Wednesday 31 August 2016

Unspooled Episode 8: Ohama's "Let Them Eat Static"

We're back after our summer hiatus with Unspooled, and boy oh boy are we ever excited about this one. We literally had butterflies in our stomach before we sat down with synth legend Tona Ohama to talk about his 1982 cassette, Midnite News (not to be confused with his 1984 LP of the same name).

Tona was extremely generous with his time and with his stories, telling us all about his love of synths, growing up on his father's potato farm in Ranier and even getting into his new album that will come out this fall.

Wednesday 24 August 2016

Dri Hiev - Place to Live (2016)


We feel like we've posted an inordinate number of tapes from electro noise punks Dri Hiev. While their live shows highlight the noisy part of the band, this new tape (released by Craft Singles) helps to show how listenable they really are. The drum machines aren't quite industrial strength on here, and the synth, processed guitars and bass are well-mixed. It's still nicely mechanical, gloomy and just claustrophobic enough. Bring on the rain!

You can get the tape via the Craft Singles bandcamp.

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Detached Objectives - Destination Moon (2016)



We were sent the first tape from these electro goth rockers last year, and since then the band has added a third member and honed their sound. Detached Objectives pretty obvious about reaching back to the 1980's for said sound, and they wear it well. Mixing atmospheric pads and bass-driven goth rock, the atmospheric gloom on this fits well with their sci-themed lyrics - we kind of wish this had been used for the soundtrack for something like Silent Running.

Get the tape from your favourite local record store or the Detached Objectives bandcamp.

Monday 22 August 2016

Sunglaciers - Sunglaciers (2016)


We missed Sunglaciers at Sled Island but heard really good things about them. So we checked them out a few weeks ago and picked up this tape. This is breezy, easy-flowing guitar pop with a touch of psych mixed in. If summer had been a little drier, this would have been just the thing for floating down the river with.

Looks like the tape is sold out now, but you can get the download from the Sunglaciers bandcamp.

Thursday 11 August 2016

Foul English - The Foul English (2016)


We needed to switch to something a little less taxing on our brains after yesterday's post, and this is just the thing. The Foul English play an unapologetic version of rock they call Dadcore. Yep, fun, no-nonsense, straight up stuff that recalls the early days of the UK punk scene. These aren't guys who are trying to invent a new style, they're guys who are trying to escape the monotony of their 40's, day-jobs, and mortgages. We can get behind that.

Interestingly, they've made their debut album available on CD, LP and tape. Everything new is old again. Get the CD or LP (or digital download, if you must) from the Foul English bandcamp.

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Aleem Khan - Urbana Champaign (2016)


We've been at an impasse in the CCPS offices over the past week or so. We had planned on posting this new tape from Aleem Khan, but we haven't been able to fully figure it out yet. We saw Aleem's Sled Island set in June, and were left with our jaws on the floor. How had the kid from Shaani Cage with a penchant for playing soul music with guitars means for garage rock turned into a demure soul-pop-jazz-r&b dynamo?

Aleem quietly released a digital-only (and sadly no longer available) solo album last year that took the work he and brother Kaleem Khan started with Shaani Cage and launched it in a more organic, introverted direction. Urbana Champaign is perhaps the extension of that trajectory. It feels like the work of an artist who has just realized he has the chops and vision to make something amazing, and is testing the limits of said chops and vision. Aleem has left behind his guitar, opting for a reed organ and horns to produce a tape that is gorgeous, bewildering and fascinating. We've listened to this tape almost daily for the past month - it's like a Chinese finger trap that we haven't been able to free ourselves from. We're not sure if we want to free ourselves from it.

Get the tape via Aleem Khan's bandcamp.

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Terminal Head - Terminal Head (2016)



From the first time we saw Terminal Head last year, they were instantly our favourite new band. This five piece take the catchy, late-70's influenced punk of the Nancees (whose final, almost unreleased album is one of our favourite almost unreleased albums from recent years) and perch vocalist Cody Swinkles of No River on top to make for some delightfully catchy power pop. It's a good reminder that as good as your band is, it can be even better with a great singer. We've had "Happen Again" stuck in our head for the past two weeks (especially the refrain of "I can't change") since we saw them play at the Palomino.

Grab the tape via the Terminal Head bandcamp.

Monday 1 August 2016

Shiverettes - Live at CJSW and Just Three Songs EP (2016)


We were so excited when we saw that the Shiverettes had another tape that we didn't really pay attention to the fact that it was partly just a repackaging of their tape from late last year. But we love the Shiverettes so much, we're going to ignore that minor issue.

The band has capitalized on the excellent work that CJSW has been doing with their live sessions and released a set they up at the radio station earlier this year. The highlight on here is "Justice Robin Camp," their anti-tribute to the shame of Canada;s judicial system. It's a spectacular piece of garage rock, with Hayley Muir's menacing growl playing off perfectly against Kaely Cormack's bubblegum shrieks.

Oh, yeah - we also should have pointed out that one of those live tracks is also a song from their other tape. Even still, this is well worth grabbing from the Shiverettes' bandcamp or your local record store.