Mysterious Montreal electro-R&B duo Inch’Allah start 2017 strong with a stunning single, the darkly minimal “Now”. Singer JP Charlebois whisper-sings over Yung Persian’s ice-cold production, a dark shuffling beat punctuated by reverbed-out synth stabs. A winning combination from an exciting new project – and it seems like there will be a full EP from the two soon. We’ll be watching for it!
The post Inch’Allah – Now appeared first on Silent Shout.
Over the years, Abbotsford‘s Jamison Isaak, aka Teen Daze, has given us no end of treasures, with a discography of albums and EPs ranging from the blissfully psychedelic to the austerely ambient. But there’s something about Themes For Dying Earth, his fifth full-length album, that both synthesizes all his previous work and yet goes even deeper. The themes are familiar: paying attention and properly valuing the people and world around us, and recognizing their fragility. But this time, it feels like he’s discovered whole new plateau of masterful ambient pop. Stunning minimalist pieces appear in between brilliant, delicate pop songs, often featuring guest singers. An intricate, infinitely rewarding listen, Themes for Dying Earth is one of the finest records of the young year.
Themes for Dying Earth is available now digitally and on vinyl from Teen Daze’s own Flora Records. Teen Daze is currently on tour in North America, with shows in Montreal and Toronto this weekend. Check out the dates on Bandcamp.
The post Teen Daze – Themes For Dying Earth appeared first on Silent Shout.
We’ve gone much too long without the essential electro-psych of Montreal duo Cocobeurre, but thankfully that all changes today with “Talk To Me”, which we’re honoured to premiere today.
The first release since their stunning EP In and Out of Time (our #2 EP of 2014), “Talk to Me” is decidedly on the more psychedelic and energetic side of their sound. Coco Khan’s echoey coos float in an ether above an unrelenting synth bass, with hypnotic synths contrasting strangely (but perfectly) with the pummelling snare. No surprise at all that we’re in love with this, and hope it means more from Cocobeurre on the horizon. For now, grab “Talk to Me” from their Bandcamp page.
The post Cocobeurre – Talk To Me appeared first on Silent Shout.
Hamilton’s PERSONS make some of the strangest but nevertheless infectious electronic pop you’re likely to find in Southern Ontario these days, and their debut self-titled cassette from last September is a must-hear for connoisseurs of unusual beats and treats. Today, we’re very excited to be premiering their video for one of the highlights of the album, “Falling Like Niagara Falls.”
Directed by Jackson Darby (also the band’s vocalist/beatmaker), the video takes us around the titular town in a psychedelic feast for the senses, whose weirdness matches the woozy, syrupy flow of the song. All in all, it’s a masterful display of low-budget techniques, surreally superimposing the band over different backgrounds. The results are dizzyingly engrossing, and at times, impossibly vast. Don’t fall over the falls!
PERSONS’s album is available PWYC from HAVN (Hamilton Audio Visual Node) Records Bandcamp.
The post Persons – Falling Like Niagara Falls appeared first on Silent Shout.
London resident pure-pop genius Wolf Saga has been uncharacteristically quiet of late. We’re used to a furious pace of heartfelt, uplifting pop, either in the form of jawdropping covers or ever-more-impressive original EPs, and we had much fondness for 2015’s Waves. So we’re clutching his latest single “Keep Dancing” as if it might be the only new music we’ll get from Johnny Saga this year (but we hope not!). Crisp, minimal synths and a bouncy deep bass explode into a massive, emotionally charged chorus, and before you know it, you’re dancing along. Perhaps his best single yet!
“Keep Dancing” is available now from Wolf Saga’s Bandcamp.
The post Wolf Saga – Keep Dancing appeared first on Silent Shout.
We all know and love this one already right? Austra‘s Future Politics may have been released on an inauspicious day, but far from settling into a third-record torpor, Katie Stelmanis has taken her project to the ionosphere (that’s well above the stratosphere) with a magnificent collection of beautiful, utopian/dystopian darkly electronic pop songs, almost any of which could stand alone as singles.
The lead singles sound even better in the context of the full-album arc, with the defiant “Future Politics” and the better-world longing of “Utopia” merely the opening statements in an album full of intelligent, minimal pop songs with banging beats. The production is crisper, rawer, and more direct than ever before, and perhaps that’s because this time Stelmanis mixed the record herself (collaborating with bandmate Maya Postepski on production as usual and live engineer Alice Wilder on mixing). A work of genius without a dull moment, Future Politics is Austra’s best album yet in an already-storied career.
Available now from Bandcamp.
The post Austra – Future Politics appeared first on Silent Shout.
Over the years, Abbotsford‘s Jamison Isaak, aka Teen Daze, has given us no end of treasures, with a discography of albums and EPs ranging from the blissfully psychedelic to the austerely ambient. But there’s something about Themes For Dying Earth, his fifth full-length album, that both synthesizes all his previous work and yet goes even deeper. The themes are familiar: paying attention and properly valuing the people and world around us, and recognizing their fragility. But this time, it feels like he’s discovered whole new plateau of masterful ambient pop. Stunning minimalist pieces appear in between brilliant, delicate pop songs, often featuring guest singers. An intricate, infinitely rewarding listen, Themes for Dying Earth is one of the finest records of the young year.
Themes for Dying Earth is available now digitally and on vinyl from Teen Daze’s own Flora Records. Teen Daze is currently on tour in North America, with shows in Montreal and Toronto this weekend. Check out the dates on Bandcamp.
The post Teen Daze – Themes For Dying Earth appeared first on Silent Shout.
The trajectory of Toronto’s Pick a Piper has been wondrous to behold, as mastermind and Caribou collaborator Brad Weber explored the outer reaches of rhythm-centric psychedelic pop in different spacecraft, and his last major voyage (2013’s Pick a Piper) left us thoroughly in awe and eagerly awaiting the follow-up. As “Geographically Opposed” portended, their second album Distance sees their grooves growing softer, darker, and more pop. And it’s amazing.
Guest vocalists feature prominently on the record, such as Bevan Smith of the Ruby Suns on the first and last songs and a dazzling display by Japanese shoegaze pop act LLLL and singer Makota on the grippingly moody “Further and Further”. But throughout the record, it’s the jaw-dropping synth programming and sound design that keep us riveted. From the songs here, there seems like ten directions Weber could head in in the future and they’d all be fascinating. We’ll be signing on for the next expedition, one can be sure of that.
Pick a Piper are on tour now. Check out the dates on their Bandcamp, where you can also purchase Distance on vinyl and digitally.
The post Pick a Piper – Distance appeared first on Silent Shout.
We don’t know much about Montreal duo Graeme Stewart and Dorothea Paas, aka G & Doro, but their debut EP If I See You, from back in January, is a sleek, mysterious electro-R&B treasure. A clear highlight is lead-off track “I Need It”, a breezy, subtly catchy jam with a delicious groove that’s so deep it’s suboceanic. We’ll be watching for more rare artifacts from these two!
If I See You is available now from Bandcamp.
The post G & Doro – I Need It appeared first on Silent Shout.
Immediately upon arrival, Montreal’s Audrey Ann Boucher and Kyle Jukka aka She-Devils thoroughly dazzled with their intoxicating psychedelic throwback pop on their debut EP last year. Naturally, we’ve been itching for more and luckily we haven’t much longer to go – their debut full-length is out in a month on May 19! In the meantime, we’ve got lead single “The World Laughs” to keep us company, and it will do fine for now (one can simply listen to it ten times in a row). The video, one of the year’s finest, is a playful, colourful concoction directed and produced by the duo themselves. Talented ones truly!
“The World Laughs” is available now from Bandcamp.
The post She-Devils – The World Laughs appeared first on Silent Shout.
We’ve long been fans of Toronto‘s Cheldon Paterson aka SlowPitchSound, celebrated sci-fi turntablist and outer solar system sonic explorer. Over the years he’s certainly shown us many wonders, but on his fifth full-length album THK SKN, he takes us on a voyage through realms uncharted.
A score for an imaginary film, THK SKN is full of subtly crafted soundscapes that create a mood rather than jump out at you, flipping nonchalantly from idea to idea with ease, and never neglecting the flow. It even includes one absolutely transcendent pop/R&B single, appearing in the middle of side one and featuring an incredible vocal turn by Shikha Sehgal. But to discover every nook and cranny of this record, you’ll need to listen many times. THK SKN is an imaginary film well worth returning to, over and over.
THK SKN is available now from Bandcamp.
The post SlowPitchSound – THK SKN appeared first on Silent Shout.
Montreal’s Felix Gauthier Mongeon aka Radiant Baby makes playful, romantic electro-pop that’s fresh and clever, and we’ve adored his music for some time. And his music videos have a tendency to be striking, like last year’s “You Can Dance”, which was one of our favourite videos of 2016. “Save My From Myself” might be an old classic (it was our first introduction to the project), but it feels fully revamped today, and we’re excited to revisit it with this delightfully simple (and naturally, colourful) new video directed by Laurence Philomène.
Radiant Baby’s new EP It’s My Party is out May 5, and we are very much looking forward to it. “Save Me From Myself” is available now from Bandcamp, and he’s on tour in Ontario and Québec in April and May. And if you’re in Toronto, he’s also playing the Lisbon Lux/Ride the Tempo showcase, featuring a bill chock full of Silent Shout faves, at the Great Hall this Thursday.
The post Radiant Baby – Save Me From Myself appeared first on Silent Shout.
By now we’ve come to understand that every Bobby Uzoma release will be a breathtaking, emotional ambient electro-R&B ballad that will stop us stone-cold in our tracks, gasping for air. The Calgary songwriter/producer possess an uncanny ability to arrest one’s soul with his vocal performances and lyrical rawness, while the production sounds so forward-thinking it’s like we’re receiving a radio signal from the not-too-distant minimalist R&B future. Unbelievable stuff. Bobby, keep ’em coming!
The post Bobby Uzoma – Alone appeared first on Silent Shout.
And just like that, Toronto underground electronic pop producer Michael Butler aka Beta Frontiers is back with possibly the most monstrous jam of his career. Another inspired collaboration with guest vocalist Carmen Elle of Diana (who also sang on BF’s now-classic “So Cold”), “If I Stayed” is an unabashed in-your-face pop song that’s worthy of all of the world’s airwaves.
“If I Stayed” has us hotly anticipating his Heights EP, out May 5 on Buzz Records. Available now for pre-order.
The post Beta Frontiers – If I Stayed appeared first on Silent Shout.
Doldrums‘ second album The Air-Conditioned Nightmare was glorious, and everything we had hoped for from the Toronto/Montreal electronic pop experimenter. And it was our third-favourite record of the year back in good ol’ 2015. So we’re beside ourselves with giddy (but gloomy) excitement now that Airick Woodhead has announced the follow-up, e s c, which will be out June 30, and will feature some contributions from Petra Glynt. “Runnerup”, the first single, sees Doldrums exploring a smoother, more restrained and less frantic sonic style, and as one might expect, even when he’s being a bit subdued, the innovative songsmith/producer can’t help filling the mix with plenty of strange noises and delightfully unexpected twists and turns.
e s c is available for pre-order now from Bandcamp. Can’t wait!
The post Doldrums – Runnerup appeared first on Silent Shout.
New music from elusive Toronto lo-fi pop experimenter Tenderness is a rare thing indeed, and something to be treasured. Her first release since 2014’s “99+1”, “From the Valley of the Dead to the Vigorous Stretch” sees her exploring new vistas, with a cacophony of beats and flutes creating a wondrous, startlingly original shuffling groove. It’s all the backdrop to an incredible vocal performance and melody, in what is possibly her most pop moment to date. We know what will be soundtracking our weekend!
Do we dare hope that there soon might be a follow up to 2012’s masterwork The Axe is Ready at the Tree? For now, grab “From the Valley” from Bandcamp.
The post Tenderness – From the Valley of the Dead to the Vigorous Stretch appeared first on Silent Shout.
The long-awaited first full-length album from darkness-embracing Winnipeg duo Ghost Twin is finally upon us! “Saturn Swallows the Sun” is the latest single from Plastic Heart, which will also feature its excellent predecessors “Chymical Wedding” and “Mystic Sabbath”, and is produced by none other than Maya Postepski aka Princess Century. And as one might hope given the addition of such talent, “Saturn” is yet another stellar gothy electronic pop gem in the band’s growing oeuvre. Ominous omens indeed! Can’t wait to hear the whole thing!
Plastic Heart is out this Friday. It’s available for pre-order digitally and on vinyl from Bandcamp, where you can also find their tour dates across Canada this month.
The post Ghost Twin – Saturn Swallows The Sun appeared first on Silent Shout.
Consider us instant fans of French-born, Toronto-based AIDA and her infectious-beyond-hope-of-a-cure electropop. “Let’s Ride” is a perfect introduction to the artist, accompanied by a colourful, nostalgia-tastic video directed by Xavier Cantin-Lemieux, which matches the high-energy bounce of the track perfectly. Featuring a ton of costume changes, and deliciously cheesy visual effects, AIDA may have a mission to accomplish, but damn if she doesn’t do it in style. Can’t wait to hear what’s next for her! In the meantime, there’s that repeat button.
The post AIDA – Let’s Ride appeared first on Silent Shout.
