Thursday, March 26, 2020

DNTTA Playlist for January 10, 2020

Artist - Song - Album (Label)  * indicates Canadian Content 

Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca 

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cEvin Key - Herbalist Rule* - Music for Cats (Metropolis)
Kytami - Renegade* - Renegade (East Van Digital)
Andy Clockwork - New Jam Old Jelly* - Scronk (East Van Digital)
Knautic - Nameless Rasta* - Asaka (East Van Digital)
Elizabeth Millar - Mechanical Forest Sound 2* - No Instrument, Machine, Air (Mystery and Wonder)
Sound of the Mountain - Amplified Clarinet and Trumpet, Guitar, NIMB* - Amplified Clarinet and Trumpet, Guitar, NIMB (Mystery and Wonder)
BLVD Noir - Mes Amis* - Mes Amis (Independent)
Organ Mood - Indivisible* - Indivisible (Dare to Care)

DNTTA Playlist for January 3, 2020

Artist - Song - Album (Label)  * indicates Canadian Content 

Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca 

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Plumes - Golden Gourmande* - Oh Orwell (Independent)
David Byrne - It’s Not Dark Up Here - American Utopia (Reprise)
Electric Youth - Real Ones* - Memory Edition (Last Gang)
Bedchamber - Swells - Perennial (Kolibiri)
Longboat - Steamboat Bill - The Century Limited (Independent)
Pallas Athene - Saturn’s Return* - Pallas Athene (Tiny Dreamland)
Corridor - Grand Cheval* - Junior (Sub Pop)
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Lounger - Please Describe Yourself (V2)
Whoop-Szo - Homemade Candles* - Warrior Down (Royal Mountain)
Riit - Ullagit* - Ataataga (Six Shooter)
Little Scream - Disco Ball* - Speed Queen (Dine Alone)
The Pxrtals - Collider* - One Night (Permanent Touch)

Monday, March 23, 2020

Best of 2019 #9: Ride - This is Not a Safe Place (Wichita Records)

I'm a skeptic when it comes to classic bands with classic sounds attempting to make a comeback in modern times. It almost always results in a trite, nostalgia-laden schmatlz-fest, mostly centred on the band's past work with only a cursory look forward. It's rare to find a band that looks forward and attempts to find a new way to make music. Ride are part of a shoegaze mini-revival, along with Slowdive (reunited in 2014, along with awesome post-punk/shoegaze side project Minor Victories, my #1 in 2016.) Ride returned in 2017 with a great full-length, Weather Diaries, and their 2019 follow up, This is Not a Safe Place, pushed them even further into a modern sound. The classic shoegazing is there ("Shadows Behind the Sun", "Killswitch"), but more modern indy rock and psychedelic sounds are here too. "Repetition" almost sounds like an outtake by The National. Ride are a band with a great pedigree, but are clearly looking to the future as well as looking backwards.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Best of 2019 #10: Anemone - Beat My Distance (Luminelle Records)

Beat My Distance is the debut full length album from Montreal-based psychedelic pop/electronic band Anemone. Luminelle Records picked these guys up in 2018, and released a fine EP called Baby Only You and I, which is where I first heard them. This album is a great combo of female fronted electro pop with spacy psychedelic elements. I always like bands that mix different genres, and this album is tight and solid merging styles. This is an album to take a drive through the country with.



Monday, March 2, 2020

DNTTA Playlist for December 20, 2019

Artist - Song - Album (Label)  * indicates Canadian Content 

Listen to Do Not Touch This Amp every Friday 8-9 PM Pacific at www.thex.ca 

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Kanada Day - The Business Plan* - The Quiet War (Independent)
Black Mastiff - Star Base 77* - Loser Delucions (Grand Hand)
Chron Goblin - War* - Here Before (Grand Hand)
The Dial Ups - From Above* - The Dial Ups EP (Independent)
Friendly Fires - Photobooth - Friendly Fires (XL)
Dream Creeps - Egg on My Face* - Astral Vampires (Independent)
Mimico - New Haze* - Hi-Action (Hand Drawn Dracula)
Miriam Clancy - Colored Lights - Astronomy (Fat Possum)
X Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents - Let's Submerge: The Collection (Castle Music)
Nothing - Vertigo Flowers - Tired of Tomorrow (Relapse)
Woolworm - Live for You* - Awe (Mint)
Red Arms - Better Than Nothin’* - Critical State (Yeah Right!)
Jingle Cats - Angels We Have Heard on High - Meowy Christmas (Independent)

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Who We Lost in 2019

Every year, I try to highlight some of the musicians that have passed away in the past twelve month. This isn't a complete list, but I do try to focus on the Canadian musicians (marked with an asterisk) that have passed away.

Randy Nauert (The Bel-Airs)
Fred Foster
Doug Sandorn (The Who)
Hal Blaine (The Wrecking Crew)
David Zafer*
Dave Samuels (Spyro Gyra)
JR Cobb (Atlanta Rhythm Section)
Doris Day
Mike Wilhelm (Flamin' Groovies)
Dennis Famon*
Ralph Murphy*
Dr. John
Bushwick Bill (Geto Boys)
Adam Litovitz*
Jerry Carrigan
Dave Bartholomew
Ian Gibbons (The Kinks)
Katreese Barnes (Juicy)
Lizzie Grey (London)
Mitch Podolak*
Rita Steblin*
Jimmy Johson (Muscle Shoals)
Eddie Money
Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead)
Larry Junstrom (38 Special)
Doug Lubahn (Clear Light)
Martin Armiger (The Sports)
Jerry Naylor (The Crickets)
Leon Cole*
Juice WRLD
Robert Creech*

Top 10 Albums for 2019

1) METZ - Automat (Sub Pop)
2) Orville Peck - Pony (Royal Mountain)
3) Goon - Heaven is Humming (Partisan)
4) Snapped Ankles - Stunning Luxury (Leaf)
5) Kim Gordon - No Home Record (Matador)
6) Fontaines DC - Dogrel (Partisan)
7) Necking - Cut Your Teeth (Mint)
8) Girl Band - The Talkies (Rough Trade)
9) Ride - This is Not a Safe Place (Wichita)
10) Anemone - Beat My Distance (Luminelle)

Honourable Mentions: Dumb - Club Nites (Mint), Black Midi - Schlagenheim (Rough Trade), Beck - Hyperspace (Capitol), Black Mountain - Destroyer (Dine Alone), Lungbutter - Honey (Constellation)