DOWNLOAD: Austra - "Spellwork" (MNDR Nighttime Remix) (MP3)

Austra at Santos (more by Vincent Cornelli)

2011's short list of nominees for Canada's Polaris Music Prize were announced. They include a mix of indie veterans, grammy-winners, a sax player who has played with those grammy winners, and some new kids on the block like the super buzzy The Weeknd whose resume includes working with Drake. Full nominee list is below.

One of the artists, Austra, will release a remix EP to follow-up their latest release Feel it Break. The remix collection, entitled SPARKLE will be released digitally on July 26th and on wax on August 23rd. The release features remix contributions from MNDR, Mark Pistel, and Planningtorock with the digital collection having an additional four bonus remixes. Preorder it at Domino, and download/stream one track, "Spellwork (MNDR Nighttime Remix)" above/below.

Reminder, look for Austra to play a FREE show on July 14th supporting tUnE-yArDs at Pier 54 in NYC. They'll also be on hand to support Cold Cave at Bowery Ballroom on August 6th (tickets). Cold Cave also plays NYC next week, at Knitting Factory with Cult of Youth on July 12th (tickets).

Braids, also nominated, recently announced a ton of tour dates.

Austra song stream and dates and the Polaris Music Prize nominees are below.

Continue reading "Polaris nominees announced, Austra releasing remix EP"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy - We Have Everything (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxies - Cover Your Tracks (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy - Peripheral Visionaries (MP3)

Montreal's Young Galaxy release their third album, Shapeshifting, this Tuesday (Feburary 8). The band will dip down into the States for a short tour with Paper Bag labelmates Winter Gloves next month, with stops at Mercury Lounge on March 18 and Knitting Factory on March 19. (Something for those not going to SXSW which Young Galaxy won't be attending). The American tour was originally supposed to be with You Say Party but singer Becky Ninkovic has been battling a particularly bad case of bronchitis and has been advised to rest up.

You can check out three tracks from Shapeshifting above. The album had an interesting birth. The band recorded basic tracks in Montreal, and then sent them to Sweden where Dan Lissvik, one half of Baleric-loving duo Studio, spent nine months reworking the tracks into the album we have now. Apparently, the band didn't hear it until it was finished. How these Studio-ized tracks will sound live is a good question, but the record is quite lovely. "Peripheral Visionaries" is especially good.

All Young Galaxy dates are below, along with an animated video for "Cover Your Tracks."

Continue reading "Young Galaxy are 'Shapeshifting, touring w/ Winter Gloves"

DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy -Peripheral Visionaries (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy - Cover Your Tracks (MP3)

Chief @ Governors Island over the summer (more by David Andrako)

The Domino-signed band Chief are on tour and headlining Bowery Ballroom this evening, 12/7. Tickets are still on sale, and I have a few pairs you can win. Details, all dates and Chief's new video for "The Minute I Saw it", are below.

Opening the Bowery Ballroom show are The Dig and Oxford, Mississippi's Young Buffalo. If you know one thing about Oxford, it might be that the city is home to Fat Possum Records, and if you know anything about Fat Possum, then you know that since the label recently signed the young Oxford-local band, Young Buffalo must be at least worth a listen (self-titled LP due out in early 2011). You can listen below. Their tour dates are down there too.

Young Man @ MHOW for CMJ (more by Ryan Barkan)

Speaking of young bands, Young Man has a new single out today for "Strangers". And with that single came a new video for "Up So Fast" which you can watch below.

Canada's Young Galaxy will release their third LP, Shapeshifting, via Paperbag Records on February 8th. Grab two songs off that new album, above for free and now.

Young Prisms recently toured and played some NYC shows, and one in Boston that they were late to, partially because their tourmates Weekend had some car trouble, and partially because they were taping an Into The Woods session. Watch that below. Young Prisms are going back on tour in January. They don't list another NYC show yet, but they are playing Philly on 1/31. All dates are down there too.

Continue reading "Chief, Young Buffalo, Young Man, Young Galaxy, Young Prisms (dates, a contest, MP3s, videos & more) "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy - Queen Drum (MP3)

We already touched on Young Galaxy in our day 1 roundup of NXNE. Here's another set of pictures from that show, with news that band be coming to the US for a tour in August. Their shows on that include an August 2nd show at Brooklyn's Littlefield. They'll also be touring Canada with Stars (a band that counts Young Galaxy frontman Stephen Ramsay as an ex-member) in October.

Young Galaxy's second album, Invisible Republic, has been out since last year in Canada - it'll get a US release on July 27th on Paper Bag Records. The record is one of 40 on nominee list for this year's Polaris Prize. Co-singer and keyboardist Catherine McCandles sings on the sweltering, moody track above.

More pictures from their June 17th set at Toronto's Mod Club and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Young Galaxy tour dates, NXNE pics, MP3 & album details"

Damian Abraham & child @ NXNE - 6/17/2010

After working all day in a hotel room on Thursday, I headed out into for my first-ever taste of both NXNE and Toronto music clubs. I've been to the city once before, but that was a very long time ago.

Things were kicking off at 6pm on the outdoor stage set up at Young Dundas Square. Locals will tell you that its Toronto's Times Square, but after being there I'd say its more like Union Square (in shape and size anyway). That said, I don't know what it normally looks like there, but for NXNE they turned the whole paved center of the square into a festival site complete with sponsored booths (free sample of flavored water anyone? Would you like to learn more about Sirius XM radio?) and a huge stage that anyone is free to check out (Iggy Pop plays there on Saturday).

Entry to any other NXNE venue will cost you. A festival badge, which you could purchase in Young Dudas Square, costs $50 and gets you into everything capacity permitting (though we never had a problem once). It's like CMJ and SXSW - there are NXNE shows in all the Toronto clubs.

We got to Young Dudas in time for Free Energy's set, and for the speeches that came before them. The first was by the man himself, Damian "Pink Eyes" Abraham from Fucked Up, aka the mayor of Toronto (he was the first of three Fucked Up members I spotted over the course of the evening). He, and a lady friend whose name I didn't catch, introduced the band and Michael Chan, the Minister of Tourism & Culture, who gave a nice little speech before the bands began.

More pictures and commentary below...

Continue reading "NXNE 2010 in pics - part 1 (Free Energy, Young Galaxy, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Young Galaxy - Long Live The Fallen World (MP3)

Montreal quartet, Young Galaxy, are set to return with their sophomore full-length, Invisible Republic this year and have announced a number of U.S. and Canadian dates to preview the new material, including SXSW and Canadian Music Week. The band has made a track from the new record, "Long Live The Fallen World", available for free download (above).

Continue reading "Young Galaxy - new album, MP3 & tour dates (NYC, SXSW) "

Continue reading "Young Galaxy (Arts & Crafts) - 'Come And See' (video)"

Two of Arts & Crafts most-recent signings have shows coming up. The Constantines are playing Mercury Lounge on March 3rd. Tickets are on sale. And as previously mentioned, The Stills are playing Maxwell's in NJ on March 7th. They're also playing a few other shows includng Bowery Ballroom the next day. Tickets are (about to be) on sale for that.

Not on Arts & Crafts, but also Canadian: Frog Eyes is also playing Mercury Lounge in March. Tickets are on sale for that too. All dates below...

Continue reading "Frog Eyes & Constantines & Stills shows (tour dates)"

Despite the heavy rain, people (like the NY Times) showed up to Mercury Lounge to see Cloud Cult's (and Young Galaxy's) second of two NYC shows on Sunday.

Cloud Cult @ Mercury Lounge, NYC - Apr 15, 2007 (CRED)

What’s next for Cloud Cult?
"We’ll keep flowing, keep going. We’ve got a DVD planned, partly from the live shows and also sort of a really good biography of the individual band members and what’s touring like and what we do at home. Then we’ll be working on finishing the next new album and another national tour in the fall. As for the DVD, we did the video for “Chemicals Collide” ourselves, all the taping and editing, and there was a really great reaction to that, so we’ll be keeping all the video stuff in house. We really prefer to just do things on our own." [Craig Minowa to the Washingtonian]

Here's some pictures of Cloud Cult playing Tonic. Here's some pictures of them at SXSW. More here.

DOWNLOAD: Memphis - I'll Do Whatever You Want (MP3)

"Torquil Campbell (Stars frontman) and Chris Dumont, known as Memphis, will see the release of their U.S. debut, A Little Place In The Wilderness, on June 19th via the Montreal-based Good Fences label. Campbell and Dumont met in the mid-90's in New York where they formed a band with future Stars member Chris Seligman and Metric member James Shaw. Years later, the pair reconnected and Memphis was born. Campbell provides the lyrical wit and Dumont a sophisticated pop backdrop."

Memphis in NYC, 2007
May 30 - Joe's Pub New York, New York (tickets)
May 31 - Union Hall Brooklyn, New York (tickets)

All tour dates below....

Continue reading "Memphis (Torquil from Stars) - 2007 Tour Dates, MP3"

* Canadian Music fest kicks off
* Feist Releases New Single
* Charty Chart Chat: Apostle Hustles To #1
* Indie singer Feist aims "lowbrow" with new album
* Feist Tracklist Revealed
* Feist ‘Reminds’ Fans to See her On the Road
* Amy Millan Covers Death Cab, Stars for KCRW EP
* Stars Trust Their Friends To Mess With Their Songs
* listen to new Stars, Young Galaxy and Feist

Tour dates for everyone below....

Continue reading "Arts & Crafts (label) news, videos & tour dates"

'The Reminder' is out May 1st in the US

* brand new Feist MP3 @ Fluxblog
* Junior Boys remix of Stars' Sleep Tonight @ Myspace

Watch Young Galaxy videos below....

Continue reading "listen to new Stars, Young Galaxy and Feist"

Cloud Cult added a 2nd show at Mercury Lounge in April - now they're playing the 14th & 15th. Tickets on sale at noon. Young Galaxy (Stars' Stephen Ramsay) is opening on both dates. Updated Cloud Cult tour dates below....

Continue reading "Cloud Cult add 2nd NYC Show | Young Galaxy opening"

Amy Millan isn't the only member of Stars posting new songs to MySpace. Guitarist Stephen Ramsay has a side project called Young Galaxy and he has songs too.