Insomnia Radio: Daily Dose MP3 Blog

John K. Samson, Nikki Komaksiutiksak, Curtis Walker: Keewatin Arctic

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:34 +0000

Today on the Dose we bring you a unlikely collaboration of Canadian artists of three differing genres, and a beautiful song they quickly put together in one day.

Every Wednesday for 16 weeks, 3 musicians showed up at MCM Studios in Winnipeg. They didn’t know who else would be arriving. They only knew that over the course of one evening they would have to get to know each other, write, record and mix one song. And that song would be made available for download the following morning.

It was a risky proposition – putting musicians on the hot seat while putting the listener closer to the moment of creation than ever before. It could’ve been an embarrassing disaster.

But under the guidance of producer/musician/engineer Mike Petkau, all 16 turned out to be inspired and inspiring works celebrating the depth, diversity and passion of the Winnipeg music community. Petkau put together increasingly challenging combinations – revelling in the role of creative puppeteer and excited by the thought of what some of his favorite local musicians might make if spontaneously put into a room with each other. The ROTW Club captured the musical imagination of Winnipeg, and the compilation CD has been prepared to now capture the imagination of the rest of Canada.

The project includes members of The Weakerthans, The Waking Eyes, Novillero, Nathan, Chic Gamine, Moses Mayes, BurnThe8Track, Twilight Hotel, Mahogany Frog and many more. The Weakerthans’ John K Samson was paired with Inuit throat singer Nikki Komaksiutiksak and electronic artist Blunderspublik for what has become inarguably the Club’s most popular song (Keewatin Arctic) – being downloaded around the world.

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Rachel Pearl: Baby Blue

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:44 +0000

Today’s Daily Dose is a honey-dipped soulful number from bright young Nashville jazz-ling Rachel Pearl. From her forthcoming album Love Extravagantly, this is ‘Baby Blue’.

“Rachel Pearl’s voice is mesmerizing, transporting; her fashions are elegant, eccentric; and her mix of musical styles never fails to take her audience to places they don’t expect to go… A tousle of red atop shapely dress, she takes the old, mixes it with the new and constantly tests the boundaries of where music should go. Pearl has a way of turning every vocal performance into a lesson in chemistry between an audience and a true artist.” [IODA Promonet]

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Callel: Best Foot on the Ground

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:05 +0000

From their album Body Discovery on Aardvark Records

Some infectious Scottish Indie Pop from Edinburgh’s Callel. Why do we keep returning to Scotland for the Daily Dose? Just listen to find out.

Callel are:
An entity consisting of an Arron, two Craigs and a Philip; Callel grew up in the same area of Granton in Edinburgh, went to the same school, caught the same nits, played in the same football team and now perform in the same band.

Arron Cornall Vocals, Guitars
Craig Finnie Bass, Vocals
Phil Hague Drums, Vocals
Craig Hughes Vocals, Guitars

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IODA Links

Japandroids: Young Hearts Spark Fire

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:10 +0000

Japandroids (JPNDRDS) is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC. This ‘band’ started in 2006 as a creative outlet for the post-teenage angst of Brian King and David Prowse. Originally intending to be a trio, the boys decided to forgo the logistical nightmare of having a ‘lead singer’ and do it themselves. As a consequence, Japandroids are 1 guitar, 1 set of drums, and 2 vocalizers. They call it garage rock. They don’t care what you call it, as long as it’s not minimal. Japandroids are maximal – a two piece band trying to sound like a five piece band.

Post-Nothing, the most recent release, is already building on the buzz of 2008’s Lullaby Death Jams and 2007’s All Lies. These latest gems run the gauntlet of rock n roll sub-genres, with the boys ripping off too many different bands to sound like any other duo making music right now.

Supporting Japandroids gets you into heaven — no questions asked. [Polyvinyl Records]

Japandroids Website
Japandroids @ MySpace
Japandroids @ Facebook
Japandroids store | emusic | itunes | amazon

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Circulatory System: Round Again

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:50 +0000

From their recent album Signal Morning, this is Athens, GA’s Circulatory System with ‘Round Again’.

“After the split of the Olivia Tremor Control, songwriter W. Cullen Hart’s first step was to create the Circulatory System. Featuring members of the former Olivias and other notable Elephant 6 luminaries, the Circulatory System’s self titled first album is an exploration of the larger and the smaller, the here and the far away, and the now and the forever.

Seven and a half years in the making, culled from hours of recorded material sculpted in at least seven different studios, the new Circulatory System album is an absolutely stellar document of song and sound.” [Band Bio]

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Night Noise Team: Menolick

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:49:19 +0000

Night Noise Team’s first single ‘MENOLICK’ will be released on 30th November. It will be available on download only from iTunes and www.permwhale.com

The band consists of Sean Ormsby from Belfast on vocals and guitar, Fabien Pinardon from Paris on bass, Marco Morelli from Milan on guitar and drummer Mike Walker from Dunfermline. Currently based in Edinburgh, Night Noise Team has been busy gigging around the UK and building on the momentum created by well-received debut album ‘Ronde de Nuit’ (Permwhale Recordings). NNT has also been featured on Radio 1 and various podcasts.

There are strong musical and cultural crosscurrents in this band but, as Sean concludes, ‘Our sound has a pop heart, ‘pop nous’ as one reviewer put it. We believe in sharp songwriting and artful production.’

‘Menolick’ is the perfect calling card for this pan-European quartet.

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The Mother Hips: White Falcon Fuzz

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:00:53 +0000

A new album from the Mother Hips?!? We couldn’t think of any better companion than the vocals of Tim Bluhm in complimenting our road trip down the California coastline this weekend.

The Mother Hips have flown under the radar as true indie music pioneers for almost two decades. With the release of their new album Pacific Dust (available October 27th on Camera Records), California’s unsung psych-pop heroes tell their story. Hailed by critics for their “rootsy mix of 70s rock and power pop” (pitchfork.com) and for their unflinching ability to “sing it sweet and play it dirty” (New Yorker), on Pacific Dust The Hips’ signature sound rings more genuine and relevant than ever before.

The Hips – led by co-founders Tim Bluhm (vocals/guitar) and Greg Loiacono (guitar/vocals) – have been playing music for nearly 18 years, and in the process, have had the luxury of exploring and refining their craft. For the band’s seventh full-length studio album, The Mother Hips have never been more primed to share their well-traveled tales – the long days and nights on the road, the gritty politics, the smart inward reflections and man, the music! – all delivered with a most appealing balance of Americana storytelling and their California-burnished rock.

Pacific Dust’s compositions about penning a song in your kitchen at 3:00 am (the thundering album opener “White Falcon Fuzz”), record company politics (garage-rock boogie “Third Floor Story”), and a father and son’s relationship through music (on the ballad “Young Charles Ives”) indeed tell the story of many American rock bands. But here’s why it matters: The Mother Hips have survived, and in fact thrived, throughout the journey – and Pacific Dust, with its bittersweet melodies, poignant lyrics, and strong and gritty musicianship, is a perfect example of why.

The Mother Hips owe most of their success to their large and loyal fanbase. Earlier releases such as Part-Timer Goes Full, Green Hills of Earth, and Red Tandy have become almost cult classics among indie music buffs, and the band’s most recent 2007 album, Kiss the Crystal Flake, offered proof that the band still continues to attract new supporters. Over the years, the band has worked with and played alongside a slew of renowned/respected colleagues including super-producer Rick Rubin, Wilco, Johnny Cash, and many others.

Today, armed with their newest release Pacific Dust, The Hips are poised to take their experience and talent to another level for this next leg of their already epic journey. [ioda]

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The Mother Hips
“White Falcon Fuzz” (mp3)
from “Pacific Dust”
(Camera Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

Jacobs Ladder: Not Your Enemy

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:46:33 +0000

After three straight years of touring, and playing with bands Fallout Boy, Bayside and Valencia, JACOBS LADDER’s long awaited EP Ours for the Taking is finally here!

Delivering live performances since 2001, packed with explosive energy and exhilarating audience responses, JL has opened for acts such as the Ataris, Fall Out Boy, Bowling for Soup, Warped Tour Ernie Ball, Glasseater, Price, Unsung Zeros, River City High, premiered on an episode of The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, and worked with multiple Grammy winner Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band.

A loud and powerful power trio; wherein each member makes their own distinct mark while functioning entirely as one solid unit. JL offers listeners an alternative/ progressive/experimental/ rock groove, catchy lyrics, musical in your face progressions, and one hell of a live show. [IODA Artist Bio]

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The Minor Leagues: Good Boys

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:19 +0000

Today’s infectiously cheery Daily Dose comes to you from Cincinnati, OH group The Minor Leagues. ‘Good Boys’ is taken from their new album This Story Is Old, I Know, But It Goes On , released earlier this week. [Warning: Contains one instance of NSFW lyrics!]

“Ben Walpole wishes he were British, fronting Pulp in 1995. Patrick Helmes wishes he were playing lead for Megadeth in 1988. But cruel fate has instead placed them both in the Minor Leagues, playing insidiously catchy indiepop for most of the last decade from their Cincinnati, Ohio homebase.

The Leagues’ fifth album arrives on Datawaslost this fall, a kitchen-sink rock opera called “This Story Is Old, I Know, But It Goes On..” Equal parts Pet Sounds and Dexy’s Midnight Runners, the new record jumps and shimmies with the energy of its home-recorded roots – 90s Brit-pop rubs elbows with 60s soul and even a touch of 70s glam-rock, all held together by clever hooks and vibrant production.

It’s this melange of orchestral pop sounds that’s earned their previous albums comparisons to Beulah, New Pornographers, Blur, and the Elephant 6 collective, while managing to sound almost nothing like any of them.” [MySpace bio]

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Molice: White Vertigo

jason@insomniaradio.net (Jason Evangelho & Insomnia Radio Family) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:50 +0000

Formed in 2007, Molice is a Japanese quartet with a sound that’s difficult to pin down; elements of ’70s punk energy, ’80s new wave sensibility, and ’90s college radio guitar all get mashed in there, topped with gutsy female vocals.

Molice quotes The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and The Pixies among their influences, along with The Police (from whom their name is partially formed) and a number of other bands from different eras and genres, so let’s just say they have things covered from the ’70s forward.

The band is fronted by vocalist Rinko, who also plays guitar, and supported by a tight yet ferocious guitar, bass, and drum lineup, defined by Yuzuru Takeda’s slashing guitar.

After gigging around the Tokyo area for a few months, Molice was tapped for a slot in August 2007 at Japan’s high profile annual Summer Sonic music festival, which features top Japanese bands along with international headliners. Since then, the band has released multiple demos and videos which, along with constant gigging, have won them a strong indie fan base.

Their first full-length, entitled Dr. Ray, was released in November 2008. They continue to play out often, and it’s not hard to imagine a major breakthrough right around the corner. [Nippop]

Molice Website
Molice @ Garageband
Molice @ MySpace
Molice @ cdbaby | itunes | emusic | amazon