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Paris, Paris!

Posted on by Katie
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Today, I board a plane and fly to Paris for a week. It’s a red-eye, so I’m picking outfits that will really accentuate the broken blood vessels in my eyes.

My mom has given me a few parting gifts, namely: a flashlight (“Mom, it’s called the City of Light for a reason!”), a jumbo bag of pretzels, several packages of gum (“So your eardrums won’t blow out!”), caramel corn, and an assortment of medicines with the power to initiate and cease diarrhea at will.

I think I’m about as packed as a white tourist can be. Parker was supposed to take the train from Switzerland tomorrow morning so I could meet him at Gare De Lyon from Charles De Gaulle. But this morning, I got a sheepish email from Parker, describing how he waited for me at the clock tower for two hours thinking I was lost in Paris, when in reality my flight doesn’t even depart from Toronto until this afternoon.

Since I can’t bear to be parted from good music no matter what country I’m galavanting around, I’ve got a few things planned for this trip. First, I have like a trillion new folk songs to listen to. I also recently bought Laura Marling‘s I Speak Because I Can on vinyl + mp3, Christine Fellows‘s Femmes De Chez Nous, and Sibylle Baier‘s Colour Green, which I have been saving for the nine hour plane ride.

Here are two websites that I used to find indie/folk/alternative concerts happening while I’m in Paris.

Carrefour Spectacles (concerts, theatre, sports, festivals)

La Blogothèque (amazing intimate concerts, if you haven’t already checked it out).

I was thinking about seeing two of the following:

I also really want to check out Ground Zero, a sweet independent record store. I’m a little bummed out that Beach Fossils and GIRLS are playing right after I leave the country, and Justice is playing this week, but the tickets are sold out, quel domage!

Well, I definitely have some last minute iPod syncing to do.

Here’s my favourite Parisian song (the one that started me on the path to romanticizing an entire culture).

MP3: Paris 2004 - Peter Bjorn and John

Who’s Playing in Your Concert Bucket List?

Posted on by Katie
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Let’s just get one thing cleared up – I don’t have any immediate plans to remove myself, nor am I suffering from a debilitating disease.

I’ve always been one for making silly little lists – my notebooks are filled with vacation packing, outfit sketches, lists of worst boyfriends in asscending order (pun). One of my ongoing lists is my Concert Bucket List.

In case you haven’t seen Jack Nicolson & Morgan Freeman’s geriatric comedy, The Bucket List, let me outline the concept:

Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Except replace ‘terminally ill men’ with TOTALLY RAD BABE, ‘cancer ward’ with TORONTO, and ‘to-dos’ with CONCERTS, and that’s my Concert Bucket List in a nutshell.

“Hey Katie, which bands do you want to see and why?” So kind of you to ask!

1. Animal Collective

Two words: booopg gaaarhj. Because that’s what my brain turns to when I listen to Animal Collective. When I put on Peacebone from Strawberry Jam (2007), my bones start to vibrate like a tuning fork. My heart melts into a pool of tribal honey from My Girls from Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009). I actually spent a month adapting a cover of Bluish for a female voice and guitar (and let me tell you, the lesbian overtones become that much more evident).

Although I’m usually a fairly normal person (false), I’d be that girl at the concert wearing an animal mask and candy necklaces arranged over my girlie bits. So please, Animal Collective. Come to a venue near me. I have high hopes that you will, ever since you released these two teaser tracks, Honeycomb and Gotham on your website Sunday night!

2. Radiohead

Call me teenaged, but Radiohead totally gets me, you guys! I’ve wanted to see them translate my liquid feelings into harmonic dischord ever since my first obligatory freshman break-up, when I spent many wintry evenings paralysed on my dorm room floor, dripping wet and staring into the snow-purpled sky. Now I get to see them at Downsview Park on June 16th with Caribou! Dreams do come true, you guys. DREAMS COME TRUE.

3. Owen Pallett

Ever since I discovered Final Fantasy – or rather, Final Fantasy discovered me – I have made every effort to see this perfect human being in every iteration. I’ve seen him in Hamilton at the Lincoln Alexander Centre (perfection), for his Heartland release party, and with Basia Bulat & the girls of Obijou raising money for the Newman Boys fundraiser last month.

In fact, I once broke up with someone shortly after he failed to get showered & dressed in time for us to pick up our Guest List tickets for Owen Pallett’s performance on CBC Radio’s Q. Unforgivable. Plus, he smelled better than me.

4. Passion Pit

If I could be called dark, untilled humus as a music listener in my early twenties, Passion Pit planted the seed of musical excitement in me.

And they just happen to be on the lineup for Osheaga 2012, along with The Shins, Black Lips, Justice, MGMT, Yeasayer, Bombay Bicycle Club, and about a dozen other boner-worthy artists. You betcha I got a ticket, and it’s totally hanging out with my other concert tickets for Beirut and Tallest Man On Earth, and tUnE-yArDs. Making sweet ticket love.

5. Phoenix

I’m the kind of Phoenix fan whose love runs so deep, I actually own copies of Alphabetical (2004) and It’s Never Been Like That (2007). I love them so much that I could be in the middle of trying on skinny khakis that give me a camel toe more appropriate for the sand dunes of Rub’ al Khali, but if Phoenix came on over those little aluminum speakers, I’d be shaking my junk so hard the cellulite would fall out.
    Unlike the others, I don’t have any upcoming plans to see Phoenix, mostly because I missed them when they came around in 2009, and they haven’t put out anything new since Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. I would still trade my left nut to see them. And by that I mean cashews, because they are worth their weight in gold and tickets.
      So share your Concert Bucket Lists with me guys! I’d love to know what bands turn your crank!

        Body Work (featuring Tegan and Sara) – Morgan Page #musicvideomonday

        Posted on by Katie
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        Whenever I listen to a music collaboration, I like to play a little game. I try to measure the amount of time spent listening to the “main artist” (the one who’s putting out the track on their record/the one whose name appears first) versus how much we hear the featured artist.

        It’s a little bit different with electronic artists and producers, since technically, a lot of them don’t even sing. They just stick to crafting warpey surrealistic sounds and pouncing beats. Body Work follows the typical electronic DJ trope wherein a popular indie/pop artist sings overtop a pre-mixed track.

        In the video for Body Work by Morgan Page, Tegan and Sara, the music industry’s most cherished lesbian twins, are dressed like Rosie the Riveter, stacking sheets in a dimly lit basement. They don’t look quite disenfranchised enough for this kind of work.

        Then, some total hawties (male and female) take over the basement and start working out BIG TIME.  Too bad they’re lifting too fast to actually work their muscle groups. Idiots.

        Then come the special FX:

        WHO WANTS TO COME TO MY LIGHT SABER PARTY!!! YOU GUYS!!! IT’S GONNA BE OUT OF THIS WORLD

        As far as workout videos go, nothing will ever compare to Eric Prydz‘s salacious Call On Me. That video is one thong shy of an American Apparel billboard.

        I give this one a 7/10.

        Totally NSFW:

        (as one Youtuber aptly quipped, 99% porn, 1% music)

        If you would like Katie to review your favourite new music video, email us at musicbtwfriends@gmail.com

        Album Review: Young Liars’s Homesick Future EP

        Posted on by Katie
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        One day while searching for strummy, nouveau eighties alt-rock to shake my booty to, I came across Homesick Future EP.

        Complete with an array of synthetic sounds and a saucy high hat,  Vancouver’s Young Liars sound like a mix between early 00′s indie rock, and newer, bouncier electronic-rock like Two Door Cinema Club. I find that this genre of music is best suited for cardiovascular workouts at the gym. Nothing incredibly inspiring, but still efficient at motivating my body to move.

        Homesick Future, released in February 2012, features seven up-tempo tracks that blend seamlessly into one another. When done right, this kind of songwriting can leave an album feeling fully fleshed out and complete. When done poorly, it leaves the listener wondering what track they’re on, because all of the songs begin to sound the same.

        Although the band should be given props for crafting a sound that works for them, nonetheless, the album leaves something wanting. Perhaps they could benefit from a diversification of their instrument base, or a sharp and commanding new mastering technique.

        It’s hard for me to pick favourites on this album, because I use it as musical filler, but the second track Colours was the one that prompted me to listen to the album in its entirety. Colours begins with sharp electronic arpeggios that devolve into echoing synth chords and pulsing rhythms. It’s the kind of song that would do well as an RAC remix. Unfortunately, the rest of the album didn’t quite meet my expectations. At least I know what I’ll be playing at the gym tomorrow.

        Rating: 6/10

        RIYL: The Killers, Franz Ferdinand

        The album doesn’t seem to want to embed below, but you can stream it here.

        Promethean Eyes by The Breezes

        Posted on by Katie
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        Looking for a chill, slightly beachy lo-fi track for your listening pleasure?

        Well, my friend, look no further than Promethean Eyes by The Breezes, a four-piece hailing from dear Montreal. Not much is known about these gentlemen. They played last year’s NXNE at Rancho Relaxo, and recently hit up Wrongbar for CMW in March. Promethean Eyes is the band’s first single from their upcoming release sometime this spring (TBA). If the rest of the album keeps with the same nodding, string accompanied relaxed vibe, you can bet I’ll be pocketing it at their next show.

        RIYL: Jens Lekman (it’s violins that really do it for me), zoning out after a delicious home-cooked meal (yes, that’s what I happen to be doing right now)

        Good people making good music

        Posted on by Katie
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        Hey guys, here are some great musicians that I think you should check out. Now it’s time for me to take off my weekend clothes (flannel, jeans, and cherry red Keds), layer myself in office-appropriate pastels & bows, and wait until next weekend to indulge in such luxuries as new music.

        Have a great week!

        WHO THEY ARE: Emma Grace
        FROM WHERE: Toronto, Ontario
        WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: Your best friend’s garage band
        RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Dr. Dog, Miniature Tigers

        WHO THEY ARE: Wacos Brothers & Paul Burch
        FROM WHERE: Chicago, Illinois
        WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: The clink of toasting beers around a campfire
        RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Zeus

        MP3: Great Chicago Fire – Wacos Brothers & Paul Burch

        WHO THEY ARE: The Planes
        FROM WHERE: Brooklyn, NY
        WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: High school art rockers in a seedy bar
        RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: The Unicorns

        WHO THEY ARE: Heyward Howkins
        FROM WHERE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
        WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: A hummingbird hovering over nectar
        RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Andrew Bird

        WHO THEY ARE: The Candy Strypers
        FROM WHERE: Manchester, UK
        WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: The school bell on the last day before summer vacation
        RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Belle & Sebastian

        Music Between Friends and the Terrible Twos

        Posted on by Katie
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        Music Between Friends is two years old now, which means we’re teething, drooling, and causing general mischief with cereal.

        In my first post, which was written exactly two years ago, I wrote about Vetiver, Hey Champ, Sleigh Bells, and Sonny and the Sunsets. Even now, I listen to all of those songs and they still feel as fresh as they did then.

        It’s strange how some songs grow stale whereas some remain timeless.

        I’ve been really busy for the last few months. I took up yoga three times a week. I’ve been running at sunset and dawn. I knitted a scarf (not just a dog-sized one) and I’M GONNA KNIT MORE. I remembered how to tell jokes (I had been doing that thing where you think that you’re a funny person, but then you realize that you’ve been stiff and weird and severe as a widow’s peak with a pole up its butt).

        Somehow over the last year, I learned to assert myself. I used to be scared of trying to understand myself and the way my brain works sometimes. I still get scared, but at least I can deal with the fact that I’m shitting bricks, and maybe one day I’ll be productive and learn to build a brickhouse.

        I used to think that maybe I wasn’t cool enough, but then I realized that everything I thought was cool wasn’t really cool anymore, and that I’d never be current enough to be a trending topic.

        Trying to figure out what’s hip is about as easy as going back in time (an apt metaphor, since all you have to do to predict clothing and music trends is begin traveling backwards, starting with 90′s hip hop and swimming slowly through the eighties and seventies and beyond (keep dreaming steampunk. It’s never gonna happen.)

        I used to use music as escapism; I’d put on a good song and it would make me feel less miserable, less manic, less anxious, less disturbed, less jittery. I still use music as a low grade, over-the-counter drug, especially when I’m running that sixth kilometer, or I’m lying in a pile of dirty laundry surrounded by electronic devices and Cheestring wrappers.

        I’d like to celebrate two years with an “I’m still here!” moment. I changed cities, I changed jobs, I changed friends, but my music taste has remained consistent. I still like the undefinable, the indefinite, the ambiguous “Indie Music” that brings hordes of deliberately-dressed twenty-somethings into basements soaked with beer and chopped haircuts and thrift store t-shirts, collectively standing but not quite touching because that would involve actually connecting with another human being.

        So here’s to two years. This blog is still here. I’m growing up and it’s harder to write short one-off posts. It’s even hard when all of your fan mail comes from musicians trying to get featured. (Really, I just do this for fun! I’m not one of those stay-at-home moms who makes a thousand dollars a week from Google Belly Flab Secret Teeth Whitening)

        Happy Birthday.

        MP3: Birthday – The Bird and the Bee

        [Music Video Monday] Chairlift – “Met Before”

        Posted on by Katie
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        Although I can’t embed this video, I STRONGLY ENDORSE YOU CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW.

        Brooklyn’s Chairlift has made a Choose Your Own Adventure, 100% interactive music video for Met Before, the single for Something, their third studio album (released January 2012).

        Here are some of the adventures that I’ve put the band through:
        - I let Caroline Polachek die from a bee sting
        - I allowed Patrick Wimberly to trip balls on some forest mushrooms
        - I allowed Caroline Polachek live out some sort of Ready Or Not/Freaks & Geeks fantasy with a dirty blonde hipster with a bee fetish and cokebottle glasses

        What will these hipsters do next? The choice is yours…

        Click here for Chairlift’s interactive video for Met Before.

        Osheaga 2012 Lineup

        Posted on by Katie
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        I got my Weekend Pass during the pre-sale today and it’s safe to say that I’m going to have the time of my life. Between this, Radiohead, tUnE-yArDs, Beirut, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Patrick Watson, this concert season is shaping out to be the best one I’ve ever had.

        Is anyone else thinking that this year’s Osheaga lineup could kick Coachella’s ass? I’d rather be chomping on a Montreal bagel on my way to a scenic city park than sweating my balls off with a bohemian leather thong up my ass.

        [Music Video Monday] Nothing by Young Man

        Posted on by Katie
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        Some people are so talented that their creative light shines through in everything they do. Colin Caulfield aka Minnesota’s Young Man is only 22 but has already played with Fanfarlo, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and GIRLS. He’s been interviewed by rag-du-jour NYLON and he’s coming out with (yet) another fantastic album Fate on May 23rd. With a voice somewhere between Luke Lalonde and Noah Lennox, his lo-fi, warm sound is perfect for melting in the sun and driving with the windows rolled down.

        Check out the video for Nothing, a track off his upcoming album.