Does it get ANY cuter than this? I honestly refer to him as the “Brad Pitt” of dogs.

One of the best and most compelling EPK’s I’ve been witness to. I had to share. Band’s interested in doing something similar, take note:

It’s been a grand year for Hey Rosetta! Polaris short-listed (again), a Juno Award nomination (and performance on broadcast night), several ECMA nominations and wins, non-stop, international touring. They held down two Canadian industry music mag covers over the same months earlier this year. Seeds is now out in the US (on ATO Records) and the summer festival circuit begins. See this band if you’re making the festival rounds. They are one of the best.

The rest of the year, the poor thing looks as dead as a doornail and is a bit of a mess. But for one week, it’s a blooming superstar! For that, I respect it takes the remainder of the year off. It truly makes up for it in the one week in May, every year it does this.

Is officially out in the world today. Good humans, it will knock your socks off.

p.s. One week later, Metric has debuted at #1 on The Canadian Alternative Radio Chart with Youth Without Youth. No artist has ever done this before. Ever. Nice way to start things off. Imagine what will happen when the record comes out!?

Rah Rah has just announced their new, upcoming single, Little Poems will be released on June 12 via 7″ vinyl on Hidden Pony Records. I have had the full new Rah Rah album for a little while now, I instantly fell in love with it and have enthused pretty endless (and genuinely) about it. I’m looking forward to letting wider masses hear it this fall. Called, The Poet’s Dead the album was produced by Gus Van Go and Werner F, a duo notorious for making incredible indie-rock records (The Stills, Hollerado) and who really challenged and took Rah Rah to a new level in the pre-production and recording. Having worked with the band since 2010, I’ve seen a massive evolution for them as their confidence levels grew, as both people and musicians. They have always been writing incredibly thoughtful, clever, unpredictable songs, I think perhaps now though, in a good way, they know it.

Without getting too philosophical about it, I feel like Marshall writes a song similarly to how Martin Amis, Douglas Coupland approach their craft, extremely self-deprciatingly at times, at others so sharply and pointedly his words are like knives, but he’s always so quick-witted and socially observational. I feel like on this record, he’s really hitting his stride as a writer and not only as a musician and singer. Erin Passmore hands down has one of my favourite voices of life. If I had that voice, I’d find the nerve somehow, to sing too. The band is anchored by incredible talent in Joel, Kristina, Leif, and new member, multi-instrumentalist, Jeff. They are a band you really have to hope, if a big break is coming – they are the band that gets it.
I’ve seen many references made linking Rah Rah and Arcade Fire in the tone of the their work, the sonic structure, the band ensembles, the songwriting and if Arcade can connect on an international level like they have, I don’t see how Rah Rah can’t.

But, first we have, Little Poems. An over 6 minute ode to the complexity of young relationships and being in a touring rock band. Sounds simple enough, but most popular, radio friendly bands will spill something out that has all the right verse/chorus construction and ends in rhyming lines, clocking in at a palatable 3 minutes, but that feels and is contrived. Little Poems is a slow burning story, with the quintessential Rah Rah trade-off vocals of Marshall and Erin, giving two perspectives and doesn’t spare the honesty. It’s gritty and real you can’t properly tie that up in a 3 minute song bow.

01 Little Poems
You can stream the song and pre-order Little Poems and other new track, I Could Tell You I’m Sorry (both of which won’t be on the full-length) here:

Here are some upcoming live dates for Rah Rah, including a NXNE Showcase on June 15 at The Dakota in Toronto.

May 25 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s
May 29 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Lo Pub
May 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
May 31 – Chicago, IL @ Dirtroom (Double Door)
June 2 – Sarnia, ON @ Sarnia Artwalk (w/ Hawksley Workman)
June 3 – St Catharines, ON @ The Mansion House
June 7 – New York, NY @ Arlene’s Grocery
June 13 – Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks (w/ Parlovr)
June 14 – Hamilton, ON @ This Ain’t Hollywood
June 15 – Toronto, ON @ The Dakota (NXNE, Hidden Pony Records showcase)
June 16 – Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange (St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival)

Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt just announced his new project, Dusted and the forthcoming release of the accompanying full-length album Total Dust on July 10, 2012.
By teaming up with producer Leon Taheny (Final Fantasy, Rituals, Bruce Peninsula), the pair recorded in a converted garage creating an atmosphere that on record is sometimes melodic, sometimes haunting, and always clouded by a fuzzy glow.
Live, Dusted challenges the sonic limitations of a two-piece. Vocals and guitar are expelled through small overblown amplifiers and bolstered by a raucous backbone of live drums, 808 samples, and bass synth. Dusted are playing on May 24 at The Great Hall and on June 14 as part of NXNE at The Elmo as part of their Toronto label, Hand Drawn Dracula‘s festival showcase.
Fans can pre-order several incarnations of the record (including a limited edition run of 180 gram maroon vinyl) from HDD online

TOTAL DUST Track Listing:
1. All Comes Down
2. (Into The) Atmosphere
3. Cut Them Free
4. Low Humming
5. Bruises
6. Pale Light
7. Property Lines
8. Dusted
9. Long It Lasts
10. There Somehow

Here’s a video clip teaser of (Into The) Atmosphere:

Exclaim is streaming the full track here

Metric announced today via an international press release, more details about their upcoming, fifth studio album, Synthetica – coming out in Canada on June 12, 2012.

Beginning with the beautiful album artwork by Toronto-based photographer, Justin Broadbent, who has also contributed a series of band promo shots for the record as well.
Lead single “Youth Without Youth” will go to radio on May 1 and the band are playing a host of summer festivals, but expect to see more all-encompassing tour dates and show details come together for launch time and beyond. It’s going to be an incredible year for the band.

Metric has also put together studio footage of the recording of Synthetica presented like fuzzy, CCTV footage – an eavesdroppers view on proceedings via these video snippets they’ve edited and are calling “Reflections Of Synthetica”

METRIC – TOUR DATES CURRENTLY ANNOUNCED:

May 26, 2012 The Gorge, Washington, USA @ The Gorge Amphitheatre (Sasquatch Festival)
May 27, 2012 Bend, Oregon, USA @ Les Schwab Amphitheater (with Beck)
June 02, 2012 Kansas City, Missouri, USA @ Live Strong Sporting Park (for KRBZ 96.5 FM – The Buzz)
June 16, 2012 Belleville, Ontario, Canada @ Big Music Fest
June 26, 2012 Berlin, Germany @ Postbahnhof
June 28 2012 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter
June 30, 2012 Istanbul, Turkey @ Mono Festival
July 02, 2012 London, UK @ 02 Shepherds Bush Empire
July 03, 2012 Paris, France @ Le Trianon,
July 04, 2012 Amsterdam, Holland @ Melweg
July 07, 2012 Manchester UK @ HMV Ritz
July 08, 2012 Oxford, UK @ 02 Academy
August 3-5, 2012 Chicago, Illinois, USA @ Lollapalooza Festival
August 3-5, 2012 Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Osheaga Festival

I recently heard director Lee Hirsch on CBC Radio Q, speaking about his new film, Bully and lobbying for a PG rating, instead of a Restricted rating to allow more kids to be able to see it. In the ensuing weeks, positive strides have been made. Proudly, here in Canada it has been given a PG rating. The controversy was largely over strong language in the film, namely the use of the word ‘fuck’. A term one would be extremely naive to think kids today don’t throw around in a fairly flippant fashion on the playground or otherwise.
From a very personal perspective, a segment of elementary school life proved equally as hellish for me, saddled with overlording, threatening and intimidation bullying tactics at the hands of couple of older girls. I can see now, that the ‘bully’s’ in every situation in school, in work – anywhere suffer themselves, the epitome of insecurity, lack of confidence, and low self-esteem, but approaching your teens, those revelations are not nearly as easily accounted for. Those hellish school experiences, compartmentalized in me in ways that have been really challenging, but they have also given me a fortitude and survival mechanism that is almost unexplainable. Though over the years, I find I distance myself in friendships and I’ve formed a protectiveness of who I let around me, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to honestly confront on occasion what friendships are healthy and which are not as life goes by.
I am fiercely dedicated to eradicating any kind of ‘bully’ and helping protect anyone from the sort of emotional garbage and emotional or physical darkness that can come along with a bully in anyone’s life at any stage.
See this film.

The lovely and wonderful Samantha Savage Smith has, in our year of working together, grown to be one of my most treasured artists. Her debut album Tough Cookie took critics by storm racking up “Best Of” nods for 2011 and an endless stream of praise.

It brilliantly fused her love of blues/jazz and torch tunes with her indie rock sensibilities, all the while sounding contemporary and pretty kick-ass with her lovely voice anchoring all the songs, and her enviable sense of style and gorgeous orange Gretsch with her on stage. Sam’s recently been on a national tour and breaking out new songs along the way that are instantly catchy, jangling with perfectly pitched chords (they personally, throw me back to the mid 90′s musical treasures I had on constant repeat in the Pavement, The Lily’s, Velocity Girl, Lush era of my life), all punctuated by Samantha’s pretty voice and bone-crushingly honest lyrics.

Here’s a clip from an Exclaim! session Samantha recently taped in Toronto, showcasing new song of hers, “It’s A Burn”

One of the most attractive beasts on four legs. Gentle giant. Freight train of good vibes and kisses. All love, all the time. My lovely boy and protector. Incorrigible. I wouldn’t change a single thing. Olliver.