Archive for the ‘Contests’ Category

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Dance To Another Tune

Review of First Aid Kit’s The Lion’s Roar and giveaway

Photo By Neil KrugNeil KrugThe Söderberg sisters of First Aid Kit make no attempt to represent themselves as anything other than what they are – two girls barely on either side of 20 harmonizing on heartfelt songs that conjure the spirit of bygone and world-weary Appalachian folk traditions a world and era away from the from the Stockholm suburbs where they grew up. It’s a contrast and harmony that made their first two releases – 2008’s debut EP Drunken Trees and the 2010 full-length The Big Black & The Blue so interesting; feeling simultaneously young and old, wise yet naive, clearly foreign yet still so authentic.

It’s a tension that’s less pronounced on their second album The Lion’s Roar, but that’s because rather than tip things one way or the other, they’ve managed to not just balance their elements but blend them. Credit must go to veteran producer Mike Mogis, an expert at helping bands bloom creatively while keeping their roots firmly intact – sonically, the album stays close to the sparer arrangements of the debut but when it needs to get big, it does – but you cannot discount the experience the duo have gained in the past couple years on the road; they’ve simply gotten much better, and were pretty good to begin with. The weightiness that’s always existed in their songwriting feels more comfortably borne, and yet Roar also contains some of their most buoyant songs to date – “Emmylou”, a gorgeous paean to two of the great partnerships of country music, is an early frontrunner for one of the songs of the year and “I Found A Way” soars close behind.

I don’t think there was ever a time when First Aid Kit were regarded as any sort of novelty – “oh look, young Swedish girls who think they’re country!” – but if anyone ever took them less seriously for any of that, they’ll be hard-pressed to hold onto those prejudices. The Lion’s Roar is a strong statement and demands to be heard.

MTV UK has an interview with First Aid Kit, who kick off a headlining North American tour at the end of this month and will be at the Great Hall in Toronto on April 4. Tickets for the show are $18 in advance but courtesy of Embrace, 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 a First Aid Kit” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at Midnight, March 31.

Stream: First Aid Kit – “Emmylou”
Stream: First Aid Kit – “The Lion’s Roar”
Video: First Aid Kit – “Emmylou”
Video: First Aid Kit – “The Lion’s Roar”

In talking about another young female Swedish artist worth watching – Amanda Mair – I’ve been saying that her self-titled debut was supposed to come on back on February 15; that it did, but only in Sweden, apparently. about.com has a June 5 North American release date written down and DIY reports that it will be out officially in the UK on June 11. To tide us over, another single is now available to download to go with the previously released video. It’s good.

MP3: Amanda Mair – “Sense”
Video: Amanda Mair – “Sense”

Under The Radar brings word of a collaboration between the wonderful I Break Horses and the I-hadn’t-heard-of-them-before-now Philadelphia-based electronic outfit CSLSX, the first fruits of have both a downloadable and video. I Break Horses are at The Sound Academy on May 5 opening for M83.

MP3: CSLSX & I Break Horses – “Violent Sea”
Video: CSLSX & I Break Horses – “Violent Sea”

DIY chats with Norwegian pop collective Team Me, who are on my to-see list at SXSW next week (NEXT WEEK). If all goes well, you’ll be hearing more about them hereabouts. Their debut To The Treetops is out next week.

MP3: Team Me – “With My Hands Covering Both of My Eyes I Am Too Scared To Have a Look At You Now”

The Line Of Best Fit introduces Kiasmos, the new electronic project from Ólafur Arnalds.

Stream: Kiasmos – “Thrown”

New York Magazine has an in-depth profile piece on Bjork and NYC Taper has posted recordings of another of her NYC residency shows from last week.

DIY and The Sun get to know Dry The River, the next great folk-rock hope out of the UK. Their debut Shallow Bed is out April 17 in North America, and they’re streaming the excerpts of the whole thing with commentary over here. The intrigued can see them March 27 at The Garrison opening for Bowerbirds.

Video: Dry The River – “Chambers & The Valves”

Those scamps in Radiohead have announced another block of North American dates and Toronto is in the mix. They’ll be at Downsview Park on June 16 with Caribou, and I’ll save you from double-checking the calendar – that is indeed the Saturday of NXNE. The festival has managed to hold its own agains interloping major shows in the past, but if it takes a free Iggy & The Stooges show to counter Pavement/Broken Social Scene, they’re gonna need something pretty major to keep the kids in the city this time around. But whatever you end up doing that day, let’s not overlook the fact that this means the Caribou machine is back in action, and that’s good news for everyone. Tickets for Radiohead go on sale at noon on Friday.

MP3: Caribou – “Odessa”
Video: Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”

Daytrotter welcomes The Naked & Famous to their studios for a session. They play The Sound Academy on April 5

Digital Spy and DIY talk to Pip Brown of Ladyhawke, whose second album Anxiety has been pushed back from its March 27 release date all the way to May 25.

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

CONTEST – Rise Against @ The Air Canada Centre – May 10, 2012

Photo via riseagainst.comriseagainst.comWho: Rise Against
What: Chicago political activist punk band who’ve risen to arena-scale over the past decade
Why: They released their sixth album End Game a year ago and will end the second leg of North American touring for it in Toronto
When: May 10, 2012
Where: The Air Canada Centre in Toronto (all-ages)
Who else: A Day To Remember and Title Fight support
How: Tickets for the show are $50.50 to $64.50 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to Rise Against” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, April 15.
What else: The band contributed a song to the recent Amnesty International/Bob Dylan tribute compilation Chimes Of Freedom; Examiner.com talks to the director of their video for “The Ballad Of Hollis Brown”.

Video: Rise Against – “Ballad Of Hollis Brown”
Video: Rise Against – “Help Is On The Way”
Video: Rise Against – “Satellite”
Video: Rise Against – “Make It Stop (September’s Children)”

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

CONTEST – Young Prisms @ The Drake Underground – March 10, 2012

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWho: Young Prisms
What: San Francisco quintet who were far too young to have lived through shoegaze the first time around, but have an affinity for hazy, reverb- and fuzz-laden dreampop anyways
Why: Their second album In Between is set for a March 27 release, so a little pre-release tour to road-test the material is in order.
When: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Where: The Drake Underground in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Austin’s Boy Friend are opening up this tour
How: Tickets for the show are $10 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Young Prisms” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, March 8.
What else: If you can’t make the Drake show or need a double-shot, the band are doing an in-store at the Kensington location of Sonic Boom that same afternoon at 5PM.

MP3: Young Prisms – “Floating In Blue”
Stream: Young Prisms – “Four Hours (Away)”
Video: Young Prisms – “Floating In Blue”

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

CONTEST – The Walkmen @ The Phoenix – March 2, 2012

Photo via thewalkmen.comthewalkmen.comWho: The Walkmen
What: Veteran New York rockers who’ve carved out a successful, decade-long career consisting of six albums with a seventh on the way.
Why: A 10th anniversary is as good a time as any to have a look back and throw a party, so the band are doing just that with a series of one-off, career-retrospective shows
When: Friday, March 2, 2012
Where: The Phoenix in Toronto (19+)
Who else: It’s billed as “An Evening With The Walkmen”, not “An Evening With The Walkmen And Some Other Band That Will Keep You From Seeing The Walkmen For An Extra Hour”. So there.
How: Tickets for the show are $26 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with, “I want to be a Walkman” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, February 28.
What else: Hardly getting stuck in the past, they’ve just completed the follow-up to 2010’s Lisbon – they talk to Paste and Stereogum about the new record, which they hope to have out in the Spring and which you can expect to hear material from when they open for Florence & The Machine at The Molson Amphitheatre on August 2.

MP3: The Walkmen – “Stranded”
MP3: The Walkmen – “Four Provinces”
MP3: The Walkmen – “In The New Year”

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

CONTEST – The Barr Brothers @ The Great Hall – March 1, 2012

Photo By Andre GueretteAndre GueretteWho: The Barr Brothers
What: Montreal-based, Boston-bred quartet led by 2/3 of art-pop trio The Slip who are, indeed, brothers surnamed Barr.
Why: Taking a break from their main gig produced a rustic-sounding self-titled debut that’s garnered much acclaim.
When: Thursday, March 1, 2012
Where: The Great Hall in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Fellow Montrealer Little Scream makes it a top-to-bottom solid bill
How: Tickets for the show are $15 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with, “I want to be a Barr Brother” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, February 28.
What else: CBC Radio 3 has a profile piece on the band.

MP3: The Barr Brothers – “Beggar In The Morning”
Video: The Barr Brothers – “Beggar In The Morning”