The Antlers cover Beach House

The AntlersBeach House on their own – particularly circa their 2006 self-titled debut, were no slouches at crafting lazy, hazy dream pop, but when used as raw material for another artist who also trades in languid atmosphere, the results can be, well, barely there. In a good way.

The Antlers circa 2007 had already mostly evolved from a Peter Silberman solo project into a proper band, but the dynamic between ethereal and crushing that helped define their breakout Hospice hadn’t yet coalesced – or at least wasn’t in play for their Cold War EP, which they’re currently giving away for free.

The three songs on the release are ghostly, even by Antlers standards, but the cover of Beach House’s “Apple Orchard” is the most gossamer of the bunch, more a cloud of reverb held together by Silberman’s quavering falsetto, the suggestion of guitar chords and a steady, distant kick drum. Mathematical proof that when dream pop meets dream pop, the results aren’t additive so much as exponential.

The Antlers are in town for two nights this week, opening up for The National at Massey Hall, and Beach House are here next Saturday as part of the Toronto Island Concert as well as on September 7 at the Molson Amphitheatre opening for Vampire Weekend.

MP3: The Antlers – “Apple Orchard”
Video: Beach House – “Apple Orchard” (live)

Frank YangThis is the weekend that myself and other music writers from across the country feverishly cram on Canadian albums released over the past 12 months to assemble our votes for this year’s Polaris Music Prize, and while I don’t have any particular insight into how any of the other jurors are voting, I am willing to bet dollars to donuts that the words Shad and TSOL will be getting typed into the online ballot more than a few times. It’s certainly going in mine. And while the process of choosing my top five homegrown records of the year is usually a real hem and haw process, the Shad record grabbed my attention with the first listen and with each (of the many) subsequent listens, further affirmed that this was as close to a no-brainer pick as there was going to be for this year. And for that – and the record – I thank Mr Kabango.

Shad has just kicked off a cross-Canada tour, starting from his current digs in British Columbia, and will be winding his way across the country, including a stop at the Opera House in Toronto on June 12. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 in advance but courtesy of Union Events, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Shad” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, June 9.

And now I’m kind of tired of giving stuff away. I am going to get some lunch.

MP3: Shad – “Yaa I Get It”
Video: Shad – “Rose Garden”
Video: Shad – “Yaa I Get It”

Toronto Island ConcertAs great as they might be, Calgary doesn’t have the market cornered on island festivals – either titular or literal. Announced way back in January but now tantalizingly close, the almost-annual Toronto Island Concert will happen on June 19 with heavyweight lineup featuring Pavement, Broken Social Scene, Beach House and Band Of Horses amongst others – and then there’s the SECOND show out on the islands on August 14 featuring Arcade Fire… yeah, we may have a few fests missing in action, but we’re doing okay.

With the show a couple weeks off, more details have been posted to the website including set times, a list of food vendors and other rules and regulations. It was also announced this week that the first 250 NXNE wristbands or badges to the Collective Concerts box office at the ferry docks on the morning on June 19 will get free admittance to the show – you’ll still have to pay the $6 for the ferry and there’s no practical way you’re going to see Pavement on the island AND Iggy & The Stooges at Yonge-Dundas Square short of one of these (and even then, you’d probably be shot down by G20 advance security) but hey – not a bad way to spend the day before heading back into the city for evening festivities.

And on top of all that, courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the Island show. Again, these don’t include ferry so you’ll have to shell out the $6 a head or find your own way over, but still a bargain and a half. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Broken Pavement House of Horses” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, June 12.

Calgary Folk FestJust a few weeks after the dust from Sled Island settles (passes for that being given away over here), musicians from near and far will again converge on downtown Calgary for the Calgary Folk Music Festival. Dating back all the way to 1980, the Folk Fest collects its talent onto seven stages at the picturesque Prince’s Island Park on the Bow River in the heart of downtown Calgary, running for four days in late July and despite the name, covers a wide cross-section of musical styles though if folk is still your bread and butter, you won’t be disappointed.

This year’s festival runs from July 22 to 25 and its lineup is stacked with the likes of The Avett Brothers, St. Vincent, Laura Marling, Stars, Dan Mangan, The Swell Season, Ohbijou, Man Man and many, many more.

And, like Sled Island, I’ve got passes to give away… and accommodations! Courtesy of the fest, I’ve got a pair of festival passes – a $270 value – and a hotel room for the weekend (specifics forthcoming) so if you’re from out of town, you just need to get your hitchhiking thumb in order and if you’re already IN Calgary… well, this could be an opportunity to stock up on those little travel-size soaps and shampoos and have someone else make your bed for you. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to go to the Calgary Folk Fest” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. Contest will close at midnight, June 18.

And of course, if you know people in Calgary/Alberta/western Canada who might not normally stop by here but might be interested in free passes to either this or to Sled Island, please send them over.

Sled IslandPeople in the rest of Canada may refer to Toronto with pride/affection/irony/scorn as “the centre of the universe”, but when it comes to Summer music festivals – at lest this year – Hogtown is decidedly the poor cousin. Yes, we’ve got NXNE and it’s looking pretty punk-tacular this year, but our other usual fixtures (Rogers Picnic, Edgefest, Virgin Fest) are all conspicuously absent from the calendar, making not-so-local to-dos like Hillside and Wolfe Island our best options.

So it’s hard not to look enviously to the west, and to Calgary in particular. Not only do they pay no provincial sales tax, but they’ve got a terrific one-two punch of music festivals taking over their downtown next month, and for those out west who rarely get to enter any of my contests or for folks from elsewhere considering a trip to Cowtown this Summer. First, there’s Sled Island, which takes over the city’s clubs from June 30 to July 3. Only four years old as of this year, its already built a formidable reputation thanks to its consistently superb lineups of international and local talent and impressive guest curators – a tradition that continues this year with King Khan, Quintron & Miss Pussycat and Fucked Up helping assemble a lineup that includes – in addition to each of the above – Dinosaur Jr, !!!, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Built To Spill, The Thermals, Girl Talk… and really it just goes on.

And courtesy of the festival, I have a festival pass – a $170 value – to give away. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to go to Sled Island” in the subject line and your full name and address in the body, along with the names of the guest curators for the 2009 and 2008 editions of the festival. Don’t worry, it’s easy. Entries must be received by midnight, June 12.

But wait! There’s more!