Folly & The Hunter hail from Montreal where they actually share a studio space with The Barr Brothers whom I posted about last week. Folly & the Hunter's debut album, Residents, fits right in a little niche with bands like Little Scream, Seryn, and Frontier Ruckus to name a few. I crave this type of music on a regular, nearly daily, basis, so I've been overjoyed to have this new one in my rotation.
The music is the kind that can make you walk clear across town, lost in the music and your thoughts, without ever realizing how far you've walked until the music stops. The harmonizing voices act as another instrument in the line up, filling in the empty spaces with far away and drifting ahhs and oohs. You can stream three songs and buy the album on bandcamp.It's no secret that I'm a sucker for handclaps, so low and behold I'd like to present to you one of my favorite songs from the album, complete with banjo, beautiful harmonies, and of course hand claps.
Doug Hoyer is a Canadian song writer who dabbles on the quirkier side of things. At least that's what I thought after listening to his Two New Songs (actually is the name of the 7"), until I heard this newer, slightly more serious sounding song that was released in February. "Oh The Wind Will Blow" has a very Jens Lekman feel to it with a beautiful harp and strings accompaniment and will be on his upcoming full length due out later this year.
I know I have been all amped up on summer songs, so you are just going to have to deal with it. All of my summer mixes from years past have been top notch playlists and now I am starting to feel the pressure. Luckily this is a perfect track for a backyard bbq mix.
Plants and Animals just released an incredible sophomore album, La La Land, that was recorded in both their home base of Montreal and also in Paris. Using the two studios added a nice diversity to the album. I am new to this band but their debut album, Parc Avenue, gained them a lot of attention and a Juno award with their summery rock tunes and hits like "Bye, Bye, Bye". (An absolute must listen.) There are mixed reviews out there of their second album with one blogger saying the album feels as superficial as L.A. itself which I think is too harsh. It is music that sounds like it could have come from the 70s, maybe from a prog-rock band, but with a comfortable familiarity that lures you in with catchy tracks like "Tom Cruz" and "The Mama Papa". The aimless haziness of "Kon Tiki" is the track that caught my attention. It conjures images of lazily drifting down the South Platte river on a 100 degree day, enjoying whatever influences you might be under. Like the band says, La La Land is not about L.A. but about that state of mind. I think they nailed la la land mentality with "Kon Tiki" in a wonderful way.
Dan Mangan is a Vancouver musician who really made a mark on the music scene in 2009 and received rave reviews after his performances at SXSW that year. His praises have been sung by many critics, many of whom say he is the next best thing to come out of Canada. The most commented upon aspect of his music is that his lyrics combined with his gravely voice are absolute perfection. His sophomore album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice, (the title is a reference to a Kurt Vonnegut poem=awesome!) came out in 2009 but is not expected to be released in the states until sometime this year. You can of course listen to songs from that album on his myspace. He is one of those rare artists where you actually want to listen to each and every one of his songs, a lot of that has to do with his subtle humor, creative hooks, and general intrigue that lives in each of his songs. Some other highly suggested songs of his are: Sold, the indie queens are waiting, road regrets, and Tina's Glorious comeback (yes, the tina in that song IS Tina Turner). He is for sure an artist to keep your eye on in the future. Listen and love.
I came across the Canadian, Basia Bulat one year when I was looking at the line up for SXSW and really liked her. At the time the only songs itunes had available were "In the Night" and "Snakes and Ladders" which I both really like. But now she has a new album out called, A heart of my own, and I really really like it. She has an interesting voice and uses a lot of strings and keyboards so she doesn't come off as another chick with a guitar. Her sound is very unique. Her song, Before I Knew, was in a Subaru commercial which you might recognize and I almost posted it because I am a sucker for hand claps in songs. But here is live version of "Heart of my own" found on her new album. (This is one of those ones that you might want to check out on itunes to see what her cd version sounds like, also check out her website for clips of her songs).
Ok, one more french song. This is a 20 year old Quebecois girl's single from her first album. This one is happier and I love it almost equally. The name of the band is Pirate heart and the song is "like kids". The whole album is really excellent. The lyrics in this one are a little bit more complicated to understand and again the theme is love triangle. The chorus says: "And he still loves me, and I love you a little more strongly."You can check out the official video here. Hope you like it!
