Indie Music Filter – Page 1103 – Toronto-based music blog showcasing the best new indie music. To the point track features, videos, reviews and streaming playlists.

Song Tapper

I came across this site a couple weeks back and I’ve been testing it every once in a while to see if it actually works. Its a site called Song Tapper. Developed by a bunch of people from Simon Fraser University, it’s an interesting website which “lets you search for a song, by tapping the rhythm of its words (lyrics)”.

Why don’t we give it a shot? Okay, I’m feeling kind of classic today. I’m going to try ‘More Than A Feeling‘ (wow, who created that page!) by Boston. Oh, and you better believe that I’m belting this one out while tapping.

Here’s what the computer thought it might be: Enter Sandman by Metallica, S.O.S by Abba, Mr. Brightside by The Killers, and Time is Running Out by Muse to name a few. Way off and all over the map..

I’m going to try this again. Maybe I’ll try and tap in Rebellion (Lies) by The Arcade Fire.

Here’s what it said: Afternoon Delight by Gordon Lightfoot, Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones, Blackbird by The Beatles, or The Llama Song by ????.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

People In Planes

Normally The Horseshoe never gets more that half full on a Nu Music Tuesday night. And its nice to be able to stroll around the bar and talk to the same faces you see every week.

This past Tuesday was a zoo.

In Flight Safety opened, played well and drew the most by my count. Field Guide (from Hamilton) rocked as well. My only concern, the guitarist overdid rock/conversational head shaking. (See ‘School of Rock‘).

People in Planes played the midnight slot. Met one of these guys in Texas last year at the SXSW music festival. Got their demo, liked it, then lost it.

They played really well live (even when all the stage lights mysteriously went out for a minute). I was expecting the Phantom to show up…..

Check out the track “For Miles Around”. For some reason I think it sounds like a Trews and Muse hybrid. Trews and Muse, that rhymes.

Also noticed on thier media page that one of their videos was directed by Joaquin Phoenix. Interesting.

Panther Herpes

So its going to be Stephen Harper eh? We’ll I propose that if we are going to be led by him for the next 4, we can give him a cute little nic name. If you take the letters of Stephen Harper and rearrange them, you can spell Panther Herpes (or check here). Awesome!!

(I was kind of happy there for a moment when I thought I was the first to realize this interesting coincidence, but someone beat me to it.)

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Now to music. M83 . From what I know, M83 is the moniker for Anthony Gonzales from Antibes, France. Influenced by Brian Eno, Smashing Pumpkins and Slowdive, M83 creates beautifully massive symphonic masterpieces. On a lot of the tracks you find this delicate balance of random dialogue from a women’s voice intertwined with building, surging crescendos.

He’s got some interesting videos out there as well. Check out ‘America‘.

Still hungry? Check out the track ‘Don’t Save Us From The Flames‘.

If you really want a treat, and its a weird one, try and find a track called ‘Car Chase Terror’. I won’t tell you anything more. Its a doozy.

***M83 is recommended for people looking for that soundtrack to listen to while aimlesly staring out the window of a moving car. It works, really.

The Ghost Is Dancing

Saw a band called The Ghost Is Dancing at a converted Chinese Food restaurant called The Boat the other night. Whenever I walk into a room and see balloon animals, I get excited. I get even more excited when 6 piece bands like TGID ignite the crowd with pounding 4-on-the-4 breakouts, anthemesque singalongs and clever arrangements of accordion, keyboard and violin. Interesting bio note on their myspace page…

“There was only one solution. Six intrepid warriors of the resistance were chosen in the closing days of the War Against Rock; trained in the ancient arts of kung fu, ninjitsu, taekwando and paper-rock-scissors, these freedom fighters were sent back in time to early 2004 to rock out and perhaps build an army strong enough to take back the planet in 2009.”

Check out a track called To French Ave and keep an eye out for these guys and girl.
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Side note: If you’ve seen The Wedding Crashers, and you know the classic lines well, then this is what would have happened if the brat had said “Make me a motorcycle, Clown!!!” .

FACES ON FILM ROCK…

I have to get this one out of my head before I leave this office. I turned 28 today. Which is kind of cool because it is not 30. And 30 is cool because it is not 50… and so on. Birthdays need good rock songs. Check out this band.

‘Beginners‘ by FACES ON FILM

I like every part of this song, but I especially enjoy the chorus. It feels like musically someone has slapped you in the face with a heavy magazine, like a national geographic. Great contrast of sounds, light twinkling of bells dancing in-between distorted screams and shouts.

And they’ll soon be playing in Canada, thanks to the good kids at Sunny Lane Records. Look for FOF at the Horseshoe, Feb. 7th.