Imaginary Cities are celebrating the release of the band's second album, Fall of Romance, on this very day. The band, featuring the core duo of Rusty Matyas and Marti Sarbit, has expanded their sound to add orchestral pop and baroque stylings, and jazzy touches to their soulful indie pop. You can stream the whole thing at CBC, Exclaim!, or Paste.
Album Trailer 1
Album Trailer 2
Album Trailer 3
Bells of Cologne
Bells of Cologne
You can get a free mp3 of Chasing the Sunset by handing over your ever-so-precious email address below.
Chasing the Sunset (Live at the Ballroom in Winnipeg)
May 28 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake (Canadian CD release party)
May 29 – New York City, NY @ SubCulture (US CD release party)
June 11 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
June 12 – Waterloo, ON @Starlight
June 13 – Montreal, QC @ Club Lambi
June 14 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
June 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands, Northside Festival
June 18 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage
June 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milk Boy
June 22 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Festival
June 25 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
June 26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
July 13 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 31 – Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
Some smartypants smart-aleck smarticle-particle suggested Scrunchy the Yak should support Imaginary Cities. Huh?! He can't mean this blog, I was telling folks how Imaginary Cities were one of my faves back in January of last year. The guy musta been talking about someone else. Don't know who Scrunchy the Yak is, but it sure is a dumb name.
Anyhow, here's more Imaginary Cities for ya. Still good, ep now available in the U.S., the band just hit SXSW. IC don't sound like any Winnipeg band that I have have ever heard, or actually any Canuck band - it's pretty hard to be original these days, but Marti Sarbit and Rusty Matyas have accomplished it, don't ya think?
Everyone's got a best of the year list. Sorry, not here. But you do get a bunch of music that I loved in the past year (some of which may have been released prior to 2010, I don't care), some of which I've blogged about already, and some of which I didn't get around to sharing with you. So here it is, Part Four (and of course by This Year I mean last year).
One thing I listened to a lot is various stuff from captains dead. The guy who blogs under the psychedelic skull with the vinyl halo doesn't try to dazzle with words, just speaks his mind briefly and lets the music do the talking. And singing, whispering, screaming, humming, crying, and so on. Guided by Voices, Twilight Singers, The Replacements, Matthew Sweet are mixed with newer acts I've come to love like Ox. No hipper-than-thou vibe here, the same tunes and artists hyped on every other blog won't be found here, but oftimes a rock combo you don't expect shows up.
The Dodos'Fables is not a new song, in fact their new album will be out March 15, but it's still rattling around my head.
Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles'The East Wind threw quickly-strummed percussive acoustics at us, added snappy drums, topped it with a tasty twangy guitar line, then layered on some more shimmery, shaky sounds (I know not what, exactly), covered it with a short, sharp chorus that may be the catchiest in Downie's repertoire, and ended up with a shivery, danceable radio hit. Or a drunken sea shanty for landlubbers and pirates alike. Huh.
Adam Franklin and Bolts of Melody gave us the sublime Yesterday Has Gone Forever (from the album I Could Sleep for a Thousand Years), which nods back to his days fronting shoegazers Swervedriver, but also winks at Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque era, too. Get it free by going to his site. Beauty.
'Nother cool blog Herohill put together Herohill and Oates, which ain't Christmasy at all but is all about artists (mostly Canadian?) covering Hall and Oates. Scruffy faves Brian Dunn and Ox contributed tracks.
Saw some lukewarm reviews for the Freedy Johnston single Don't Fall in Love With a Lonely Girl, but it's prime powerpop to me. Get it free by going here.
La Roux might be the artist most unlikely to be suggested by Scruffy, but that chorus is the catchiest thing going, acoustic or not.
Music Ruined My Life is a meticulously-researched, impassioned blog, mostly about artists of yesteryore, but sometimes featuring newer troubadours. More punk than you can shake a stick at, more power-pop than you can eat at once, still managing to unearth hard to find boots or rare treats from Springsteen, Dylan, Strummer, Graham Parker, Billy Bragg, DOA, Jerry Jerry, Jason & the Scorchers, Elvis Costello, and so on. Consistently one of the best blogs out there.
The Soft Pack. C'mon! I still haven't decided if I like the band name The Soft Pack, but I definitely enjoy the hurry-up-and-get-down vibe, and the chorus says it all. Two minutes thirteen seconds of fuzzy energy and crashing cymbals bliss, who needs Red Bull?
Call Superchunk's Digging For Something a comeback if you want, it's even more hooky, well-produced angsty lovable yelps. Dancin' on the propane tank, indeed. Oh oh oh!
So there you have it. Honourable mentions go to Hanson for their cover of Radiohead's Optimistic, Jason & the Scorchers return with Moonshine Guy, The Afterbeat's Unity, Alex Gruenberg's Hey Katy Hey, and Luke Doucet's The Ballad of Ian Curtis. If you didn't like anything Scruffy recommended in this series of four posts, you are in the wrong place. Go print out the yak at the top of the post and get your crayons out, there won't be anything for you here. If there was anything for you, feel free to leave a comment, that's what the comments section is for, and my dogs appreciate it.
For 2011, Scruffy's looking forward to (or hoping for) new R.E.M., Sons of York, The Cars, Scott Nolan, Urge Overkill, Apex Manor, Crooked Fingers, Buffalo Tom, Quinzy, Robyn Hitchcock, Rupert Hine, Wilco, Matt Epp, Ox, JP Hoe, Pixies, and The Watchmen. Okay, so we'll probably never see the last two, but I can still hope.
mp3s will be posted for a limited time and are for promotional purposes only. If you like it, buy the albums, go to the shows, buy the t-shirts - support the artist so they can keep on keepin' on. Artists - if you would like an mp3 or video removed, please contact me directly at chrisyakchart@hotmail.com.
If you've got something Scruffy should hear, same email. Snail mail is cool too.
Scruffy the Yak 34 Allenby Cres Winnipeg Mb R2C 3J4
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