foxtrott – Page 2 – Indie Music Filter

VIDEO: “Brother (Organ and Voice Version) by Foxtrott

I love this stripped down version of “Brother” by Foxtrott. Marie-Hélène Delorme is set as a silhouette against an angular backdrop, performing this time without her signature driving rhythms, just her stunning vocals over simple chords on an organ.

“This is the most personal song of A Taller Us” says Marie-Hélène. “I wrote it for my brother who, as a young adult, started suffering from mental illness. It is a song filled with love and powerlessness.”

If you haven’t yet spent any time with her highly original album A Taller Us, I suggest you use this song as your way in. According to Delorme, “A Taller Us came from a desire for growth, the realisation that one can only become “taller” by embracing the “smaller”, more vulnerable parts. Only by diving into ourselves and facing our fears, anxieties and wounds, can we really step out of ourselves to be able to truly give. The songs on this record are very personal, almost like an autobiography of my young adulthood. Exploring themes like love, separation, family, spirituality, doubt, fear – I wrote it in the most emotionally earnest way possible, as a way to heal, and also hoping that it would resonate. I strongly believe we, human beings, are not different, and often, the hyper-personal touches the universal.”

Compare to the original. Grab A Taller Us here.

Best Songs Of 2015

Hey kids,

The year is coming to a close and I’m sitting here looking back on another year of blogging; another year of so many great tunes.

It’s always a challenge to try and sum up your year in one playlist. Here’s my best attempt, with my favourite songs of 2015 (via Soundcloud, Spotify, Youtube and new streaming site Playmoss). In my playlist I feature the likes of Leon Bridges, Day Wave, Big Data, Jack Garratt, Steven. A Clark, and many more.

*Note: This is not meant to be a Top 50 list where #1 is my favourite song. I love them all the same, plus the songs had to go in some order.

Signing off for 2015,

Chris

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Best Of 2015 (Soundcloud) / Best Of 2015 (Spotify) / Best Of 2015 (Youtube) / Best Of 2015 (Playmoss)

1. Favela – “Gong”
2. Leon Bridges – “Better Man”
3. Day Wave – “Drag”
4. Borns – “Electric Love”
5. Jack Garratt – “Weathered”
6. Beck – “Dreams”
7. Tame Impala – “The Less I Know The Better”
8. EXGF – “We Are The Hearts”
9. CHVRCHES – “Clearest Blue”
10. Kalle Mattson – “Avalanche”
11. Ben Khan – “Blade (Tidal Wave Of Love)”
12. Jose Gonzalez – “Leaf Off / The Cave”
13. Kate Boy – “Midnight Sun”
14. Bravestation – “Haven”
15. Christine And The Queens – “Tilted”
16. Martin Crane – “Physical Therapy”
17. ON AN ON – “Drifting”
18. Ryn Weaver – “The Fool”
19. Satellite Stories – “Heartbeat”
20. Austin Basham – “See You Soon”
21. Foxtrott – “Driven”
22. Hot Chip – “Dancing In The Dark”
23. j.viewz – “Don’t Pull Away”
24. Zibra – “Wasted Days”
25. Niki & The Dove – “Play It On My Radio”
26. Big Data – “Clean”
27. RAC – “One House”
28. City Calm Down – “Rabbit Run”
29. Passion Pit – “Lifted Up”
30. Refs – “Pain Goes Away”
31. Moon King – “Apocalypse”
32. Mt. Wolf – “Red”
33. The Wombats – “Give Me A Try”
34. Young Empires – “Uncover Your Eyes”
35. Panama Wedding – “Infinite High”
36. The Japanese House – “Teeth”
37. Ra Ra Riot – “Water”
38. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Multi-Love”
39. Rebecca Clements – “Pure Wasted”
40. Seoul – “The Line”
41. Will Joseph Cook – “Message”
42. The Elwins – “Show Me How To Move”
43. Vance Joy – “Fire And The Flood”
44. Sorcha Richardson – “Petrol Station”
45. Yukon Blonde – “Saturday Night”
46. Stone Cold Fox – “Sold”
47. Kassassin Street – “To Be Young”
48. Tanlines – “Slipping Away”
49. Steven A. Clark – “Can’t Have”
50. The Tallest Man On Earth – “Sagres”

Class Of 2015

It’s finally slowed down on the submissions front and I’m in full-on “winding down” mode for this wonderful year of music. Like last year, you should expect a monster playlist of my favourite songs, but in the meantime, check out my “Class of 2015” post.

Looking back through all that was posted on IMF in 2015, I wanted to make a list of artists and bands who really turned my head and caught my ear. It ended up being a list of 10 (in no particular order) of artists that I think you should get to know, and keep track of as they tear it up into 2016. The list includes US artists Day Wave and Austin Basham, UK rising voices Jack Garratt, Ben Khan, Favela and The Japanese House, hometown heroes For Esmé and Brave Shores, also Montreal’s Foxtrott and Seoul.

Soundcloud / Rdio / Spotify / Youtube

*Note: Some of these artists were covered on IMF in 2014, or were popular before I first heard of them. This list is about the bands that came into their own, on this blog, in 2015.

VIDEO: “Shaky Hands” by FOXTROTT

If you ever wondered what goes down in a quarry when no one is around, here’s your answer. Take a look at this cool video for “Shaky Hands” by Montreal’s FOXTROTT, the new single off A Taller Us (released November 20th (US/CA) & December 4th (ROW) on One Little Indian Records).

Indie Music Filter: Best Of October 2015 (PLAYLISTS)

October is always one of the best months for new music. Like previous years, instead of scrambling to find enough songs to round out a playlist, I was forced to cut a few songs that I featured this month on the blog, but just didn’t fit right on the playlist. The result though is a fantastic mix that I hope you enjoy. Whether you prefer to listen via Soundcloud, Rdio or Spotify, I’ve got some brand new tunes from RAC, Niki & The Dove, Phoria, Hot Chip and many more.

Best of October 2015: Playlist (Rdio) / Best of October 2015: Playlist (Soundcloud) / Best of October 2015: Playlist (Spotify)