metric – Page 3 – Indie Music Filter

New Sebastien Grainger EP

On June 10th, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains will release American Names (Outside), digital EP and 7″. The digital EP will be exclusive to iTunes Canada and will also be available for purchase at upcoming shows in the form of a poster with a unique code that will give access to the download.

Pretty cool.

How far off are we from a day when you can hear a song, think the word ‘purchase’, have it debit the chip in your head and download it to your cerebral cortex? Any day now.

Last time I wrote about Sebastien was almost a year ago. Since then, he’s hit the studio for this EP (giving it the ‘wall of sound’ effect) and assembled the touring band to pull it off live. The former drummer and vocalist of Death For Above 1979 has enlisted the help of friends Leon Taheny of Germans, Nick Sewell of the Illuminati and Andrew Scott of The Meligrove Band and The Bicycles. Still getting good opening slots as well. This guys has been sharing stages with (Bloc Party, Albert Hammond Jr., Metric).

Been listening to the EP and there is definitely a stand-out. A new version of Are There Ways To Come Home?, shortened to Ways To Come Home. Its sick, love it.

[audio:https://www.indiemusicfilter.com/audio/WaysToComeHome.mp3]

SXSW ’08: Wednesday

I started this day working for some good friends, helping set up the outdoor party for the Canadian Blast. I mounted a left arrow on a fence and hung flags. Pretty easy work to do in the sun. It was a solid lineup that day at the Brush Square. The United Steel Workers of Montreal opened (and if you check the flyer, it looks like two bands had the opening slot, The United Steel Workers and Of Montreal). Next up was The Pack AD, Mints’ newest band. I’d agree with Andrew from Red Cat Records by saying

“Awwwwwooooogggaaaaararoraroarrrrrrr. Janis Joplin, meet the White Stripes. Now, go and drink a bucket of bourbon and hang out on a Civil War battleground.”

City and Colour were next. Was nice to see Dallas play in a venue that wasn’t full of screaming girls. Hot Springs were 3rd last. I’ve gotta say, since seeing them at NXNE last year, they’ve really improved. Previously I was blah about the band, now I’m diggin their songs and developing a crush on any lead singer that rocks like she does.

Here’s their video for Headrush. Here’s the mp3.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNRF4W7_EOQ[/youtube]

The 2nd last band was Dragonette. Up until that point, no other band had my attention like they did. I don’t think I ever looked away. Definitely for fans of Metric, featuring Dan from The New Deal. Check out I Get Around on their myspace page, here’s the Van She Vocal Remix.

Then, to upstage their act, we had a slew of Canadian DJs/producers/MCs take the stage and precede to blow it up. Ghislain Poirier, Cadence Weapon, Megasoid (Hadji from Wolf Parade and Sixtoo), Skratch Bastid and Grand Analog.

Sick.

I can’t remember what I did for dinner. Pretty sure I was drunk by this point…..

Later on,

I caught the last song of The Delta Spirit‘s set, People, Turn Around. Get it at I Guess I’m Floating. I was singing, felt like part of the choir. From there, we headed to Buffalo Billiards to get in for The Ting Tings, one of the most buzzed about bands down in Austin. Again, like previously noted, they were great. Someone book these two on some Canadian dates.

Here’s the video for Great DJ.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=myJnsqGgxxM[/youtube]

After that was Walter Meego, about 13 secounds of Cut Copy, and whatever I could take of The Tough Alliance.

Went home tired, sun-burnt, drunk. Went to bed spinning. Got a couple winks and got ready to do it all again.

Mason Proper

What exactly is going on in the woods in Northern Michigan? If you’ve been to my site before, you might know I’m quite a fan of Mason Proper.

This tuesday (March 13th), Dovecote Records is set to release there is a MOTH in your chest. Some of the tracks will sound familiar, some have been online for a while on the bands myspace page. The main difference is, they’ve been reworked and they sound amazing thanks to the help of John O’Mahoney (Metric, Matt Pond PA). Take my enthusiasm for their music from my previous post and multiply it by at least 2 and a half.

To get your ears going, take a listen to Chemical Dress Eliza. There are moments in this song when I think of early Sloan, not sure exactly what it is. The undeniable is this songs ability to make you move. Even when you are stuck behind a desk.

It’s interesting to know that the band writes their music in an ‘assembly line process’. Every member contributes equal parts and ideas, adding and adding until the song is done. And from what I know of the record, expect to hear that assembly line create ‘beautifully charming and surprising pop arrangements’ juxtaposed by ecstatic guitars, noise and energy.

This one is called Carousel, Carousel. Enjoy.

Mason Proper

Land Of Talk

In the land of talk…. songs like ‘Sea Foam‘ stick in your head…. and they don’t leave.

Check out some links from this Montreal band named Land Of Talk. They’re a three piece fronted by Elizabeth Powell and backed by Bucky Wheaton and Tim Kramer. Sounds like Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs meet Metric (minus analog keys and superpop). Check them out at NXNE or with Metric later on in July.

Click here, and you can download a couple of their tracks from Myspace.

SXSW Report : Day 3

Stop number one. The Australian Party at Brush square. Caught the last song from Decoder Ring. Checked my watch to make sure it was past 12pm, had a beer. And so on.

Stop number two. The Paste party. Great magazine, always a good party every year at SXSW. They had this cheese sauce…. wow. It made you want to dip your hand into the bowl, let it solidify, then go around Austin all day licking your hand. Well, it at least made me want to do that.

Caught a cool band called Midlake on the advice of a great guy named Nelson from Team Clermont. Check out the tracks ‘Roscoe’ and ‘Balloon Maker’ here. They have a Flaming Lips sound and the drummer looks a lot like Elijah Wood.
Also, caught a little bit of a band called Manchester Orchestra. Here is thier myspace page, I really recommend spending some time with ‘Golden Ticket’ and a nice live solo effort of ‘Play It Again Sam’.

Stop number three, the NXNE party at SXSW. If a bomb had gone off, Canada’s music industry would have perished. And Switzerland would become the new Montreal. Strong sets by Pilate, Cuff The Duke and Novillero.

Final Stop. Stubbs. Spent a good couple of hours drinking Lonestar beer and watching some of the bigger bands at the festival. Heard four bars of the Subways, all of Metric‘s set (which was very good), The Magic Numbers, and Snow Patrol (who weren’t actually that lame as some of us thought they would be).

By this point, I had developed a nice blister on my big toe. I named him Johnny.