Song of the Day: Architecture in Helsinki – Desert Island

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Toronto – Australian band Architecture in Helsinki has had quite a spring. First off, the Melbourne five piece released an absolutely amazing cover of Cut Copy’s “Need You Now,” then they followed that up with releasing a lovely summertime album with Moment Bends. Now they are about to bring their sun kissed indie dance pop tunes over here to North America, where it seems to be perpetually raining (seriously, what is up with that?).

“Desert Island” is the first track off Moment Bends, the forth album from the group. Featuring synthesizers, pan flutes and a gentle dreamy 80s laid back vibe, it’s a great preview for the overall upbeat feeling that is the album. Definitely check it out.

Tour Dates:
06/01 Henry Fonda Theater – Los Angeles, CA
06/02 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
06/03 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
06/04 Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
06/05 Venue – Vancouver, BC
06/06 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
06/09 Varsity Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
06/10 Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
06/11 The Mod Club – Toronto, ON
06/12 La Tulipe – Montreal, QC
06/13 Paradise – Boston, MA
06/16 Webster Hall – New York, NY
06/17 Black Cat – Washington DC
06/18 World Cafe – Philadelphia, PA

Concert Review: A-Trak, May 13, Branx (Portland, OR)

Posted on by sarahw in Concerts | Leave a comment

Last week I was in Portland, Oregon for work, one of my favourite cities in America.  It’s clean, pretty, full of hipsters, void of sales tax and has the most micro-breweries and strips clubs per capita.  I mean, what’s not to love?  On my last night I found out that A-Trak was playing at a tiny venue downtown Portland. I also found out he was playing at a venue with a capacity of 200.  This is important to note since A-Trak is scheduled to play at the Guvernment in Toronto, a venue that holds 10,000.  I repeat, 200 vs. 10,000.

This is A-trak’s Magic 8 Ball tour, as such there were a few people opening for him.  First was Gaslamp Killer, the only way to describe this DJ is a Muppet crossed with Sideshow Bob…on caffeine pills (a la Jessie Spano from Saved By the Bell).  I don’t know how much he actually did up there musically aside from adjusting the volume a few times.  Other than that he was very entertaining, he spun a lot of Beatles tunes and danced like Jessie Spano on caffeine pills before Zack Morris intervened and saved the day.

Next up were Billy Joy (from Illinois…get it?!?!) and Kid Sister.  I had heard of Kid Sister before this night but never cared enough to listen (female rappers aren’t really my thing).  She was introduced on stage by Billy Joy (from Illinois) and came adorned in tight clothes, sunglasses and the most blindingly glittered nails I’ve ever seen.  Kid Sister had tons of energy, her rhymes were pretty tight and she even brought some ladies on stage to dance with her.

A-Trak arrived on stage just after midnight and by this point the crowd was in quite the frenzy.  I don’t know much about DJing but I know that he was quite busy up there with his turntables and laptop. I’ve listened to A-Trak’s mixtapes and his set is not like these hip hop mashups at all: less hip hop, more electronic music.  He played a 2.5 hour set and was quite charming when he spoke to the crowd, people loved him.

All in all it was a cool experience seeing a big DJ play in a small venue, but I don’t really enjoy DJ shows, I prefer a good old bands with instruments and stuff.

Robyn – Indestructible (A-Trak Remix) by A-Trak

Pulp Countdown (11 Days): Bad Cover Version

Posted on by Ricky in Primavera | Leave a comment

Toronto – Maybe the best Pulp music video out there, this single from 2001’s We Love Life featured a parody live-aid video that included a host of lookalikes of celebrities such as George Michaels, Elton John, Bono, Paul McCartney and Robbie Williams. This track also has the distinguished title of being the last single Pulp released before going into hiatus. A song about how a loved one’s new relationship is not the same as the original one with the singer, Bad Cover Version also takes a nice subtle cheap shot at the Stones. While I’m not sure that it will ever be listed among the best Pulp songs, this track certainly can be counted as among the most clever ones.


Pulp – Bad Cover Version by beautifulcynic

Song of the Day: Digitalism – 2 Hearts

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Toronto – I first became a fan of Digitalism a few years back when I heard the single Zdarlight. That instrumental track, armed with a pulsating beat and a life altering crescendo quickly became one of my favorite electronic tunes. It’s been a good four years since the German duo have released an a album, but they are back in 2011 with I Love You, Dude a new record which surprisingly enough, is not a soundtrack to an Ashton Kutcher movie. 2 Hearts is the first single off the album, due out June 20th. No, it is not a Kylie cover, yes it’s got a great dance beat. Unlike Zdarlight, this track features the duo singing, which I guess is often a progression for electronic acts. It’s a pretty catchy tune and hopefully a good preview of what’s to come. Have a listen.

Digitalism plays the following tour dates:

8/3 – SEATTLE, WA – Showbox
8/4 – PORTLAND, OR – Roseland
8/5 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Fox Theater
8/6 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Hard Fest
8/9 – DALLAS, TX – Granada
8/10 – AUSTIN, TX – Stubb’s
8/12 – CHICAGO, IL – Congress Theater
8/13 – TORONTO, ON – World Electronic Music Festival
8/14 – MONTREAL, PQ – Metropolis
8/16 – BOSTON, MA – House of Blues
8/17 – BALTIMORE, MD – Bourbon Street
8/18 – WASHINGTON, DC – Fur Nightclub
8/19 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – Electric Factory
8/20 – NEW YORK, NY – Terminal 5