A couple of weeks ago I put the question out there to see if anybody had an update on a the Panic Manual approved band, Sprites. Well, we got an answer from Sprites front man himself, Jason Korzen:

We played a show in DC back in June (2008) with Tullycraft and From Bubblegum To Sky. Musically I’ve mostly been working on some remix stuff for people. There is some new Sprites material but we probably won’t do any recording though until the winter.

Jason also mentioned that he has some new family commitments that have resulted in their non- touring schedulce as of late. I also asked Jason about how he measured success of his last two bands, Barcelona and Sprites.

Having bands cover one of my songs seemed kind of like success to me. Going somewhere like Jacksonville or Boulder, CO and being surprised that these kids were really, really excited you were there. That seemed like success. I always felt like we were close with Barcelona to doing something bigger. The timing was just a little off.

There you have it. Keep us posted Jason. Looking forward to the new material, whenever we see it. Until then, enjoy some Bionic Hands. Yeah.

Not to be confused with 60’s British folk act The Young Tradition. Which is exactly what happened to me when I first listened to their debut album Northern Drive. From the first track I immediately thought they sounded like a cross Belle & Sebastian, The Ladybug Transistor and Stereolab. Then it hit me, ‘holy crap’ I thought, ‘The Young Tradition is probably some 60’s folk group that inspired all these Twee bands. How could I have missed it?’…Turns out I was way off. After digging a little deeper on the interwebs I found out The Young Tradition we’re talking about today is a collaboration between Swedish multi-instrumentalist Erik Hanspers and Japanese-American vocalist Brent Kenji (formerly of The Fairways) and their album Northern Drive was actually released in 2005. When you listen to the album you’ll probably understand my confusion. It’s sixties pop pastiche man. Jangling guitar, great orchestral arrangements (complete with xylophone and organ) and whispering like vocals sound like they were transported from the era of Simon & Garfunkel and The Byrds.

 

 The Young Tradition - Gone are the days: Play Now

 

 The Young Tradition - California Morning: Play Now

Canadian Twee (Cantwee?). A genre that seems to be as elusive as the Samsquanch. I was hard pressed to think of a good Canadian indie pop act off the top of their head, so I took it upon myself to try and find one. I figured the best place to start would be Myspace as every band and their mom seem to have a site there, but it proved to be way to daunting. Next step, which should have been the most obvious was CBC Radio 3. After about an hour of searching using every twee related genre I could think of, I typed in Belle & Sebastian and up popped perhaps Canada’s best kept tweecret - You & Me, an acoustic quartet hailing from Montreal.

With only a single album their belt (The Romantic and the Realist), You and Me already have a sound of a well polished band. Shawn Donnelly’s lone vocals are reminiscent of Elliott Smith, combined with Sandra J’s sweet harmonies, which gives you the feeling equivalent to sinking into a comfy chair with a warm cup of tea on a rainy Sunday. With it’s downtempo acoustic plucks and strums, boy/girl vocals and clever lyrics The Romantic perfect addition to your indie pop collection, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that You and Me inspire more Canadian indie pop acts to peep a little further out of their Anoraks knowing there is still hope amongst the Arcade Fire’s and Tokyo Police Club’s.

You and Me will be playing at the Yellow Door in Montreal on September 26th.

 

 You and Me - Head Noise Pollution: Play Now

It’s taken six years, three EPs, two twelve inch split singles and a handful of appearances on compilations for Detroit based Pas/Cal to finally release their very first LP, ‘I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura’.

I first came across Pas/Cal in 2003 at ‘A New Architecture’ one of the better indie nites in Toronto at the time. I got to know one of the DJ’s and he lent me a copy of their first EP ‘The Handbag Memoirs’, consisting of upbeat pop gems like ‘The Bronze Beached Boys (Come On Let’s Go)’ and ‘I Wanna Take You Out In Your Holiday Sweater’. I remember asking him what their name was and all I heard was ‘Pastel!!’ over the loud music and beer-clogged ears. I stumbled away confused thinking he was talking about ‘The Pastels’ as they are more of a melancholic synth band. I was tempted to send a drunken email to Stephen Pastel saying ‘You’ve changed man, it used to be about the music’ but luckily the DJ was kind enough to clarify the name and handed over a copy of the EP.

Subsequent EP’s,’Oh Honey, We’re Ridiculous’ and ‘Dear Sir’ followed in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Both of them were Viktically acclaimed but they always left me wanting more, like that half eaten packet of Whoppers I just stole from my coworkers drawer.

When Pas/Cal announced they were releasing a full LP earlier this year, the news was almost bittersweet as I’ve been waiting for this news for a long time, but at the same time weary of the fact that they may not have it in them to create a full album of stand out tracks.

Although I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura constitutes Casimer Pascal and Co.’s trademark high pitched vocals and up-tempo ’60s pastiche, after a few listens you’ll feel this LP isn’t something you can just throw on in the background while you’re doing something, you’ll need to sit back and pay attention to the story it has to tell. From the opening track IWROMMLL rocks and bounces along at an unpredictable pace but beneath the surface it compels the listener to pay attention every chord struck and word sung during it’s whimsical journey.

There is a track on IWROMMLL called ‘Ballad Of The Ignored’. Perhaps a cheeky attempt at an apology for making fans wait so long for a full length album, but it’s really not necessary guys, I for one am glad you took your time.

4.5/5

I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura is available July 22 on Le Grand Magistery Records

1. The Truth Behind All The Vogues She Sold
2. You Were Too Old For Me
3. We Made Our Way, We Amtrakked
4. Summer Is Almost Here
5. Glorious Ballad Of The Ignored
6. O Honey, We’re Ridiculous
7. Dearest Bernard Levine
8. Little Red Radio
9. Cherry Needs A Name
10. Cherry Tree
11. O My Cherry
12. Citizen’s Army Uniform

 

 Pas/Cal - You Were Too Old For Me: Play Now

 

 Pas/Cal - The Bronze Beached Boys (Come On Let's Go): Play Now

What can be said about ‘The Explorers Club’ album ‘Freedom Wind’? Upon listening to the first 20 seconds of the opening track you’ll have an idea of what your in for - an album heavily influenced by the Beach Boys and Byrds perfect for having a gas on the beach, chasing far out chicks and kicking sand into a Squares face.

This album could be a blessing and a curse for TEC. A blessing because Freedom Wind is full of perfect harmonies and simple pop-melodies performed by 6 talented dudes, so they’ve proven they can produce some lovely music. The curse because not everyone is a fan of 60’s beach pop (me included). Great music aside, if you’re not into bands like the Beach Boys, you’re not going to like this album. Secondly, this is a concept album, it’s great for the Summer but I don’t think I’ll be listening to it come Autumn.

A valiant effort on The Explorers Clubs’ part, but I may not give them another listen unless they decide to release an album with a better mix of original material.

3/5

 

 The Explorers Club - Do You Love Me?: Play Now

So I’m a little late getting to this one. But like a good chef, I like to let my music marinade, slow cook in a crock pot for a few days and pickle until it’s ready to eat.

Sadly, after tasting this recent single from the Radio Dept., it seems like it was was a little undercooked. Bland and raw at the beginning but the flavor starts to come out after chewing on it for 2 minutes.

2/5

 

 The Radio Dept. - Freddie and the Trojan Horse: Play Now