TGIF: New Music from Emma Louise

I’m hitting the open road this weekend for a much-needed rest. I’ve got books to read, magazines to finally flip through, and this soft voice as a reminder to just take it easy.

Although there’s certainly no shortage of amazing new tunes to listen to (the new National album, which I literally can’t tear myself away from) – this soothing gal has been a saving grace during the chaos of the past two weeks. Australian artist Emma Louise’s mesmerizing voice is infectious in its heightened pitch, breathing out songs about youth and her mind. She steeps her low-fi beats in spacious synths – a trick that leaves some songs perfectly dazed and others totally electrifying. With her eclectic sounds and range, it's hard not to keep digging through her songs to hear what else she’s capable of.

Here are two tracks from her upcoming album and an alt-J cover to get you through the weekend.

Throwback Thursday: All to All (remix) and Arts & Crafts 10th Anniversary

It really wasn't hard to decide that this song would be my throwback Thursday feature. With festivities gearing up to celebrate legendary Toronto-based label Arts & Crafts' 10th anniversary, my currently reading the Broken Social Scene and Toronto indie music scene story (This Book is Broken) and tonight's Norman Wong art exhibit (featuring photographs of A&C musicians) - I figured it was only right to celebrate the label's legacy with a beautiful song from their flagship act, Broken Social Scene.

Although not a huge throwback - just to 2010's Forgiveness Rock Record - this "All to All" Skeet Skeet remix is the perfect summery twist on the already airy classic. While maintaining the original's delicate synth melody, sweet violins and Lisa Lobsinger's songbird vocals, the subdued Skeet Skeet remix adds only the slightest tropical echoes in between the added pattering beat. Heaven.

I still remember watching the original "All to All" performed live (and brand spanking new) at the Toronto Island Music Festival in 2010, with the whole BSS crew present. I clearly remember deciding that few songs would ever sound as good when played live on a hot summer evening, surrounded by hundreds of other Canadian music lovers.

Enjoy the remix! And see you at the A&C Field Trip Music and Arts Festival for the real anniversary celebrations.

Background Beats: Asaf Avidan & The Mojos

For the past week or so, this has been my saving song.

It's been awhile since life has been this crazy. In every nook and cranny of my existence, there seems to just be so much going on. And, that's fine. Such is life; we adjust, adapt and keep on movin'. But, certainly not without some simple (yet groovy) background beats to help pace the frenzied days and make them feel a little more bearable.

This Wanklemut remix just lifts you higher and higher as the seven minutes pass; the pulsing beat and acoustic guitar, with that screeching and soulful vocal, are cause to stop, enjoy and coast.

Here's the groove of the week:

TGIF: Amazing New Daft Punk Single

Winding down from the hyperactive disco groove of Daft Punk's long-awaited first single, "Get Lucky" featuring Pharrell Williams - the veteran dance music duo leaked their second single, and as expected, it's even better. As the second in their long line of Random Access Memories collaborations, "Doin' It Right" features Animal Collective's Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) on a simple, subdued slice of dance floor bliss that has all of the downtempo ingredients to stay in heavy rotation for years.

Featuring a robotic vocal loop ("If you're doing it right, everybody will be dancing") that winds down into Panda Bear's recognizable chant, the song's steady ticking beat and buzzing keys maintain the perfect and prettiest low-fi cadence meant for a night spent with the shiny downtown.

On those unpredictable evenings when you see where the city takes you, Panda Bear's "If you lose your way tonight, that's how you know the magic's right," might be the new mantra.

img via

Throwback Thursday: Joel Plaskett Emergency

Every time I hear the opening strums of this little number - it feels like summer. Because, since I first heard this Joel Plaskett classic on a hot summer day almost eight (!) years ago - it's been a steadfast windows-down, late night strolling, campfire building, spirit-raising theme song in my life.

As a huge Joel Plaskett Emergency fan for years, any of his earnest songs easily have the potential to send a nostalgic chill down my spine, but "Face of the Earth," with it's uplifting, sentimental rock chords and memorable coming-of-age lyrics, has really stuck with me through the years the way a real classic does. With Joel, you can't help but hang off his every word when he sings with such conviction.

"True love is always complicated/ Free and easy is overrated/ My classic beauty, the West coast mystery/ Moved out East/ The rest is history/ I got under your rolling thunder/ You’re the lightning/ The right thing/ You got my number."  What an anthem. 

Enjoy!

Savages debut: Silence Yourself

Not since Joy Division or Patti Smith have I liked punk so much, nor since the first time I heard Beach House's vocals have I been more in awe of a throaty female vocal. Until now.

Savages, a London-based female post-punk band fronted by Jehnny Beth's already iconic bellow, put forward the first singles from their forthcoming LP, "She Will", "Husbands" and "Shut Up" - captivating attentions with commanding rock that's carried by jangly drum thunder and bounding bass lines that will shake a venue. Clearly confident on their way to clobbering their male punk-rock counterparts in indie chart placement and ticket sales, the Silence Yourself listen might be a challenging one for the average listener. Even if you don't understand every bit of it, or if the brooding melodies and chaotic uproars aren't for you - you have to appreciate that these girls are going to be relentless in their pursuit of not just being heard, but ruling the rock music landscape this year. Check them out:

An Awesome Wave Monday

If you recall, I added alt-J very high into the mix of my "best songs of 2012" mix, because ... they're incredible. Their critically-acclaimed experimental rock music exploded on to the scene late last year, after their mind-blowing debut album won the coveted debut Mercury Prize - raising much-needed awareness about their unusual, genre-blending approach to atmospheric indie rock. The odd sounds they use, which dabble in everything from bass-heavy rock to folk and electronic, are merely an undertone to Joe Newman's quirky moan - which took the cake as easily the most unique vocal debut in recent years.

With the past two days of gloominess, after being treated to full-on summer for week or so, I've been heavily throwing back to alt-J's eclectic, abstract numbers to provide the soundtrack. In the six months I've loved An Awesome Wave, the unprecedented sounds haven't tired in my rotation yet; always putting me in a better mood, always reminding me of the power of music.

Enjoy the beginning of your week.