New Music Monday #4 - The Elwins
So, um, oops. I totally forgot to do New Music Monday last week. Can you blame me? I barely got any sleep the weekend prior. I’m no good with no sleep. Anyway, here is number four!
I learned about The Elwins through my sister’s boyfriend’s mixtape CDs. He names these mixes after berries, i.e. Strawberry mix, Blackberry mix, Blueberry mix—because they are “jams”, like strawberry jam…get it? I know. Moving on. On one of his CDs, he had one (or more) fun, catchy tune(s) that I just could not get out of my head. My sister asked him about the band since we had trouble Shazamming the song. Turns out, he’s friends with one (or more) of the guys from that band—a band called The Elwins, from Newmarket, ON. Sidenote: does everyone in Newmarket know each other? Just kidding.
The song was catchy, but it wasn’t just that. The lyrics were kind of silly, cheesy and memorable (though I’ve forgotten the song now). The band seems to be a wild bunch with a great sense of humour—you could tell from their Tumblr alone. I love their videos, photos from shows and hangouts, and the ridiculously wide array of instruments they use: I just watched a video where a melodica was used (love those things). And they take Movember seriously; though it seems they take Movember seriously 12 months of the year anyway.
And, I’m now obsessed with the song “Sittin’ Pretty” from the video above. And the video itself, too. I love one-take performance videos like this (à la Blogotheque’s Take Away Shows where they walk through Paris while playing.) Surely I will get to see them sooner than later since they are (only) from Newmarket. Hurray for local bands!
The Elwins
Website (MySpace) | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
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New Music Monday highlights my favourite new musical discoveries. The series will encourage me to actively seek new music and (hopefully) encourage others to open their ears to something new. Got a recommendation? Write me!
New Music Monday #1 - Coeur de Pirate
As a Francophile, I really do love everything to do with the French, including French music. I recently discovered Coeur de Pirate after seeing a Facebook ad for their upcoming November 11 show at The Mod Club in Toronto. (Advertisers, take note: Facebook ads really do work.)
Coeur de Pirate, French for Heart of a Pirate or Pirate’s Heart, is the stage name for Béatrice Martin, a 22-year-old from Québec, Canada. One thing I love about her is that she plays the piano and has been doing so since she was three—the same age I learned the keyboard. She is a brilliant singer-songwriter with a captivating and soothing voice. Whether you understand French or not, I assure you will like her music.
It’s also good timing that I decided to start doing my weekly New Music blog posts today, because her new album Blonde was just released today. I’ve been waiting impatiently for this album as it features two of my favourite songs by Béatrice: “Adieu” and “Place de la République”, the same songs you hear in the above video.
The video is recorded by Wood & Wires Productions at The Great Hall in Toronto. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to that same video on repeat over 100 times in the last two weeks. And after looping her self-titled album as well, in the car and at work, it’s time for a change. If you want to see Béatrice live, her show in Toronto is this Friday (I heard it’s her CD Release Party, so perhaps we may expect surprise guests?) and she’s touring across Europe before the year ends.
Coeur de Pirate
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr
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This is the first in a series of New Music Monday blog entries par moi!
New Music Monday highlights my favourite new musical discoveries. The series will encourage me to actively seek new music and (hopefully) encourage others to open their ears to something new. Got a recommendation? Write me!
Newmindspace & Jason Eppink present: Spoiler Alert
The Spoiler Alert signs are faith-enhancing adjustments to New York City subway platforms, creating opportunities for trust in the city’s most important institution in the face of its overeager self-quantified broadcasts.
In 2007, the New York City Transit Authority began installing LED signs on subway platforms that display estimated wait times for arriving trains. Unfortunately the information is little more than trivia: except for a few stations, it is only visible to travelers after they’ve paid their fare, so the data has little bearing on commuter decision-making.
Their primary effect, then, is to erode faith in the system, to create expectations that can’t always be met, to raise false hopes, and to erase the mystery and magic of the wondrous system that transports more than five million riders a day.
These LED signs also threaten historical social behaviors, rendering obsolete the time-honored New York tradition of leaning over the platform edge with the hope of glimpsing headlights from an approaching train.
The Spoiler Alert signs warn waiting riders of this potentially unwanted information – allowing them to avert their eyes so they may preserve their spirit of adventure – while still leaving visible the data for travelers who wish to ruin the surprise for themselves.
