Talking It Out...

Rarely has an album title been more on-the-mark than Speech Therapy, the debut record from UK MC Speech Debelle. With an honesty that is virtually unheard in rap music, Debelle lays it all out there for listeners. We're talking The Bell Jar level honesty (though without the suicidal feelings) and at times the confessional nature of the lyrics can feel like a little too much. Debelle even recognizes this when she notes on the title-track that "this is my speech therapy / this isn't rap."

But I was thinking recently about how self-revelatory we as a society have become on reality television, blogs and social-networking sites; and re-listening to Speech Therapy before writing this entry I now realize that Debelle is just doing what we're all doing, only in a more artful way.
When she addresses her ex-lover leaving on "Go Then, Bye" she immediately echoes the abandonment issues buried in that song in the more forthright "Daddy's Little Girl" which rails against the father who walked out on her family when she was younger. It's a one-two punch to the guts and the mixture of pain and strength, hope and sadness is bracing. No wonder then that Speech Therapy is nominated for the Mercury Prize [the UK's version of the Polaris, though since it came first, the Polaris is actually Canada's version of the Mercury...]

Released on the ever-outstanding Big Dada imprint (home to Roots Manuva, Ty, etc.) the album is finally making its way across the Atlantic and was officially released to North American audiences on Tuesday the 18th of August.
As unusual as her lyrical honesty is, Debelle's record also benefits from some unusual production and beats making it a rewarding listen for those who have tired of the cookie-cutter hip-hop being made in North America. For evidence, check out one of my favourite cuts from the album, "Better Days" featuring Micachu:


And don't forget to check out Debelle's Myspace page and website.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

Smooches to Frenchkiss

A little over a month ago we received Hospice, the debut record by Brooklyn band The Antlers. The cover art immediately caught my eye and first and subsequent listens definitely caught my ear. "Bear" for one has been on heavy rotation when I take my beagles on their nightly gambol (we don't say 'walk' in front of them or else they go apeshit and start barking up a storm).

Hospice arrived directly from the band, but it's getting re-released to the wider audience it deserves via Frenchkiss Records. The remastered version is available now digitally, but will be released on CD and vinyl on August 18 (MY BIRTHDAY! Thank you Frenchkiss!!). If you still base your music-purchasing (or -downloading) decisions on what Pitchfork thinks, you'll be pleased as punch to hear that it was awarded Best New Music. I'm just surprised to note that there's been more overlap between me and the kids these days...

The music that The Antlers make vacillates between delicate and chaotic, sometimes within the confines of a single song. Hospice begins with the ominous "Prologue," which is followed by Peter Silberman's wispy whisperings on "Kettering." As weightless as that track is, the band's tribute to Sylvia Plath that follows is a heavy piece of work replete with horns and mighty percussion. The Antlers demonstrate repeatedly that they know how to build within the context of a song (most clock in at over 5 minutes) and have arranged those songs for their maximal effect as an album. Best New Music indeed.

On a somewhat-related/somewhat-tangential note, Frenchkiss Records has been on a pretty solid little roll lately: Sean Bones' Rings, Passion Pit's Manners and Cut Off Your Hands' You & I have all come out recently and have all been worth a listen. Speaking of listening, check out the Frenchkiss audio player where you can hear the above-mentioned artists as well as a new track from the upcoming Dodos record.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

Miike Snow - "Burial"

Further to my Snow In June post from the 23th of last month, I just saw this awesome video for Miike Snow's "Burial" which is a relatively simple idea executed well. Extra kudos to the sound editor who did a bang-up job of integrating the natural soundscapes into the mix as well as incorporating the song effectively into the 'real world'

Check it here:

Contest Time: The Wooden Sky

Thanks to the fine folks at Musebox, I've got another contest for readers of Ear To The Sound and listeners of Thank God It's Free Range.

On August 25th, Ontario roots-rockers The Wooden Sky will be releasing their new full-length, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. But prior to that, the band will be hitting the road for a jaunt they're calling the Bedrooms and Backstreets Tour. The name is significant because the band will be performing at unusual venues the entire way with few bar or club shows on the agenda. Backyards, house-parties, and out-of-the-way venues will be privy to their wonderful music in an intimate setting. The band will hit Winnipeg on August 12th, playing at Ragpickers, so to mark the occasion, I've got a sweet prize pack that includes the limited-edition Bedrooms and Backstreets EP for one lucky duck.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post with your name and email address OR email me at michael dot elves at gmail.com with "Wooden Sky Contest" in the subject line by midnight August 11th. I'll be putting all the names in a hat but only one entry per person will go in the chapeau.

Here's The Wooden Sky’s “Something Hiding For Us In The Night” mp3 to get you motivated.

As an added bonus, I've also posted the band performing "The Wooden Sky" live on Thank God It's Free Range when they last rolled through town.

Be sure to check out The Wooden Sky's Myspace page for complete Bedrooms and Backstreets tour dates.

We Call Him Mr. Ness

Winnipeg is pretty well known at this point as a hotbed of artistic creativity. Visual-arts wise we've got folks like Marcel Dzama, and for film-making does it get any better than Guy Maddin? Music-making is no exception but the focus has always been on the rock music coming out of this city - be it back in the day with the Guess Who or more recently with the Weakerthans. There are actually vibrant scenes in a number of genres including a VERY healthy hip-hop scene but nationally Peg City hip-hop seems to fly under the radar. I'm hoping that a release like the one featured in today's post will go some way to rectifying that situation.

It's been six years since the release of Guy I'm From Here, an album he recorded under the litigious bulls-eye moniker Satchel Paige (sometimes written as Satchill Paige) and while fending off lawsuits took some time, most of the intervening period was spent honing the stories the now Nestor Wynrush wanted to tell.

Trinnipeg !78 is an intensely personal and compelling album from an artist who is laid-back and fairly joyous in his day-to-day life (where most of us call him "Ness") but delves into somber, serious thought on the album. He also delved into somber, serious thought about Trinnipeg !78 in an interview I had with him on my show, Thank God It's Free Range which I'll post at the end of this entry.

While Ness has complete ownership of all the lyrics on Trinnipeg !78, he enlisted the help of several friends to create beats and produce cuts. The production roster includes mcenroe, soso, Kutdown, members of Grand Analog, and DJ Brace (Juno winner, DMC champ and former UMFM show host!), so it's no surprise that the depth of the lyrics is mirrored in the depth of production. What is surprising is that with so many different contributors, the album remains a cohesive effort. That's likely because regardless of who he is rhyming over, Ness is thoroughly in command of the track. If you like to be moved both literally and figuratively by your music, do yourself a favour and seek out Trinnipeg !78.

Check out "Winnipeg South Blues" below:


And here's the interview from Thank God It's Free Range, which closes with "Metro Radio" featuring DJ Brace.

Don't forget to check out the Nestor Wynrush Myspace page and I'd also recommend this article my man Birdapres (host of Cast Iron Frying Pan) did for UGSMAG.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

Drifting off to Sleep Whale...

Coming in at just under a half-hour, Little Brite from Denton, Texas band Sleep Whale is a gorgeous, brief reverie of electroacoustic ambience and lilting melodies on finger-picked guitar with subtle string arrangements. Apparently the band was formerly known as MOM, but I think Sleep Whale is a much more appropriate moniker since it evokes a cozy, warm atmosphere (and let's face it, not everyone's mom brings that to mind). That atmosphere encapsulates their sound as well, which is a deft touch.

No wonder then that they chose to name one of their tracks "Sleep Whale" (a little like Wilco's new album Wilco with a song named "Wilco.")

Sleep Whale from Sleep Whale on Vimeo.

Are whales the new wolves when it comes to band names? Whatevs as long as it sounds as good as this.

You can pre-order their EP from Western Vinyl (who have also released Peter Broderick's work) here, where I found the mp3 for "Josh Likes Me."

Be sure to check out their Myspace page and website.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

Snow In June!

While it's entirely too hot for the white stuff in Winnipeg right now, my ears have been treated to some snow recently. I've been listening to the self-titled album from Miike Snow quite a bit in the last little while and it has been challenging Mos Def's The Ecstatic for top spot in the rotation.

Miike Snow - despite being named after a person (Takashi Miike) - is a group.
For a while there was some mystery (a la Clutchy Hopkins) about who or what Miike Snow was, but it has now come out that the group is a collaboration amongst Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg. The latter two have produced under the name Bloodshy & Avant for the likes of Madonna and Kylie Minogue, but teaming up with Wyatt they elevate the electro-pop-production they've employed in the past to create a crisp record that truly pops.

Rather than simply take someone else's material and spit polish it, on Miike Snow the trio build these shiny tunes from the ground up. Drum tracks pulse while the noise effects that dance around on the beat are crucial to the mix and not mere embellishments. Speaking of the mix, this album rewards a close headphone listen as there is so much going on within it. Engineers and producers-in-training would be wise to study tracks like "Black & Blue" when things take off near the 45-second mark. Out of control.

In addition to recording their own material, Miike Snow have been busy with remixes and collabos with the likes of Passion Pit, Peter Bjorn & John and Vampire Weekend (how's that for a hipster's who's-who?) and others have been returning the remix favour. Check out the Fake Blood remix of lead-off album track "Animal" here.

You can hear the original and more where that came from.
And don't forget to check out the Miike Snow Myspace page.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...