“Television Youth” blends power pop, garage rock and fuzzy punk for a fun — playful, even — sound that reminds me a bit of the early works by The Thermals. The band is Sonic Avenues, the latest addition to Dirtnap Records. They are four Montreal natives (you can just barely hear that French Canadian accent in the vocals… just) that produce loud, raucous, exhilarating music that simply begs to be heard.

I’m finding it hard to get over how trippy this video is, and I’m not entirely convinced that’s a good thing. Case in point, I felt the same way about “Casual” by Here We Go Magic. That video was so raw and shocking, it made me look at the song… differently… for a while. And maybe that’s the problem. I’ve only listened to “Tiny Head” by The Luyas while watching the video.

As always when NSFW appears in the headline, an immediate disclaimer noting that this video is not safe for work must apply. At least, that’s a phrase to make me feel more comfortable. Along the same lines, if you’re under 18, turn away now as your parents will not likely enjoy you watching this video. No Joy. Fitting name for the band of the moment then, but really, is it? I personally don’t feel full frontal, which you’ll see from sexes that begin with the …

Raw, naked, Leif Vollebekk lays it all out like a modern day Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, or better yet Nick Drake. It’s doubtful Vollebekk will succumb to the same fate; there more hope in his music, a powerful thing that pulls the listener in. Inland is packed with the sound, from the pleasant instrumentation of “Northernmost Eva Maria” to the breathtaking “Don’t Go to Klaksvik”. With a soft shuffle in the brushed percussion and a low, rumbling piano, Vollebekk pours his soul into “Klaksvik” in a way …

After two phenomenal albums, Apologies To The Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer respectively, many of us have been looking forward to Wolf Parade‘s third. That day is near, meaning Sub Pop has now given us a taste of what to expect. And our expectations have been fulfilled — “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” take on the sort of progression we heard between Apologies and Mount Zoomer while maintaining those core elements that make Wolf Parade such a …

Down the street, in a garage, a sonic protuberance is waiting to penetrate your feeble mind. Generally music occupies a wide frequency spectrum; especially fancy major label recordings. Devil Eyes acknowledges the spectrum and declines most of its necessity. “Who needs slight cymbal splashes at 21khz?” No one. A bastion of fuzz, Devil Eyes compresses and condenses rock and roll to its fundamental quality. Noise. Sounds like shoving popcorn down some poor bastards snorkel.