i declare a mutiny

many thanks to a coworker who just introduced me to one of the freshest artists i've seen in a long time.

William Elliot Whitmore


he's signed to anti - one of the best labels out there in my opinion. according to his bio, whitmore grew up on the banks of the mississippi (what a shock. it's not like he sounds like a 60 year old black man who's been singing/playing guitar since he was 12 or anything) and a according to iTunes he's released five full-length albums. with all that music underneath his belt, i'm shocked i've never heard of him before. i can tell you one thing though, i'll be picking up a ticket to his show if he ever makes his way to toronto.

my coworker gave me songs of the blackbird and i instantly downloaded animals in the dark. i'm in love. his songs are everything i look for in good music. solid story telling, melodic, rhythmic music and that thing that makes a good song a great one: in whitmore's case, it's his voice.

check out "dry" and "mutiny." if you're a country fan, you'll dig "johnny law."

i'd write more but i must get a head-start on some work for tomorrow. it's newsletter time at work...

just because i haven't done this in forever.

Two Weeks


this video gives me a smile that starts all the way down at my toes.

a long long-weekend

this weekend was a long long-weekend for me. i probably should do some work this evening but i'm running on a three day hangover, so instead i'm spending/spent today FINALLY unpacking the rest of my shit, watching movies and now, blogging about some sweet, sweet tunes.

i've been meaning to purchase this album since late 2008 but never got around to it. story of my life. it was one of those things where you'd hear someone talk about the album and you'd make a mental note to head over to the itunes store next time you're at your computer, but you'd routinely forget. at least i would, anyway. finally i did. thank god. because, it's one of the best canadian rock records to be released in a very, very long time.

this "indie" explosion has led to a number of mediocre, low-fi, shoegaze-esque albums hitting store shelves and i think we've forgotten just how rad it is to listen to a record that makes you heel-tap at your desk, bounce around your bedroom while you put away your laundry, and provoke the desire to clap your hands and dance like molly ringwald from that scene in the breakfast club down the alley behind your house while you're walking to the subway. well, jackson square by arkells makes me want to do just that.

it's definitely a pop infused sound, but it's fully, completely rock and roll. it's similar to slow runner, not in the sound, but in the band's talent and ability to make a super-cool pop-influenced rock album with wicked melodies, solid hooks, memorable lyrics and all around well-crafted tunes. the funny thing is that even if i think i don't particularly like a song at first, it's always capable of taking me along for the ride - like a movie that you think you might not like when you're 15 minutes into it, but soon you find that it has this weird ability to draw you in because it takes these tiny twists and turns you don't expect and all of the sudden you wind up in a place you never thought you'd be and it's fucking awesome.

jackson square also one of the best album covers i've seen in a long time, too.












the band is also pretty cute to boot. i'm not going to lie. i've got a bit of a band crush. let's get on with the show though.

dudes are from "the hammer", or hamilton, as it's generally referred to. they self-released an EP in 2007, must've made friends with dallas green along the way, re-released their EP on dine alone records, then dropped jackson square with the same label in october of 2008. i know this band draws a number of comparisons to the constantines (who are a great canadian rock band, don't get me wrong) but i just don't think the constantines have released anything as "accessible" as the arkells' record and though i hear the influence of a track like "working full time" on "oh, the boss is coming", "oh, the boss is coming" has a far greater appeal.



also check out:

deadlines (link courtesy of one of my favourite canadian blogs, i (heart) music) - this track is probably my favourite

ballad of hugo chavez

john lennon

i can unequivocally say that arkells are one of the best canadian rock bands to hit store shelves in a long, long time and i'm super-duper excited to catch a live show and see what other tracks they've got hidden up their sleeves.

i normally wouldn't do this

because she's signed to a sister label, but i just adore this song. top of my summer '09 sweet jamz list.

maybe it would help if i told you who she was (i posted this video 3 days ago). she's misstress barbara. a montreal dj turned sweeeet summer jamz of '09 maker. this song reminds me of everything that was good about the 90s, circa trainspotting.

one of my favourite jessica lea mayfield songs

sung by one of my favourite acts: the avett brothers



LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's one of my life-soundtrack songs right now.

ps - guaranteed, if i ever saw these dudes live, i would melt into a pile of mushy, gushy, love-junk. i adore them.