Winter Music Mix

Final post of the year.....

Last October The Aural Report made an Autumn Music mix that was so popular that we just had to do it again. With winter starting today and Christmas around the corner it is a good time to throw up a bunch of songs on the blog that celebrate this time of year. Listen below:

Aztec Camera- Walk Out To Winter

Belle & Sebastian- Winter Wooskie

Holly Golightly-Hear My Call, Here

Au Revoir Simone- Fallen Snow

Broadcast- Winter Now
(R.I.P. Trish Keenan)

Bruce Springsteen- Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out

Ohbijou- Black Ice

The Head and The Heart- Winter Song

Galaxie 500- Listen The Snow is Falling

Fleet Foxes- White Winter Hymnal

Efterklang- Cutting Ice To Snow

Joni Mitchell- River

Beach House- I Don't Care For The Winter Sun

Tamaryn- Choirs of Winter

Yeasayer- Wait For The Wintertime

Steve Miller Band- Wintertime

The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl- Fairytale of New York

Real Estate- Snow Days

Neil Young- Winterlong

The Raveonettes- The Christmas Song

Sufjan Stevens- Sister Winter

The Walkmen- While I Shovel The Snow

Mazzy Star- Flowers in December

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- 15 Feet of Pure White Snow

Greg Lake- I Believe in Father Christmas

Feist- The Water 
(Full Music Video directed by Kevin Drew and featuring Cillian Murphy)

SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR!!!

New Music: Saint Lucia- September + Music Video

Last new music post of the year so we might as well finish off the year dancing to up and coming Brooklyn act Jean-Philip Grobler, aka Saint Lucia. I missed this song when it was released last September, so luckily the artist just put out a new video for the track. Watch and listen below:

September is the title track from Saint Lucia's September EP which is out now. Saint Lucia is also working on a new album that is being produced by former Pumpkin James Iha. Watch for it sometime early in 2013.

For fans of Cut Copy, Tanlines, Penguin Prison.

Metz Visit BTR Live Studio

Watch: Toronto noise punk trio Metz recently dropped by BTR Live Studio show "Serious Business" for an interview and a featured performance of the track Headache from their recently released self titled LP.

The new self titled album from Metz is available through iTunes, Amazon or check your local record store.

Five Star Songs: The House of Love- Destroy The Heart

The great British 80's post punk band The House of Love announced via their Facebook page on Thursday that are reuniting and releasing a new album titled She Paints Words in Red in either in March or April. If you don't this band, they came out with four genius records in the late eighties and early nineties before infighting tore the group apart in 1993. The House of Love were a John Peel favourite and in 1988 their single Destroy The Heart was voted single of the year in the iconic BBC DJ's Festive Fifty. The single was originally put out on 12" and was not part of any album.

The House of Love recently re-issued their self titled debut album in November on Cherry Red Records. The deluxe super edition is a 3CD set and you can find both the original and a live version of the track Destroy The Heart on the second disc. Check your local record store for the album, or if your lucky the original 12" of the single, or buy from Amazon.

Listen: House of Love-Destroy The Heart

Looking forward to the new album.......

Watch: Kate Bush Christmas Special

It's that time of year again. The networks bring out all of the cheesy festive television specials, from people like Michael Buble´ and Russell Peters, that have enough schmaltz to make you want to puke up your egg nog. Luckily over the years there have been rare holiday specials for people with more refined tastes, such as Johnny Cash, and in Britain the one and only Kate Bush.

The Kate Bush Christmas Special originally aired in 1979 right after the singer first made it big with her hit Wuthering Heights. The weird thing about the show is that it rarely mentions Christmas and instead features Bush singing a lot of her album tracks, dancing with freaky characters plus one special guest, her really good friend Peter Gabriel who sings Here Comes The Flood. Click on the link to watch on YouTube:

Kate Bush Christmas Special

Bonus: Kate Bush singing The Man With the Child in his Eyes on a 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live.

Kate Bush - The Man With The Child In His Eyes (09Dec78) Vidéo MOB666 sélectionnée dans Musique

New Music: Parquet Courts- Stoned and Starving

Brooklyn band Parquet Courts are odds on favourite to be one of the big buzz bands of 2013. The other day they re-released a fun little song titled Stoned and Starving that has some of the best post punk guitar work of recent memory. The track is reminiscent of the great post punk bands of the late 70's including Television and Wire. An extra bonus from me for name dropping the yummy candy Swedish Fish into the lyrics of the song. Listen below:

The track is taken from the album Light Up Gold which is out now on Dull Tools.

New Music: Cemeteries- Young Blood

Cool new dream pop from Buffalo New York artist Kyle J. Reigle, who goes by the name of Cemeteries. The goth sounding song Young Blood is accompanied by a similarly gothic music video which finds an addled young person walking around a forest near a house seemingly lost in the world around him. Watch and listen below:

The track is taken from Cemeteries The Wilderness EP which is available now via Lefse Records.

For fans of Besnard Lakes, Wild Nothing.


Cemeteries - Young Blood from Alessandra Hoshor on Vimeo.

New Music: Foals- My Number

I was going to post Foals latest song, My Number, last night in one of the many, many lulls of last night's somewhat boring 12/12/12 concert , but when I went to stream the song the bastards had reset the YouTube clip to private. Does 24 hours make a difference? Apparently so, since every other music website and blog have already posted the song during the day, which now makes me late to the game. (Some people...like me.... have real jobs during the day). The groovy, funky break up song is less grungy than Inhaler, the first single from the new album, but it is definitely more danceable.

My Number will appear on Foals new album Holy Fire which will be released on February 12th via Warner.

New Music: Majical Cloudz- What That Was

Nice electropop single from Montreal artist and Grimes collaborator Majical Cloudz, aka Devon Walsh. Listen to What That Was below:

From the Turns, Turns, Turns EP out now via Merok/Arbutus

For fans of Grimes, Diamond Rings.

New Music: Ra Ra Riot- When I Dream

Ra Ra Riot have released a second track from their forthcoming new LP Beta Love. A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to the band's new sound in the form of the title track from the new LP. When I Dream follows the same formula as the first single, in that Ra Ra Riot have progressed into more of a dance-y synth pop band. Listen to the track below:

Beta Love will be released on January 22nd via Arts & Crafts/Barsuk Records.

Ra Ra Riot are currently touring North America and you can find all of their upcoming concerts here.

For fans of Passion Pit, Yeasayer

New Music: Cayucas- Cayucos + Swimsuit

California indie band Cayucas are offering up a couple of tracks that make us forget that winter is upon us. The band hails from Santa Monica which is a city that is not affected too much by cold temperatures, so they probably don't care about the weather and can get away with releasing warm sunshine-y songs at this time of year. The group recently signed to Secretly Canadian and they have just released a new 7" single that features Cayucos on the A side and Swimsuit on the B Side.  Swimsuit apparently is a reworking of a track they did when they were known as Oregon Bike Trails. Listen to Swimsuit and watch the video for Cayucos below:

For fans of the Beach Boys, Real Estate

Music Video: Twin Shadow- The Ones (Live at KCRW)

Enjoy an acoustic version of the Confess track The Ones plus an accompanying video. The track was recorded during a recent KCRW session.

Twin Shadow's new LP Confess is out now on 4AD or download from iTunes.

New Music: Beliefs- Catch My Breath + Music Video

Great to see that local Toronto shoegaze band Beliefs are starting to get some buzz. The band is getting some serious blog love including being featured on Gorilla vs Bear and Consequence of Sound.

Catch My Breath is the first single off their debut self titled album. The video for the song shows the band sloshing around in water while they play their waterlogged instruments. It looks like the band have been ship wrecked, but it might just be Toronto's Woodbine Beach, in which case they won't have to go very far before finding civilization. Watch and listen to the grainy video and fuzzy guitar song below:

Beliefs debut album will be out some time in March via Hand Drawn Dracula/Manimal Vinyl/No Pain in Pop.

For fans of The Darcys, Toy, Kestrels.

Live Clip: Guards- Silver Lining

Here is a live clip of Guards playing their new single Silver Linings. The song was recorded back in September at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Guards new album, In Guards We Trust, will be released February 5th via Black Bell.

New Music: City Reign- Retaliate

We introduced you to new UK band City Reign and their single Ahead of Ideas back in October and now the band has released another track from their forthcoming new album Another Step. The beautiful acoustic Retaliate is a poignant song that differs from their earlier 90's American indie inspired Ahead of Ideas. Watch the video below which features scenes of ballroom dancers from old movies, and when you're done download the song for free courtesy of Soundcloud.

Another Step will be available on February via Car Boot Records.

For fans of Oasis, Dinosaur Jr., Yuck

New Music: Dot Dash- Shouting In The Rain

Rainy night here in Toronto. Figured it would be a good time to post the latest song from Washington post punk band Dot Dash which is titled appropriately enough Shouting in the Rain. We first told you about Dot Dash back in October when they released the song and video for The Past is Another Country.

Both songs are available on their new album Winter Garden Light. The CD is available at the band's Canadian record label, The Beautiful Music, or you can download from iTunes.

If you want to learn more about the band there is a great interview with them over at The Vinyl District blog.

For fans of Wire, The dB's

Five Star Songs: Phoenix- Long Distance Call

Looks like French indie pop band Phoenix will be releasing a follow up to the award winning Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix LP next year. I guess lead singer Thomas Mars has got that whole marriage to Sophia Coppola thing out of the way and has gotten back together with the band to record the new album. Daniel Glass, head of the band's record label Glassnote, made the announcement at a Spotify event on Thursday that Phoenix had just finished making the LP.

There is a hint at what the new album might be called on the band's website. TPC might be an abbreviation or an acronym for the title of the new LP, but I doubt it relates to a golf tournament with the same name.

Although WAP had some excellent songs and was probably a good pick to win Grammys and other awards, but in my opinion the single Long Distance Call from the band's previous album It's Never Been Like That is the band's best song....so far.  Looking forward to the new album!!!!  Listen below:

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 5 (Songs 14-1)

This list is probably not much different than the umpteen other best of lists out there. However, there are a couple of songs I have included that probably won't appear anywhere else.

If you want to listen to or re-visit the other 60 songs on the list here are the links:

Tracks 75-60
Tracks 59-45
Tracks 44-30
Tracks 29-15

Here we go.....

Top Songs of 2012

14. Prince Rama- Those Who Live For Love Will Live Forever



13. Chromatics- Kill For Love



12. Jack White- Sixteen Saltines

11. Frankie Rose- Know Me



10. Father John Misty- Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

9. Japandroids- The House That Heaven Built

8. DIIV- How Long Have You Known

7. Echo Lake- Another Day

6. Bat For Lashes- Laura

5. Passion Pit- Constant Conversations

4. The Walkmen- Heaven

3. Grimes- Oblivion

2. M.I.A- Bad Girls

1. Beach House- Myth

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 4 (Songs 29 to 15)

More than half way there and almost in the home stretch......

Part 4: (Songs 29 to 15)

29. Spiritualized- Hey Jane

28. Chairlift- I Belong in Your Arms



27. Grizzly Bear- Yet Again

26. Cloud Nothings- Stay Useless

25. DIANA- Born Again



24. Wild Nothing- Paradise

23. Saint Etienne- Tonight

22. Frank Ocean- Sweet Life



21. Tame Impala- Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

20. Killer Mike- Reagan 

19. Purity Ring- Obedear



18. The Shins- Simple Song

17. Alabama Shakes- Hold On

16. Cat Power- Sun

15. Grimes- Genesis


Stay tuned.....on Sunday December 9th the Top 15 will be revealed.

New Music: Shout Out Louds- Blue Ice + Music Video

Not to be outdone by their fellow countrymen and similar sounding band The Mary Onettes, The Shout Out Louds have also announced a new album to be released early next year. The LP will be titled Optica and the first single, Blue Ice, with accompanying music video was put out last week. As a promotion The SOL actually gave away 10 free 7" singles which were made of real ice....not sure how that works.

The heartwarming song's video features faces drifting across the cosmos until they end up in Saturn's icy blue rings while diamond asteroids are drifting by through the continuum of space. Watch and listen below:

Optica will be out on February 26th through Merge Records.

The Shout Out Louds will embark on a spring tour which will hit Toronto's Opera House on May 14th. Check your local listings for all dates.

For fans of The Mary Onettes, The Cure, The National.

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 3 (Songs 44 to 30)

We're starting to get to the good stuff......

Part 3 : (Songs 44 to 30)

44. Fiona Apple- Every Single Night

43. Cat Power- Nothin' But Time

42. Hospitality- Friends of Friends

41. Jessie Ware- Wildest Moments 

40. Divine Fits- My Love is Real

39. Tamaryn- Heavenly Body

38. Santigold- Disparate Youth

37. Lower Dens- Brains

36. Jack White- Love Interruption

35. Cat Power- Cherokee 

34. DIIV- Doused

33. First Aid Kit- Emmy Lou

32. The New Division- Night Escape



31. Fidlar- Cheap Beer

30. Sharon Van Etten- Serpents

New Music: Haunted Hearts- Something That Feels Bad Is Something That Feels Good

Indie rock super couple Dee Dee Dum Dum of the Dum Dum Girls and Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles are already figuratively making sweet music together as husband/wife and now they have  literally recorded new songs together under the guise of Haunted Hearts. Their new single Something that Feels Bad is Something That Feels Good has all of the same elements that make their regular bands sound so good, i.e. a great mix of garage pop and shoegaze. Listen below:

Something That Feels Bad Is Something That Feels Good" b/w "House of Lords" single is out February 5th via Zoo Music.

For fans of Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 2 (Songs 59 to 45)

Here is Part 2 of my favourite songs from 2012.

Part 2: (songs 59 to 45)

59. Allo Darlin'- Capricornia

58. Melody's Echo Chamber- Endless Shore




57. Bleeding Rainbow- Drift Away

56. Cold Cave- A Little Death To Laugh

55. Daughter- Smother

54. Peace- Your Hand in Mine

53. Django Django- Default




52. Chromatics- Lady


51. Death Grips- Get Gone

50. Still Corners- Fireflies 

49. Vinyl Williams- Harmonious Change

48. Savages- Flying To Berlin



47. Cvrches- The Mother We Share



46. Beach House- Lazuli

45. Widowspeak- Ballad of the Golden Year

New Music: Girls Names- Hypnotic Regression

Northern Ireland post punk band Girls Names have just released a second track off of their hotly anticipated new LP The New Life. Hypnotic Regression is a little more jumpier than the earlier released album title track which was over seven minutes of doom and gloom. Listen to the new track below:

The New Life will be out on February 26th via Slumberland Records.

For fans of Beach Fossils, Peace, Echo & the Bunnymen

Bleeding Rainbow Visit BTR Live Studio

BreakThru Radio (BTR) is a website devoted to spotlighting new up and coming talent and empowering DJs to pick and play their own music. One of the great programs they have on BTR Radio is a show called BTR Live Studio. The show is hosted by Maia McDonalds, a successful musician and DJ, and each week she invites a new band into the studio for and interview and a jam session. This week's episode features Philadelphia indie fuzz rock band Bleeding Rainbow. Watch the episode below:

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 1 (Songs 75 to 60)

It's that time of the year again....time for year end best of lists. Aural Report is proud to present a five part series featuring my Favourite Songs from 2012. This was a great year for music and this inaugural list of 75 great tracks reflects what I feel is the best of the best.



Part 1-Songs 75 to 60

75. Tashaki Miyaki- Tonight

74. Hot Chip- Night & Day

73. Richard Hawley- Down in the Woods

72. Eternal Summers- You Kill

71. Magnetic Fields- Andrew in Drag

70. King Krule- Rock Bottom

69. Crystal Castles- Plague

68. Ringo Deathstarr- Rip

67. Woods- Size Meets The Sound



66. School of Seven Bells- Secret Days


65. Ariel Pink- Only in My Dreams 

64. Toy- Lose My Way

63. Charli XCX- You're The One

62. Bear in Heaven- Sinful Nature

61. Trailer Trash Tracys- Candy Girl

60. Electric Youth- The Best Thing

New Music: Beach Fossils- Careless

No rest for the wicked.......I am assuming that Zachary Cole Smith is just about to wrap up his first stint with side project DIIV so he and Beach Fossils leader Dustin Payseur can fully concentrate on promoting their just announced new album.

Brooklyn dream pop act Beach Fossils have just announced a new album, which will be titled Clash The Truth and to prepare us for the release the band just put out the first single, Careless. Totally psyched about one of the tracks on the album, In Vertigo, which has a cameo by Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino. The album is produced by Brian Greenberg of the Men and will be released via Captured Tracks on February 19th.You can hear Greenberg's influence on the new track as it has a little bit more muscle than their previous work. Download the song below:

Meanwhile, DIIV will be playing The Phoenix in Toronto on Tuesday December 11th with Japandroids. This is sure to be the end of year drunken blow out concert that this city deserves.

For fans of DIIV, Cloud Nothings

Music Video: Her Vanished Grace- Fade Away

Here is a new music video from Aural Report dream pop favourites Her Vanished Grace. We told you about this band way back in September when we featured their excellent album Star Crossed.  The U2-like album track Fade Away, now has a music video that features the band hanging around downtown New York as the daily rat race speeds around them. Listen and watch below:

For fans of U2, Ummagma.

New Music: Scott & Charlene's Wedding- Epping Line

New lo-fi indie rock courtesy of Australian Craig Dermody, who musically goes by the name of Scott & Charlene's Wedding. The simple heart-felt guitar song, Epping Line, was recorded with the help of fellow down under musicians Twerps . The track is featured on the album Para Vista Social Club which is out now via Critical Heights Records. Listen to the song below:

For fans of Christopher Owens, Stephen Malkmus

Goodbye Rob Ford (Five Star Songs: Girls- Big Bad Mean Motherfucker)

It was a great week in Toronto for people who like accountability in politics. Our incompetent mayor was finally ousted from office over a conflict of issue where he voted on a matter that concerned him paying back money he improperly solicited on city letterhead. That was just the latest in a series of fuck ups and stupid ideas that this man has concocted over the two years he has been in office. The list of idiocracy is quite long and includes things like scrapping bike lanes, shunning gay pride festivities, and missing council meetings to coach high school football. I won't even go in to the things he said and did before he became mayor. You can read a funny sarcastic piece in Vice Magazine regarding Ford's political career.

He does have a small chance to get reinstated on appeal, but lets hope the Divisional Court does the right thing and deny his chance to get back in office. Other then that he will probably run again in the next election (or by-election) and hopefully he will lose by a landslide. Even if Ford does lose the election, unfortunately it will probably not be the last time we here from this idiot.

Here is a song with a title that best describes the man.

Girls- Big Bad Mean Motherfucker