Live: the Rural Alberta Advantage

On Thursday night I went to see current indie darlings the Rural Alberta Advantage at Zaphod’s. I only started listening to this band earlier in the week. I had heard about them when they won first place in i heart music’s annual ‘Hottest Band in Canada’ poll (clearly I haven’t mentioned this poll 8 times already … this time I am not providing a link). The Rural Albert Advantage based out of Toronto, but originally from Northern Alberta, is lead singer and guitar player Nils Edenloff, glockenspiel player, keyboardist and back up vocals, Amy Cole and percussionist Paul Banwatt. After signing with Saddle Creek Records, they recently rereleased their debut album, Hometowns. For some reason I went to their website, instead of going straight to the CBC3 Artist Profile page and of the two songs that you can listen to, I chose Don’t Haunt this Place which is an adorable song and, as I would come to learn, easily the strongest track on the album. Okay, enough background – on to review.

The show opened with Winchester Warm, an indie-folk duo that are from Ottawa. Unfortunately, I was running late and missed some of their set but they seem like a pretty sweet band. I had hoped to pick up some merch, but with an album coming out, potentially in the spring but possibly not until summer 2010 they did not have anything for me to spend money on. They were the type of laid back, pretty and thoughtful sounding music I enjoy listening to when I am on my own reading or at work.

Following Winchester Warm was Toronto’s Great Bloomers. These guys were a rollicking good time, playing fast, energetic college rockabilly in a solid 45 minute set that had even the most dance-averse hispters (myself included) dancing along to their songs. It’s not really my favourite type of music – but these guys are technically sound – even harmonizing their vocals in one of the last tracks. I would definitely check out this band if you get a chance, just because they are so much fun to watch.

Finally, a little after 10pm, the Rural Alberta Advantage hit the stage to what was by that point a full house at Zaphod’s. The buzz for this band has been intense, and people were out to see what’s what. People crowded the stage to feel that much more intimate with the relatively quiet three piece band and I had to work hard to maintain my position near the front of the stage, pretty much right in front of Banwatt and Cole. After all that, I hate to say I was a little disappointed. I was all ready to jump on this Canadian indie bandwagon, but when it comes down to it – the Rural Alberta Advantage is just, well they are just not that good. It pains me greatly to say this but Edenloff’s vocals are irritatingly nasally; even the tracks on the album where he sounds fine such as Don’t Haunt this Place and Sleep All Day were hard to listen to live. Worse than that, all the things that seem adorable and creative when I was listening to the album were ruined by Cole’s uninspired attitude and compounded by the fact that she has no musical ability whatsoever. In the end, I think that the RAA has real potential and being on the road nonstop for the next few months will help a lot, but ultimately, they need to spend a little more time in their rehearsal space.

Check out the bands:
Winchester Warm – http://www.myspace.com/winchesterwarm
Great Bloomers – http://www.myspace.com/greatbloomers
the Rural Alberta Advantage – http://www.myspace.com/theraa

The Rural Alberta Advantage

These guys (and gal) are playing a show at Zaphod’s tomorrow night and this is one you don’t want to miss. Okay, maybe I have said that before but the RAA were recently voted Canada’s Hottest Band (at the previously mentioned i heart music poll) by a panel of music bloggers and journalists and you can pretty much count on them showing up all over top ten lists for the next few months so you should definitely check them out before they get really big.

What do they sound like that they are capturing hearts and swaying indie hips all across the country? Well, they manage to sound like a five person band while only really being three people. They remind me at once of local band Jetplanes of Abraham, Death Cab for Cutie and just a little bit of Wolf Parade.

Show starts at 8pm at 27 York St with openers Great Bloomers and Winchester Warm. Not entirely sold? Listen to my favourite track of RAA’s latest release.

Sorry to be so lazy, I will post a download if I write a show review but for now it is time for me to get my dinner on!

Best Canadian Artist of 2009

It’s that time of the year again – no, not Christmas (although some stores have their decorations out already, what happened to the rule of Remembrance Day?) – it’s the time of year when every music writer participates in making and voting on lists to determine to the best artist of the year. For my first list of the year, I participated in i heart music’s ‘Hottest Bands in Canada 2009′. You can check out his list here and now that the results are available, you can read my entire list below.

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10. Broken Social Scene – BSS definitely made my list because of their Harbourfront show in Toronto this past summer. A show that I will be kicking myself for a long time for missing. A show I missed because I knew they were playing another free gig in Ottawa the next night. Anyways, BSS has been one of my favourite bands for a long time and 2009 saw them expanding their vast Arts and Crafts label as well as encouraging other artists in unconventional media (in relation to the band) such as literature in ‘This Book is Broken’ and film with the forthcoming ‘This Movie is Broken’.

9. k-os – In 2009 k-os released his fourth studio album, the optimistically titled ‘Yes!’ which included singles ‘Burning Bridges’ and ‘I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman’ (definitely a candidate for best song title of the year). In support of the new album, he went on a cross Canada Tour called the ‘Karma Tour’ where he took his passion for getting his music to fans one step closer by having fan donations instead of selling tickets for his shows. k-os has demonstrated an amazing commitment to Canadian music and to Canadian music fans and for those reasons he belongs on a list of top ten Canadian Artists of the Year.

8. Bedouin Soundclash – The guys put out a solid EP and mostly spent the year touring, including a bunch of gigs where they opened for No Doubt. While ‘When the Night Feels My Song’ and ‘St’Andrews’ were huge hits for them, I know they could become more popular outside of Canada with more exposure and touring with a band such as No Doubt will help with that.

7. K’Naan – This is the fourth artist whose 2009 release is their second release and the third album that made the Polaris short list. I had originally been dreading listening to Troubadour but in the end I was pleasantly surprised at how moving and honest his songs are. Between the Polaris shortlist nod, touring with Jason Mraz and (most impressively in my opinion) having his song ‘Wavin’ Flag’ chosen as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

6. Shout Out Out Out – In the last few years bands such as MGMT and Justice have paved the way for electronic/dancepunk bands. Shout Out Out Out put out their sophomore album this year and toured pretty extensively for it. I would love to see these guys become more popular outside Canada and there is definitely a market for them.

5. Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane is a great album and they made the Polaris shortlist. Need I say more? Okay maybe, but I am just getting lazy at this point. On top of that you’ve already heard my extended opinion of this album from the Polaris reviews.

4. Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker – These guys put on a ridiculous live show (OMG – life sized Bob Marley, Einstein and David Suzuki) and they are definitely having a break out year. They went from having a catchy but slightly irritating single on the radio to being everywhere and having a great song on the radio. So maybe I am biased, but these guys definitely deserve to be on the list.

3. Amy Millan – In 2009 Amy Millan once again steps out of the comfort of Stars to record her sophomore solo album. Masters of the Burial, is a beautiful album that is sadder than the last but equally wonderful. I managed two of her shows this year in the span of just a few months but it was her outdoor show at the Ottawa Folk Fest (a week before her album came out no less) that left me breathless and is the primary reason she ranks so high on my Best Canadian Artist list.

2. Joel Plaskett – Plaskett put out a career defining album this year. I love his all his records, with and without the Emergency but Three is an epic endeavour. I also really loved his Family & Friends tour in support of the new album which saw him performing with Bill Plaskett, maritimers Rose Cousins and Ana Egge and of course, the Emergency. I still think that he was robbed of this year’s Polaris Prize (and after he made the short list for the second time!) so he definitely deserves a nod as the Best Canadian Artist of 2009.

1. Coeur de Pirate – I realize that her album was actually released in September 2008 but 2009 was undisputedly her break out year, especially in the English speaking music community in Canada. She has a beautiful jazz-inspired sound and lyrics that make you think of walking the streets in Monmartre in the summertime – especially the song Berceuse. The saddest thing for me is that I only understand about half of her lyrics and missed a lot of her banter and jokes when I saw her in Ottawa on Canada Day.

There you have it – these are fun to write and I am definitely going to have to catch up on the albums I have been meaning to listen to so I can start working on my top albums for 2009. Speaking of top albums, if you have not already voted, you have just a few days left to make your voice heard in the first round of NxEW’s Canadian Album Hall of Fame, 2009 edition. You can enter your ballot on this page.

NxEW

I have been AWOL that last little while and one of the main reasons, aside from the fact that I am working on grad school applications is that I have been doing research into larger music blogs that I can write for. I realize it seems a little strange for me to start writing for another blog when I hardly update this one with any sort of regularity. I wish I could say that I have some sort of plan of action here, but the truth is, I really have no idea what I am doing. Anyways, I have recently started writing for a blog called North by East West which is a cross Canada collaboration (3 points for alliteration) that I am really excited to be working with.

The main bonus of NxEW is that I am getting my name out there in terms of being someone who is writing about music and on top of that, it will also give me the ability to expand the scope of this blog to include, well, whatever I want to include.

You can read my first article at NxEW here.

Finally, Polaris Results!

Listening to the Polaris Gala on CBC Radio 3 because I can’t get the MuchMusic stream to work which is too bad because it would be nice to actually watch it. I really wish I could be there, but then, who doesn’t?

So far, performances by Metric (acoustic) and Great Lake Swimmers. I have to work early tomorrow morning so hopefully it isn’t too much longer until they announce the winner but I have a feeling all ten bands are going to play.

Next up is Malajube, apparently their favourite band is the Beatles but they would rather share a stage with the Whalers according to the nice people at CBC. Voici, Malajube! Sweet performance. I hate when they ask stupid questions like “Did you ever anticipate a nomination like this?”, how is a band supposed to answer a question like that with any sort of candour? Also, these guys have a crazy French Canadian accent.

K’Naan has the best performance so far although his introduction was super, super awkward.

On to Joel Plaskett Emergency – I love him (and so do a lot of people!), I would definitely be happy to see him win. After this, I need to go to sleep so I guess I will find out the results in the morning.

Woke up at 5am this morning and the first thing I reached for was the internet (that’s right, I have the entire internet in my room) and I actually didn’t believe the first post I read that said Fucked Up had won. After checking three more, I resigned myself to the truth. I have to say, I am a little disappointed (poor Joel!) but I think it is great that the band who won can use the money and exposure, not to mention that they are doing a really cool thing with the money.

Looks like that is it for my Polaris 2009 posts! Let’s see what 2010 brings. Oh and if you are interested in seeing what the best Canadian album (released before 2004) is, check out the geographically impossible blog at North by East West.

Polaris Shortlist Reviews

Here are my thoughts on each of the short listed candidates for the Polaris prize to be given out on Monday night (September 21 at 8:00EST). I’ll warn you and apologize in advance, this post is going to be a the lengthy side.

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Elliot Brood – Mountain Meadows
There are some really great tracks on this record like Write It All Down For You and the Valley Town but there are also several mediocre tracks and I felt like the album, great title aside, was generally a little uninspired and definitely not deserving to win. I just want to stress that I am not saying this is a bad record, but the winner of the Polaris prize should be a record that is an outstanding musical achievement and Elliot Brood does not reach that level.

Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life
This record on the other hand was bad, very bad in fact. Normally I try to listen to things a couple times or at least listen to a few songs more than once, but I was grateful when I realized that I had made it through all ten tracks of the Chemistry of Common Life and would never half to listen to them again. Many journalists/bloggers/people in general have predicted that, the quality of the album aside (they were short-listed so someone likes them), the band’s name will prevent them from winning the Polaris. Although I agree that their name will likely prevent them from breaking into the mainstream in a big way, I don’t think the journalists and members of the music community are going to balk at the name in terms of voting for them. I hate to write reviews that are so negative, but I guess it comes with reviewing a bunch of albums chosen by someone else. If there is one good thing I can say about this record, it is that some tracks have a sense of urgency to them that makes me think they would be better live than in studio.

Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
First listen through and my overall impression is that this is a very pretty record but I need to listen to it again before I can evaluate it on a less superficial level. Second listen through proved that although the record is pretty, it is generally boring. This is the kind of record that is great to study to because it is very minimally distracting. When I listen to the songs attentively, I like them and I get the impression that this band listened to extensively over time could become a band I severely doubt that they will win a Polaris with this album. If you want to check out Great Lake Swimmers, I recommend listening to Concrete Heart which has excellent violin and keyboard tracks and reminds me a lot of Wilco as well as The Chorus in the Underground which has an endearing country twang to it.

Hey Rosetta – Into Your Lungs
I actually picked up this album two or three days after my original post where I planned to review all the Polaris albums. When I turned the album over to make sure it was the band I thought it was and saw that the record was produced by Hawksley Workman, I definitely had to buy it. You may be wondering why, in all this time, I have not bothered to post a review of it. To be honest, I am not entirely sure but I think it came down to me being so entirely torn on how I feel about this album. I really love Hawksley and on some tracks I am positive I can hear him singing (although there is no mention of him providing vocals in the liner notes) and some of the tracks on this record are amazing. I really like I’ve Been Asleep for a Long Time and their single on the radio, Red Heart, (not to be confused with Black Heart). However, after that song the album goes completely downhill. Since I had the actual CD, I had been listening to it on random for about week before I noticed that the entire second half of the album is boring. Really, really boring – if Hey Rosetta had made the second half of the album on par with the first they would have been a serious contender for the Polaris, but in actuality I am surprised they made it to the short list.

K’Naan – Troubadour
I really did not know what to expect when I started listening to this album, I am not generally a fan of rap but I have been following K’Naan for some time on Twitter and I have been amused and pleased at how down to earth he is as well as how connected he is to his fans. My favourite song on this record is Dreamer, I love the lyrics in the chorus and the song is just fun to listen to. That actually goes for the whole record; K’Naan definitely does not sing about the easiest or most upbeat topics as he draws a lot of inspiration from growing up in Wardhiigleey, a gang infested district of Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War regardless listening to his record, you get the impression that he is hopeful about the world and that he was having fun when he was creating this record. One of my favourite lyrics from the record is “My job is to write what I see/So a visual stenographer is what I be” from I Come Prepared.

Malajube – Labrinthes
First of all, I have to own up to the fact that there is a significant lost in translation issue with French bands for me; one of the major aspects that drive my appreciation of music are lyrics and that is totally nonexistent with Malajube. Not that they don’t have lyrics, but that my understanding of them is little to none. With that being the case, all I will say about them is that I loved that one of the songs was called Porté Disaparu which I am fairly certain means ‘disappearing door’ and I really like Dragon De Glace.

Metric – Fantasies
Three of the songs on this record are very popular radio singles, they are all decent songs but way overplayed. Moreover, Metric was in a sense ruined for me a few years ago when I left one of their shows in a rage because their fan base seems to mainly consist of fifteen year old girls who love to scream through a band’s entire set. Neither of these things is Metric’s fault, however I know I am not the only person who has had enough of them being included among the ranks of Canadian indie darlings. There are good tracks on this album like Satellite Minda and Gold Guns Girls but there are also songs like Twilight Galaxy which make me feel like Metric has been writing the same song for years about people telling Emily Haines how to behave and her complaining about the downside of fame, “did I ask you for attention when affection is what I need”. Fantasies is not a Polaris winning album, but I think that their mainstream popularity puts them completely out of the race. The majority of the people who are voting are people who want to see this money go to a band who needs it, Metric is not that band.

Joel Plaskett – Three
Setting out on the odyssey that is Joel Plaskett’s latest album, a triple disc 27 track epic, I find myself wondering why I didn’t write the review for this one when I bought it months ago. In all actuality, listening to it is a labour of love and I could easily write this review without listening to the record again. There are so many great songs on this album, and Plaskett is a lyrical genius. On Through & Through & Through he sings, “I’m the Berlin Wall/ I’m a Communist/You’re a wrecking ball/In a summer dress” actually, every lyric in this song is pretty awesome. I love the whole concept behind this album, three cds with 9 songs each and many of the song titles are the same word repeated three times. This is Plaskett’s second nomination (he also received a nod for 2007’s Ashtray Rock) and I am not sure if that will work for or against him. I would love to see Plaskett win – he has been on of my favourite artists for a long time, he has been a mainstay in the Canadian indie scene for almost two decades now and this is a kickass record. Unfortuantely, the same argument that applied to Metric applies to him – he is pretty mainstream now, he was even in a Zellers commercial (funny enough, Emily Haines shot one of the videos for her solo project in a Zellers) and he definitely has no need for the money or the exposure.

Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane
This is it! Seriously, as much as I love Joel Plaskett – this is a formidable record. Every song is awesome, great lyrics and a cool sound. From Bones of Man, “I felt at peace and alive/Even though the ship was going down”. Lyrically they remind me of the Decemberists because every song tells a fantastic and whimsical story. The record really varies in sound too, moving from the pretty and serene Cries of the Dead to Old Man + the Sea which sounds like it was performed by Neil Young and then to the erratic electronica that closes out the album in Frozen Energon.

Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms
I feel like I am having the same problem with a lot of these records, that although there are a few strong tracks they are rounded out with relatively uninteresting ones. With Patrick Watson’s third effort pales in comparison the (Polaris winning) 2006 release, Close to Paradise. Highlights on this album are the piano track that starts Beijing and the male/female combination on vocals on Big Bird in a Small Cage. The combination of having won previously plus a relatively lackluster record puts them out of the running for this year’s prize.

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If I was voting: Joel Plaskett – Three, runnerup Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane

My Predictions:
1. Chad VanGaalen
2. Joel Plaskett
3. K’Naan – yup, he is sort of in the wrong genre, but he has put out a truly excellent record and I think he is the wild card in the short list.

Tune in tomorrow night at 8pm to CBC Radio 3 who will be broadcasting the whole event live. I think they are announcing the winner around 9:30.

Update on Polaris Reviews

My ambitious goal of writing reviews of all the Polaris short list candidates ended up being impossible to realize partially due to laziness (for some reason, I could never figure out what to write about Hey Rosetta) and partially because I haven’t had time to listen to all of them on account of having a difficult finding them. I picked up Hey Rosetta and Chad VanGaalen and I already had Metric and Joel Plaskett but other than that I haven’t had a chance to listen to much from the short list. Anyways, the nice people at Muchmusic obviously sympathized with my plight (overdramatic much?) because they have made all ten albums available for streaming. Check it out here and come back later in the week for my pick before the winner is announced on September 21.

Amy Millan and Steven Page – Folkfest 2009

With all the big music festivals in Ottawa over the summer such as Bluesfest, Jazz Fest and Chamberfest, it’s easy for a small festival to get lost in the crowd. Folkfest this past weekend stuck to its roots, celebrating an age old tradition with Canadian music icons Bruce Cockburn, Joel Plaskett, the Sadies and many more. With its out of the way location, far into the west end at Britannia Park, and almost no publicity – this is a festival that depends on word of mouth and the people who make a point of attending every year.

I slightly regret my decision to not spend the entire weekend there, however, I did make it to the festival on Friday night to see my favourite female artist, Amy Millan. Most popularly known as the lead singer of Stars, she is just a few weeks away from releasing her second solo effort, Masters of the Burial the followup to 2006’s quietly released Honey From the Tombs. Millan played a short, but excellent set during which I was pleased to see that she did not see it fit to play anything from the Stars catalogue. She talked more on stage during this performance than any other time I have seen her, solo or with Stars – she joked with her band and told the audience about a reporter who wanted to confirm a rumour that she was from Thunder Bay (she isn’t). She played songs from both albums including Skinny Boy, Come Home Loaded Roadie from the older album and Bruised Ghosts, Old Perfdume and a Death Cab cover that will all be on her new album. I have my fingers crossed that she will come back through town once she is on tour to support her new album.

Headlining the show after Amy Millan was Steven Page – apparently I was under a rock when he was all over the news a few months ago, but honestly I didn’t even recognize the name. Luckily, I clued in and realized that he is the former lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies and hung around to enjoy his set. I don’t know what BNL is going to do without him, but he is doing perfectly fine on his own. Besides being generally good humoured about the drug bust and being fired from a band he was the lead singer of for over twenty years, Page proved that he is a talented songwriter and an amazing singer. He played a few songs from the BNL catalogue, including my all time favourite song by the band, Old Apartment as well as Jane, Brian Wilson and a few others. He spent a lot of time talking with the audience, telling us about the horrible weather he faced driving to Ottawa that afternoon, the fact that his kids were with him and about the difficulties of trying to write the chorus that will unite the world. This led to him saying that he had finally come up with that chorus, but my words cannot do its beauty justice. You will just have to go see Steven Page the next time he comes to Ottawa.

With the possibility of rain, I decided against bringing my camera – but you can check out pictures from the entire festival at the Ottawa Folk Fest website. http://www.ottawafolk.org/

Of course, I cannot leave you without a few new songs to listen to – and maybe, one old one too.

Amy Millan – Losin’ You

Amy Millan – I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie cover)

Barenaked Ladied – Old Apartment

Our Lady Peace – Burn, Burn

One of these days I will write about a band that is not Canadian, just not today. Earlier this week, Our Lady Peace released their first studio album in almost four years – the highly anticipated Burn, Burn. Our Lady Peace was one of my first obsession bands, I have seen them two or three times in concert and I own all seven of their studio albums as well as live album released in 2003. In recent years, my relationship with the band has been tumultuous at best – I felt that Gravity presented a much less unique sound than their previous albums, and Raine Maida’s solo project, The Hunter’s Lullaby was truly awful, I remember laughing disparagingly at the clichéd lyrics every time Yellow Brick Road came on the radio.

I like this album, but it’s nostalgic affection more than anything. I miss the days of Clumsy, Happiness … Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch and Spiritual Machines, but there are moments on Burn, Burn when the Our Lady Peace I have always loved shines through. I really love The End is Where We Begin, especially the lyric “If you believe in death, you are certain to die/If you believe in love, you are always alive” and the closing track, Paper Moon is a beautifully crafted song that could have found a home on any of band’s strongest albums. These songs remind me of Our Lady Peace at their best. I was surprised to see that the album clocks in at just under 40 minutes, you would think after four years the band would have more new material but I suppose that could be the result of Maida’s solo effort. One of the things that has turned me away from Our Lady Peace in recent years is Raine Maida’s attitude and it bothers me that on the back of the new album it says Produced by: Raine Maida & Our Lady Peace. Correct me if I am wrong, but I was always under the impression that he was a member of the band …

One other thing I wanted to mention, I was listening to Alan Cross the night before this album came out and he was airing an interview with the band. I thought Maida made an interesting comment during the interview, he told Alan Cross how the band has only recently felt comfortable with the fact that they can make music as a way to earn their livelihood. He goes on to say how grateful he is that they can make music the way they want to without worrying about fan support – basically, that they have such a loyal fan base they don’t feel as if they have to make the same record over and over again. It makes me feel guilty, because although I buy the albums, I am not the fan who will stand by them if I think they are releasing sub par records.

This is all to say that Burn, Burn is a good album, but it’s not a great album and I know OLP can do better. Hopefully they don’t take four years to put out the next one!

I still cannot figure out what to do with my .m4a files which is what they always turn into when I put the CD on my computer so for this entry’s song, how about OLP covering an Alice in Chains song – this is old so you might have heard it, but really good! I love how haunting Maida’s voice can be.

Our Lady Peace – the Needle and the Damage Done

In Response to Greg Ipp

On Monday, Greg Ipp of Unfamiliar Records wrote a scathing blog for the Daily Swarm that has the whole Candian indie music scene talking. You can read it here.

Since I have recently started writing about music myself, I wanted to throw my two cents into the metaphorical pot. For the most part, I definitely agree with Ipp that the bands that are getting the funding are not necessarily the ones who need it and the bands that could really use it are frequently being ignored. That being said, I think that Ipp destroys some of the credibility of his argument when he begins attacking the artistic merit of Metric and MSTRKRFT and referring to them as mediocre just makes him look petty and small. It is true that I am one of the quickest people to insult someone based on their music preference, but what should be remembered when penning letters such as this is that music preference is just that, a preference. Sure, I don’t go to all ages Metric shows anymore because I can’t handle the screaming fifteen year old girls, but their support (both financial and otherwise) for bands is not any less important than the music snobs in their twenties. Although it is important to keep in mind that, in order to maintain or ideally, increase private funding, FACTOR needs to support bands that are nationally or internationally recognized. Still, I think that there needs to be a revamping of the grant system, and I encourage organizations such as VideoFACT and FACTOR to take at their grant giving process. It would be great to see them set up funds that are specifically designed for bands that have sold less than x number of records over their career or other bench marks that will prevent bands like Metric or the Arcade Fire from receiving this support. Anyways, that is my two cents. It will be interesting to see if any representatives from the bodies in question step up and reply to this.

I only recognized one band on the Unfamiliar Records roster, but I really like them so I recommend you check out the Paper Cranes. Definitely listen to Telephone (is that a kazoo???) and I’ll Love You Til My Veins Explode is excellent also.