You know the drill: Sufjan Stevens releases a song, everybody goes crazy. This one's worth the hype. It's called "Too Much," and it's an electro-infused update on this previous live song (which was already pretty electro to begin with). The chorus is catchy enough to be a pop radio hit, but Sufjan messes it up (in a good way) with his squiggly electro freakouts. This is easily Sufjan's most successful attempt to break out of his baroque folk box.
It comes from his upcoming LP, The Age of Adz. Go to Exclaim! to read the article I wrote when it was first announced.
MP3: "Too Much"
 

Thanks to Bryan from Herohill for the heads up on this one: it's a cover of Japandroids' "Wet Hair" by Vancouver chillwaver Teen Daze. It reinvents the hard rocking original as a synth-dazzled dancefloor jam, with pillowy vocal harmonies and one of the most irresistible disco beats you'll hear all year. This is one of those cases where the cover version tops the original, which is a bit like a movie being better than the book: rare indeed.
I've been having a Teen Daze-heavy week; just two days ago, I posted his remix of a song by the Magician & the Gates of Love.
MP3: "Wet Hair"
 

Guess who's going to Pavement tonight?
If you didn't guess me, then you're really bad at guessing. I'm going alone, which could be kind of lame at a reserved seating venue, but who cares—it's Pavement!
You probably don't need to be reminded about how awesome Pavement is, but just in case you do, here's "Gold Soundz." This is the re-mastered version that appeared on the compilation Quarantine the Past earlier this year. This song has gotten some good press lately. I would have picked something from Slanted & Enchanted, but it's all good.
MP3: "Gold Soundz"
 

Today's track brings together two Great Vancouver pop masters. It's a remix of the Magician and the Gates of Love's "A Gentleman's Harvest" by buzz-worthy chillwaver Teen Daze. While the original version pairs '60s pop songwriting with 8-bit keyboards, this remix coats it all in a synthified electro-pop sheen. It's a little less gauzy than Teen Daze's usual reverb-drenched material, but there's still a distinct undercurrent of glo-fi (hypnogenic pop in this one.
The Magician and the Gates of Love recently issued a series of spiffy digital sings, which you can check out over at Bandcamp.
MP3: "A Gentleman's Harvest (Teen Daze's 'Space-Disco Love Son' Remix)"
 

For the next three weeks (minus a couple of days), I'll be heading up news at Exclaim! while the usual editor is away, so my schedule will be busier than normal. Maybe this will affect my posting here, maybe it won't, I'm not sure yet.
Here's a song from Crocodiles, who just released a new free EP, Fires of Comparison. Go to Exclaim! to read my brief article about it and click below to download the first track, "Kill Joe Arpaio." It's an instrumental psych rocker that uses news clips discussing the Arizona immigration controversy to make a trippy political statement.
MP3: "Kill Joe Arpaio"
 

R.I.P. Paste Magazine. Despite its tendency to be too liberal with positive reviews, I'm going to miss it. I always hoped I'd write for it one day.
Here's "Permenant Record" a skittish, shrieky rocker from Toronto's the Golden Dogs. It's got yelping vocals, pummeling start-stop verses, and a quirky breakdown with some goofy sounding keyboard leads. Once these fireworks are over, the song ends with a brief, mellowed-out coda. The track comes from this year's Coat of Arms. It's a stellar tune, and not just because the title reminds me of "Kiss Off" by Violent Femmes (I hope you know this will go down on your permanent record).
These Dogs have plenty of bite to back up their bark (sorry, bad metaphor), not to mention an extremely golden publicity picture (left).
MP3: "Permanent Record"
 

Just like yesterday, I'm sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes of my stuff. This time, however, I'm in a different house. I know my move probably isn't interesting to anyone but myself, but it needs to be said—moving in the rain the worst! Thanks a lot, meteorology.
Here's the new single by the War on Drugs. It's part acoustic heartland rock, part dream pop, and sounds a bit like Tom Petty on the beach. Head to Exclaim! to read my story about the band's upcoming upcoming EP.
MP3: "Comin' Through"
 

I'm moving tomorrow, so I don't have time to write much. I'm currently sitting on the floor in my bedroom and eating fries directly out of the pan, since I already packed the plates and I'm trying to finish all of the frozen McCain Superfries.
I've got to get back to packing the rest of my crap, so without much preamble, here's the latest single by No Age. Still punk, still experimental...yup, it's No Age. Everything in Between, which is a really good name for an album, comes out on September 28.
MP3: "Glitter"
 

I hereby renounce anything bad I've ever said about Beach House. Yesterday I saw the band along with Vampire Weekend and Dum Dum Girls, and all three acts totally rocked it. I had been listening to Teen Dream leading up the show, and totally fell in love.
Most people who are interested in Beach House probably know this song already, what what the hell: here's "Norway." It comes from Teen Dream, and it's characteristically moody and atmospheric, mixing lush guitar jangle with tinny keyboards and breathy harmonies.
Go to Exclaim! to read my review of yesterday's show. Also check out my article about Vampire Weekend's $2 million lawsuit.
MP3: "Norway"
 

If you're in Vancouver on September 5, be sure to check out Victory Square Block Party. It's free, and features a killer lineup including the Pack a.d., Apollo Ghosts, Makeout Videotape, Sex Church and more.
Here's the latest single from the Pack a.d., "B.C. Is on Fire." It comes from this year's we kill computers, and trades in the band's usual fuzzy blues punk mayhem for a wash of atmospheric tremolo and hypnotic tribal drums.
If you're not in Vancouver, you can check out the band on tour this September. Head over to Exclaim! to read my article and see the dates.
MP3: "B.C. Is on Fire"