Lost Stars

Check out this fantastic cover by Peggy Yeh and Kyle Stibbs! Two fantastic singers.
Check out Kyle Stibb's Facebook page HERE.

Lonely Shoppers Network

Not sure what I was expecting with a title "Always at Home With The Lonely Shoppers Network", but this wasn't it. I was almost expecting some abstract music or prog-ambient-synth-something.

I was not expecting a 20 minute long mix of piano, guitar and vocal track. This laid back song lets you settle into a feeling of peace, then explains its message. The song slowly morphs into different parts, each with slightly different feelings and production work.

Sit back and enjoy this piece of musical diversity. He also has a track entitled "Peace Forever With The Lonely Shoppers Network".

Music That Breathes

Im not sure if Jay produces full beats and instrumentals, but he puts 30 second clips of his music up on his Soundcloud. Some great funky tracks. Some are a little more computer generated than others. Some are quite organic. He has a great sense of diversity with his music which enables him to produce a plethora of genres.

Check out this tracks HERE and take a listen to what he is all about!

 

Do You Hunt At Night?

Bands sometime get in the way. When two people have a vision and have the means to carry out that vision, then sometimes less is more. Hunter's Night is made up of Greg and Ali. Their debut album is 5 tracks of bluesy rock goodness! A great mix of catchy vocal hooks, some thick guitar and tight bass and drums really bring out the raw quality of these songs.

Very interesting to note that this is all a home recording. Recorded in a workshop but you can barely tell. The production on this album is fantastic. Some of the best home recording I've heard in a while. The vocals are fantastically mixed to be both raw but also quite commercial at the same time. Quite a quirky vocal tone which dictated the whole sound of the album.

This is an album you should crank on your car stereo when travelling to go on a hike. Even put on while your having a glass of cheap wine on a sunny day.

Check out their album below and their Facebook page HERE.

 

Get Your Roar On!

It's always a breath of fresh air to hear music with a fantastic singer. It is the one part of a band that either makes or breaks the overall sound. We know every singer has their own tone and unique things they like putting into their recordings but sometimes it takes a few listens to really grow to love that voice.

Belvue is a band that seems to have crafted it's song around the vocals instead of the other way around. Their radio ready rock tracks are original, easy to listen to and are quite imaginative. Their new EP entitled "How To Be A Lion" is full of dynamic, deep, well constructed tracks. Hints of indie influence, hints of pop and a whole lot of rock and alternative rock make this album very diverse. Yet as your listening the music is both predictable but unpredictable at the same time. They have little things that keep you ear engaged and your mind from wandering.

All the tracks have a great use of harmonies. There are a few moments where I wished the harmonies were tighter with the main vocal pitch wise. A few parts where the harmonies were a little out of tune and that breaks the illusion of the song away. The instrumentals behind the vocals are thick, rich and full of emotion that blends perfectly with the lyrics and meaningful tone of the vocals.

All together this is a great sounding album. I would recommend putting it on with a great cup of coffee, a nice book and a rainy day. If your in Vancouver, then thats almost everyday!

Check out their Facebook HERE.

Quite Different Lodgings

Music is always about self expression. Some people paint landscapes, some paint shapes, and some just use the colours to paint something entirely different. The same can be done with music. Music is just audio sound waves played in such a way to be pleasing to the ear, or even sometimes not to be so pleasing. So many variables come into play when crafting music that no one can say "thats a horrible piece of music". They may find it not in their comfort zone but nothing discredits someone else's view on music.

Lodge Nº1 is quite experimental on the scale of experimental albums I've heard. It helps with the live video that they filmed to comprehend their creative process. It was nominated "Island Instrumental or Experimental Album Of The Year" on the Van Isle Music Awards. This four track EP is full of diverse and audibly stimulating  music. They keep a great sense of dynamics with their pull and push of overlapping sounds and instruments. Check out their website HERE.

A Method To The Madness

The Method is a alternative rock band out of Kingston, Ontario. You can hear their influences on their sleeves, their rag tag rock and roll is written to get you moving. Their new self titled LP is full of pumping tracks.

The opening track "Mr. Incredulous" its a fast paced punk rock track that introduces the band perfectly. Driving drums, riffing rock guitar, thick bass and some gritty vocals, overall creating more of a 90's sound. Theres a few parts on the album where I wish the vocals were a little more on pitch. There are some intentional parts for flavour but some parts just sound a little "cheap". Also touching upon the vocals I wish there were some gang vocals at times. Even chants would help keep up the energy and give it more of a "live show" kind of feel. I love that the vocalist has two flavours to his voice. A lower tone which he uses on some of his verses and then his full high pitched vocals on the chorus.

"The Truth" is a track that really demonstrates the dynamics of the band. The album is well recorded and mixed solidly. I wish there was some more tightness between the rhythm section and the rest of the band. There are some moments where perhaps some more dynamics might help with the track. The drums don't have to be playing constantly during each song. The guitars has a great range of tones which help diversify the tracks.

The Album as a whole has a great loose rock sound which would go great on college rock radio stations. I think with some more practice and producing these guys could put out a killer album!

Check out their Facebook page HERE.