Newfoundland’s Hey Rosetta! released their third album “Seeds” in February 2011. It has gone on to be Short Listed for the Polaris Music Prize, following in the footsteps of 2009 Short Listed, “Into Your Lungs…” and the band saw itself nominated for two Casby Awards and played  TIFF’s Festival House all in the month of September.. Now on tour in Australia, the band returns home for a national headline tour in November. Seeds reveals a lyrical depth and adventurous songwriting experience rooted in the band’s passion for epic musical experiences. Bluntly put, the 6-7 minute songs individually connect the listener through the album, but each contain a masterful, sly, unpretentious ability to equally amaze and entertain..  The songwriting and execution of each track, on Seeds complete with subtle sonic changes is nothing short of brilliant. Amazing band.

Toronto’s prog-gospel collective Bruce Peninsula released their sophomore full-length album, ”Open Flames” on October 4. The band’s previous record, 2009’s self-released debut, “A Mountain Is A Mouth” immediately caught fire, garnering countless glowing reviews and a Polaris Music Prize long-list nomination. Their raucous, big top live show, featuring at times, a 10-musician sprawl, has converted audiences across the continent with headline appearances at SXSW, Pop Montreal and Halifax Pop Explosion. In December 2010, just as the Open Flames master came into hand, the band were suddenly sideswiped when lead shouter Neil Haverty was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Open Flames would be forced to wait while Haverty endured treatment. After a long and dreadful winter, Haverty is in remission and Bruce Peninsula readied to take to the road. Currently on a substantial tour of Atlantic Canada, a hometown Lee’s Palace gig is on deck for the end of October.

Library Voices, a seven piece pop collective from Regina, Saskatchewan released their debut EP, Hunting Ghosts (& Other Collected Shorts) in 2008. SPIN took immediate notice proclaiming Library Voices the “undiscovered band you NEED to hear now.” They have been featured in The New Yorker. They have been nominated for a 2010 Western Canadian Music Award for “Independent Album of the Year.” They’ve been mugged twice and lost all their gear twice (once through theft, once through an act of God). “Denim on Denim” their debut album, was released on April 13, 2010 (Young Soul Records / EMI). Heartfelt critical acclaim has echoed the release of the album. The band has graced the covers of several market weeklies, The Georgia Straight awarded “Denim on Denim” a perfect 5 out of 5 review and Spinner declared this past June’s NXNE set “one of the best of the entire festival.” Library Voices toured across Canada in support of Denim on Denim. Now signed to Nevado Records, they’ll release their third LP this year, “Summer Of Lust” before the summer of 2011 is gone…

Hannah Georgas released her debut album, “This Is Good” in April 2010 (Hidden Pony/EMI). She was Exclaim’s cover artist for May and there was a flurry of glowing album reviews and feature pieces that followed her along her first national tour for the record. Hannah was long-listed for the coveted Polaris Music Prize and This Is Good was name checked by Metro newspaper’s as one of the Best Albums of 2010. Hannah was crowned the XM Verge Emerging Artist of The Year and bestowed an Indie Award winner for Favourite Solo Artist of The Year. She recently racked up two Juno Award nominations for Songwriter and New Artist Of The Year.

Rah Rah the Regina, SK alt-pop ensemble released their sophomore album “Breaking Hearts,” in June 2010. It was the follow up to their equally incredible debut album, “Going Steady” (both on Young Soul Records). Rah Rah spent the day this past summer at Canada’s Wonderland, where The Behemouth rollercoaster changed Joel’s life. CBC.ca declared that Rah Rah “provided the perfect, upbeat closer for this year’s NXNE festival.” Exclaim urged in their album review that “there’s plenty of room on the Canadian music scene for this baroque rock ensemble.” One of the hardest working bands, I’ve ever worked with, Rah Rah have toured into the U.S and Europe after crossing Canada numerous times. They’ve just signed to Hamilton-based label/management group (and close friend of Freshly Pressed PR) – Hidden Pony/Upper Management, and released a 3 track EP called “The Sailors”. Later this year, Rah Rah will follow with a remix EP and plan a new record for 2012.

Rococode are the B.C. indie pop /rock quartet keeping up a demanding schedule heading into the homestretch as a Top 20 contender in the Vancouver-based Peak Performance Project, while also overseeing every detail for the upcoming release of their debut album ”Guns, Sex and Glory” on February 7, 2012. Striving to create music that is equal parts arty and accessible, sexy and sweet, badass and beautiful “Guns, Sex and Glory” was produced by Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother) and Andrew Braun and mixed by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Pink Mountaintops, Polyphonic Spree). On tour in October in Western Ontario, Rococode expertly blend an artistic, melodic vibe with a darker, intense music experience.

In the vein of timeless artists like Bruce Springsteen and Jeff Tweedy with a contemporary nod to Bright Eyes, Rob Moir writes songs that are painstakingly personal, provocative and honest. With the 2010 independent release of his debut solo EP “This Is The Lie,” Rob found himself on an international musical journey. A 40-date Canadian tour with outings in Europe and a leg into the U.S. travelled by train, Greyhound bus, RideShare and pure luck, has only fueled this already prolific and poetic singer-songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the Toronto indie-punk band Dead Letter Dept. (Underground Operations/Universal Music), Rob seems to be reveling in his solo sojourn, already writing and demoing material for his follow up, full-length album that will come out in 2012

Nightbox, a young pop/indie-rock quintet is comprised of two expat Canadian brothers and three of their Irish friends who first met in rural Wicklow, Ireland and now reside in Toronto. The “Nightbox EP” was released in Canada on March 5, 2011. It was produced by MSTRKRFT’s AL-P and Death From Above 1979′s Sebastien Grainger and distributed by Last Gang Records. The lead track Pyramid earned praise from the NME for its “fresh sound all its own” and is also featured on French dance label, Kitsuné Maison’s Compilation 11. Japan’s Rallye Label released the Nightbox EP earlier this month, expanding the four tracks to eight including new songs and remixes. Opening for Death From Above 1979′s Sold Out Sound Academy show later in October, the band will tour Canada with Lights. Nightbox provided a track remix to Lights for her latest release Siberia.

Beloved Vancouver-based indie-pop quintet Said The Whale continue to work their sophomore disc “Islands Disappear” by touring Canada non-stop. The band released a digital-only, acoustic companion EP called “Bear Bones” in February of 2010. They placed second in the Peak Performance Prize last fall and were nominated for a 2010 Western Canadian Music Award for “Rock Recording Of The Year.” Said The Whale just won “New Group Of The Year” at the 2011 Juno Awards in Toronto. They play with Dinosaur Bones and Tokyo Police Club across Canada this April, and play in the UK in May. Expect to see a new record from the band in 2012.