Kelp Records was founded in 1994 in Frederiction by Jon Bartlett, but is now located in Ottawa. Enough about that, lets talk music.

Jim Bryson

Jim Bryson. Jim has been making solo records since 2000 and has backed other Canadian talent such as Kathleen Edwards, Sarah Harmer and The Weakerthans. His latest release, Where the Bungalows Roam (2007), is available for streaming on the Kelp site. It is worth a listen. It reminds me a lot of Luna. I can picture myself listening to Jim’s cd driving down a snowy country road, not being in a hurry to get to wherever I am going, or dancing with the one I love in my living room. For a country pop, singer, songwriter, Where The Bungalows Roam has quite a wide range of appeal. There is something for everyone. You can catch Jim Bryson February 26th at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto. I’ll see you there.

Quote from the label: “As for quotes, what can I say? We are coming up on our 14th anniversary this spring, and I am blessed to be able to work with such a strong stable of talent, and very appreciative of the kind words, emails and attention that our artists have been getting of late. Kelp is really looking forward to 2008!” (Jon Bartlett)

Hilotrons

Next Kelp Release: April 1st. A new HILOTRONS album called Happymatic.

I first heard of the Hilotrons via their Science Fiction Music single a few years ago. It seems they used to play it every Saturday night on the CBC radio show (RIP). Jon was nice enough to give me an advance listen to the Hilotrons upcoming release, Happymatic, and let me tell you, it was a pleasant surprise. No wait, let me rephrase that, it was a freaking awesome surprise. In listening to it from start to finish, I really got the sense that the band went into the studio and wanted to ‘try’ a bunch of things. The things they tried really work. This list includes some power pop (Lost In Yichang), some super catchy power pop (Deep River), vocal distortions and synthesizers (Comrade Elvis), and even an instrumental surfer rock ditty (Feet First). Happymatic is good and it will make you want to dance. I hope it gets the attention it deserves on April 1st when it is released. No joke.

 

 Hilotrons - Dominika (Happymatic, 2008): Play Now