Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles are a male-female electronic duo that dabble in lo-fi. You can't get any more cliche in this day and age than that, can you? But this Canadian duo has something that makes them stand out from the crowd. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's the fact that they like pushing the boundaries on a lot of their songs and experimenting with sounds and noise. Lots of noise at times.

Like a lot of bands hipsters love, they'll be coming down in the new year for a southern music festival. Which means, of course, that we Brisban-ites get sideshows! January 4 at the Tivoli. Bring ear plugs, it could get very loud.

Propagandhi

When it comes to my activist punk, I find it hard to go past Canada's finest, Propaghandi.

They take their strong beliefs (and disbelief at others) and mash it with skate-punk and metal influences. Making just some absolutely kick-ass music.

I missed their last tour due to work commitments/being stuck at a shitty mine in the Andes in Peru, where I was subjected to Scott picture messaging me the awesomeness of it. And I, for one, am still pissed off at it. Luckily, I now have the chance to make up for it, twice over.

May 28, Coolangatta Hotel
May 29, HiFi

You can grab a few of their MP3s for free here.

Tegan and Sara headline shows

The Canadian sisters are out here supporting Jack Johnson in December, playing the Riverstage on December 13th. As an early Christmas gift to us, they've decided to do a few headlining shows as well.

I was lucky enough to see them about a decade ago, when they opened for Ben Folds, in one of my first concert experiences. Their indie-pop music is beautiful, despite whatever NOFX says about them.

Catch them the day after their Jack Johnson show, playing the Tivoli. December 14.

MySpace

The Jezabels/Two Hours Traffic

Over the last few weeks I've been blaring a very nice little indie release from the great Snow Mexico (aka Canada). The band, Two Hours Traffic, does very awesome upbeat indie-pop. It seems to be what Canada does best: happy guitar-fueled indie.


So needless to say, I was a little excited when I found out they were coming over to Australia to tour with another great indie-pop band: the Jezabels. This tour is to celebrate the new Jezabels EP, Dark Storm. This new EP is amazing. So much so that it's even charting on the ARIA charts. After the debacle that was the award show the other night, I'm not sure that it means anything, but it surely means that there is something good about it.

The show was scheduled for the Troubadour on the 4th of December, but it's now moved to the Zoo on the 5th. If you like indie, you'd best be there with me.

Jezabels
Two Hours Traffic

Born Ruffians

Born Ruffians is a Canadian band that slots into that nice little genre I like so much: indie with jangly guitars and offbeat tempos.


I haven't listened to their new album yet (called Say It) but I hear that it's just good toe-tapping indie fun like their first album, which I do like.

They'll be playing the Zoo on January 5th (18+). I think whoever booked this in Brisbane needs to have his head examined. The same night as Sunset Sounds, they may not get a very good turnout.

MySpace

Owen Pallett

It's good for people to listen to a different kind of music every now and then. And Owen Pallett is a very long way away from a lot of the music I listen to. And I still like it.

Owen is a multi-instrumentalist known for a few things. For one, he composes a lot of the string arrangements for Canada's orchestral-rock supergroup, the Arcade Fire. He's also known for his solo work, which up until recently has gone by the name Final Fantasy.

This year he changed monikers back to his name and put out an excellent album by the name of Heartland. His style can best be described as layered strings in an electronic-orchestral style with haunting vocals. His new album is a narrative about an ultra-violent farmer having a one sided dialogue with his creator. An interesting concept, which you would think doesn't lend itself to his style; but it does.

Sure, it may not be what a lot of my friends listen to, but give it a chance. He will be coming to Australia and playing a show at the Old Museum on the 25th of January. I think it will be a beautiful surrounding for his beautiful music.

MySpace

Soundwave final lineup

The extra bands for Soundwave have been slowly leaking out, so I guess AJ decided just to let the whole lineup out officially. The bands are:

• One Day as a Lion
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Bring me the Horizon
• The Murderdolls
• Dimmu Borgir
• Millencolin
• Coheed & Cambria
• Amity Affliction
• Silverstein
• Fucked Up
• Feeder
• H2O
• Saxon
• The Rocket Summer
• We the Kings

I've talked about most of these bands before, but there's a few in here that really get me excited. The first of which are the Canadians, Fucked Up. I avoided listening to these guys for ages, due to their name, but when I did I fell in love with their old school hardcore punk. As far as hardcore goes, it is quite accessible and not alienating (apart from their name and some of their subject matter). However, they cover twee, indie and pop songs in their own hardcore way, adding an interesting twist into things.


I love them and their smart hardcore. Like this interview with the lead singer, which shows how intelligent they are.

Their most recent album, the Chemistry of Common Life, has won numerous awards. Check it out if you get the chance. Also, they are known for a tremendous energry in their live show, and as Pink Eyes says in the interview above, he feels like he owes it to the crowd, almost a sacrifice if you will.

Last.FM has a lot of their tracks

The other band I am looking forward to seeing I had never even heard of before this announcement: One Day as a Lion. And I am amazed I have never heard of them: it's a collaboration between Zack de la Rocha (lead singer of Rage Against the Machine) and Jon Theodore (original Mars Volta drummer). Yes, 2 of my favourite bands... yet I had never heard of this band before.

They play a bit more of a hip-hop style of rock, not surprising with Zack in the band. They've only got an EP out for now, but it's pretty good. I will be interested to see how they sound live and what other songs they have to play.

MySpace

The Real Deal/Dan Potthast tour

The Real Deal hail from the great snowy north of Canada, and proclaim themselves as Party Punk... think a bit of ska, a bit of skate punk and sounding a lot like Goldfinger.

They put out a pretty solid album last year called Fun, which pretty much explains what they are all about. It must be doing ok for them, because they are deciding to tour down under, bringing out American Dan Potthast with them.

Dan was originally the lead singer of ska band Mu330, but now he goes around doing his style of acoustic punk and ska. Just him and his guitar. I saw him open a few years ago for Streetlight Manifesto, and although people were talking over him, he put on an amazing show. I never knew ska could sound so good with just an acoustic guitar.

Catch them at the Jubille Hotel on November 11th, 18+.

The Real Deal
Dan

Comeback Kid/Architects/This Is Hell

One of my top albums recently released has been a hardcore album all the way from the snowy depths of Canada: Comeback Kid's Symptoms and Cures.

I caught this hardcore band at this year's Soundwave while I was waiting around for A Wilhelm Scream. And I was mightily impressed (but not as much as I was by the insane bass player in A Wilhelm Scream). Their new album seems to be a bit more thrashier than their earlier hardcore sounds, but to me it's still sweet sweet music.

They've decided to come down on a tour which has been the worst kept secret and most reschedule hardcore gig of the year. It's been announced in a few different forms, and then unannounced (is that a word?). But as of today, we know the full hardcore lineup: Comeback Kid, Architects and This is Hell. All three great hardcore bands that appeared on this year's Soundwave.

I'm not sure who the headliners will be, but this will be the hardcore tour of 2010. Wait, no, second best hardcore tour (Dangers/Graf Orlock will hold that special place in my heart).

This is Hell do the old-school melodic hardcore punk thing. Architects do a metalcore/almost mathcore sound and hail from Britain. I'm not as knowledgable of these two bands (at least in relation to Comeback Kid), so check out their music for yourself.

The HiFi, 3 December 18+

Comeback Kid
Architects
This is Hell

New Pornographers

Canada has some great indie superbands and one of my favourites has to be the New Pornographers. Their album Twin Cinema was the soundtrack to the summer of 2006 for me. I even managed to catch them back then and recorded a shockingly dodgy video on my antiquated camera technology of the past:

Their music style is just happy-pop music with some funky subject matter. Although their last few releases have fallen into the traps of tried-and-true typical indie it's still pretty damn good music in the scheme of things.

You'll be able to see them try to squeeze their extensive lineup onto the small Zoo stage on November the 9th (18+). Fingers crossed they will be bringing my favourite, yet rarely touring member, Dan Bejar (also known as Destroyer) with them. He has written most of the songs I love, the ones that have that off-kilter feel to them. Jackie Dressed in Cobras on their MySpace is one of the great examples, while Myriad Harbour is another.

Cancer Bats show

For a while I was consider going to the Bullet for my Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon show at Riverstage, purely to see the Cancer Bats. These Canadians do hardcore punk with lots of dirty southern rock.


Their last few tours have been the same, them opening for some larger band that I didn't want to see forcing me to pay more for tickets. Luckily, it's changing on this tour!

On September 11, when they have finished opening at Riverstage, they'll be running across town for a solo show at the Zoo. Well not much running, I doubt the doors will have even opened at the Zoo before they even finish at Riverstage. I can't wait!

Last.fm, including lots of full length free tracks.

Supports!

The support bands for a bunch of shoes have been announced. Here they are.

Jack Johnson
December 13, Riverstage. Supported by Canadian pop-duo Tegan and Sara. The girls that NOFX sang about.

http://teganandsara.com/

CKY
August 15, HiFi. Former Bodyjar members Cola Wars have already announced they are supporting CKY. But apparently Bam Margera, skateboarder, jackass and brother of the drummer, will be coming out to MC the evening. No idea what he will do, but it will be interesting.

Against Me!
October 7, HiFi. Brisbane locals An Horse will be supporting. Featuring the girl from Iron On (and also former Skinny's record clerk) and the boy from Intercooler, they do pleasant indie-pop. It's a bit of a surprise pairing, but go them!

http://www.myspace.com/anhorse

Punk cancellation, announcement and possible album of the year??

SNFU Cancel tour (not their fault... maybe)

These Canadian punk legends were going to be out soon doing a long awaited tour. Unfortunately:

Is it possible to live the values of your sub-culture too completely? Can members of punk bands be accused of being "too punk"? SNFU never thought so. Unfortunately, the Australian Government doesn't seem to agree.

With fans eagerly awaiting their 2010 tour, we here at New Noise Agency have been informed by Australian Customs that a member has been denied a Visa, based on prior convictions – meaning he can't legally enter Australia. As much as we've tried to fight this decision and find a way around it, we've been left with no choice other than to cancel SNFU's forthcoming tour.

So they are no longer playing the Zoo in the next week.

Miles Away tour

WA's hardcore punkers Miles Away are heading our way again for some more shows.

Oct 1 The Fort Brisbane AA
Oct 2 Rosies, Brisbane (Thriller, 18+)

MySpace

Album of the year?

One of my new front runners for album of the year is now Norma Jean - Meridional. O God the Aftermath and Redeemer were some amazing albums that really took the heavier mathcore/hardcore scene to great places. Their latest, the Anti-Mother, was more melodic, but I didn't enjoy it as much.

But Meridional... wow. Get it if you like any heavy music.

New Sum 41 song

I miss Sum 41, I really do. I've been driving along to this all week:


Although their later albums have been solid, nothing has come close to the immature punk rock found on their first album.

Apparently they've got a new album coming out at the end of August and they've released the first single already. It's called Scumfuck and you can download it here.

I'm still plagued with computer problems, so I can only listen to it through crappy laptop speakers. Through this medium I get a faint My Chemical Romance on the Black Parade feel to it. Which is not good. Hopefully the rest of the album is punkier.

Bedouin Soundclash

Today's slightly-different-band-you've-probably-never-heard-of- but-are-still-coming-to-do-a-headline-tour-of-Australia-is Bedouin Soundclash.


These Canadians combine dub and reggae, with a sound that has elements of ska in it. It's upbeat and cheerful. I saw them play a few songs at Soundwave '09 not knowing who they were, and I found myself tapping my foot along and enjoying it immensely.

They are playing October 15 at the Zoo, 18+.

MySpace

Arcade Fire new song

The Arcade Fire's first album Funeral was like an avalanche: very slow moving at the start, but the more people listened to it the more it grew on them. Now it's a mainstay of many great albums list.

Their take on orchestral indie flopped for their second album, but now they stand on the cusp of releasing their third album and many people are already hailing it a return to form. They've got a new song doing the rounds, the Suburbs. It's got a bit of an upbeat pop melody, with less of the multi-instrumental feel that they pushed to death in Neon Love.

For now, I can't figure out how to embed Hype-m music, so check it out for yourself here: http://hypem.com/artist/Arcade%20Fire/1/

Alexisonfire

Watch Out! by Alexisonfire is one of my favourite albums of all time. Accidents by Alexisonfire slots into the top 4 songs in my mind. So why am I less than keen for this new tour?

Quite simply, nothing will ever top that tour they did with good friends Moneen years ago. The culmination of the gig with both bands getting together to play Accidents... glorious. Since then they've released a less than awe inspiring album and I've seen them two more times. They still put on a great show, so I think I can be convinced to go back.

As a band, they are an interesting mix. A scream singer, a hardcore-punk throat vocal singer and a more suited to acoustic singer/songwriting singer. They put together punk songs, hardcore songs, softer ballads and throw in a bit of metal for kicks. Somewhere in their back catalogue is a song everyone will like, you've just got to find it. Hell, I even had a pretentious indie-ex-girlfriend liking their song Boiled Frogs. Go figure.

I'd recommend getting tickets to this early, I can see it selling out. I'm still undecided, but I probably will go, just for the awesomeness of their back catalogue.

October 7, the Tivoli. 18+

And this is Accidents:

Leonard Cohen tour

It seems like only a few months ago (wait, it was) but Lenoard Cohen is coming back. A lot of people of my generation probably have no idea who he is, so listen to this.

Yes, he's the guy that originally wrote Hallelujah, the song with which Jeff Buckley made us all cry. But that's just a pindrop in the lake that is Cohen's career. He's one of the world's best songwriters. He'll be playing the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on November 6.