Latest Earshot Reviews: Feb 2013

Ron Davis - Blue Modules

Claude Munson and the Storm Outside - The Storm Outside

Best of 2012 #3: Shrouded Strangers - Lost Forever (Izniz)

I heard this album very early in the spring of 2012 and I immediately thought it would definitely be in my Top 10 albums of the year. And boy did it grow on me as the year went on. I've discovered that I have a solid love for noisy psychedelic rock and this album captured the sound I love very well. Shrouded Strangers are a relatively new and young band from California, with only one other album under their belts. This album was released pretty much as an independent release too. It was a good year for psychedelic rock, with Tame Impala and Ringo Deathstarr already on my list. This was  the best psychedelic album I heard this year.

http://youtu.be/IdvzcrF_rHo

Best of 2012 #4: Tanlines - Mixed Emotions (True Panther Sounds)

Brooklyn's Tanlines straddle the line between 80s synth-pop nostalgia and modern edgy indy rock. Not really staying in either world, the duo bounces back and forth between genres. Their latest album, Mixed Emotions, is just their second to date and their first for the highly influential True Panther Sounds label. Teh music is tense, edgy, paranoid and ultimately a lot of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKJ3z9Pa7AU

 

Best of 2012 #6 : Purity Ring - Shrines (Last Gang)

2012 was an amazing year for Purity Ring. The duo had been kicking around Toronto under other names (Gobble Gobble, Born Gold) until landing their sound with the dark electro-rock of Purity Ring. The band has a nervous tension, plied into 2-3 minute pop gems. They exploded into prominence in Canada this year, and landed an international distribution contract with the lauded 4AD label. A stellar debut from Purity Ring with Shrines. I'm sure we'll see more of this great band in the near future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqw4wo8vdY8

Best of 2012 #6: David Byrne and St. Vincent - Love This Giant (4AD)

David Byrne is one of my favourite musicians of all time. From his seminal work in skewed pop and new wave in the Talking Heads, his solo work ranging from classical to world beat music, collaborations with Brian Eno and Fatboy Slim (amongst others), and running is own Luaka Bop record label, there's not much he hasn't done. Still, he finds ways to reinvent himself constantly. His recent collaboration with Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) has borne some wonderful musical fruit. Byrne's offbeat take on pop is all over this album. Annie Clark brings a lush pop and jazz sense to the songs on this album. Definitely one of the best pop albums of the year.

http://youtu.be/trIG9vQbVXA

Best of 2012: Daphni - Jiaolong (Merge)

Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith is no stranger to my ears. I've been a fan of his Caribou project since before he was forced to change it's name from Manitoba to Caribou. Caribou is no stranger to my best of charts either. Back in 2010, I picked Swim as my #3 album and in 2003, I chose Manitoba's Up in Flames as my favourite album of the year. Whereas Caribou put a pop-sheen on his electronics, Snaith's latest project, Daphni, is more more glitchy and noisy. He bases this project around a strong dance groove, with less emphasis on the psychedelic pop swirls Caribou is known for, an adding more glitchy, unsettling and noisy bits. It's a great effort, a bit divorced from his usual fare, but enjoyable nonetheless. Recommended for someone looking different from their dancefloor grooves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpK5GltULXI

Best of 2012: Ringo Deathstarr - Mauve (Sonic Unyon)

Last year, I picked Ringo Deathstarr's debut full length Colour Trip as my favourite album of 2011. This year, the Austin band put out two releases: a four track EP called Shadow, and another full length called Mauve. Mauve continued the bands shoegazer sound, but they were a little bit more focus, a little bit less noisy and a little bit more psychedelic. The album is just as enjoyable as Colour Trip, but in a very different way. Spacier, more mind-altering, less unsettling. Great effort!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ187y5sH3E