Sweet Sixteen - Think About Life

Sweet Sixteen and you’re on your own,
And your family, family kick you out of the house.
Working part-time at diners, saving money for college,
At least you’re passing with Bs, so it’s no real tragedy.

Montreal based Think About Life released their sophomore album Family back in May of 2009. After trying to determine what this band was all about, the one descriptive word that seemed to reappear again and again was 'fun'. Listen to more at their Myspace.

Sleepwalking - Whale Tooth

For now, we're just sleepwalking through the city,
I know that life won't always be so easy.

In February 2009, Whale Tooth released an EP made up of short and sweet pop songs. All which create a fun energetic sound that's great for dancing.

I like this particular track for the warmth in Elise LeGrow's voice.

Listen to the EP here: http://whaletooth.bandcamp.com/

Heart of the Continent - John K. Samson

As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door,
Just another door that won't open for me anymore,
The exit red gets brighter then blinks off,
Presses me into
The crumpled dark.

I first came to love John K. Samson from Reconstruction Site, an album released by The Weakerthans in 2003. A favourite of many, One Great City! can be found on this album in which John signs about his home town, Winnipeg. The title of this song used to be the city's slogan and appeared on a billboard that could be seen when driving into the city. According to John, this slogan recently changed to Heart of the Continent, so he decided to write a song about it. Hence the title of this song, from his new solo EP City Route 85.

Holly, Ontario - Said The Whale

Holly far from home,
First time on the road,
Drives beside the lake,
For the first time in north Ontario.

Another quieter, but great track off Islands Disappear.

Emerald Lake, AB - Said The Whale

We scratched our names all in a row,
Into a tree, in hopes it would grow,
Into the tallest tree the forest ever would know,
We'd climb up to the top and shout to below,
What a fine life we are living.

Said The Whale!
This track comes off the newly released Islands Disappear, and if you like this track I recommend listening to the whole album. It has everything from soft folk to lively pop rock. From start to finish it tells stories about their hometown Vancouver and other Canadian experiences, which often include mountains, forests, lakes and cold winters. Now I'm tempted brave the cold weather tomorrow and enjoy the snow.

Radio Kaliningrad - Handsome Furs

We all are just waiting for,
The futuristic radio slipping,
In the hallway in the sky.
You can wait outside,
You can wait outside.

I wish I had listened to this album earlier.

Face Control was released last March by husband/wife duo Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry. I was always a fan of Wolf Parade, mostly because I like Dan Boeckner's voice. But he gives us so much more to love on Face Control. Also worth listening to is All We Want, Baby, Is Everything.

Another great Canadian release of 2009.

When I Get There - Graham Wright

And when I get there,
Will you smile,
and greet me like an old friend,
Or act confused,
And just pretend that nothing ever happened?

This track is from The Lakes of Alberta, an EP released by Tokyo Police Club's keyboardist Graham Wright. With a low-key acoustic sound and lyrical references to the Alberta landscape, Wright has created a nice mellow album for a winter's night.

The Lakes of Alberta can be downloaded for free here.

I Can See Your Tracks - Laura Veirs

Oh I can see your tracks,
But I won’t follow them,
I’ll just hope for rain,
Or some kind of crazy wind,
To erase them,
And chase them into oblivion.

Laura Veirs, a signer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon, will release her new album, July Flame, on January 12th via her own Raven Marching Band Records. With a unique voice and powerful sound, Laura has put together a much anticipated album.

Lowiza - The Lovely Feathers

She wonders: Jimmy, Jimmy, are you sexual?
(Jimmy) just a dog, (Jimmy) just a cat.
Jimmy doesn't know. Can't you hear people sigh?
Won't you know they're wrong? Can't you hear them sigh?

I love the variation of melody and energy in this track. And its strange lyrics.
Quirky indie-rock exactly how it should be.

I saw the Lovely Feathers live in Kingston this week and was impressed by their performance. They were opening for Hey Ocean! and by the end of their set a sweaty dance floor had formed and left most people in need of a break and a cold beer. It was hard to resist moving to their catchy obscure sound.

The Lovely Feathers are a Montreal based foursome, and are currently writing the follow-up to this year’s Fantasy of the Lot.

Ohio - Damien Jurado

Out from my window across from the city,
I have what's considered a good view.
Two blocks from the subway, three from the fountain,
Where I walk to break in new shoes.

A classic Damien Jurado song off Rehearsals for Departure, released back in 1999.