Tag: Indie rock

Categories
Playlists

Playlist: New tunes from 2019, part one

I guess it was just a matter of time before playlists became a thing on this blog. The only surprise to me is that it took me this long to break down and post a Spotify playlist to these pages. And I’m already imagining this won’t be the last. Hence, the “part one” adjunct at the end the title above.

These here twenty-five songs are all from albums that have been released in the first three months of 2019 and are amongst my faves from said albums. Indeed, these are the songs that have soundtracked a very long winter up here in Canada’s capital, making my morning and afternoon commutes to and from work that much more bearable.

Highlights include:

      • “Not so proud”, track five off the self-titled debut album by Tallies, a four-piece dream pop outfit from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
      • A track (“Dylan Thomas”) by the surprise collaboration between Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, from the album titled “Better Oblivion Community Center”
      • “Motor city steel”, one of the few highlights off an otherwise disappointing outing from Dandy Warhols, an alternative rock favourite in my books
      • “First world problems”, a song I wanted to hate off Stone Roses’ frontman, Ian Brown’s latest solo effort because its title is oh so millennial… but I just can’t help myself…
      • Reviews have been decidedly mixed for the debut album by (don’t call us a) supergroup Piroshka, who include ex-members of Lush, Moose, Modern English, and Elastica, but I love the single “Everlastingly yours”
      • “Tough enough” by Ex Hex is so so so 1980s in a Go-gos, Bangles, and Pat Benatar kind of way

For those who don’t use Spotify or if the embedded playlist below doesn’t work for you, here is the entire playlist:

1. “Not so proud” Tallies (from the album Tallies)

2. “About the light” Steve Mason (from the album About the light)

3. “Her cold cold heart” Night Beats (from the album Myth of a man)

4. “[10 good reasons for modern drugs]” The Twilight Sad (from the album It won’t be like this all the time)

5. “Seventeen” Sharon Van Etten (from the album Remind me tomorrow)

6. “Death in midsummer” Deerhunter (from the album Why hasn’t everything already disappeared?)

7. “Dylan Thomas” Better Oblivion Community Center (from the album Better Oblivion Community Center)

8. “Motor city steel” The Dandy Warhols (from the album Why you so crazy)

9. “Sequence one” TOY (from the album Happy in the hollow)

10. “Spiked flower” Swervedriver (from the album Future ruins)

11. “Mexican dress” Blood Red Shoes (from the album Get tragic)

12. “Five on it” Spielbergs (from the album This is not the end)

13. “First world problems” Ian Brown (from the album Ripples)

14. “Gallipoli” Beirut (from the album Gallipoli)

15. “Bellyache” Yak (from the album Pursuit of momentary happiness)

16. “Everlastingly yours” Piroshka (from the album Brickbat)

17. “Until the fire” Ladytron (from the album Ladytron)

18. “Jonatan” Desperate Journalist (from the album In search of the miraculous)

19. “Pressure to party” Julia Jacklin (from the album Crushing)

20. “One last night on this earth” Sundara Karma (from the album Ulfila’s alphabet)

21. “Exits” Foals (from the album Everything not saved will be lost, part 1)

22. “Woman” Karen O and Danger Mouse (from the album Lux Prima)

23. “Tough enough” Ex Hex (from the album It’s real)

24. “Look at you now” Sleeper (from the album The modern age)

25. “Wasted youth” Jenny Lewis (from the album On the line)

Enjoy.

For those of you who are on Spotify, feel free to look me up. My user name is “jprobichaud911”.

Categories
Tunes

Best tunes of 2011: #15 Kasabian “Let’s roll just like we used to”

<< #16    |    #14 >>

A few years ago, I developed this theory that Kasabian’s records alternated between excellent and just mediocre. I was completely enamoured with their self-titled debut in 2004, with its melding of the best of Madchester’s best party-down qualities. I was disappointed with the sophomore record, 2006’s “Empire”, but then, the quartet from Leicester hit it out of the park again with 2009’s “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum“. Now, I don’t know if the pattern continues because I have yet to give their last album, 2017’s “For crying out loud”, a chance but if it does, their next album should be one for the ages.

Of course, according to this dubious theory of mine (and I realize it is only my own opinion, man), their 2011 effort, “Velociraptor!”, would not be one to recommend to those looking to hear the best of the band twice named best live act by the Brit Awards. There are, however, a handful of tracks worth mentioning and the opening number, “Let’s roll just like we used to”, is most definitely at the forefront of these.

The lyrics are a harkening back to a simpler time “when we were young our hearts got lost in the circles”. The party boys are older and looking wistfully back at their rises and falls, the friends they’ve lost and the “ones that got away, oh”. The gong and horn call from far off that begin the song resound to us as if from a dream or through the ages from this half-remembered time. Then, the beat kicks in with the bass line, all snazzy and suave, and you see yourself walking into a bar or a party like James Bond oozing retro cool. The music is your theme song, calling to mind action hero invincibility and youthful exuberance. Yes, the song is remembering things better than they actually were, No bad times or hangovers, only euphoria and drunken debauchery, providing all sorts of stories to regale.

Can our aging bodies still handle the grind of party life? Well, let’s roll just like we used to and see.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2011 list, click here.

Categories
Live music galleries

Live music galleries: James [2008]

(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)

James live in Montreal, 2008

Artist: James
When: September 22nd, 2008
Where: Club Soda, Montreal
Context: I recently finished wrapping up the series on my favourite albums of 2008 and in talking about how James’s 10th album “Hey ma” was my number one, I also referenced their show that I caught in Montreal that year and how it was my favourite (as well as my wife’s favourite) ever live show. Much like the gallery I posted recently from the Virgin festival that took place earlier that same month, the pictures here are not quality because they were taken with my old camera but I do have pictures and this is mainly due to Victoria’s forethought. It was the first and last time we ever drove to Montreal and back the same night for a concert and never plan to do it again because it was exhausting. However, neither of us regret seeing the show. We saw one of our favourite bands that normally plays gigantic shows at an intimate venue and were able to sing along with all of our favourite tunes. In fact, the whole club loudly sang along, blowing the band away, especially during “Sometimes” when the crowd lengthened the song to well over seven minutes by repeating the chorus refrain over and over again. Such an exhilarating and magical night.
Point of reference song: “Sometimes“*

Tim Booth, Mark Hunter, and Andy Diagram of James
Jim Glennie, Saul Davies, David Baynton-Power, and Andy Diagram of James
David Baynton-Power, Tim Booth, and Mark Hunter of James
Saul Davies and Andy Diagram of James
James performing ‘Sometimes’
James’s final bow

*The link I’ve shared is to the music video but someone who was also there has shared video footage from James’s performance of this song on YouTube from the show. You can find that here.