“Good Love”—Bat For Lashes
English singer-songwriter Bat For Lashes had an incredibly successful 2009 marked by heaps of (well-deserved) praise for her stunning sophomore release, Two Suns. The album provides an excellent mix of emotional intensity and engaging atmospheric pieces with Khan’s pitch-perfect voice soaring and cooing in equal measures throughout. Though the driving rhythms and dynamics of “Two Planets” and “Daniel” may be what initially draw the listener in, it’s the subdued melancholy of “Good Love” that allows repeat listens to remain so pleasurable. Its simple-yet-effective minimalist soundscape draws the listener’s attention to Khan’s haunting imagery. Her heart-wrenching laments are among the best of her career thus far.—Sean MacKay
“Fully Shed”—Jets Overhead
Recently, there’s been lots of nostalgia for shoegaze, a genre that rose to prominence in the late '80s and early '90s and was noted for its epic, guitar-driven walls of noise and extraordinarily loud live performances. While I wouldn’t characterize Victoria, BC’s Jets Overhead as a shoegaze revival band (or “nu gaze” as some have dubbed it), the latter half of “Fully Shed” channels genre legends My Bloody Valentine with a chugging bass groove. The first half of the track has a grungy feel reminiscent of Definitely Maybe–era Oasis. While the song lacks originality, its nostalgia works so remarkably well that few would take issue with the absence of new ideas.—SM
“Gold Rush”—Basia Bulat
Heart of My Own, the sophomore album by London, ON folk songstress Basia Bulat will be in stores on January 26. In the meantime, one track from the record has been made available as a sample of her new material. Lyrically and musically, “Gold Rush” has a dark tone reminiscent of “Snakes and Ladders” from her Polaris-nominated 2007 debut, Oh My Darling. Vocally, she sounds more confident, likely a result of the relentless touring schedule that helped her hone her talent. With “Gold Rush” Bulat has proven her ability to match her debut’s best melancholic tunes. But will she be able to pull off another track as delicate as “Before I Knew” or as rollicking as “In The Night”? At the moment, the odds are in her favour.—SM
“Ambivalence Avenue”—Bibio
Of all the sounds coming out of England’s electronic music scene, Bibio’s may be the most difficult to pin down. Folk rock, hip-hop, turntablism, and intelligent dance music are all incorporated by Stephen Wilkinson (aka Bibio) into Ambivalence Avenue, his first album on highly-revered English experimental label Warp Records. The eponymous track is a bit of an outlier, as it’s one of the few Bibio tracks with vocals. It hardly matters, though, since the lyrics are buried under so much reverb that they’re almost indecipherable. They end up more like an instrument accompanying the track’s breezy electric guitar line, simple percussion groove, and violin flourishes. It’s very “Strawberry Fields Forever,” creating an excellent piece of psychedelic folk.—SM
"We Want War"—These New Puritans
After their debut album Beat Pyramid, These New Puritans made me realize the great talent currently coming out of the UK. “We Want War” is the first single off the band's second LP, Hidden, and this seven-minute track is characteristic of the band’s rhythm-based ballads. What makes this track unique, though, is its experimentation with production methods, which greatly alters its sound. The band’s incorporation of six-foot Japanese Taiko drums as well as their use of a children’s choir produces a great, tribal-sounding rhythm.—Navi Lamba
"Games You Can Win" (featuring Kenna)—RJD2
Xylophone! The first single off RDJ2’s fourth solo album, Colossus, features the instrument in generous measure. It's my favorite instrument hands down, and it sets a steady, whimsical tone for the rest of the song. The mood of the track quickly changes when Kenna begins to croon, after which it becomes apparent that we are in the midst of a classic RJD2 track. (This will come as exciting news for fans that have become weary of looping the Mad Men theme song.) RJD2 is currently touring and will play the Mod Club March 11.
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