I'd like to present you guys out in cyberspace with one of my absolute favourite duets of all time, by a great Canadian artist and a great Canadian group. Islands in The Stream by Feist and Constantines, who both belong to the Canadian "Indie" label Arts&Crafts, is a cover of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers original, but they sound nothing alike. This remake is smooth and sexy, almost as if Feist and Bryan (Constantines) are sitting in bed talking to each other. If you like what you hear you can purchase the song as a single on iTunes, and it is also available on Feist's deluxe edition of The Reminder.
Today it really felt like spring in Toronto, so I've made up a springtime playlist for all the readers out there. When I think of spring I think of bright colours, warm tones, happy feelings, bright sunshine, chances of melancholy rain, and a hope for summer strong in the air. These songs are a mix happy positive sounding songs and a couple less positive sounds, for those rainy days, that will bring in summer with a smile. Please enjoy.
Wake Up - The Arcade Fire
Too Too Too Fast - Ra Ra Riot
Hustle Rose - Metric
The Stars of Track and Field - Belle and Sebastian
Click Click Click Click - Bishop Allen
Diamonds in The Souls of Her Shoes - Paul Simon
New Soul - Yael Naim
A Children's Crusade on Acid - Margot And The Nuclear So and So's
Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
Come On! Feel the Illinoise! - Sufjan Stevens
Rain - Bishop Allen
The First Five Times - Stars
All The Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth - The New Pornographers
... if you read my blog enough you probably know I adore Adam and The Amethysts, and have posted about this awesome band before. Well I'm doing it again. On Sunday night I saw Adam and his amethysts at Sneaky Dee's and it was amazing! I've seen Adam play numerous times sans the Amethysts but never with his backing band of Katherine Peacock and Nathan Ward. Needless to say it was the best performance I've seen by them. Their amazing psych-rock-indie-pop sound is infamously catchy and their heart-felt lyrics about my (and Adam's) hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, are very relate-able not only to Thunder Bay folk but small-town-at-heart people of every shape and size. They played many of the songs off their first c.d, Amethyst Amulet, as well as a couple new songs that are not on said disc. One that was particularly lovely included a lyrical snippet from the song "Everything's Alright" from JesusChrist Superstar, which made me rediculously excited due to the fact that I have a soft spot for musicals. Last but not least besides having the c.d. for purchase at the show there were also authentic amethyst amulets straight from Thunder Bay, and I obviously purchased one. Anyways...
If you haven't given Adam and The Amethysts a listen, you can click here, and if you like what you hear, Amethyst Amulet is now available for purchase on iTunes, as well as at your local music store (most likely). Support local Canadian artists and give him a try!
I just heard this song on a Lays Chip commercial and had to share it with everyone on the interweb. It's called Sinking Drinking Thinking Feeling by Slow Club, and I think it's quite lovely and dreamy. Here's a video I found of them singing it acoustic, so cute! You should check them out on their myspace to get a better feel for them. I have a feeling I'm going to be hunting down their cd soon. Hope you guys like it, enjoy!
The other day I was seriously craving cupcakes, which in case you didn't know, are my favourite sweet treat. After some intense google-ing I chose Life is Sweet bakery in the beaches area. Although I'm not a cupcake expert, I will say with confidence that these were the greatest cupcakes I've ever tasted and certainly some of the best cupcakes in Toronto. The cake was moist but not too dense, and the icing was deliciously fluffy and smooth, and not overly-sweet or fake tasting. Named on Blogto.com's Best Cupcakes of Toronto list, these cupcakes are sure to please. With a variety of flavors (vanilla, chocolate, chocolate mint, lemon, white chocolate, earl gray, coconut, and butterscotch) and great prices (a large cupcake costs about $2.50, while a box of six mini's is $6) everyone in the GTA should check out Life is Sweet. Because of that sweet sample box at a great price, Eric and I tried almost all the flavors (except for lemon) and I loved them all! My personal favourite was the chocolate mint but every single flavor was perfection.
I know that Valentine's Day is long gone, but I made two playlists for my boyfriend for that special day and I like them so much I think I should share them with the world. Here are 38 love songs that I think will strike a chord with everyone's heart. Enjoy.
Challengers - The New Pornographers
I Was Made For You - She & Him
Maybe Lately - Miracle Fortress
Samson - Regina Spektor
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
Glosoli - Sigur Ros
Such Great Hights - Iron & Wine
Sea of Love - Cat Power
The Luckiest - Ben Folds Five
Inside & Out (Apostle of Hustle Unmix) - Feist
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
Always Love - Nada Surf
House of Gold - Andy Stochansky
Running - No Doubt
Better Together - Jack Johnson
Paperweight - Joshua Radin and Schuyler Fisk
Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches
Love Song - Anberlin
Islands in the Stream - Feist and The Constantines
Made-Up Love Song #43 - The Guillemots
First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
My Favourite Book - Stars
Staralfur - Sigur Ros
Cupid - Jack Johnson
Maps - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
Ache for You - Ben Lee
Naked As We Came - Iron & Wine
Allons-y - The Auditor General
Fix You - Coldplay
Let Go - Frou Frou
I Know I Know I Know - Tegan and Sara
Blue Eyes - Cary Brothers **
She Loves You - The Beatles
Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows
Loveology - Regina Spektor
*** if your love does not have blue eyes, try...
Green Eyes - Coldplay
Brown Eyed Girl -Van Morrison
As for the two Sigur Ros songs, they may not be about love, but to me they sound like love. What songs sound like love to you?
La Blogothéque, a French website that features excellent music, is the topic of the week. I adore this website for posting many of my favourite artists, as videos of them performing live, often in Paris, France. Founded by Vincent Moon, the website came about when he decided he wanted to film music in a different way than what everyone was accustomed to. I believe he achieved exactly what he set out to do. The videos are innovative and the music is superbe.
Here are a couple different videos that have come from La Blogothéque.
I encourage everyone reading to check out the website or the youtube channel for La Blogothéque.
When I'm in my hometown of Thunder Bay, I tend to go to local shows at least twice a week. Even though I tend to like one band a night, I really like supporting local bands. This summer, a new local band emerged and lets just say they blow my mind. They are Vega, genre unknown, because to classify them is quite the task. The group's background is so diverse, coming from hardcore, rockabilly, and metal, yet interests in so much more than that. Their songs are uber-catchy and have me singing for days, and they appeal to such a wide audience. Their musical influences spawn from a wide variety of bands, such as Circa Survive, Thursday, Moneen, Choke, and Killswitch Engage, which can be heard in their songs. Vega will surely please a wide variety of music-lovers.
"I think we have the ability to reach a broad audience because we blend so many genres together. The music fits the lyrics well, so it allows us to write easily, yet from the heart." - Jessica Hochins, vocals
"Writing this music has been an outlet for me to express a much softer side of myself. When I write for Vega, I find it important to capture a feeling. Through Vega, I have been able to express certain parts of my life musically, as well as progress as a songwriter: playing with layer, guitar interplay and textures. " - Shawn Hartviksen, guitarist
I've been compiling a list of love songs for Valentine's Day (Yes, I'm playing for the love team this year) and wanted to share some of my favourites with everyone out there.
First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes Sea of Love - Cat Power Maybe Lately - Miracle Fortress I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab for Cutie The Luckiest - Ben Folds Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches
... I have a list of 40, but here are 6 that are rather exceptional in my eyes.
I'm also wondering, what are your favourite love songs?
It's no secret that winter is my least favourite season, and in specific, January is my least favourite month. Why? January is the coldest month, ever! I actually love December, the previous month, because of the fresh powdery snow and seasonal bliss, but as soon as it passes, in comes January with it's ice cold winds and ice pellet snow flakes. Today I'm dreaming of a warmer time, lets say May or June, or even July, where the sun warms my back and I don't have to wear layer upon layer of clothing.
Today I'm going to talk about Adam and the Amethysts. Why? Because I'm going back to my roots. Yes, Adam is from Thunder Bay, and what I really love about his cd is that all of the songs have inspiration from tbay! I have been in Toronto now for almost 2 months, and whenever I'm missing home I frequent this disc. First off, you are probably wondering, who is Adam? Adam = Adam Waito, who besides being the frontman of Adam and the Amethysts, is also in Miracle Fortress (who, on a side note, are probably one of the greatest bands ever) and Telefauna. So, point is, Adam Waito is rad AND from my hometown!
The cd, Amethyst Amulet is full of fun and nostalgic songs that feature an array of instruments (my personal favourite being the fun use of horn). Each song, like I said, has something in it that relates to Thunder Bay, whether it be a subtle mention of Lake Superior, or a much bigger Thunder Bay mention, in the song 'Waverly, Vickers, Trowbridge, Centennial', anyone from Thunder Bay will most likely love this album (except if they are totally opposed to lovely synth-pop!) As a whole, the cd is an awesome compilation of songs with a great variety in style. Point is, give Adam and the Amethysts a try :) Song Suggestions - Stupid Ocean, Amethyst Amulet, and Looks Just Like The Ocean
** on a side note, please check out Miracle Fortress and Telefauna as well! Support Canadian Music!
