Music, musings and miscellanea

This post originally appeared at Exclaim.ca

It’s a sad, but true fact that bands often have to seek recognition south of the border before finding success at home. For Toronto, ON, by way of Montreal, collective Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, a recent endorsement from Pitchfork has bolstered the small, but growing number of listeners ready to go to bat for them.

Blending the sonic experimentation of the Boredoms and Sonic Youth, heavy riffs of Black Sabbath and vocal harmonies inspired by Japanese opera ― they call it “noh wave” ― the eight-piece unit have crafted a unique sound for their debut, YT//ST. The band’s secret is their accessibility in the face of such esoteric influences ― few would believe that you could hum along to anything influenced by 77 Boardrum. The noh melodies, sung in both Japanese and English, suck you in, but it’s the crack production from drummer Alaska B that makes the album.

Singer Ruby Kato Attwood’s vocals remain crisp and clear amidst the pulsing organs, thundering drums and slabs of sludge-y guitars riffs as the record progresses in intensity. It culminates in the rhythmic groove and sonic freak-out of “A Star Over Pureland” before they finish listeners off with “Crystal Fortress Over the Sea of Trees,” the album’s most accessible tune.

An original record blending beauty and brutality, YT//ST should only find more supporters as its reputation spreads.

“Crystal Fortress Over the Sea of Trees”

This review originally appeared at Exclaim.ca

Yuck’s self-titled debut was a refreshing blast of fuzzed-out ’90s slacker rock. But like Teenage Fanclub, to whom the London, UK quartet are often compared, it was their songs that helped the record rack up year-end list accolades. So while tacking on a second disc of B-sides is a crass move, the extra tracks are a welcome companion to an album many of us have had on repeat all year.

The extra songs won’t do away with the constant comparisons to squelch-y ’90s groups, with “Georgia” B-side “The Base of a Dream is Empty” the closest they’ve come to reproducing My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. None of the six tracks best the material on the album proper, but they come a very close second with “Doctor’s in my Bed,” the clear standout.

Cleaning house this early in a band’s career looks a bit overzealous, but when the material is this strong, we’ll take it.

“Georgia”

This reveiw originally appeared at Exclaim.ca

For anyone who fell in love with Said the Whale’s sophomore record, Islands Disappear, first spins of their new four-track EP will come as a bit of a shock. While that album’s specificity of place is what drew many in, New Brighton refuses to saddle any of its songs with a set location. But if the novelty of hearing the changing landscape of Vancouver’s False Creek set music was all Islands Disappear had going for it, the record would never have been the slow burning sensation it was.

New Brighton sticks with the rest of Said the Whale’s hallmarks – the savvy mix of indie and folk rock, soaring harmonies and quirky, observational lyrics – seeming to indicate that their third effort won’t veer too far from the formula that brought them national acclaim. Their songwriting, which was already top-notch, has improved, creating a tight quartet of indie pop gems. The sprightly pace and sunny demeanour of “Lines” is the clear highlight, while the start-stop rhythm of “Sandy Bay Fishing Song” shows that the group aren’t afraid to venture into relatively foreign sonic territory while retaining their innate tunefulness.

New Brighton comes across as lightweight at first, but repeated listens reveal these songs’ nostalgic depths.

“Lines”

This review originally appeared at Exclaim.ca

There’s a great “everything and the kitchen sink” vibe to this debut EP from Toronto, ON’s Hi Fi Phantom. That most likely has something to do with the way the quartet rotate instruments and singers with each song, ensuring that just when you think you’ve got them pinned down ― Talking Heads wannabes, heirs to the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah throne ― they’ll toss in a new element that throws your cleverly reductive comparison out the window. Let’s just say they like echo-laden pop music.

The group met on Craigslist, but British ex-pat Bill Bedford previously did time in short-lived Toronto band Young Flux. While there’s really no way to tell what direction these guys are going to head in, there are more than enough ideas (and pretty stellar songs) on this debut to keep even the most fickle ears interested.

This review originally appeared at Exclaim.ca

“Islands,” the first blast of indie pop from Toronto, ON group Huddle, was stunning in both its succinctness and ability to burrow into your ears for days on end. Nothing on the band’s debut matches the two minutes of bliss of its leadoff track, but none try and the record is all the better for it.

Blending a host of turn-of-the-century indie rock acts, no two tracks on All These Fires sound like a rehash of another. Instead of leaning on a sonic bag of tricks, the group focus on hooks, milking each of these ten tunes for all they’re worth, which is a lot. Coming hot on the heels of “Islands,” “Sleepwalker” uses Sea & Cake-like instrumental precision to craft the soundtrack to a time-lapsed construction video. Meanwhile, “Dark Times” uses the rough-hewn edges and vocal bombast of early Modest Mouse to create a slow-burning anthem.

All These Fires is a rare album where the band put the songs first. The result is a release that’s immediate in its catchiness, but rewards repeated listens due to its complexities.

“Islands”