Five Star Songs: Frightened Rabbit- Swim Until You Can't See Land

Finally caught Scottish indie pop band Frightened Rabbit in concert the other night even though this is the third time the group has played Toronto in the last couple of years. Both of their earlier shows at The Mod Club and The Phoenix sold out quite quickly and it was tough to get tickets. This time the show did not sell out and the vacuous venue The Kool Haus looked only half full. The band played a lengthy 1 hour 45 minute set made up of songs form all of their albums and EPs, not just songs from their recent LP Pedestrian Verse.  They even reluctantly played their biggest hit, the celibacy celebrating song "Keep Yourself Warm" even though singer Scott Hutchinson stated that at the beginning of the tour that they were not going to play it.

One song I was disappointed they didn't sing was "Swim Until You Can't See Land", my favourite track off of The Winter Of Mixed Drinks LP. The track can be interpreted as a redemption song for someone who is trying to forget the past. It's a song that anyone who has ever ended a relationship or hit hard times can appreciate, especially if they are trying to overcome that adversity. Listen to the track below:

New Music: Toy- Join The Dots

Usually at this time of year any new song releases or new album news are few and far between. Autumn is a time for the major blogs and music magazines to get their year end lists together and it is rare for them to preview new music unless it is for a 2014 release. There are always exceptions of course, and this year the UK psych band Toy have announced a late year release that will certainly make some people wait to put out their "best of" lists for 2013.

Toy only released their epic self titled debut a year ago and now they have already returned with the follow up, Join The Dots, which is scheduled to be released on December 10th via Heavenly Recordings. Listen to the monumental eight minute title track below:

New Music: Anna Calvi- Suddenly

Looking forward to Anna Calvi's new album One Breath, which is out this week via Domino. "Suddenly" is her latest single, a track that shows off her powerful singing voice like no other song has done before it. Anna may be shedding the comparisons to P.J. Harvey and inviting new comparisons to Florence Welch. Listen below:

New Music: Brendan Canning- Bullied Days

"Bullied Days" is a serenely beautiful track from Broken Social Scene member Brendan Canning's new LP You Gots 2 Chill. The song features Daniela Gesundheit, lead singer of fellow Toronto band Snowblink. Listen below:

You Gots 2 Chill is out now.

Five Star Songs- Asobi Seksu- Walk On The Moon

So sad to hear that dream pop/shoegazer band Asobi Seksu have announced they are going on indefinite hiatus. The group made the announcement on their Facebook page last week by posting "Thanks for all the memories guys. Hope to make more down the line. We miss you all.” which left fans thinking they were breaking up. However, they later clarified their statement by writing “Saying goodbye for the forseeable future, but we may write for Asobi again in a couple of years…” (Ironically, the last thing the band did was release a cover of Japanese sludge metal band Boris's song "Farewell.") 

Let's hope that they get plenty of rest in the next couple of years and that they come back even stronger.

"Walk on the Moon" is my personal favourite Asobi Seksu song. The track is taken from their 2004 debut self titled album.

New Music: Elephant- Shapeshifter

Last February we were introduced to London indie pop duo Elephant via their masterful, soaring song "Skyscraper". After a quiet few months the couple have just come out with their latest track "Shapeshifter", a song where singer Amelia Rivera commands "take me to your room" despite the fact she is in a bad relationship. The song has an air of nostalgia that is paired with modern day dream pop. Listen below:

New Music: The Forest & The Trees- Putting Down The Gun

Here is another in a long line of Swedish bands to bestow us with indie pop greatness. The Forest & The Trees are set to release their second album some time in the near future. Meanwhile, listen to their new single "Putting Down the Gun" which hopefully be part of the new LP.