Not many people can say this, but I’ve been a fan of Hayden since his 1996 release Everything I Long For. In particular, there was this video for the song “Bad As They Seem” that I saw on a Canadian music show that same year. It wasn’t until college that I finally found and picked up the CD (oddly enough, it was used at Washington State University’s bookstore, The Bookie. (more…)

Foxes In Fiction comes to us from Toronto, and their dreamy sounds can be likened to the projects of Bradford Cox and a drug-induced stupor. In fact, the song “15 Ativan” is said to have been written for front-man Warren Hildebrand’s friend, who overdosed on said drug. Their calming soundscapes and meditative melodies are soothing, floating just beyond lucidity. Another prime example of this is “Bathurst”, a song ripe with atmospheric, catchy vocal harmonies. (more…)

The Sheepdogs take classic rock down a bluesy, southern country road in their song “I Don’t Know”, and they do it in a classic Mopar with classic film. The video covers two young boys on a joyride. Hailing from Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan, one would think the band would be more suited for the flatlands of middle America, or the humid swamplands of the true south. But where small towns reside, so does that classic sound, be it Washington, Canada, or even a small town in eastern California. With plenty of twangy guitars and good-time vocals, “I Don’t Know” is off The Sheepdogs’ new album Learn & Burn. (more…)

Stars have always been a group delayed; their albums ultimately get put on hold or set aside for months or even a full year before finding their way into my playlist. Not this time, I said. The band’s new album, The Five Ghosts is here, and I have to say I am impressed. Opening with the romantic “Dead Hearts” and continuing with the pseudo electric “I Died So I Could Haunt You”. It finds the band again maturing in new and exciting ways. The first single off the album is “We Don’t Want Your Body” and it is, perhaps, the best example of the changes undergone by Stars since In Our Bedroom After The War. One listen and you’ll hear an emphasis on electronic production. It may take a few listens to get used to, but it wouldn’t be the Stars we know and love if that weren’t so. (And for those who find it a bit too far out, remember there are still tracks like “Dead Hearts” that have a bit more in common with the band’s past.) I for one, find Stars invigorating in every form. (more…)