Track-Fu

Back at Track-Fu after a post-NXNE break. We're featuring some tracks from upcoming local shows and new releases, so there should be some new stuff to discover here.

1. Donnie Ivey - Stumble

Donnie Ivey is a London, Ontario-based artist, and that city has better local music than you'd expect from what they play in the bars. Ivey's biggest asset is probably his voice, which has a rawness you wouldn't expect from the strumming guitar and pretty backing instrumentals that start this track. It helps elevate this beyond your typical singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar -- there are a lot of those, so it's lucky for Ivey he has something to make him stand out.

TWM: Clouds That Look Like Things, Lovely Killbots, Obscenery, Donnie Ivey @ Rancho Relaxo, $6 on Friday June 27th

2. Hot Panda - Whale Headed Girl

I saw Hot Panda play CMW at Sneaky Dee's, and I was impressed with their enthusiasm and interesting song structures -- a little more complicated than indie pop can sometimes be. Definitely a Canadian band to check out, even if they aren't in Toronto.

ZYGIELLA.COM V w/ Burn Planetarium, Hot Panda, Oh No Forest Fires @ Rancho Relaxo, $6 Thursday June 26th

3. Wordburglar - Cream of Wheat

Wordburglar sound kind of like a hip-hop act that would do a Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song. I don't mean that as an insult, actually -- this is fun, and I love the horn sample. Better this than guns and hos. (This Wavelength show must set some kind of new record for diversity.)

WAVELENGTH 419 w/ Entire Cities, Wordburglar, Hot Panda @ Sneaky Dee's, PWYC Sunday June 29th

4. The Withouts - Fall Over

The best way I can think of to describe The Withouts is old school Liz Phair meets the Ramones. That's exactly what you'd think -- female pop vocals, four-chord guitar, energy. It's not ground-breaking, but it's fun.

PITTER PATTER NIGHTS w/ Born To Busk, The Withouts, The Milwaukee's Best Band @ The Boat, $5 Weds June 26th

5. The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go

Here is what Apple is good at: picking songs that will be popular to use in their commercials. They are less consistent at picking songs that are good, however; for every "1, 2, 3, 4" there's an "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" The Ting Tings are more Jet than Feist, unfortunately for them. This song is catchy, with it's faux-rap chorus and disco riff, but it's all surface -- there's nothing under the veneer, and these guys will be exactly where Jet are now in a few years.

6. Wolf Parade - Call It A Ritual

Wolf Parade! I've been waiting for this album for a long time, and I'd better not be disappointed. This track is a bit darker than the stuff on Apologies, and sounds a bit more like melacholy Bowie than glam Bowie. I like it though, so I'm okay with it. I'm seeing them in August and already looking forward to it.

7. Coldplay - Violet Hill

So we're not bored of Coldplay yet, huh? I'm sorry, does that make me pretentious? It's just that I think Coldplay are pretty good -- one of those bands that I acknowledge are doing something right -- but just don't get me excited. I'll sing along to their songs on the radio, I still like "Yellow" a lot, but they don't fire me up. Martin's got a good voice, they're ambitious, I get it. (This sounds like some kind of Freddie Mercury/Billy Joel mash-up, if you can believe that. It's not as bad as you'd think it would be. Also, I am very cynical.)

8. Peter Broderick - Another Glacier

Is Denmark a really depressing place? It seems like that country's output is kind of sad and austere -- not bad, just a bit of a downer. Peter Broderick isn't much of an exception, at least not on this track. It's all piano that sounds kind of like it's sobbing quietly, delicate wavering violin...basically, the whole song sounds like it's crying. In a very pretty way, but man. I'm trying to cheer up here!

Winner

Okay, I was biased. But Wolf Parade!

Loser

The Ting Tings -- this was better when it was Blondie.

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