A little further north

Last time I forayed into Last.fm's radio is was American Indie, this time it's Canadian Indie.

Stars - The Woods



Toronto indie pop. A good start. Though the song is a little mellow for my taste and a little weird in placed. It's a good example of Stars as songwriters though. Definitely would make then warrant more research.

Ron Sexsmith - How on Earth

Another catchy Toronto artist. Feels like one of those future Sun Kil Moon's of the world, though he's not there yet. Nice poppy (but not too poppy), with all the jangly guitars and piano's one would ever need. Lyrics are pretty decent too. Might have to get this album (Retriever).

Mother Mother - Train Of Thoughts

Vancouver this time. Different, interesting, cool. The guitar playing is amazing, the harmonies, pretty awesome. Check 'em out. I can't describe it in words.

The Weakerthans - Plea From a Cat Named Virtue

Nothing too special here. No offence to any Weakerthan fans out there, but it sounds a lot more commecial than what I prefer to listen to (though my last.fm profile might say otherwise). All that being said, it's a decent enough song. Last.fm describes them as folk influenced punk. I'd say more post-punk influcenced rock, but that's just semantics I suppose.

Sam Roberts - Don't Walk Away Eileen



Feels like something from 1970's (in the good way). Even a little Rolling Stones influcence can be heard. It's got a little bit of folk, some blues, punk even that weird sound of Brit Pop in the mid-90's. This I like, and so might you.

Not bad for a 15 minute foray into Canada... Not bad at all.

Today's snaps: Stars by AJ and Sam Roberts by Martin Cathae. Both awesome indie photographers.

Paper Bag Records

When looking for awesome music, it's well know that sometimes it helps to stick to one label. In a somewhat related topic, most Canadian bands are quite awesome as well. So, when we find a Canadian indie label, we've struck indie gold.

Indie labels only sign cool bands, and Paper Bag Records are a fine example. Bands like Broken Social Scene, Tokyo Police Club and Stars have all graced the Paper Bag Records label, but the more obscure ones are usual where to find some awesome.



FemBots are a fine example of indie musicians, performing most of their songs on toys or powertools or whatever happens to be lying around. And they've been playing their toys and powertools for eight years... These guys make awesome music. Also, they're usually found playing as backing musicians for The Weakerthans.

So let's all thank Paper Bag Records, for keeping the indie awesome alive and well. If you need suggestions on how, I hear they like cookies.

Today's fine photo comes from Lenny Wu who "takes photos for enjoyment and being in photos as well."