Fire Sam Mitchell.... dot com

Thanks to Bill Simmons I found FireSamMitchell.com.

This is funny... because about halfway through the season I checked to see if the Fire Sam Mitchell blogspot address was taken. I didn't end up doing it, but I'm all over this campaign. In fact, I think I'm going to end every post with the Fire Sam Mitchell banner.



Update: This post on the site has made me want to learn how to use photoshop.

Youth Novels by Lykke Li ... reconsidered

I've gone back and forth and back on Lykke Li (who I'm pretty sure shares a name with a Street Fighter character) 's Youth Novels since I first heard it at the beginning of March. After I heard a couple of outstanding singles "Let it Fall" and "I'm Good, I'm Gone" I was very excited, and thought I might be in for some type of quirky and much more Nordic version of Lily Allen. The album, after my first time through, wasn't quite as catchy as I was hoping it would be... so, naturally, I gave up on it.

For whatever reason, maybe listening to another Swedish female (Sally Shapiro - in case you care, I don't particularly care for Shapiro's Disco Romance) was enough of a reminder to give YNs another shot.

I'm glad I did, because in addition to having a number of outstanding and horribly catchy singles (the two previously mentioned plus "Dance Dance Dance" "Little Bit" "Breaking it Up") it also has a more atmospheric, ethereal?, and kind of haunting side. The intro "Melodies & Desires" as well as "This Trumpet in my Head" have some lyrics, while not particularly profound or meaningful, that are really sticking with me.

From "Melodies & Desires":
'Love is the harmony/Desire's the key/Love is the melody/Now sing it with Me' ... its better if you just hear it...

[mp3] Lykke Li - Melodies & Desires
[mp3] Lykke Li - Let it Fall

It's the CD-R EP! by Dave Norris!

The singer-songwriter/guy with a guitar market is pretty competitive, and it seems like it takes a lot to get noticed - like, say, a couple of surf videos and a connection to another prominent singer-songwriter. So, suffice to say, in this kind of market I find it pretty rare to find someone that I'm genuinely excited to listen to (maybe its the exclamation mark after his name).

Dave Norris! (Ottawa, On) traces over some pretty familiar territory (isn't all singer-songwriter about girls, or trying to get girls?), but does so with great sincerity and feeling. Wow, that sounded cheesy. Sorry. But, in all seriousness, he shows some range with some toe-tappers ("Howl") and some 'bubble bath' songs ("I Was Made a Fool"). On the whole, the CD-R EP (which is a great title I think), is good enough for me to forgive him for borrowing the song title "I'm on Fire" from the Boss, which is my favourite Springsteen song ever. It's also good enough to stand out against any singer-songwriter material that I've heard in the last while. And its also good enough for me to seriously recommend (Paul, Ack, Allan I'm looking at you).

I'm hoping Dave! will make the trip to London some time soon. It'd be great to see him live... especially at the Alex P. Keaton (hint! Chris if you're reading this).

My favourite:

[mp3] Dave Norris! - A Streetcar Named Malice

I'm told the CD will be available soon through CDBaby.com.

Babies Dream Big by Alan Wilkis

Maybe a week ago Alan Wilkis (Crooklyn, NY) sent me a note asking if I'd check out his album Babies Dream Big; since he asked nicely, and addressed the e-mail to me and not the title of the blog, which I thought was courteous, I did. Also, if the E*Trade baby and the Telus monkey have taught us anything, its that babies and animals sure can sell... so the title of the album and the artwork didn't hurt either.

My initial impressions of the album are very positive, as the album is just about a perfect one for sitting outside, relaxing on the balcony at night and having a cup of tea (this is, in fact, what I'm doing now). At times, he reminds me a little bit of Stevie Wonder or Jamie Lidell, but mostly I feel like this is what a Flaming Lips album would be like without the acid.

I'm not sure exactly how I'll feel about the album as a whole in another week/month/year end, but I've got a couple of tracks stuck in my head that will surely end up on some mixtapes for friends. My favourites:

[mp3] Alan Wilkis - Astronaut (Would You Be One)
[mp3] Alan Wilkis - It's Been Great

The album is available through CD Baby or iTunes.

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell... Wow. Awesome.

Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell was released a while ago on-line, is supposed to be released in hard copy on April 22 (today). I mentioned a little while ago that I think the album is a little bit more subdued than their previous efforts (A Lesson in Crime, Smith EP, etc.), which were, at times, great, but getting nearer to something like Alexisonfire than I'd care to venture.

On this album the TPC manage to stay upbeat, punky, but are calmer, more accessible, and produce an album that I'm convinced will be my favourite of the year... if not of the last couple of years. Maybe its because the album is so short, but there aren't any songs I want to skip over and there are a pile of memorable singles "In A Cave" "Graves" "Tessellate", etc.

In short, TPC are the next big thing - maybe they're all over MTV now, it's impossible to say really.

[mp3] Tokyo Police Club - In a Cave
[mp3] Tokyo Police Club - Juno

An acoustic version of 'Tessellate' which is very cool, and makes the Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) comparisons make sense.

First there were Snakes on a Plane ... now there are Zombie Strippers

Zombie Strippers? Wow.

The best part of this whole thing is that the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the movie describes adult film star Jenna Jameson as a "worldwide media sensation"... yeah, I bet she is.

The trailer:



And... the wikipedia entry.

[mp3] Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhhh!
[mp3] Sufjan Stevens vs. Kanye West - Zombies Walk

An Early French Open Prediction...

For those of you who have been around long enough you may remember me correctly picking Novack Djokovic to win the Australian Open. Well, I've been saying to anyone who will listen to me lately that I think this is Federer's year to win the French. A couple of reasons why:

1. Since 2004 there has been one stretch where Federer has gone 2 tries without winning a Grand Slam (2005 Australian - had a match point in the semis, 2005 French semis).

2. He's had a little bit of a rest, granted it was because he had mono, but I'd suggest that this 'rest' is more beneficial mentally than anything else.

3. Federer has started to come out of his slump, making the Final of the Estoril Open (to play Davydenko on Sunday). I realize he hasn't played anyone in the top-50 enroute to the finals, but, half the battle here - I think - has got to be for him to re-gain some confidence, especially on the dirt.

4. Fed's got a new coach, Jose 'George Hamilton' Higeuras and some tennis insiders (here and here) seem to think its a good fit. George Jose has coached more than a couple of French Open champs (Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Carlos Moya, Sergi Bruguera), and maybe can give the Fed some inside as to how to crack Nadal.

5. Speaking of Nadal, Bjorn Borg is the only person to win 4 FO titles in a row in the Open Era (see the list of Men's singles Champs). Nadal, who currently has 3 in a row, has had progressively more injury problems over the last few years; he typically plays a pretty rigorous clay court schedule, and will (presumably) have Djokovic in the semis, which, should take a lot out Nadal.

That said, it may be a little (or a lot) early to call this, since the French is more than a month away...

NBA Playoff Predictions... with minimal commentary

(just a thought... but if defense wins playoff games, Kyle Korver may not be getting many minutes this year)

Eastern Conference

Boston over Atlanta (4-0)
Detroit over Philadelphia (4-1)
Orlando over Toronto (4-3) (but, let's be honest, it doesn't matter who wins, because either teams is getting killed by Detroit)
Washington over Cleveland (4-2)

Boston over Washington (4-2)
Detroit over Orlando (4-1)

Boston over Detroit (4-2)

Wow. That was boring.

Biggest Upset threat: Cleveland. If LeBron proved nothing last year is that he can basically win a conference all by himself. I'm just worried about his back, otherwise, I would've picked Cleveland to win the conference.

Western Conference

LAL over Denver (4-1)
Dallas over New Orleans (4-3)
San Antonio over Phoenix (4-3)
Utah over Houston (4-1)

LAL over Utah (4-3)
San Antonio over Dallas (4-1)

LAL over San Antonio (4-3)

Biggest Upset threat: Utah, if they can somehow get it together and win a couple of road games. They can play shoot, play defense, and they have a couple of guys (Boozer and Williams) who can take over games.

Boston over LAL (4-2) only because the West is going to be an absolute slog to get through...

Foals: do they have the cure....

I missed the very anticipated Foals concert in Paris because my brother was visiting and we had already been to the venue, twice, and it seemed unfair to drag him all the way back once again. So I have had to listen to their debut album Antidote recorded like everyone else who wasn't at their concert.

I read an interview with the group a few weeks ago in which the singer Yannis Philippakis (middle) came across as brooding, arrogant and with a nice little chip on his shoulder that seemed to have formed after years as a social outcast (and possibly the subsequent mockery that was implied). The English press has hailed Foals as the next purveyor of the Brit Pop torch, but if recent torch baring is any indication, it may not be as simple or straightforward as initially thought.

I, for once, agree nearly entirely with Pitchfork's review of the record. I have tried for many weeks to get a sense of how I feel about it and have come to the conclusion that what I feel is nothing. Moreover, I just don't think I get what they are trying to do. The gimmick, if you will, is that they are performing (or inventing) 'math rock'. This term, I don't fully get either. I assume it implies Cartesian constructions and rigorous regularity. I don't know what Pythagoras would have to say about it or if he would understand it any better than I seem to.

I concede that there are some interesting things going on and do not dislike the album. The elements that usually attract me to an album, lyrics, hooks, interesting/catchy intros absent themselves from this rather odd album. Maybe it is just a matter of time and persistence and it will be like the day in calculus class when logarithms just suddenly made sense.

Is music supposed to be this strenuous?

[mp3] Cassius
[mp3] Balloons

Tales of Interest, Tuesday Edition... its business, its business time

• As always I like to pass on links that I think are particularly hilarious... this one is: Hot Chicks with Douchebags. Its exactly what it sounds like, with commentary.

• As you may, or may not be able to tell, I've been watching Flight of the Conchords lately. A couple of friends recommended it a while ago and I never got really into it. After Kyle threatened to use FotC quotes for all his posts I gave it a second chance, and, its pretty funny. I think its more funny since Liz has been singing "We like to rock the party" and "Its business time" around the house... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been too... There's a self-titled FotCs album out on Subpop later this year...
  

[mp3] Flight of the Conchords - Business Time
[mp3] Flight of the Conchords - The Most Beautiful Girl In The Room

• I always love a good mash-up, and I've been a big fan the Hood Internet... for a while. It was pretty awesome when I found out the other day that they have a couple of mixtapes (in dot zip form) on their website. My favs:
  

[mp3] The Hood Internet - Im a Flirt/Shoreline (R. Kelly vs. BSS)
[mp3] The Hood Internet - Rock Yo Sea Legs (Crime Mob vs. the Shins)

• via Ohbijou's myspace there was a really nice Globe and Mail article written on the band's residency in the Banff (Alta) Centre's Indie Band Residency. The article explains that the band's first album - Swift Feet for Troubling Time (my number 8 of 2007, it easily could've been higher) - was haphazardly produced, I'm anxious to see what they can do given that they have some studio time. So, they're saying a fall release for a new album... very exciting. And, they are, in my humble opinion, the most under appreciated band in Canadian music right now.
  

[mp3] Ohbijou - Raccoons
[mp3] Ohbijou - The Woods

Tales of Interest: Thursday Edition... Good News/Bad News

• Ummm.... I saw went to try and see the Golden Hands Before God last night... they were supposed to go on at 8, I left at 10 without any indication that anyone was going to go on. People gotta work, you know? Unfortunately, Liz and I were definitely not the only ones who left without seeing any music. It was really too bad. I'm not exactly sure who is to blame, but my mind this really doesn't look good on the band, or the London Music Club. So, hopefully somebody has an explanation for me. Probably the most annoying thing (other than waiting around for 2 hours, and spending $30 on tickets and drinks) was that I missed a (seemingly rare) Raptors win. I'd really like to keep rooting to tGHBG, but this isn't making it easy...
  
  
• I got a second e-mail from Lipstik about their There is Only One Thing EP, which they tell me, someone described as 'ruggedly stunning'. It may be, I just can't get past their attempt at covering Tom Petty's 'Yer so Bad', off one of my favourite albums of all time, Full Moon Fever. If I'm going to be honest, I don't like it much at all, then again, I hated, hated, Ryan Adams' cover of 'Wonderwall'. I suppose I should let you all decide for yourselves. And, maybe this is no consolation to the band, but I definitely respect that they're trying to push their music... if they're ever in town I'd definitely go and see them live.

[mp3] Lipstik - Yer So Bad (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Cover)

• On a brighter note, a couple of singles I've been really, really enjoying courtesy of Paul at Wolves, Hawks and Kites:

[mp3] The Coast - Killing Off Our Friends
[mp3] Yellow Jacket Avenger - Hiding Out

• Also, on an even brighter note, the new Tokyo Police Club Elephant Shell has apparently been available through iTunes for a little while now. In my opinion, its a little more subdued, and therefore infinitely more listenable than A Lesson in Crime or their other EPs. I'm really kicking myself for not going to see them either time they were in town this spring... this has album of the year potential.

[mp3] Tokyo Police Club - In a Cave

• On the brightest of all possible notes, the Office is returning tonight. I'm excited for their dinner party.
  

Update: Jamie of the Golden Hands Before God has given, what is, I think, a satisfactory explanation in the comments below. I've sent an email out to the London Music Club, it'll be interesting to see what they have to say.

Double Update: Pete from the London Music Club has written to me, apologized and explained that they had somebody 'promote' the show, which normally doesn't happen. He's offered me a couple of tickets for another show of my choosing, so I suppose all is right with the world.

iLIKETRAINS @ Nouveau Casino 8.04 2008

I got to the venue to interview the band at 5:30 pm, as arranged via email with the production company. I went through the café to the concert hall and said that I was there to interview the band. I was told that they were sitting in front of me and had no idea what I was talking about but were happy to do an interview nonetheless.

We headed into the café and began to chat. Before this, I should add, I had remarked how young they looked (about 18ish) and not really what I had pictured at all. When I told them that I had heard them warming up they told me that that was the headlining group, who are much darker and heavier than they are. At this point I realised that I was about to interview the wrong group and so had to, in the nicest and least embarrassed way possible, explain that I was in fact there to interview the other band. The very understanding group is called One Night Only and has a top 10 hit in the UK, so later learned.

I went back into the venue and found the right band, iLIKETRAINS, who were also not aware that I was there to interview them. Apparently Beggars Group France is about as organised as everything else here.

I have uploaded the 50 minute interview (the sound quality isn't great-I don't know what the clicking noise in the background is) and some songs that you may or may not know already. The group members were all dressed in white shirts with black arm bands and images were projected on a screen behind the stage throughout the show. The two members I interviewed, Dave (singer) and Simon (drummer) were really really nice and interesting guys. With all of the information in this post (the pictures I did indeed take myself) I will let you make up your own minds.


iLIKETRAINS Interview (part 1)
iLIKETRAINS Interview (part 2)
iLIKETRAINS Interview (part 3)

[mp3] A Rook House For Bobby
[mp3] The Deception

One last reminder... since I haven't beaten you all over the head enough with this already...

Who: The Golden Hands Before God w/ Mahogany Frog

Where: The London Music Club 470 Colborne St., London, On

When: April 9.2008 - doors at 7pm, show at 8pm.

Why: The Golden Hands Before God - Interlude.mp3 (right click save-as to download)

PS - This should be pretty awesome. Hope to see you there.

Woodhands - Heart Attack

(uhhh.... this photo almost gave me a heart attack)

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I managed to catch Woodhands on Friday night at the Alex P. Keaton. Again, it was great, I haven't seen a band with that much energy in a while... especially since Woodhands consists of only Dan Werb (Keytar, Keyboards, etc.) and Paul Banwatt (Drums, etc.) it was a very, very, impressive sonic display. Some might say Sunparlour Players-esque, although very different genres of course. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the night was getting people in London to dance. I'm not sure I've ever seen dancing like that in London except when they play Fergie's 'So Delicious' at The Ceeps...

The album, Heart Attack, is pretty much the same thing except in CD (or mp3) form. There are a couple of spots like on 'Into the Woods' where it feels like things stretch out, but the album absolutely loaded with catchy, sweaty, electro-popping dance tracks.

The most exciting thing is that this album has the song of the summer. Here it is:

[mp3] Dancer

Initially, I was convinced that Woodhands guys had somehow got Lil' John (Liz thinks the guy from Prodigy) on this track, I can assure you that after seeing them live, that is not the case. That sound comes out of Dan (above left). Another really good one:

[mp3] Under Attack

You should really, really, see these guys live, or, buy their album and throw a dance party at your house. You can pick it up through Zunior for $8.88, or through Paper Bag Records.

Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams... yeah, the trouble part is right.

I've been sitting on a this Destroyer post for what has been at least a couple of weeks, since I'm not exactly sure what to say about the new album Trouble in Dreams. But, rather than gouging my eyes out watching another Raptors game, I thought I'd give it a go; because, honestly, if I watch another Raptors game this year I'm liable to pull a Youzhny and crack myself in the head with my tennis racquet.

Dan Bejar (Destroyer) has always been my favourite part of the New Pornographers – with Neko Case a close second – as his more wandering lyrical music always seemed to be a nice fit with tNPs poppy sensibility. So, when I first heard Destroyer (Destroyer’s Rubies, recommended by Kyle I think) I was kind of taken aback that they didn’t sound at all like tNPs and was admittedly a little turned off. It took a while, but I really came around on Rubies and there was a period where I listened to the opening 4 songs – Rubies, Your Blood, European Oils, Painter in Your Pocket – a lot.

That said, for me, there's no stretch like that on TiD and I've found myself listening to 'Blue Flower/Blue Flame' then getting about halfway through the next song, and giving up and moving on to something else. And, the more I listen to Destroyer I just find myself wishing that he'd just take all that creative energy and Carl Newman would let him take the reins to tNPs.

In my mind, a pretty forgettable album, with a couple of tracks 'Blue Flowers/Blue Flame', 'Foam Hands' that I'll still be listening to in a few months.

[mp3] Blue Flower/Blue Flame
[mp3] Foam Hands

I prefer to remember the better times...

[mp3] An Actor's Revenge (from Your Blues [2004] - my fav Destroyer song of all time)
[mp3] Myriad Harbour (from The New Pornographer's Challengers [2007])


And this is just wicked awesome...

The Junos 2008: Gangy Returns...

Here's the reason people complain about CanCon:




The Junos (for non-Canadians, these are essentially the Canadian Grammys) are tonight and Celine Dion is nominated nominated twice for album of the year.

If anyone has any explanation as to why the albums that are up for best alternative album (the Arcade Fire, Neon Bible; Holy Fuck, Holy Fuck LP; Patrick Watson, Close to Paradise; Tegan and Sara, The Con; Wintersleep, Welcome to the Night Sky) are not up for album of the year is beyond me.

Anyone wondering why record sales are down, maybe its partly because of illegal downloading, but its also because record labels push this kind of crap. Now, you may find this hard to believe, I haven't heard either of Celine's nominated records, but I have a hard time believing that .... I'm not even sure why I'm writing this. This is a waste of time.

Some CanCon that is worth listening to:

[mp3] Shad K - Brother (Watching) from the Old Prince [2007]
[mp3] Born Ruffians - Knife (Grizzly Bear Cover)
[mp3] Plants and Animals - Good Friend from Parc Avenue [2008]

PS - Liz has just made wonder if there is any possible way Holy Fuck can win given that you can't say their name on the broadcast, or the ensuring news reports that will follow?

The Camaromance - Different Paths

First, I opted to check Woodhands over Basia on Friday, and, it was great. I hope to have some thoughts on them when/if they do in fact send over the mp3s for their latest album Heart Attack.

I started to cringe a little after about the first 5 seconds of (the) Camaromance's Different Paths [2006] when I heard what sounds like 'Soooo sooooorry babyy'... all the awful, awful, cliches about pop/rock/country, and music in general came rushing at me, and just about flipped the album off. I'm glad I didn't, because once you get past the cliches of the first few seconds, the album really picks-up, and delivers a very solid, glass-of-wine, throw-some-candles-on and have-a-bubble-bath kind of sound... or so I'd imagine if I trusted myself with matches and wasn't too manly for a bubble bath.

My favourites:
[mp3] Mostly Harmless <---- Liz really, really, likes this one
[mp3] 28 Balloons

Two more things about Camaromance (Martine Groulx):

1. She seems like a really genuinely nice person.
2. She's a long time friend of Polaris Prize winner Patrick Watson (who produced Different Paths and sings on 'Mixing Business with Pleasure' - I think) so I'd hope some of his recent success may rub off on her.

So, I'd definitely recommend checking her out live, although she doesn't have any dates in SW Ontario up on her myspace. I think she is/would be a great date band.

Her albums can be picked up here.

Friday Night: Basia Bulat @ CTO vs. Woodhands @ the APK

(Sorry, Basia I realize that photo stretch wasn't real flattering)

It's not often that there is anything to do in London, let alone two separate events, but that's the case with this Friday (tonight). The two shows Basia Bulat w/ Katie Stelmanis at Call the Office
and Woodhands w/ the Peter Project probably couldn't be a whole lot more different.

Basia and KS are girls with guitars and sometimes an autoharp in Basia's case, while Woodhands says they sound like "Hot Problem Sex" - they do. And its awesome.

All this means is that if I'm exhausted at the end of the day I'll probably opt for Basia, if I've got some energy I'll probably be hitting up Woodhands. That said, if Liz's mom makes it down to visit - its almost definitely Basia. Either way, it'll be a good night I think.

Some Basia:
[mp3] Home (live @ CBC Radio 3)
[mp3] The Shore (live @ CBC Radio 3)

Basia "Little Waltz" live @ Aeolian Hall



The guys at Woodhands said they'd send over some mp3s, so when I get them you should get to hear a bit of their full length Heart Attack, which, if you weren't paying attention before... is like hot problem sex. Sexy.

Entire Cities 'Deep River' ... or everything you've ever wanted to know about Entire Cities

Entire Cities' myspace classifies their sound as experimental/country/psychedelic, which is probably a good characterization of their latest album Deep River (I mean they'd probably know what they sound like... right?). Although those are probably good descriptors for their songs, I think it kind of downplays how accessible their songs are, since country, psychedelic, and experimental are not often seen together. Usually, the inclusion of any two of those three is enough to turn me off without even listening.

Now that we've got that out of the way... I've spend about three weeks with Deep River, and I couldn't be more impressed. To me, the album is what I imagine an old country party must be like, gradually picking up speed, with fits of uncontrolled energy, with that point at the end of the night where everyone sits around and reminisces about the party that was. And this last part, the reminiscing, is where I feel Simon Borer is at his strongest. On songs like 'Coffee', 'Turbines' and especially 'The Woods' I kind of feel like he's the older brother - who has seen the world, but still knows how to party a little - and has some bit of wisdom to impart that you won't forget.

See actual reviews here, and here.

Its a great album, and I highly recommend it (see sidebar).

[mp3] Accountants Dream
[mp3] Coffee

As a final note, I've been recommending a lot of stuff lately - D'Urbervilles, Plants and Animals, and Born Ruffians, the Black Hat Brigade - but please bear in mind that these are 4, now 5, albums of 8 that I have recommended in 2008. So, I'm not going all recommendation happy, and please, make an effort to buy the albums where ever possible.

You can pick up the album at Soundscapes in Toronto, via Zunior (not now, but soon) or at shows:

Apr. 11 - w/ the Gravity Wave, Basement Arms, Nich Worby and Casey Mecija (Ohbijou) @ 201 Niagara St. W, Toronto

Apr. 26 - w/ Tin Bangs and the Schomberg Fair @ the Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto

Also, they recorded an episode of Let's Get Baked (this is worth it even just to listen to the 'Let's Get Baked' theme song).

The Black Hat Brigade - The Black Hat Brigade EP

The Black Hat Brigade debut EP, in short, is outstanding. It's hard not to listen to them and immediately think of Wolf Parade, but where Wolf Parade has always seemed very dark, and a little depressing, tBHB uses the same (minor?) chords but somehow seems to come out more positive.

I wasn't sure what to make of the Wolf Parade comparisons are inevitable after listening to the EP, and so, as an experiment I created a playlist the BHB EP and Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary. A BHB song went first, a WP song went second, and so on in that pattern and by the time I got to the third Wolf Parade song I skipped over it to get to the next BHB song. To me atleast, tracks like 'On Leave', 'Limbo' and 'Swords' are substantially better than anything on Apologies. I have a hard time believing that if you actually listen to these two songs you'll disagree. And while I imagine these guys will be rock stars someday, I hope they won't forget when they said I liked them better than Wolf Parade.

[mp3] Limbo
[mp3] Swords

Word on the street is that their EP will be available through iTunes sometime in Mid-April.

You can look for them in the SW Ontario area through out the Spring/Summer at which point I would hope there'll be a London show. As I understand it all this info will be up on their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/blackhatbrigade