New Music Michael – new music blog for edmonton and the world

Metric – New Album “Synthetica” Out June 12

by New Music Michael on February 22 2012

Metric (photo by Brantley Gutierrez)

Just received word that Metric, who I saw last September as part of the Sonic Boom festival, and whose cover of DFA’s “Black History Month” was my #4 song of 2011, will be releasing their fifth studio album on June 12th. Titled “Synthetica”, it will be released worldwide on the band’s own label, Metric Music International (apparently they’ve been hard at work behind the scenes undoing “all their business entanglements”).

Work on the new album began almost immediately after Metric finished touring “Fantasies” (which reached #6 in Canada) back in November 2010, returning to Giant Studios in Toronto, and finishing up a year later at Electric Lady Studios in New York. The album was produced by Jimmy Shaw (guitars/synthesizer/theremin); and mixed by John O’Mahony.

Vocalist Emily Haines “first envisioned the word ‘Synthetica’ as the name for a particularly resilient skin-job from Blade Runner, a female replicant who voices an inner monologue of all your human imperfections”.

That’s all the news we have for now on the album. I would expect a track listing and cover art in the next month or so, as well as details on a tour to support the album.

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Little Scream – “Cannons” / On Tour With Plants & Animals

by New Music Michael on February 22 2012

Little Scream, photo by Brantley Gutierrez

One of the artists that has been hanging around my inbox for some time now is Little Scream (aka Laura Sprengelmeyer) – currently on tour with Plants & Animals, and which will be touching down here in Edmonton on March 27^th at the Starlite Room (full itinerary below). Sprengelmeyer was born in Iowa, but is now embedded in the rich, emboldened music scene of Montreal.

I’m pretty sure the show was already on my radar (and I know I am back from the Czech Republic by that date), but even if it wasn’t before, it definitely would be now, because I absolutely love her track “Cannons”, which you can stream below (which is part of last year’s “The Golden Record”, long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize). Love. Love. Love. Eclectic changes of pace, choral chanting, slap-across-the-face percussion. Simply amazing.

Little Scream – Cannons

Tour Itinerary

Mar 01 – Toronto ON at Great Hall (w/Barr Brothers – another phenomenal, phenomenal act)

Mar 20 – Victoria BC at Lucky Bar (start of dates with Plants and Animals)

Mar 21 – Vancouver BC at Rickshaw Theatre

Mar 22 – Seattle WA at Crocodile

Mar 24 – Portland OR at Mississippi Studios

Mar 27 – Edmonton AB at Starlite Room

Mar 28 – Calgary AB at Republik

Mar 29 – Saskatoon SK at Amigo’s

Mar 30 – Winnipeg MB at West End Cultural Centre

Mar 31 – Minneapolis MN at 7^th Street Entry (last date with Plants and Animals)

Apr 01 – Iowa City IA at Mission Creek Festival

Apr 12 – Kingston ON at Grad Club

Apr 13 – Wakefield QC at Black Sheep Inn

Apr 14 – Kingston ON at Grad Club

Apr 28 – Montreal QC at Casa Del Popolo

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Album Drops – February 21 2012

by New Music Michael on February 21 2012

Archers Of Loaf – Vee Vee (Merge)

Chad Valley – Point Of Go (Dovecote)

Cheap Girls – Giant Orange (Rise)

Cursive – I Am Gemini (Saddle Creek)

Earn – A Following Shadow (PPM)

Galactic – Carnivale Electricos (Anti/Epitaph)

Grimes – Visions (4AD). Of course NMM has mentioned this Montreal artist before. Definitely worthwhile checking out.

Jurado, Damien – Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian). Definitely different. But that’s often a good thing. Slow, dreamy ambient-like singer-songwriter from Seattle with a lot of crooked twists and turns, and significant homage to 70′s rock. How I’ve never heard of him before but he’s been making records since the late 90′s kind of boggles me, especially when he’s been on two of my favorite labels, Sub Pop and Secretly Canadian, but there you have it. Highly impressed in a quick preview last night, and I get the feeling it’s an album that could grow on me a lot. I’ll definitely be checking out more later this week (maybe it would make good ‘roadtrip’ material for upcoming weekend).

Lambchop – Mr. M (Merge)

Menzingers – On the Impossible Past (Epitaph)

Nervous Curtains – Fake Infinity (Greyday/Latest Flame)

People Of the North – Steep Formations (Jagjaguwar). A double LP recorded at the Ocropolis in 2010/2011m with just three “official” songs – Border Waves Part 1 (20m4s); Part 2 (20m5s); and Steep Formations (31m14s). The band features Kid Millions and Bobby Matador of Oneida. Pictured.

Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It (Matador)

Pontiak – Echo Ono (Thrill Jockey)

Princeton – Remembrance Of Things To Come (Hit City USA/Easter Everywhere)

Rose, Frankie – Interstellar (Slumberland/Memphis). One of two albums I’d definitely recommend checking out this week. Absolutely loved her as Frankie Rose & the Outs; not completely sold on this album yet but give me a few more listens.

Sleigh Bells – Reign Of Terror (Mom & Pop). This band’s 2010 album “Treats” was my #4 album for that year; and we more recently streamed a teaser video back in December for the new album. I remain unconvinced, much like Frankie Rose … but I’ll definitely be checking it out sometime this week regardless – I owe them that much at least.

Stelling, Christopher Paul – Songs Of Praise & Scorn (Mecca Lecca)

Terry Malts – Killing Time (Slumberland). Stream “Nauseous” from this California pop-punk trio.

Tindersticks – The Something Rain (Constellation)

Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know (Fatcat)

Young Empires – Wake All My Youth (n/a)

Young Liars – Homesick Future (Nettwerk). NMM streamed “Colours” off this album a couple weeks ago; and we’ve had the full EP for a week or so now. Expect a review later this week. Kind of remind me of Grouplove.

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Wooden Sky – “Child Of the Valley” / LP Drops February 28 / + Tour Dates

by New Music Michael on February 20 2012

One of the albums that’s been getting a lot of spins on my Iphone since I first received it is Wooden Sky’s new release, “Every Child A Daughter Every Moon A Sun” – which drops February 28^th (Black Box). The Toronto band features an alt-country-folk with epic overtones – compelling, somber, inquisitive, with an overarching intellectuality; think Blue Rodeo meets Bon Iver. Much of the album was recorded at Montreal’s Hotel 2 Tango; other songs were recorded in various spots across Ontario and Quebec.

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Wil Mimnaugh / Travel Alberta – “Roam” / + Tour Dates

February 20, 2012

I was flying through my twitter timeline earlier this morning, and came across a youtube link. Didn’t think much about it at the time, but clicked through, and was greeted with the most amazing Travel Alberta video ever. Three minutes worth, featuring some of the most amazing cinematography I’ve seen in the last few years. [...]

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The Lighthouse And the Whaler – “Pioneers” / New EP Of Same Name Out Soon

February 16, 2012

Cleveland’s The Lighthouse And the Whaler are set to drop a new EP “Pioneers” ever so shortly, *and* will also be in Austin for South By Southwest in March. They’re also just finishing up their sophomore LP, which should drop later this year – produced by Ryan Hadlock (Ra Ra Riot, Blonde Redhead). Take a [...]

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Album Review: The Big Sleep – Nature Experiments / “Valentine” Video

February 15, 2012

Artist: The Big Sleep Album: Nature Experiments Overall Rating: 7.2 Release Date: January 31 2012 Label: French Kiss Brooklyn trio Big Sleep dropped their third full-length album “Nature Experiments” on January 31st (French Kiss). Formed in 2003, and previously known for mostly instrumental work, the band is comprised of Sonya Balchandani (bass/vox), Danny Barria (guitar/vox), [...]

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Fenster – “White To Red” / Debut LP Out March 13

February 14, 2012

The transcontinental Fenster is getting ready to drop their debut album to the world – March 2 in Europe, and March 13th in North America (Morr Music). New Yorker turned Berliner J.J. Weihl and Berlin-born Jonathan Jarzyna met in 2010, when J.J. was a solo act opening for Jonathan’s project at the time, who apparently [...]