reaching sound that embraced open-mindedness, come-down grooviness, and the pristine (but definitely not smooth) production techniques of the time. It is a sound that's a purple haze without being “Purple Haze”, if you get my drift. Paris' Dirty Sound System have defined an amorphous genre, a rare thing in the compilations market, and have done it with a flow that betrays some serious mixtape obsession. A creepy and ominous mood is created by soundtrack greats François de Roubaix and Karl Heinz Schäfer, plus freaky pioneers Brigitte Fontaine and Dashiell Hedayat, along with many more.

KURT VILE - Childish Prodigy

The logical culmination of a year that has seen a pair of Kurt Vile's much-lauded, limited-run solo home recordings (Constant Hitmaker and God Is Saying This To You) followed up by an EP of full-band studio work with backing group The Violators (The Hunchback), this Matador debut splits the difference between these two sides, although for this writer at least, the re-recorded "Hunchback" (along with the one other riff-rocker that pops up halfway, Dim Stars cover "Monkey") clunks through its chord changes in a way that doesn't exactly put this album's best foot forward sequencing-wise.

No matter, though, since if you're more partial to Vile's drone and fingerpicked/folk-rock moves (two traits shared with fellow Philadelphians The War On Drugs, with whom Kurt has played guitar and whose singer Adam Granduciel now returns the favour with their roles reversed here), a darker, mid-fi complexity clings to Childish Prodigy like a mold, as shimmering solo tracks such as "Overnite Religion" pack as much of a tranced-out, self-assured and swaggery punch as his high water mark to date with Violators in tow, the seven-minute, one-chord ramble of "Freak Train". 

VA - Where The Action Is!: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968

Dateline Hollywood, 1966: Miles away from the movie studios and Beverly Hills mansions, the Sunset Strip is throbbing with clubs and kids catching some of the best bands the U.S. of A. had to offer. The Byrds, The Standells, Love, The Seeds: the list can go on ad infinitum. In this reviewer's not-so-humble opinion, Los Angeles had the most vibrant music scene in the world, second only to London, England. The legendary Rhino label has now seen fit to pay ample tribute to the fantastic—and occasionally mind-bending—vitality and variety of L.A.'s pop-rock talent on its latest installment of the Nuggets box set series. Its four CDs and 101 tracks provide an essential overview of everything from the first folk-rock groups to the studio geniuses (Brian Wilson, Gary Usher, Jan Berry) by way of the snotty suburban garage combos.

Everyone who was anyone (and even some deserving nobodies) are here, including The Turtles, The Leaves, early Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Buffalo Springfield, and Ricky Nelson (on acid!). The accompanying book comes complete with beautiful photos and detailed descriptions of L.A. clubs and the all-important radio stations which broadcast the new and innovative folk-rock, garage, psych, and sunshine pop sounds emanating from smoggy "Boss" Angeles. A terrific and timeless slice of pop music history, Where The Action Is! is definitely not a case of "I guess you had to be there"; with this wonderful box set, you ARE there.

VA - Friends In Bellwoods 2

Friends In Bellwoods 2 is a two-disc compilation of new or unreleased songs by mostly Toronto-based musicians, and is a follow-up to the first edition, which was released in January 2007. All proceeds from the albums (which total over $11,000 so far) go to the Daily Bread Food Bank. If you look at the 40 artists featured on FIB 2, you're sure to recognize plenty of them. The folks who put the album together (Ohbijou's Casey Mecija and James Bunton, with Out Of This Spark head honcho Stuart Duncan) have done a formidable job of filling the ranks with acts such as Final Fantasy and Great Lake Swimmers, rising stars like The Rural Alberta Advantage and Katie Stelmanis, and newcomers like Hooded Fang and Sylvie Smith.

Even if you're already familiar with everyone on these discs, you're sure to find some surprises (The D'Urbervilles' exciting take on Timber Timbre's "Magic Arrow" definitely caught all of us offguard). Other highlights include Sandro Perri and Ryan Driver's contribution (billed here as Double Suicide), as well as Canadian Wildlife, Jenny Mecija of Ohbijou's delicate first step as a solo artist. For an album attempting to document a time and place, it is surprisingly cohesive (the fact that most of the songs here are quiet acoustic or piano numbers certainly helps the flow). Years from now when I'm looking back at this time in my life, it will be these bands providing the soundtrack to my memories, so it's nice to have them all in one place.

TREMBLING BELLS - Carbeth

It’s no secret that many of us here are infinitely susceptible to British Isles rock-outs, not to mention just about anything that pops up from the fine folks at Honest Jon’s. It seems the stars are in our favour with this album from Glaswegian stickman and songster Alex Neilson. The proceedings unfold with a bit of an updated Fairport flavour, albeit spiced with a solitary trombone that brings to mind a strange place somewhere between Shiny Beast-era Beefheart and Caravan’s "Golf Girl". Nielson’s broguishly raw vocals alternate with those of the rather intense Lavinia Blackwell, whose high-octane Jacquie McShee may be a little much for some at first, but should win any doubters over as it brings the most out of the beautiful "Willows Of Carbeth". The two join forces on album closer "Seven Years A Teardrop", a drinking song delivered in a sauced-up counterpoint that could get even the most pious excommunicated at the drop of a hat.

GALACTIC ZOO DOSSIER - Issue #8

Galactic Zoo Dossier returns with an eighth issue of obsessively hand-transcribed interviews, articles and underground comics. This time around, Plastic Crimewave (a.ka. Steve Krakow, Mr. GZD) meets up with Vashti Bunyan to discuss her whirlwind musical/wagon journey and Mani Neumeier talks about his days singing, leading and drumming with Guru Guru, plus interviews with Djin Aquarius from Ya Ho Wha 13, raga-folkie Pater Walker, and psychedelic light show pioneer Bill Ham. Also included are features on Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel, songwriter Hoyt Axton, and more. Not only that, but rare tracks from Puffy Areolas, Vashti Bunyan, Toronto’s own Creeping Nobodies and others are collected on the enclosed CD. (But wait, there’s more! This month’s trading cards continue to lovingly pay tribute to yet more “astral folk goddesses” and “damaged guitar gods.”)

ALASDAIR ROBERTS - Spoils

On Spoils, the dark clown-prince of contemporary Scottish folk delivers his most visionary, fully-formed screed since the days of his old band Appendix Out, a veritable song cycle where part begets tastefully-arranged part while never seeming tacked-on. With tongue-twisting, dictionary-rifling efficacy, Ali Roberts spews forth beautifully spooked meditations where the ancient meets the modern, whose subjects quest and battle whether seeking primordial inspiration, overseeing the three stages of their life, scurvily dreaming they're the namesake of the Luddite movement set to rebarbarize the world, or just looking for their legs after somehow running across the countryside for a whole year without them. If you know and love peer and labelmate Bonnie "Prince" Billy or the more traditional/vocal facet of countryman Richard Youngs' work (half the drumming here is by Alex Neilson, a collaborator with both men and leader of his own highly-recommended Fairport/Steeleye-style troupe on Honest Jon's, Trembling Bells), you'd do well to acquaint yourself with Roberts' fourth solo full-length, one that's revealing itself to be more and more of a career peak the more spins and deep listens we give it.

VA - Chartbusters USA Special Edition: Sunshine Pop

With “oldies radio” becoming more and more a relic of the past, this collection is not as superfluous as it may seem at first. While previous sunshine pop digs have focused on rarities of the genre, Ace has gathered an excellent cross-section of canonical artists (The Lovin' Spoonful are perhaps most tied to the tag, along with Donovan, the Association, and the Beach Boys), more recently-acknowledged classics (Cass Elliot’s impossibly beautiful “It’s Getting Better”), and brave inclusions that challenge definitions of sunshine pop (black groups like the 5th Dimension and The Friends of Distinction are often ignored in favour of all-white track listings). The timing could not be better for this savvy set as a giddily optimistic, feel-good soundtrack to lazy summer days. Your reunion with melody starts here.

TIMBER TIMBRE - S/T

Timber Timbre has long occupied a place in many hearts--a secret, dark, mysterious place, somewhere near the left ventricle, maybe. His first two releases, Cedar Shakes and Medicinals, were raw, atmosphere-soaked, rural woodsy songwriting at its best. For his latest self-titled set, Taylor Kirk steps calmly out of the wilderness and into the studio. With bold organ lines and warm guitar tones, he once again wows us with his spooky melodies and haunting vocals. Timber Timbre is one of those rare artists who manages absolute continuity between releases, yet adds plenty of variation to keep us fascinated. This album is sure to secure his spot in the old left ventricle, and hopefully finds him nestling into some new hearts, too.

This review first ran in January 2009 upon the release of Timber Timbre on Out of this Spark. On June 30th 2009, Timber Timbre is being re-released on Arts & Crafts, and will appear on vinyl for the first time.

RODRIGUEZ - Coming From Reality

When DJ David Holmes opened his tremendous Come Get It I Got It mix-comp with the eerie, psych-folk ode to drug-dealers “Sugar Man”, excited listeners perked up their ears wondering who this mysterious Rodriguez guy was. Having already developed a cult following in Australia, demand for a proper North American reissue of the failed American singer-songwriter’s two studio albums grew. For me, his debut Cold Fact, licensed to Light In The Attic last year, was a bit of a disappointment, possibly because there was no way the rest of the album could not live up to the promise of its centerpiece/masterpiece, the aforementioned “Sugar Man”. His follow-up, recorded a year later in 1971, though lacking anything as mind-altering as his signature song, is overall a much stronger album. Here the cynical troubadour’s attraction to seedy imagery (seemingly put-on, but charming nonetheless) is tempered with more tuneful and tender side on the best songs. His band is much more together this time around, giving his songs greater sense of groove, and the string arrangements are spare and always well-placed. After this record, he recorded no more but recent interest has led to his current tour. Check him out on the West Coast if you can Friday, July 3 at a free Harbourfront Centre show!

ROYAL CITY - 1999-2004

This presumably final release to bear the Royal City name couldn't have come at a better time. Ten years after the band's formation and five years after their demise, 1999-2004 is a bittersweet offering for fans of the dearly departed Guelph quartet. Originally publicized in 2004, many thought this compilation of unreleased demos and rarities would never see the light of day after the closing of their label Three Gut Records in 2005. Thankfully, earlier this year Asthmatic Kitty announced they would be releasing the album--a fitting resting place for the band, alongside their friend and admirer Sufjan Stevens. Everything fans know and love about the band shines through in these songs, from singer Aaron Riches' gentle voice and plaintive lyrics to the subtle performances from the rest of band (which also included Jim Guthrie, Simon Osborne, Nathan Lawr, and later Lonnie James). It's an immaculate package which will help fill a void for all Royal City fans, but also give new listeners a chance to discover a band that is too often overlooked or forgotten. Here's to C-I-T-Y, Royal City.

There will be a tribute to Royal City happening June 26th at the Tranzac in Toronto, which is set to include performances from Andy Magoffin (Two-Minute Miracles), Chad Ross (Quest for Fire/Nordic Nomadic), Cry, Cry Papsmear, Evan (ex-Royal City) & Geordie Gordon (The Magic/Human Highway/Islands), Evening Hymns, Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky), Gentleman Reg, I Am Robot and Proud, Jeff Peers (Anagram), Jenny Omnichord, Magali Meagher (Phonemes/Metal Kites), Nathan Lawr (ex-Royal City/FemBots), Scott-o-Bot (Ragg Mopp), Steven LuChuck (ex-We’re Marching On/Ohbijou), Woolly Leaves (Constantines), Bob Wiseman and more! 8PM, $10 with proceeds going to the Toronto Cat Rescue and the Tranzac.

IRON AND WINE - Around The Well

It’s hard to believe that Iron And Wine has just released a 2-CD/3-LP collection of B-sides and rarities. Most artists require a bit more time to amass enough songs for such a large collection, but not Samuel Beam. While his debut album was released in 2002, it wasn’t until his follow-up (2004’s Our Endless Numbered Days) that he truly became a household indie name. Since then he’s been a busy (and ever more bearded) man, with a series of EPs (including 2006’s marvelous collaboration with Calexico In The Reins) and another full-length now under his well-worn belt. Still, at 23 tracks, Around The Well is an impressive compilation and proof that the last few years have been quite productive for the fecund Austin-based singer-songwriter. From never-before heard early recordings to covers of songs by The Flaming Lips, The Postal Service and New Order to songs from movie soundtracks (“The Trapeze Swinger” was recorded for the 2004 film In Good Company - luckily the song is far more memorable than Topher Grace’s performance) all the way to tracks from 2007's The Shepherd’s Dog sessions, fans will find a lot to love here. It won’t take long for these songs to make their way on to the next mix-tape you’re going to make for the cute boy/girl down the way that you’re too nervous to talk to.

GRIZZLY BEAR - Veckatimest

Sometimes you just wish Pitchfork would shut up already. It's not that I question their sincerity, but their rabid hyperbole leading up to this very anticipated third album by Grizzly Bear only further incites the wolves of backlash to salivate at the Brooklyn quartet's backdoor, 'cause here's the thing: it's not as though Veckatimest sits above reproach. Despite their burly moniker, Grizzly Bear make precious, subtle, intricate indie-folk that is short on backbone and long on wind--they don't sit well jammed down your throat. Their strength is as the underdog, the private find; this whole "saviours of indie" thing fits as awkwardly as a David Byrne hand-me-down. But away from the impossible glare of perfect-score track reviews and hopelessly knock-kneed blogging, the true beauty of this very lovely album emerges. Veckatimest is a well-struck merger between 2006 breakout Yellow House (see awesome rolling and tumbling opener "Southern Point") and co-lead vocalist Daniel Rossen's 2008 Department Of Eagles disc In Ear Park (the crisp trot of "While You Wait For The Others"), and further listens really reveal some expert writing and performances, via the gently cascading waves of "Cheerleader" and the devastating climaxes of "I Live With You". As for the inevitable backlash, loving Grizzly Bear is like believing in Christmas--sure, you can find plenty of logical reasons not to believe the hype, but those who do are guaranteed to have a lot more magic and happiness in their lives.

BECK - One Foot In The Grave: Expanded Edition

Much like Dylan and The Band's Basement Tapes (also recently reissued, as it were), One Foot In The Grave saw Beck Hansen temporarily setting up camp in a new town, in this case Olympia, Washington, woodshedding with willing players (K Records' Calvin Johnson, The Spinanes' Scott Plouf, Lync's Sam Jayne and James Bertram, and Chris Ballew from The Presidents Of The United States) and cobbling together an inspired, ramshackle and oft-old-time-influenced batch of songs ranging from the nonsensical and light-hearted to the dead-serious and forlorn. Beloved by many since its initial release on K back in 1994, this expanded edition on Beck's own Iliad imprint practically doubles the playing time, including the originally-omitted blues-harp stomper title track, the tender two-chord ballad "It's All In Your Mind", and enough other unreleased off-cuts to fall for that budding young 'alternative' troubadour all over again.

THE WEATHER STATION - The Line

With spring finally blasting sunshine in full force, it seems like an odd time to get into the deep blissful sulk that an album like The Line can inspire, but Tamara Lindeman's performances connect with such an immediate sense of intimacy that you cannot help but be surrounded in her songs. Although The Weather Station's first full-length release is comprised of the five songs from 2007's East EP (albeit in more finely-tuned form) plus six newer tunes, it is by no means a padded revamp, but rather a continuation of the same themes. Dark banjos, bowed strings and and the ambient rustling of wooden objects dominate the rural soundscape, and immediately betray the music's origins in Lindeman's self-recordings. Although augmented by friends and bandmates, these recordings remain personal, with Lindeman's voice sinking into the arrangements as if her words alone cannot express the whole of each song.

VETIVER - Tight Knit

Hot on the heels of last year's stopgap covers discs, Thing Of The Past and More Of The Past, Vetiver returns with their first album of original material since 2006. What you get is their most polished and poppy take on psych-tinged folk to date, giving new and improved meaning to the words "laid back". Standout tracks include the bouncy "Everyday", "On The Other Side", and the hypnotic guitar riffing of "Strictly Rule". Dreamy, moody, and blissful, Vetiver leader Andy Cabic's songs are tailor-made for a lazy Sunday, providing the aural equivalent of a nice hot bath.

BIBIO - Vignetting The Compost

Another reminder from Stephen Wilkinson that just because it's electronic doesn't mean it has to be cold and clean. Instead, it seems he's managed to capture exactly what we were all hoping to produce with those hours of bedroom four-track experimentation--Fahey 101 guitar moves and murky vocals ornamented by swirling backwards sounds, all with the wobble of a cassette auto-reversed a few too many times. Dictaphone recordings of bird song and creek water add to the film strip soundtrack vibe and keep the mossy environments of the album's more ambient moments green, even when things enter full-on Penguin Cafe mode on tracks like "Weekend Wildfire".