Graham Preston Bids Farewell, Toronto(pia)!
Music for the week of May 19-26
Toronto is not an easy city to love, especially if one is from the west. The self-absorption, arrogance and sense of entitlement usually strikes outsiders as somewhat odd, if not completely off-putting. But, beneath this self-important veneer, there is, quite simply and perhaps surprisingly, an amazing indie arts scene—a sort of more supportive Montreal scene but without ubiquitous poutine—which has begun to receive notice from around the world, including a pair of features in the New York Times. Just completed an MA in English at the University of Toronto and now heading back west within days, Graham Preston of Regulate the Voice reflects back on some lesser-known bands and artists that are now emerging to lead the charge for Torontopia. ![[Tyee]](https://thetyee.ca/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
- Band:
- Song:
- Description:
-
Ostensibly, Final Fantasy is a one man band consisting of Owen Pallett who is best known for arranging the strings on the Arcade Fire's now-classic Funeral LP, as well as his work with Toronto staple The Hidden Cameras. I say ostensibly because on his newest record, He Poos Clouds, Pallett enlisted the services of a string quartet among other musicians as well as expanding the overall sound world of his music through the inclusion of instruments such as the harpsichord, an organ, an accordion and various percussion. “Many Lives -> 49 MP” features Pallett’s typically intricate arrangements combined with his distinctive vocals, literate lyrics and knack for melody.
- Album:
He Poos Clouds
- Label:
- Notes:
-
Final Fantasy appears on the cover of this month’s Discorder magazine, which features a FF article and interview by Tyee Music Picks contributor Quinn Omori.
- Band:
- Song:
- Description:
-
Toronto probably has the largest hip-hop scene in the country but one of its major problems is its lack of a distinct identity. Instead, many emcees come off as bad imitations of their New York counterparts. Mindbender does not suffer from this identity crisis. In the first few bars of this song, he establishes his own singular persona and then proceeds to drop all sorts of cultural references while basically narrating a somewhat twisted love story and concurrently paying tribute to Toronto. Eternia, Toronto’s best female emcee by far, provides the hook. This song is from 2004 and I, for one, am looking forward to his next record.
- Album:
Beautiful Mutant
- Label:
- Notes:
-
Read an interview with Mindbender here.
- Band:
- Song:
- Description:
-
Multiracial and coed band The Bicycles are perhaps the group that best reflects the multicultural face of Toronto. They play a form of twee-pop which relies heavily on 1960s bubblegum music yet still sounds fresh and relevant in 2006. I saw them open for Saturday Looks Good to Me a few weeks ago and The Bicycles completely upstaged the headliners with their brilliantly energetic live show and immediately likeable stage presence. Their first record (which they’ve been working on for years) comes out later this month.
- Album:
The Bicycles (out May 30th)
- Label:
- Notes:
-
The Bicycles perform in Vancouver on May 30th, opening for The Boy Least Likely To at the Plaza Club.
- Band:
- Song:
- Description:
-
MSTRKRFT are Jesse F. Keeler from DFA 1979 and Final Fantasy. Instead of DFA1979’s head-crushing, straight-ahead destruction crew approach, MSTRKRFT employ a more consciously dance-oriented sound. It’s as if Daft Punk found themselves lost in the narrow streets of Kensington Market and, instead of finding a way back to Paris, they decided to take root there and create some seriously infectious dance music for the masses.
- Album:
- Label:
- Notes:
-
Check out the Easy Love video here.
- Band:
- Song:
- Description:
-
Sometimes you just cannot listen to skull-smashing beats and rhymes and you need to turn to something relatively simple, effective and affective like Harmony Trowbridge. Her songs are stripped-down folk and it is in this simplicity that Trowbridge’s unique voice soars. She has been compared to everyone from Joanna Newsom to Joni Mitchell but, after seeing her play a short set a couple of days ago, I am convinced that she has a voice of her own which eschews comparison and stands on its own.
- Album:
Amoraphobe EP
- Label:
- Notes:
-
Harmony plays Vancouver on May 28th at the Railway Club.
What have we missed? What do you think? We want to know. Comment below. Keep in mind:
Do:
Do not: