DatA - One In a Million (Club Version)

A grinding superwave electro beat to melt your mind... When you do something bad, like microwaving your cat, but you want to do it another ti-i-i-i-i-ime, do it to this song.

DatA's One In a Million digital single is out now on Ekleroshock.

DatA - One In a Million (Club Version)
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BUY THE SINGLE
eMusic | Juno Download | Beatport | Amazon MP3 US | Amazon MP3 UK | iTunes

Love & Electrik - Sex Video

Apologies for the less-than-daily posts lately—as mentioned in the last couple posts, I was at the Calgary Folk Music Festival all weekend. The next day I flew to Vancouver to see La Roux, who were to be supported by “special guests”, which turned out to be Vancouver's own Love & Electrik. I remember Discobelle posting about them a little while ago, so I recognised “Sex Video” as soon as they began to play it. They also did a great cover of Phil Collins' “In the Air Tonight” and are the first band I've seen with a real, live talkbox.

The flashy duo is composed of Kevin Mah, who takes on the duties of keyboardist, keytarist and talkbox vocalist, and Roxy Aiston on lead vocals. Their performance was far more energetic than the relaxed electro beat they put on record with their first single “Sex Video”, but to be fair, all great bands have more energy onstage.

The single is out now on Tremendous Records, exclusively available through Beatport.

Love & Electrik - Sex Video
Download MP3 (Box.net) (YSI) or Listen on MySpace

BUY SEX VIDEO
Beatport

Lee Harvey Osmond (Festival Review)

I have been listening to Lee Harvey Osmond for the past few weeks leading up to their appearances at the Calgary Folk Music Festival this weekend. I was impressed by a few songs on their debut album A Quiet Evil, but their live show made me a fan.

Lee Harvey Osmond is the name of the band, fronted by Tom Wilson, a dynamic musician and songwriter of folk, rock and roots music, who has played for several bands including Blackie & the Rodeo Kings and Junkhouse. The rest of the band includes 60s folk musician Brent Titcomb, members of Cowboy Junkies and more members of Wilson's other bands.

On Friday night, Lee Harvey Osmond made their weekend debut on the mainstage, opening the evening. The mainstage opener has the difficult job of drawing everyone back to their lawnchairs, and getting them to pay attention or dance, even, is frustrating. Tom Wilson took the stage with his band and began with the addictive beat of “The Love of One”. His rough baritone voice and the relaxed yet heavy roots beat mesmerized the crowd, turning all heads toward the stage. The crowd seemed shocked and amazed that the first band of the night could be that good.

Needless to say, Stage 6 was packed Saturday morning when Lee Harvey Osmond shared the stage with a few even lesser-known artists. By now, they were already a festival favourite, taking the biggest portion of the cheering crowd.

Carmen Townsend of Tom Fun Orchestra told us how excited she was to share the stage with Tom Wilson, as her first concert experience was sneaking into a Junkhouse concert in the Maritimes with a fake ID. She was delighted when later, Tom invited her up to sing with him when the band covered Lou Reed's “I Can't Stand It”, and her cheeks were as rosy as her hair by the end of the song.

It was then that I figured out that Tom Wilson was also the singer from Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, of whom I had heard one fantastic song, “Stoned”, on a movie soundtrack. I had a brief chat with Tom after the session to confirm that fact and he promised to play it tomorrow (Sunday) morning!

Six stages run simultaneously all morning and afternoon, dividing 60+ artists into group sessions and individual concerts, so it's tough to see all the artists you want to see, but I will undoubtedly be seeing Lee Harvey Osmond perform Sunday for the third and fourth time!

Lee Harvey Osmond - The Love of One
Download MP3 (zshare) (YSI) or Listen on MySpace

BUY A QUIET EVIL
CD: Maple Music | Amazon
Digital: eMusic | iTunes

TOUR
After the Calgary Folk Fest, Lee Harvey Osmond heads to BC and Ontario, including an appearance at Toronto's Festival of Beer.

The Decemberists (Festival Review)

The Decemberists are known for their romantic tales and whimsical stories that are woven through their music. Their latest album Hazards of Love centers on a woman named Margaret, who falls in love with William, a shapeshifting beast of the forest, and the jealous forest queen and the villainous Rake, who bring conflict to the two lovers.

The sun had barely set tonight when The Decemberists took the stage at Prince's Island, the beautiful urban oasis that is the site of the Calgary Folk Music Festival. The audience was weary from the enormous energy we had just spent, keeping up with Arrested Development.

Jenny the organist began with a haunting melody and the band began to tell us the tale of the Hazards of Love. The story itself was pushed aside in favour of the characters themselves, who came to life through the music. The music rose and fell as the band shuffled around, playing organ and guitars, then drums, then some less-recognisable noisemaking contraptions.

As The Decemberists progressed through their epic tale, their was a magical energy radiating from the stage that kept the tired crowd charged until the well-deserved encore. Once I had seen the show, I realised that listening to the CD was really just the appetizer.

Here is a song from Hazards of Love that is outstanding to see live, my favourite from the show.

The Decemberists - The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing
Download MP3 (zshare) (YSI) or Listen on YouTube

BUY HAZARDS OF LOVE
CD/vinyl: Insound | Norman Records | Recordstore | Rough Trade
Digital: Boomkat | 7digital | Amazon MP3 US | Amazon MP3 UK | iTunes

Kesha - Tick Tock (P. Diddy)

I am not above sharing my guilty pleasures. Kesha, fake-blonde pop singer/crunk bitch and possible The Hills reject, says of her new single, “Mick Jagger might be my dad. fo realz. ....I play the cowbell.”

Her influences include a random list of popular folk, indie, classic rock and pop artists. Her favourite things include getting rowdy and posting silly things in her blog, like “check this shit out . its like a sex cream cone.” and “guyz,ur $moneyyy $moneyy $moneyy$!!” I can't figure out where the hell to put the [sic] on that last one.

I reluctantly recommend Kesha's new weekend party track, “Tick Tock (P. Diddy)”. She's working on her debut album, but in the meantime, she'll also entertain you with her Twitter.

Kesha - Tick Tock (P. Diddy)
Download MP3

via Pretty Much Amazing

VISITOR - Los Feeling + Remix Contest

I have no idea where these mysterious beings came from, but I hope we hear more from them in the near future. They call themselves VISITOR and with one unpolished gem they have me hypnotised. This is exactly the type of sound that excites me more than any other.

VISITOR - Los Feeling (Rough Mix)
Download MP3 or Listen on MySpace

Disco DJs and other sound-shapers! VISITOR is offering the stems of “Los Feeling” for you to reinterpret as your inspired mind sees fit. There will be winners and prizes. See! the details!

Islands - No You Don't

Montreal indie band Islands have reunited with founding member Jamie Thompson (who was absent from their third album) for their upcoming third album, Vapours. Pitchfork premiered a brand new song “No You Don't” today. Like Bloc Party's most recent effort, they have added more synths and taken a small leap toward pop, and landed nimbly on a silver stage.

Islands' new album Vapours releases September 22 on ANTI-.

Islands - No You Don't
Download MP3 (zshare) (YSI)