Mixtape Magazine Best of 2014 by Mixtape Magazine

Hey Rosetta!

PS I Love You

Alvvays

Close Talker

The New Pornographers

BEST O

PS I LOVE YOU

HEY ROSETTA!

+ BEST OF ATLANTIC

ALVVAYS

CLOSE TALKER

+ BEST OF PRAIRIES

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS

+ BEST OF CENTRAL

+ BEST OF WEST AND NORTH

MIXTAPE TEAM

Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Briggins Managing Editor Evelyn Hornbeck Creative Director Emma Cochrane Contributing Editors Jane Caulfield Michael McGrath Contributors Celina Ip Erin MacKinnon MatĂas MuĂąoz Photography Scott Blackburn mixtapemagazine.ca email: mixtapehalifax@gmail.com Mixtape Magazine was originally created by Jonathan Briggins, Samantha Chown, Hilary Creamer, Ryan Hemsworth, and Chelcie Soroka.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

MIC CHECK

Letter from the editor Jonathan Briggins, Editor-in-Chief

Once again, the depth and diversity of Canada’s music scene was on display this year. The Polaris Prize-winning album, Animism, came from Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq of Nunavut. Some of the best Canadian hardcore punk came out of the tiny province of P.E.I. as Acousma released two EPs. For our second annual “Best of ” issue, we continued to organize our favourite albums by geographical region instead of numerical lists by genre. It creates a roadmap of sound that touches every province from coast to coast. Here are a couple of my Mixtape highlights from 2014. I experienced SappyFest in Sackville, N.B. for the first time. I was impressed to discover new bands such as Cool TV, Weird Lines and Ought. I also loved seeing a reunited Shotgun and Jaybird and the Constantines, two bands I missed out on when I was younger. Another highlight from this year was releasing daily minimagazines during Halifax Pop Explosion. Our team convened from across Canada to create beautiful content, capturing live music through photo and text. It leaves me excited for 2015 as Mixtape enters our second year.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

best of atlantic

DOUBLE TAKE Hey Rosetta! bridge time on Second Sight Words by Celina Ip • Photos by Scott Blackburn

What does it take to make a fourth album and still keep fans interested? Well, for Newfoundland rockers, Hey Rosetta!, the perfect solution is in combining years of growth and experimentation, three months of recording and one salvaged demo. The resulting album, Second Sight, is a beautiful sum of musical textures and layers. “The big difference in the recording process is that we had time,” says frontperson Tim Baker. “We had time to try things out and to really chase sounds that we wanted to have and experiment with in terms of tone and parts.” With new complexities in the instrumentation and writing, the band also had to remain in the studio for an extended period of time. While Into Your Lungs only took two weeks and Seeds took one month to record, Second Sight took a full three months to record and polish in studio. The band also added Mara Pellerin, from Toronto via St. John’s band Gramercy Riffs, on French horn and keys. She joined the existing lineup of Josh Ward (bass), Phil Maloney (drums), Romesh Thavanathan (cello, keys, vocals) and Kinley Dowling (violin, keys). “For our kind of music, with all the layers that are there and the writing - writing string parts, writing horn parts, writing all these vocal parts. It was a tricky mix for sure. It was a lot of things happening all at once. It was a tough thing to mix,” says Baker. And during the long and thoughtful recording process, the band also took into consideration which songs could be singles, something they had never done on any of their previous albums. “We’ve had a history of having stupidly long songs because we never wanted to feel restricted in any way.

We never cared how long the songs were but rather just wanted to let it do its thing,” says Baker. “But every time we do a record and we don’t have any fucking semblance of a single, then everyone gets mad. So this time, I actually did think about it.” “I thought that when it was over I would like to have a song that sort of fits at least with regards to time restriction, so we can have a single and don’t have to go and butcher a song that wanted to be longer and then cut it up which is a horrible process that I never want to go through again.” With producer Marcus Paquin suggesting they work on a single and not wanting to go through the horrible process of chopping up a beautiful lengthier song to make it to be radio-friendly, the band worked on making “Kintsukuroi”, “Dream” and “Soft Offering” as singles. But while songs such as “Kintsukuroi” are much shorter, the musical quality did not diminish. In fact, “Kintsukuroi” is the perfect single at three-and-a-half minutes of abounding introspective lyrical beauty and a powerful symphonic mosaic of tones, sounds, and textures coming from all seven members’ instrumental parts. Kintsukuroi is the ancient Japanese art of mending broken pottery with a gold-enhanced glue that highlights the cracks and the flaws and essentially makes the piece more beautiful than before it was broken. That symbolic meaning is eloquently conveyed by the song’s lyrics. “The song is about a relationship sort of falling apart and the speaker of the song, which in this case is me, is wanting to get back together with this person and the argument being that when you break up with somebody, it is a really difficult, tough, traumatic thing,” says Baker.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC

“But through that trauma we actually became closer and our relationship was stronger, our love was stronger, ironically, after we’d broken up. To me, that sounded just like this Kintsukuroi.”

lullaby-ish tune. In fact, of all the songs Baker had sent to Paquin, “Trish’s Song” was the one that stood out the most. He liked it so much that rather than re-recording it, he wanted Baker to keep it in its pure and original form.

Baker believes that music becomes a much richer experience for listeners as they can appreciate it at an entirely new and elevated level when they become aware of the story that the artist is trying to get across.

“He just wanted to use the demo, which is essentially what the final version is,” says Baker who did end up re-recording the piano track again. “It was me in 2009 or 2010, singing a multi-track in my own voice and coming up with it on the fly, so that’s why it’s got this real looseness to it. The voices react to one another in a weird way which is unplanned and kind of improvy.”

And the story behind how the last song on Second Sight, “Trish’s Song”, came to be is just as intriguing. It was a forgotten tune, one of approximately 25 demos the band sent off to producer Marcus Paquin. “It’s a curious tune,” says Baker. “I had recorded that song all by myself years ago. I did a little demo of it with a crappy little microphone and my shitty piano at home.” But the “crappy little microphone” and “shitty piano” did not take away from the quality and beauty of the

Much like the art of Kintsukuroi, rather than throwing away the demo and re-recording it in its entirety, Paquin and Baker kept the original vocals and pieced it back together with a new piano track. As you hear those vocals, weaving in and around each other it’s as if they are also bridging the past four years together, as if no time has passed.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland

Hey Rosetta! – Second Sight (Sonic Records) The small folk orchestra has made a strong case, and each listen of Hey Rosetta’s Second Sight brings us closer, gives us another layer (the band has so many).“Cathedral Bells” does a good job of reminding us of the reason we, weepingly, fell in love with Tim Baker and his merry band. The real test for these songs is if they’ll win hearts, Hey Rosetta’s past songbook has done. When we first heard these songs, we liked them but will we live in them? Will devoted fans scream along under maple-leaf confetti? Midway through the album, on “Kintsukuroi”, Baker cries out “I want the real thing.” This is it. - Evelyn Hornbeck

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC

Acousma – 7” and 2nd 7” (Independent) Acousma put out two four-song releases this year and it wasn’t possible to only list one of them.These two EPs make up some of the darkest and most dismal hardcore music released in Canada this year. The vocalist spits his words out as if releasing the pent-up rage and frustration of ten thousand people, while the staggering and dirty guitars paint a hopeless soundscape to accent this rage. The two 7-inches bookend 2014, the first released in January and the second in December. Together they make the perfect soundtrack to the place in which the band belongs: the often hopeless and grey Atlantic Canadian winter. - Michael McGrath

Cousins – The Halls of Wickwire (Hand Drawn Dracula) Halifax power-duo Cousins continue delivering their unhinged brand of garage rock with The Halls of Wickwire, their third full-length album.They got on board with Toronto label Hand Drawn Dracula, enlisting the help of Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) and Josh Korody (Beliefs) during the recording. Cousins’s sound has evolved into something that is theirs and theirs alone. Competing vibrato twangs and distorted climactic peaks, along with an enthralling vocal duality and unavoidably catchy arrangements make this album a mainstay on the record player. - Matías Muñoz

In–Flight Safety – Conversationalist (Night Danger) We waited five years for new music from indie pop rockers In-Flight Safety. There’s a rollercoaster of emotion that comes with time stretching out between releases, with line-up changes and shuffles (John Mullane on vocals and guitar and Glen Nicholson remain from the original lineup). You wonder “how will this turn out?” In-Flight did not disappoint. From the first chords of the single, “Destroy”, the band show us they’re back and are on point with modern indiepop that’s heavier on synth than before. It’s a natural progression for the band, and they invite us back on their journey with this album. - Evelyn Hornbeck

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC

Kestrels – The Moon Is Shining Our Way (Sonic Unyon) Kestrels’s The Moon Is Shining Our Way feels like its own planet in the musical solar system that is Canada. When you’re making a niche genre of music, in this case shoegaze, you’re often writing music just for yourself. Chad Peck, the main songwriter for the band does this perfectly. The music sounds so personal and desperate, but it also has hope. It feels like a fork in the road between life and self-destruction. Kestrels are all about building atmosphere with their music. Michael McGrath

Monomyth – Saturnalia Regalia! (Mint Records) It’s been a big year for Halifax’s Monomyth. First they signed with Vancouver label Mint Records, then a few months later released their first full-length album, Saturnalia Regalia! It’s full of lo-fi jangly, psychedelic, shoegaze-laced pop songs with borrowed influences from a number of decades and genres.The band features three songwriters who complement each other to create a collection of songs with many feels coming from a common place. The guitars of Josh Salter and Seamus Dalton keep things interesting with tones that diverge and converge at just the right moments as demonstrated by team-work example 101, “Pac Ambition”. - Jonathan Briggins

The Mouthbreathers – Corrupt the Youth (Independent) The Mouthbreathers have become a staple of the east coast. The Sackville, N.B. band are an instantly accessible act who appeal to anyone who likes fun. Their bouncy and free pop-punk songs are bound to make you smile. As the vocalist belts out the words “I can’t understand why you would leave your house/ you’ve got a live-in lover and American Netflix” you wonder why you would ever listen to anything else when you’ve got songs that make you feel like these songs do. The Mouthbreathers are your best friend on a cold Canadian day or the soundtrack to your mid-summer party. - Michael McGrath

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF ATLANTIC

Negative Rage – Sensitive City (Independent) Negative Rage is tongue-in-cheek, self-aware, punk perfection. The record has no weak moment, with a perfect flowing onslaught of loud and sarcastic punk songs. Singer and primary songwriter, Cody Googoo, is a punk savant and staple of the Halifax scene. He has well over 15 different bands on his resume. This experience shines through on Sensitive City, showing a palette of punk and alternative music diversity There’s a song about getting a fine for riding a skateboard with no helmet, and one about the anxiety of going to and playing shows. It’s sarcastic, fun, angry and serious all at once. - Michael McGrath

Cam Smith – Cannon (Robin Steele Records) On Cannon, Dartmouth rapper Cam Smith takes on the role of party starter, emcee, the main event and the one who shows you to the door at night’s end. The future of Nova Scotian hip hop is now with all the new up-and-comers present on the 14-song album including Alfie, Nicole Ariana, Kayo, and XXX CLVR of Weirdo Click. The skits are entertaining, the energy contagious and production tight. The music video for the track “Turbo” is the perfect way to visualize just how wild a ride Cannon is. Smith juggles a lot on the album and comes out looking like a magician. - Jonathan Briggins

Vogue Dots – Mauka (Indica Records) Babette Hayward used to write acoustic folk songs influenced by the landscapes of New Brunswick. Now she’s traded in her acoustic guitar and has taken on a new role as part of the duo Vogue Dots. The electronic dream-pop band’s second EP of the year, Mauka, features four original songs perfect for late nights and city lights. Hayward’s strong songwriting skills are still there, they just have a more ambient, dream-like flavour as they are wrapped in warm waves of electronic sounds. - Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

best of central

COMFORT AND COLLABORATION PS I Love You in a brighter spot Words by Jonathan Briggins • Photos by Scott Blackburn

Paul Saulnier is standing on stage, ripping through a guitar solo while Benjamin Nelson pounds away on the drums. Saulnier picks up his guitar and places it behind his head and continues to play, showing off his smooth guitar licks without looking. “We’re funny guys and we can’t take this shit too seriously,” says drummer Nelson of some of the visual antics on stage. “We like classic rock a lot. And hot dogging is fun.”

Performing as a duo comes with its own challenges, as duos are often compared to other duos, as if duo-rock is its own genre. The list of great Canadian duos includes Death From Above, Japandroids, Solids and Cousins.

With their latest album, For Those Who Stay, the indie rock duo has shifted towards a place of confidence and comfort. They’re having fun playing live and the atmosphere around recording the the record was much lighter, a stark contrast to their 2012 album Death Dreams.

“Cousins are probably our favourite. It’s all rock music but it’s all different from one another. It’s your own fault if you can’t see that or hear it. It’s also weird being a duo because some people think it’s its own genre. But it’s not. Nobody ever says ‘there’s another five-piece band trying to sound like another five-piece band.’ I don’t know where all this scrutiny comes in on duos. It’s weird,” says Saulnier.

“When Death Dreams was coming together, we were on tour so much and we were both in bad places in our brains, so tired from touring and scared of financial things and life. This time around, we were both in better spots in our lives,” says Nelson.

Other duos, and they point to Halifax garage rockers Cousins as an example, interact with the crowd, something they’re trying to do more of even though there are challenges. Besides having a lot to do, both Nelson and Saulnier tell me they are shy people.

They also had more time to make the record and it turned into more of a collaborative project as they brought in friends to play on the record including Tim Bruton (Matters/The D’Ubervilles), Wayne Petty (Cuff the Duke) and producer Matt Rogalsky, who is like a member of the band in the recording studio.

“I don’t have my eyes open,” says Saulnier.

When the songs are played live, they’re slightly different from the studio versions since they play as a duo and don’t have the other musicians playing the extra keys or synths. “We do a pretty full sound live anyway. I’m not too

worried. The hardest thing about the new songs live is just not fucking them up because they are a little trickier,” says vocalist and guitarist Saulnier.

“Ne neither,” Nelson adds. “I never see what’s going on in the crowd. For the whole set I’m either looking down at the keyboard on the floor or my eyes are closed,” says Saulnier. “I think I can hear bros going ‘woo!’,” says Nelson. “Sometimes I don’t know if I’m hearing that or the ringing in my ears,” says Saulnier.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

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“I know, lately I’ve been having that problem too. I’m like ‘Oh somebody’s cheering. Oh wait, they’re not,” says Nelson. “Or I think somebody’s singing along but it’s just the echo of my voice in an empty room,” jokes Saulnier. “I can’t look at the crowd. It’s distracting. If I look at the crowd, I’ll screw up. If I make eye contact it’s over.” “Show’s over.” Despite the shyness, PS I Love You are becoming more comfortable on stage and it gives them a chance to try different things live, such as playing guitar behind the head.

They’ve also been more comfortable in the studio. The first single, and title track “For Those Who Stay” is six and a half minutes long. Not exactly your radiofriendly three minute single. And also not exactly the type of single that is going to pull in new listeners eager to discover new music, but quick to judge and discard music that takes a little more patience to get in to. It starts off built around fuzzy psychedelic guitar with flanger effects and excess before taking a turn in a new direction, morphing into a dark and funky jam. “That song in particular is very different from our previous material. It’s kind of an exciting, ‘Look at this thing we’re doing now, it’s different,’” says Saulnier. “‘It’s not trendy and we hope you like it.’”

“We’ve been performers for a long time, but it almost seemed like, like I’ve always loved performing but it’s always seemed like a hard job and I’m trying to have more fun up there,” says Saulnier.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

FOREVER YOUNG Alvvays pine for summer in the midst of winter Words by Celina Ip

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Using themes of young love, heartache, summer fun, reckless abandon and quarterlife-crisis, Toronto dream-pop quintet Alvvays’s self-titled debut album is a celebratory tribute to those exciting and sometimes overwhelming moments of youth. Lead singer and guitarist, Molly Rankin, was daydreaming of those youthful thrills and summers gone by when she penned lyrics to songs such as “Archie, Marry Me” and “Adult Diversion” during the long and dreary months of winter. “We all sort of look back as we approach our thirties and think about the crazy things we’ve done,” laughs Rankin. “A lot of it is living in winter and thinking about the summer. That’s a pretty constant theme in the writing because we have about seven or eight months of winter.” And not all of her songs are based on real life experiences. Some of them are purely imagined stories. “A lot of it is just generally different scenarios and imagery that I find exciting. But sometimes I also live through these situations vicariously like it’s not really all that autobiographical but I like to pine over things that I missed out on in my youth,” says Rankin. “ I mean,

I’m still youthful, but you know,the teen years and those sentiments and feelings that are fun to reenact.” The five-piece band from Toronto also features Kerri MacLellan, a neighbour of Rankin’s in Cape Breton and Alec O’Hanley, Brian Murphy and Philip MacIsaac from P.E.I. The three Islanders are also part of indie rock band The Danks. And yes, you pronounce the band name as ‘always’ not ‘all-vays’. For their debut album, they teamed up and recorded the album with Chad VanGaalen. The album includes hit singles such as “Archie, Marry Me.” The song includes the lyrics “in the night time we go out and scour the streets for trouble” and “too late to go out, too young to stay in.” The song is like an anthem for teenagers and 20-somethings who can easily echo the sentiment of those lines. “I have a lot of affection for “Archie, Marry Me.” That’s probably my favourite song on the record,” says Rankin. “It was one of the songs that made me want to find a proper label in the United States and it also had some potential to be relatable to other people. So that was one of the reasons that kept us driving to find support for the record. And it’s also fun to play.”

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL Ontario, Quebec

PS I Love You â&#x20AC;&#x201C; For Those Who Stay (Paper Bag Records) The last time we heard from Kingston indie rock duo PS I Love You, they were trapped in a bad dream on the album Death Dreams. This time around, they sound like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in a more grounded place, having fun while delivering fuzzy guitar solos and fast drumming while Paul Saulnier sings with wobbly vocals that teeter toward paranoia. On For Those Who Stay, the duo play by their own rules, ignoring the traditional philosophy of releasing a short, radio-friendly single when they released the multi-part 6:29 epic title track as the first single. - Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL

Alaskan – Despair, Erosion, Loss (Dwyer Records) After taking a two year break in between releases, Ottawa’s Alaskan emerged from what must have been a deep, dark and desperate hole to put out one of Canada’s most harrowing records of 2014. The sludgy hardcore/post-metal band is absolutely uncompromising on this release, with every song clocking in at least five beautifully crafted minutes. Some music sounds desperate, like it is being made from a place of necessity – but the aptly titled Despair, Erosion, Loss isn’t just desperate, it is despair itself embodied within layers of guitar and guttural vocals. This is the soundtrack to a funeral aboard a sinking ship in the best possible way. - Michael McGrath

Alvvays – Alvvays (Royal Mountain Records) One of Canada’s best kept secrets, Alvvays grabbed the attention of the music world with their debut album this summer.The perfect soundtrack for a summer’s night, this album delivers wave after wave of catchy pop songs with lyrics that get stuck in your head for days and stay there. Front person Molly Rankin’s vocals are bold and sound effortless as she belts out the words “hey, hey marry me Archie” while lo-fi fuzzy guitar riffs create a sense of urgency. It’s hard to pick a favourite song but each listen makes me wish it was summer again. - Jonathan Briggins

Bahamas – Bahamas Is Afie (Universal) Just in case you were wondering who Bahamas is, he is Afie. On his third album, Afie Jurvanen once again delivers an album of folky, breezy tunes. This year, an intimidatingly large body builder asked Jurvanen what type of music he made. The body builder answered his own question, declaring it “light rock.” While it may be easily accessible, coffee shop-ready music, the subject matter isn’t light. “All I’ve Ever Known” shows Afie at his most earnest, with a simple drum beat, sparse acoustic guitar and keyboard chords while he sings about struggling with change. Bahamas is open, inviting you for a drink and sharing everything. Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL

Caribou – Our Love (Merge Records) In his 15-year music career, Caribou, a.k.a. Dan Snaith, has refused to let his compositions follow the zeitgeist.They are expressive pieces that refuse to follow a formulaic pop structure.The highly anticipated follow up to 2010’s Swim, Snaith’s sixth studio album Our Love is as expressive as they come. Collaborating with a few big names on the record, such as Jesse Lanza and fellow Polaris Prize-winner Owen Pallett, Snaith explores complex personal experiences with love, marriage, and raising a child. At times, Our Love is cathartic, other times it is uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the album stands in a category of its own. - Matías Muñoz

Fucked Up – Glass Boys (Arts & Crafts) Since their inception as a Toronto hardcore punk band in 2001, Fucked Up has challenged the status quo. They evolve with every release, breathing and growing and consuming everything they can. Glass Boys is Fucked Up’s shortest full-length album to date, but it feels like their most personal and important. One of the main highlights of the album is the impressive drumming of Jonah Falco leading tracks with intense fury, the perfect complement to the growls of vocalist Damian Abraham. Fucked Up is indie for punk kids, it’s punk for indie kids, it’s rock for everyone. - Michael McGrath

Greys – If Anything (Buzz Records) When you throw on If Anything by Toronto’s Greys, you don’t even have a second to catch your breath before you’re hit in the face by a wrecking ball. The album is a 35-minute blaze of noisy punk and grunge guitar riffs with recognizable influences from bands such as Nirvana, Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi and any other number of early ‘90s punk and alt music. Opening track “Guy Picciotto”, named after a member of Fugazi, features lyrics showing that Greys don’t want to be a part of an exclusive cool club, they want to be involved and playing music for their fans. Nothing more, nothing less. - Mike McGrath

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL

Ken Park – You Think About It Too Much (Daps Records) Ken Park, the electronic project of Scott Harwood, brings the energy of readyfor-the-dance-floor beats and pairs it with introspective lyrics as ice-cold landscapes take shape. It’s music for a Friday night where you want to party, but your introverted soul is happy to stay home and play video games while wearing sweatpants. The extended lengths of the tracks give the electronic sounds room to breath as layers grow, twist and contort and slowly disappear. - Jonathan Briggins

Mac DeMarco – Salad Days (Captured Tracks) Whether you believe Mac DeMarco is on the forefront of a neo-crooner revolution, or simply a lewd and goofy hipster that can’t tune a guitar, there’s no doubt that he challenges the status quo. DeMarco’s Salad Days is tempered by nonchalance – there are no grandiose or earth-shattering revelations here. It sounds similar to his previous album, 2, albeit with more lyrical depth and focus on thematic elements. The greatness of Salad Days is its refusal to be great – a testament to his resilience towards idolatry in the music industry, offering listeners an island from which we can escape the pretensions of the indie rock world. - Matías Muñoz

Michael Feuerstack & Associates – Singer Songer (Forward Music/Headless Owl) The artist formerly known as Snailhouse brings together an impressive cast of singer-songwriters to provide vocals on songs he wrote. It doesn’t feel like a Feuerstack record with other voices replacing his. Instead, each track feels specially tailored to fit the artistic styles of the list of collaborators including Bry Webb, John K Samson, Little Scream, and Devon Sproule. It shows Feuerstack’s intimate knowledge of his fellow folk singer songwriters, like a coach who has done their homework and knows how to bring together a team of experienced players and rookies to create something great. - Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL

New Swears – Junkfood Forever, Bedtime Whatever (Bachelor Records) Close your eyes and imagine the best party you’ve ever been to. Got it? Ok, now close your eyes and imagine the worst sleep-deprived hangover you’ve ever had. That’s New Swears. They’re an Ottawa institution at this point, known for being partying garage punk savants. The album bounces between fun partying moments and introspective “what the hell am I doing with my life?” moments. Are New Swears getting burnt out on the party life? I’m not sure, but I do know they want you to have fun. - Michael McGrath

Ought – More Than Any Other Day (Constellation Records) Hailing from Montreal, Ought formed as the fires of Quebec’s student uprising burned bright across the province over rising tuition fees. After being a band for only three years, Ought harnessed chaos, frustration, and youthful recklessness in their debut LP More Than Any Other Day, all while maintaining an idealistic foundation of hope and connectedness. This album is more than a post-punk masterpiece; it embraces a David Byrnian aesthetic and style that bursts with irresistible, yet disjointed, arrangements, existing at the intersection of order and disorder. Ought challenges the listener from all angles. - Matías Muñoz

Ryan Hemsworth – Alone For The First Time (Last Gang Records) When “electronic” is mentioned, it brings images of partying and dancing and fun. However, everything has its antithesis and Ryan Hemsworth is the perfect antithesis for electronic music. Alone For The First Time sees Ryan making a progression from previous releases to a more esoteric tone. It’s a collection of low-tempo and minimalistic, sad, electronic songs which sound very natural coming from this “bedroom producer” who has no problem publicly professing his love for music like Bright Eyes and Cursive. The album’s short length leaves you with a feeling of introspection that can only be filled by listening to the record on repeat. - Michael McGrath

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF CENTRAL

Tops – Picture You Staring (Arbutrus) The click of pressing play on a cassette player; the sound of a needle hitting a record; the soft touch of pressing play on a computer: any of these methods are appropriate for diving into a listen of Picture You Staring. The Montreal indie pop band deliver a stream of timeless lo-fi recordings, covered in dreamy synths while acoustic guitars anchor the album and keep it from floating too far into the ocean of experimental electronic music. The vocals feel fragile, as if they could break into a million pieces from soft drumming then float away on a pop guitar riff. - Jonathan Briggins

The Weather Station – What Am I Going to Do With Everything I Know (You’ve Changed Records) Stop what you’re doing. Close your eyes. Lean back. Breathe slow. This is the best way to enjoy the newest EP from The Weather Station, the solo project of Tamara Lindeman (also a member of Bruce Peninsula). This gently drifting release is deeply probing, throwing out pieces of wisdom to chew on as it carries you along. Each moment is worth catching. Subtle and sweet, but never saccharine, Lindeman is at her peak Joni Mitchell, and every bit deserving the comparison. - Evelyn Hornbeck

The Wooden Sky – Let’s Be Ready (Chelsea Records) The fourth album from Toronto indie-folk band The Wooden Sky is the product of transformation. The band went through changes in personnel and decided to start their own label, Chelsea Records, for this release. The raw, enveloping aesthetic of the recording captures their desire for a “live” feel, while profoundly conveying the range of emotions associated with being in a touring band. The songs carry emotional weight, the type of feeling that makes your heart skip a beat while asking for a lover to show patience, to hold on and not worry. Matías Muñoz

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

best of the prairies

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

A DELIBERATE APPROACH More comfortable than a close talker Words by Jane Caulfield

Photo by Chris Graham

I’m having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Saskatoon’s Close Talker has only been around for little more than a year and a half.There’s something about their sound and their ability to captivate a crowd that makes me feel like they’ve been around for for a long time. But November’s Flux is only their second album. And the band only hit the local Saskatoon scene late in 2012. If I stop and think about it, I’m gobsmacked. I mean, Flux is so well put together, I almost expect more actual experience and less natural talent. “The big difference between this album and Timbers is the writing process. At the time, it was really critical for us to just get Timbers out. We threw together eight songs and put them on an album,” says drummer Chris Morien. “But this album was very intentional. Very deliberate. We wanted to try to write songs that would grow on you.” And that’s exactly what this album does. It grows on you. Rather than being more of the same, Flux showcases the band’s growth between the two albums. They’ve clearly pushed boundaries, defined purpose and added more thought to the process.

What you get is an album that demonstrates a “big picture” approach. The first few bars of the album, from the single “Heads”, are vaguely orchestral, setting up the listener for a vast musical experience. As you progress from track to track, you can easily recognize the band’s signature harmonies and guitar riffs, but there are new layers and instrumentations added to the band’s sound. “Being more deliberate about songwriting and instrumentation keeps us more interested when we’re playing.We’ve been all over the place and we are still very captivated and really pumped to play them,” says Morien. The foursome have returned home after spending nearly a month zigzagging across the continent. Morien says they had a great time and are feeling pretty honoured to have the opportunities they’ve had so far, including playing with other Saskatchewan artists at a Creative Sask showcase in New York City. “It’s really cool to get some exposure in some of these places, playing with other Sask musicians and with authors and artists - all of us getting some more exposure,” says Morien.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF PRAIRIES Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta

Close Talker – Flux (Nevado Records) In their sophomore album, Flux, new layers of more mature instrumentation add complexity to Close Talker’s signature thoughtful and catchy tunes. With 10 songs in total, the album is dotted with songs featuring distinct melodies, while presenting listeners with darker imagery in both the lyrics and the general pace. The highlight of the album is a two-parter, “Silence”, which is a journey of fluid guitar lines and a melody spun together to be more dream-like. - Jane Caulfield

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF PRAIRIES

The Barrelmen – Wood, Wire, Words, Whiskey (Independent) Grab your bottle of liquor, pull up a stool and steal a kiss from your favourite gal or girl, ‘cause this is the bluegrass album that is more like a drinking buddy on a bad day or a wingman on the best night out. Saskatoon’s The Barrelmen use their first LP to highlight how campfire songs can ride the melodic line between bluegrass and folk without sounding overly cheesy. Wood, Wire, Words, Wiskey mixes songs that break your heart with songs that get you dancing in your kitchen all working together as a pure prairie gem. - Jane Caulfield

Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust (Flemish Eye Records) The opening lyrics of Shrink Dust paint a strange and vivid image of a pair of hands floating away like bloody crabs. An incredible visual artist who pumped out a steady stream of detailed and strange drawings this year, Calgary’s VanGaalen creates intense visual and auditory experiences.VanGaalen’s usual eccentric indie rock moments mix with elements of country on Shrink Dust, helped by his new pedal steel guitar that plays a prominent role on the album.VanGaalen is similar to Neil Young, an amazing songwriter who can explore emotions through a variety of genres simultaneously, and it comes across as a cohesive work. - Jonathan Briggins

Hag Face – Rag Face (Independent) If there’s a band in Canada you might catch playing a late-night set in a graveyard, it would be the self-proclaimed “witch punk” group Hag Face. Their EP, Rag Face, sounds downright evil and menacing. The songs themselves are grainy and noisy, with some songs that sound like they could be lost Black Sabbath tapes. They fill you with a sense of dread, like you’re being chased by something and don’t have time to look back at the monster that approaches you. It’s exhilarating and refreshingly different from most music released this year. - Michael McGrath

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BEST OF PRAIRIES

Library Voices – For John (Prairie Shag Recordings) Regina’s Library Voices have a note on Bandcamp stating For John was “Written for, inspired by, and dedicated to John Farrell. He was one of the greats.” For this tribute, the band open up musically and emotionally. The catchy three-minute indie pop songs are traded in for gritty five-minute psychedelic jams. I never knew John, but this EP makes me miss him. The feelings of missing someone when they’re gone is universal, and Library Voices tap into feelings of love, regret and celebration. “Antimatters Of The Heart” features the heartbreaking line “You know I see you sometimes, I know we never showed you what we could have been.” - Jonathan Briggins

Shooting Guns – WolfCop Soundtrack (One Way Static Records) Back in 2013, a team of Saskatchewan movie makers won a $1-million budget to make a super campy, super cheesy film called WolfCop. And, yup, you guessed it, it’s about a cop who becomes a werewolf. So of course the gritty, dirty soundtrack had to come from Saskatoon rockers, Shooting Guns. Having recorded the album in just about a week with the movie playing on a sheet for inspiration, this group of composed a total of 18 songs droney, dazed-out songs suitable for any lycanthrope or one hell of a party night. - Jane Caulfield

Tennyson – With You (Independent) Shut the door, Tennyson are how old? The Edmonton brother and sister duo of Luke and Tess Pretty aren’t both able to buy a drink legally in most of Canada. The 16 and 18-year-old enjoyed a big 2014, getting the Ryan Hemsworth seal of approval as his tour openers and releasing a song on his Secret Songs label. Luke’s jazz-infused electronic layers are punctuated by Tess’s drums. On “Lay-by”,Tennyson sample the annoying sound cars make when the door is open and keys are in the ignition, and turn it into four minutes of dreamy beauty. - Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF PRAIRIES

The Provincial Archive – It’s all Shaken Wonder (Black Box) The Provincial Archive’s album It’s All Shaken Wonder drives the listener through a naval-gazing journey, pulling at memories and tugging at heartstrings. Playing on the definition of what folk-rock should be, this Edmonton band upped their game for their third album, producing and recording an album in a professional studio for the first time. The difference is a deliberate and careful sound that is reminiscent of Death Cab For Cutie, with dashes of early Sloan and Fleet Foxes mixed in. With thoughtful storytelling playing a large role, this is the kind of album you listen to from start to finish. - Jane Caulfield

PandaCorn – Synthesis Of Opposites (Independent) Maybe this album from Moose Jaw duo Megan Nash and Brodie Mohninger made the list for selfish reasons, but this Synthesis of Opposites is like reliving the best parts of my teenaged years.This album is a memory lane of lo-fi guitar, clear bass lines and melodies that hinge on ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll. But perhaps the best part about this album is how the pair’s voices sound together. They aren’t the same and they kind of don’t match but, somehow, still fit together well, like bow ties and suspenders or plaid and a mountain-man beard. - Jane Caulfield

Friends of Foes – Chronophobic (Independent) Trying to make a wave in the frozen prairie can be difficult. And when you do release your first album, you want to make sure you make a statement. While Saskatoon’s Friends of Foes released their album at the very end of 2013, we think it’s still worth mentioning for 2014, since that’s when everyone was (and still is) talking about it. With whimsical, echoey guitar riffs and clear melodies, the polished quality of Chronophobic made us take notice. - Jane Caulfield

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

best of west and north

Q&A WITH THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS Kathryn Calder’s rock vacation Words by Jonathan Briggins

The summer of 2014 saw two of Canada’s biggest indie-rock supergroups reunite. Broken Social Scene came together once again to play their label’s Field Trip festival in Toronto. The Constantines celebrated the 11th anniversary of their album Shine A Light with a vinyl re-issue and a festival-heavy tour. And then you have The New Pornographers. The band, who released their debut album in 2000, returned with a new album, Brill Bruisers, this summer. Along with their roles in The New Pornographers, all the members also have established side projects, but they seem to come together every few years and drop a new record that shows they are supreme multi-taskers. Mixtape chatted with Kathryn Calder, who has her own solo career, is a member of The New Pornographers and was part of the now-defunct Immaculate Machine. What’s your role with The New Pornographers? Kathryn Calder: I don’t write the songs. That’s Carl (Newman) and Dan (Bejar)’s domain. My role on the record was I went to Woodstock where Carl has a home studio. I went there for about a week and improvised a bunch of piano parts, keyboard parts and I did a bunch of singing on the record. Then I left, and John (Collins) and Carl did a whole bunch of extra manipulation once I was gone. And then I came back again and did a couple more days in the studio. My part is working with John and Carl and figuring out what keyboard parts to play and then they continue on. It’s neat, I hear the songs in one stage and then a few months I hear them finished and I go, ‘Which parts did I play?’ Is that weird for you, as an accomplished songwriter, to have this other completely different role? KC: It’s cool. It’s nice. I think it’s well balanced. I feel very lucky that I have my solo thing that I can do, my creative baby. With The New Pornographers, it’s a great collaboration and there isn’t a lot of pressure on me. There’s a lot of pressure on John and Carl and the other guys in the band. Neko (Case) said it’s like a rock vacation within rock, which is actually how I feel about it. It kind of is like a rock vacation within rock, at least for me. I get to have my own thing and then I get to come into The New Pornographers as a collaborator and it’s a very different experience and it’s also valuable. 30

Do you think that “rock vacation” has helped with the longevity of the band? KC: Yeah, I mean who knows what keeps the band going. We have really great fans that are really supportive and they’re usually music fans in general. Obviously if the fans weren’t around we wouldn’t be playing shows. We might still be making records, who knows. That definitely has something to do with it, and the kind of comradery of coming together every so often and making a record, especially this record because we had four years between it and the last record. It really was a real break for everybody, so to come back to it we were refreshed. Morale is good, everybody’s excited about the new record and proud about it. It feels really good right now. What song from the new album are you most excited to perform? KC: The one I’m having the most fun with, and I love them all obviously, my favourite one to play right now is “Dancehall Domine” because it has this really fun keyboard solo. Just selfishly. It has a lot of really fun vocals, first of all, and it has this really fun keyboard solo that I get way too much enjoyment out of considering it’s only about eight bars. It fills all the requirements for something fun for me to play: it’s upbeat, it’s a fun sound, it’s a little complicated and I’m playing with somebody else and trying to sync up with them.

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF WEST AND NORTH

Photo by Chris Buck MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF WEST AND NORTH British Columbia, Northwest Territories,Yukon Territory, Nunavut

New Pornographers – Brill Bruisers (Last Gang Records) Listening to Brill Bruisers, it’s hard to tell the band didn’t sit around together and write an album. The Vancouver indie-pop rock band has evolved into a supergroup with members Neko Case, Dan Bejar (Destroyer), Kathryn Calder and A.C. Newman enjoying successful side projects.Through pure magic, well, more accurately, through studio production, Brill Bruisers features hit after hit, using elements of each musician to support the main character of each song. With so many established songwriters, the album feels like a mixtape with variety but a consistent underlying theme. Jonathan Briggins

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF WEST AND NORTH

Community Theatre – Northern Register (Headless Owl Records) Community Theatre are an uber-super group, an impressive and extensive list of Canadian indie folk and rock musicians including Mathias Kom, Kyle Cashen, Wax Mannequin, Michael Feuerstack, Construction & Destruction, Baby Eagle, Marine Dreams, Shotgun Jimmie, and Richard Laviolette.They came together in the Yukon to create a record that shares timeless wisdom through folk songs you can share with your children, grandparents, and lovers. Northern Register captures intense collaboration, the type of magic that comes out of a week of summer camp where everyone lives, eats, and breathes together. - Jonathan Briggins

Cool TV – Paint (Yellow Plum Records) It’s hard to pick your favourite colour (each song is named after a colour) when they’re all so cool and catchy, so very catchy. Adrian Teacher and Amanda Pezzutto of the now-defunct Apollo Ghosts and Shawn Mrazek pumped out a steady pallet of indie-rock songs with a healthy dose of fun on Paint. “Pink” manages to pull together foam curlers, truck-stop waitress uniforms, and strawberry ice cream with the lyric “Jack Layton alive and well, uncle Stephen at the gates of hell” in one happy utopian song. The Cool Orchestra uses extra vocals and instrumentation to give the record a perfect finish, a small masterpiece. - Jonathan Briggins

Dead Soft – Dead Soft (Kingfisher Bluez) Dead Soft’s debut album will make you want to throw up, crowd surf and laugh maniacally all at the same time. After playing a constant slew of shows, the Vancouver trio came out with a full-length record in August and we’re glad they took their time. The album shows off the band’s complexities as each exhilarating hook is paired with lead singer Nathaniel Epp’s introspective lyrics. The combination of energetic grunge pop and empty, airy undertones is like dipping a French fry into ice cream; so wrong, but oh so right. - Erin MacKinnon

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BEST OF WEST AND NORTH

Filthy Liars – If All Else Fails (Cry and Cry Again) (Independent) Filthy Liars are a truly scrappy band and wear it on their sleeves with pride and honour. Their debut full-length has a sense of urgency to it with sad pop-punk songs that are fuzzy and quick, and at times, borderline sloppy. However, this all fits together perfectly with what the band are doing. The urgency in the music lines up with lyrics about screwing up your life and facing your fears.The album feels like someone’s having a wrestling match against the worst parts of themselves, but the better version is crowned winner. - Michael McGrath

Needles//Pins – Shamebirds (Dirt Cult Records) Power-pop is a genre of music that relies almost completely on simply writing good songs that stick with you, and it’s safe to say that Needles//Pins have become champions at this. Shamebirds, the band’s second full-length album, shows that they just know the ins and outs of writing a catchy riff and crafting a great song. Every track is jangly and simple, getting stuck in your head instantly. There are no bells, whistles, or tricks, just songs that showcase an understanding of writing a kick-ass pop song. This album will make you dance. It’ll make your parents dance. It’ll make your whole world dance. - Michael McGrath

The Pack A.D. – Do Not Engage (Nettwerk Records) The fifth album from Vancouver’s The Pack A.D. demonstrates that this grungy powerhouse pair can be a little less punk and a little more pop. Shedding the ‘90s fuzzed out lo-fi sound, Do Not Engage is more polished and carefully produced. Like a hot knife through butter, melody and lyrics seem to crash through their signature gritty guitar riffs and thumping drums more than ever before. Listening to Do Not Engage is like learning that being an adult doesn’t have to be all work all the time - there’s still a time and place to be your grungy self. - Jane Caulfield

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

BEST OF WEST AND NORTH

Shad and DJ T.Lo – Boarding Pass EP (Independent) For those who know the playful side of Shad – of “The Old Prince Still Lives at Home”, and the “Rose Garden” video – most of this EP will give them reason to sit up and listen, pushing some buttons. It’s on track two, “Hang On”, featuring Motown samples, that he demonstrates why this EP made our list. Shad gets political, taking down our self-absorbed culture, rife with discord and racism, and calls on other rappers to do the same. Shad still displays his comedic side on “Always Winning”. This EP has some Shad for each of us. - Evelyn Hornbeck

Tanya Tagaq – Animism (Six Shooter Records) Growls, howls, and grunts emanating and echoing over electronic beats. Steadily becoming louder and faster as you remain frozen in your seat but your mind is captured and thrown into an onslaught of sounds depicting themes of birth and death, struggle and survival. Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq’s performance at the Polaris Music Award Gala this past October cemented her place in Canada’s musical cannon. The largely improvised album is consistent in its ability to awaken all of your senses as it thrusts you into Tagaq’s frightening and hypnotic soundscape and leaves you speechless with wonder. - Celina Ip

White Lung – Deep Fantasy (Domino Recording Company) White Lung’s third full-length, Deep Fantasy, is short, fast, and packs a hell of a punch.The followup to their breakthrough album, Sorry, somehow finds melody in aggression, not unlike predecessors such as Fucked Up or Japandroids. Lead singer Mish Way confronts serious societal issues in her lyrics, and listeners will not find a shred of insincerity on this album. Deep Fantasy is the kind of album that can affect an entire generation of young minds, and bring much-needed attention to difficult and controversial subjects that are typically left in the fringe of the music industry. Matías Muñoz

MIXTAPE BEST OF 2014

SEE YOU IN 2015!

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