Lost Channels by Great Lake Swimmers

I've been a big fan of Tony Dekker and Co. for a good long time. I think the first time I saw Dekker was opening for Hayden back in 2004, and despite the fact that I was late, it was pretty apparent how mesmerized everyone was my his sound (note: it was at the WinterGarden Theatre here and TO and mesmerized could very well be replaced with 'didn't want to seem rude').

The next time I saw Great Lake Swimmers - I'm pretty sure it was the same year - was in the upstairs of a really tiny bar on Talbot St. (in London) where the power went out 30mins into the set. Tony re-grouped, played the rest of the set (or at least that's how I remember it) acoustically, and it was really impressive. So, what I'm really trying to say is, I'm so far in the fan-zone with the GLS you may want to take the next paragraph with a grain of salt.

Lost Channels is definitely their best album so far. Maybe its because I like upbeat, happy Tony better than I like sad, sounds-like-he-might-off-himself Tony. Anyone who's listened to the s/t album or Bodies and Minds would probably have to admit those albums are pretty sad. There are some great songs on those albums, but, I'm not playing them for Grandma in the nursing home, if you know what I mean... And, its easy to see why Dekker and the GLS are happier: touring with Feist, their albums are widely reviewed, they're selling out shows everywhere (and by "everywhere" I mean "at least in Toronto" so I assume they're selling out everywhere) etc., etc.,

In short, terrific album. If you like any sort of singer-songwriter type tunes, I'm pretty convinced you'll like Lost Channels. And if you don't your mom will...

[mp3] Great Lake Swimmers - Pulling on a Line
[mp3] Great Lake Swimmers - Everything is Moving So Fast (ft. Kate Maki?)

Note: This definitely would've been my "pick of the week" this week were it not for the fact that: someone else is reviewing it for AWmusic, and I've got something equally worthy for tomorrow.

Best Albums 2007

20. Handsome Furs Plague Park

The other half of Wolf Parade (Sunset Rubdown) has got a lot of attention, but I much prefer the electronic-infused music of the other half (Handsome Furs). The HFs come a little closer to the Wolf Parade sound, and that's a good thing.




19. The Acorn Hope Glory Mountain

After seeing The Acorn cheer on Ohbjiou at the London Live Arts Festival (LOLA), encouraging the crowd to "Get their 'O's up" ('O' is for Ohbijou). I thought the guys in the Acorn seemed like pretty fun dudes. Their album, a tribute to lead singer Rolf Klausner's mother, is a little more experimental (read Latin American influenced) than their previous two EPs, Tin Fist and Blankets.




18. Brother Ali The Undisputed Truth

Brother Ali is probably my favourite rapper (albino or otherwise), and I had been waiting for a new album since .... the last one. Sometime in between releasing the Champion EP, and the releast of tUT, Ali split with his wife which had an obvious impact on his work, see 'Walking Away'. Tracks like this, represent the softer, but not best side of Ali, who is strongest when he is confident and telling us the way the world should be. For his best work see Shadows on the Sun [2003] , or Champion EP [2004].



17. Mark Ronson Version

In the aptly titled Version, Ronson, producer for Lily Allen gives his take on a number pop songs 'God Put A Smile on Your Face' Coldplay; 'Toxic' Britney Spears. Amy Winehouse on 'Valarie' is the highlight of the album, and an outstanding, outstanding, song.






16. Iron & Wine The Shepard's Dog

All of Iron & Wine's previous stuff (that I'd heard at least) was really, really, really, slow. This album is certainly more upbeat, and as a result it possible to listen to when you are not horribly depressed, or trying to fall asleep.




15. Voxtrot Voxtrot

I managed to ignore Voxtrot for a while, despite hearing good things, but since seeing them on Spinner.com's 'Interface' their catchy, poppy, rock songs really grew on me. It also encouraged me to find out what 'kid gloves' are...




14. Basia Bulat Oh, My Darling

The world would be a better place if the female vocalists Canada exported sounded more like Basia Bulat, and less like, say, Celine Dion or Shania Twain. A great album, and, I've said it before, but a good one that Mom and Dad might enjoy also... so you can avoid hearing 'A Very Shania Christmas' this year.





13. Beirut The Flying Club Cup

I was a big fan of last years 'death march through the Balkans' aka. The Gulag Orkestar, and thankfully this year's trip through France is less depressing. In my first post on this site, I recommended the videos that Zach Condon put out just before releasing the album. If they don't hook you on the album, you might be dead. You might also just be weirded out.



12. Miracle Fortress Five Roses

It's hard to believe that I'm ranking this as the third best album out of Montreal this year. Five Roses sounds to me like an interesting combination of the Beach Boys (very appropriate since there is a song called 'Beach Baby'), with a dash of singer-songwriter and a hint of electronic keyboard. This album would probably be about 7 or 8 spots higher if Panda Bear's Person Pitch hadn't filled my quota of atmospheric, loopy albums that were clearly influenced by the Beach Boys.



11. David Vandervelde The Moonstation House Band

I wrote about Vandervelde a couple of weeks ago here.








10. Amy Winehouse Back to Black

She may not be someone you'd want to come within, say 100 feet of (for fear of catching some type of disease), but she sure as hell can sing.








9. The Arcade Fire Neon Bible

With so much to hype/expecations to live up to it was inevitable that this wasn't going to do it for everyone. Including me. Still, in my opinion, they are the best band of the 00s.






8. Ohbijou Swift Feet for Troubling Times

Ohbijou (Toronto, On) definitely deserves more attention than they've been getting from Canadian blogs, and hopefully with a new album and some touring in the new year more people will be exposed to their music. I managed to catch them twice, or maybe three times, this year and every time they captivated everyone watching. I would expect them to be a breakout band in 2008. Great for fans of Stars, Feist, any female singer-songwriter, softer stuff by BSS.


7. Great Lake Swimmers Ongiara

Hopefully, opening for Feist on her last North American tour gave Tony Dekker a little more exposure for what is a more polished, upbeat, singer-songwriter album than the previous two GLS albums.







6. Feist The Reminder

Not much else to say that hasn't been said about this album, except to link again to Feist playing 'I Feel It All' on the city bus.









5. Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala

I think quirky, is best way to describe his songs, but he is a great storyteller and an outstanding composer of the Ben Foldsian variety; although with the use of a wide variety of samples Lekman is able to cover a lot more sonic territory than traditional singer-songwriters. My favourite track has got to be "A Post Card to Nina", a song about Jens pretending to be his friends' boyfriend, so she could continue to date her girlfriend. Welcome to the world of Jens.



4. The National Boxer

I had never listened to the National before this year, and hearing Boxer has made me go back through their entire discography. La Blogotheque's , always fantastic 'Take Away Shows', really display how interesting/poetic/cool the songs from this album are. The National's show here.






3. Panda Bear Person Pitch

To be short, this album will not be for everyone. I'd describe Panada Bear (Noah Lennox of the Animal Collective) as a terrific combination of the Beach Boys and Air (who did the outstanding soundtrack for the Virgin Suicides). The album is quite a departure from his first solo work, Young Prayer, after the death of his father. PP was written in Portugal, after the birth of his first child, and is decidedly more positive, upbeat, almost inspiring. This was Pitchfork's number 1 album, for good reason, and on a different day this would probably be my number one.



2. The Besnard Lakes ... Are The Dark Horse

For anyone who has been following along, its been pretty apparent that I'm really, really, into this album. I described them before as a combination of Led Zepplin and the Beach Boys, which on the face of it, sounds akward, but it works for them. Unfortunately, since we live in such an image driven world, I think people that look like this, may never be famous rock stars.




1. Kanye West Graduation

I'll admit, there are a couple of weak spots on Graduation, but the track 'Barry Bonds' notwithstanding, this might be my favourite hip-hop album of all time. Kanye has always been an outstanding producer, and I think this album he doesn't let his rapping get in the way, too much.






Meetings with Castro and Cuervo next week, back on the 4th of Jan.

Songs that Remind me of 2007, or, My Best of 2007

When I remember 2007, in music, these are the songs (I think) that I'll remember. I still don't have hosting for mp3s, but perhaps this is a project for the new year. If you feel compelled to download any of my recommendations, my suggestion is to search for them using "The HypeMachine". They'll point you to a blog where you can right-click, save-as, and download; that is, if you still use a PC.

I tried to keep this as brief as possible, so if you're interested in hearing more of my 'Best of '07' I have at least 3 mixtapes more of stuff (labeled slow, medium, and fast). So, rather than clogging up space here, you can email me, facebook me (via the London, On: Burgeoning Metropolis Facebook Group), or yell for me in the street, and I'll get the music to you somehow.

In no particular order my favs of '07:
1. “Good Morning” Kayne West from Graduation
A great intro, to a great album. A song that demonstrates how great a producer Kanye is, and why he should let other people rap for him.

2. “Your Rocky Spine” Great Lake Swimmers from Oniagara
A more upbeat start to what is now my favourite GLS's album.

3. “Desire” Pharohe Monch from Desire
Best rap song '07 on a good, if very uneven, album.

4. “Pedigree” Brother Ali from The Undisputed Truth
From my favourite albino rapper.

5. “Comfy in Nautica” Panda Bear from Person Pitch
My favourite chorus: "Coolness is having courage/The courage to do what's right/Try to remember always/Just to have a good time".

6. “Apartment Story” The National from Boxer

7. “Kid Gloves” Voxtrot from Voxtrot

8. “Ice Cream” Muscles from Guns, Babes, and Lemonade
This was my song of the summer, after I came across 'Muscles' myspace page. The album, however, was an absolute disaster.

9. “Past In Present” Feist from The Reminder
The hand-clapping, oh, the hand-clapping.

10. “Kanse Ar Jag Kar I Dig" Jens Lekman from Night Falls Over Kortedala
Doo-wop meets quirky Swedish singer/songwriter with excellent results. Bizarre, bizarre, lyrics, but that's what makes Jens so entertaining.

11. “The Woods” Ohbijou from Swift Feet for Troubling Times



12. “Scenic World” Beirut from Lon Gisland EP

13. “Valerie” Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse from Versions
Ronson has produced much of Lily Allen's stuff, and, I found out this morning his music can also be heard on a show about high class ... escorts.

14. “I’m A Flirt (Shoreline)” R. Kelly vs. Broken Social Scene from The Hood Internet.com

Feist @ Centennial Hall, London On w/ Great Lake Swimmers

Feist was great last night. She started out with this really neat acapella behind a white screen, so all we could see was her silhouette, and then powered through a set that included covers of Tony Scheer, Sarah Harmer, Ron Sexsmith as well as a big chunk of her 2007 release The Reminder (which, I think, is a lock for at least a couple of grammys). I was also thoroughly impressed with the production of the show - the lighting in the video should give you some idea, if you can see Feist (she's the really skinny one) or the band with the heads that are in the way.

The show closed with a particularly energetic version of 'Mushaboom' that had the crowd really going (which kind of made me feel like I was at Mama Mia). The highlight of night was the encore featuring a cover of, the legendary Nina Simone's, 'Sea Lion Woman'.

I was a little disappointed that no Broken Social Scene tracks made the set, but, you can't win 'em all.

I think I've made a point before of mentioning how much I like Great Lake Swimmers, and they were great last night also.