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Jonny Pierce of The Drums talks change, North America and Dolly Parton

Bianca Pencz
Apr 28th, 2012

Photos from The Drums' official site.

Brooklyn indie-poppers The Drums will be hitting Vancouver in less than two weeks, at Venue on May 8.

Everything about the band is classically simple, from their music, to their
clean-cut American boy style—right down to their two-syllable name. A drum is immediate, visceral, and it suits them perfectly.

They made their first splash in 2010, with the reissue of their 2009 single “Let’s Go Surfing”. Since then, it’s been a story of quick success and further charting singles.

“We only do songs that we really love,” singer (and unique dancer) Jonny Pierce told the VO last week. “The fact that other people love them too is a humbling thing.”

The Raveonettes rave on as usual on new EP Into the Night

Bianca Pencz
Apr 25th, 2012

Photos from their official Facebook.

The Raveonettes' new EP Into the Night is business as usual for the Danish duo. But when "business as usual" means visionary noise pop and velvet-black melodies, who's really complaining?

The four tracks sound a bit like B-sides from last year's full-length Raven in the Grave, but that's not to say that they aren't as engaging. The first descending guitar notes lead you into a underground of sound grown thick with fuzz, from which shadowy noise pop and Sune Rose Wagner's and Sharin Foo's androgynous harmonies echo.

Their lyrics, always a highlight (despite their dark tendencies), are still that great balance of self-aware humour and teenage-blind emotion: "Oh heartbreak, I hate you," or, "Do you care if I die? Do you care if I die?"

Jack White earns solo stripes with "Blunderbuss"

Bianca Pencz
Apr 17th, 2012

Live photo from www.jackwhiteiii.com.

Blunderbuss is a fitting title for Jack White's first shot at a solo album. Old-fashioned, lightweight, but ultimately its share of firepower accomplishes what it was made to do.

New Silversun Pickups single "Bloody Mary" mixes modern and retro

Bianca Pencz
Mar 26th, 2012

Silversun Pickups' brand-new single "Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)," which premiered yesterday, is out on iTunes today. A cocktail of modern and retro sound, it's a signifier that the best 90's band not from the 90's is ready to take on 2012.

The first single off their upcoming third album Neck of the Woods, "Bloody Mary" showcases what a few years ago saved the band of 30-somethings from life in a garage: transcendent melodies, mature musicianship, and a grunge aesthetic that pulls the heartstrings of everyone who used to almost-kill themselves speeding and blasting "1979" by the Pumpkins out their car windows.

SSPU, from their official site, during promo for 2009's Swoon.

Kazaky in Madonna's new "Girl Gone Wild" video

Jessica Kalbfleisch
Mar 20th, 2012

Kazaky, the popular boys in heels from the Ukraine, is rumoured to be in Madonna's "Girls Gone Wild" video, which premieres worldwide tomorrow.

Kazaky, an all-male Ukrainian dance group that has taken Europe by storm, appeared with Madonna in her new Girls Gone Wild video, set for release on March 20. 

Poise, elegance, and high heels aren't typically words associated with men. But Kazaky, a Ukrainian sensation that debuted in 2010, is anything but typical. Strutting in sky-high stilettos, these men show the best display of dancing in stiletto heels since Beyonce’s "Single Ladies" (which they cover, by the way). Besides rebelling against gender norms, Kazaky's fame continues to grow because of their distinctive choreography by group founder Oleg Zhezhel, danceable songs, and showmanship.

Toronto singer Christopher Stopa discovered by CNN through Radiohead Youtube mix-up

Jenny Uechi
Dec 30th, 2011

"It was mainly disbelief," Christopher Stopa, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter told The Vancouver Observer, about his reaction after hearing his own voice and music being attributed to Radiohead on Youtube. "I thought, 'I know that's not Radiohead', and people are really getting excited over it, but I didn't share that same happiness as my friends."

Here's what happened. Last week, a song called "How Do You Sit Still?" was touted as Radiohead's unreleased single from their Bends album era and it quickly became a hit on YouTube.

"WHY was this song not used (in Radiohead's albums)? It's brilliant," lamented one listener after hearing the song. Another wrote that the song was about "putting truth back into Radiohead".

Vocaloids pushing pop idols off the charts

Jenny Uechi
Aug 8th, 2011

Digital idol Hatsune Miku enthralls her 95-per cent male audience

I was listening to music blaring out of a friend's car one day -- a bland Japanese pop song with nondescript lyrics -- when I noticed something a little off about the singer. 

The girl's voice was incredibly flat, like a Takashi Murakami drawing. No warbling, no screechiness or variation in her singing. It was technically flawless, but creepily devoid of emotion. 

"Hey, this girl sounds just like one of those vocaloids (a computer-synthesized singing software)," I joked. 

"That's because she is," my friend replied with a knowing smile. 

It was a computer, not a teen pop idol, churning out those wistful Japanese pop lyrics to the hum of drums, violin and guitar. Come to think of it, even the guitar and violin in the song sounded synthetic. 

"Maybe one day, human singers will become obsolete," my friend joked. 

Apollo Ghosts

Matthew Budden
Jul 7th, 2011

If you missed the Apollo Ghosts’ stellar show at the H.R. Macmillan Space Centre recently, you have one more chance to catch them before they embark on their Maritime tour. 

Hot on the heels of the For What They Do They Do song and short story collection, the band celebrates the release of their new five song 7” Money Has No Heart on July 8th at the Zoo Zhop (223 Main). The place is little bigger than a bathtub, so if some of the crowd spill out on the sidewalk, I’m sure the band will too. And Adrian Teacher will do his usual part to free up floor space by staying airborne on a sea of hands for half the show.

I’ve been a fan of the Apollo Ghosts for about a year and a half. There may be a couple of local bands I love more, but none that invite the kind of literary reckoning that seems to go hand in hand with being Ghosts' fan. So here are a few of my personal takes on this extraordinary band.   

Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae take audiences on jazzy '50s-inspired journey

Angel CheungAlexis Greskiw
Jun 5th, 2011

The Hooligans in Wondaland  by chart-topper Bruno Mars was an impeccable show at the jam-packed Rogers Arena Friday night. Mayer Hawthorne opened the show and co-headliner Janelle Monae showcased her talent with her crystalline vocals. Monae and Mars were the perfect combination, filled with vivacity and soul. The concert was an ultimate throwback to the jazzy Doo-Wop era. Janelle Monae was wearing her signature get-up of a crisp white blouse, black cape, tie and pants.

Her clean cut outfit contrasted with the trippy multi-colored backdrop similar to some scenes in Alice in Wonderland. Considering her relative newness on the scene, Monae -- who studied theatre before her foray into music -- commanded attention with her dramatic stage presence. She crescendo-ed her performance by ending with her two hit songs, "Tight Rope" and "Come Alive" before making her exit, parading through the crowd with a suave demeanor. 

Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae in Vancouver for Hooligans in Wondaland Tour

Angel CheungAlexis Greskiw
May 17th, 2011

Bruno Mars' amazing new album, "Doo-wops & Hooligans"

Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, also known as Peter Gene Hernandez, is hitting the stage at Rogers Arena on June 3rd as part of the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour. His chart-topping single “Just the Way You Are” brought him into the spotlight as a performer. For those who didn’t know of his songwriting past, he has co-written world-renowned hits “Waving Flag” by K’Naan and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire.”

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