Down By the River - Giant Hand

Oh I swam too far,
I can't turn back,
If I stop I'll drown
And I'll never get to go back.

In 2008, Kirk Ramsay decided he wanted to pick up a guitar and write folk music. Today he has a full length album titled Coming Home and has opened for acts such as Handsome Furs, Ohbijou, Human Highway, Bruce Peninsula, Timber Timbre and Azeda Booth.

I saw Giant Hand last week when he opened for The Acorn at the Grad Club in Kingston. On stage he is enjoyable to watch and his songs show vulnerability and honesty. His unique voice shines on the new album, making it a great choice for mellowing down to.

Listen to more at his MySpace.

When People Go - Craig Cardiff

Please find a friend,
Have a drink and go home.
Take them into your heart,
Tell them how much you need them.
Go to bed and goodnight, go home.

Craig Cardiff is a Canadian folk musician from Waterloo, Ontario. Last week I saw him perform in Kingston and was presently surprised by how wonderful he was.

Everyone at the show crowded around the stage with pints of beer in hand, and some people chose to sit on the floor creating the cozy atmosphere encouraged by Craig. Craig prefers an intimate show and asked everyone to be silent and turn off their cell phones. When he started to play, his beautifully melodic sound had the crowd's unwavering attention. Craig's music is simple, honest and genuine. His performances are full of emotion and he holds nothing back as he sings about love, loss, the questions around religion and its impact on the day-to-day. His songs will break your heart and then pull it back together.

Craig's mature, polished performances are a clear result of ten years of touring and producing his own music which includes 12 albums. With only an acoustic guitar and loop peddles, I was surprised by how captivating Craig was on stage. I was also overjoyed about his invitation to sit on stage when we discovered there wasn't much room left on the floor. If Craig comes back for another show I will definitely be in the crowd and I think you should be too.

Find out more about Craig's albums by visiting his website: http://www.craigcardiff.com

Fighting Against Your Lungs - Aidan Knight

I met you at the border cross and,
Gave up kisses like a winter's frost,
Long shoulder in your overcoat,
I seen your eyes through a mouth of smoke.

I saw Aidan Knight last week when he performed at one of our student pubs. He was wonderful live and I loved his entire set. Check out his new album, Versicolour.

You can stream and download his whole album here: http://aidanknight.bandcamp.com/

Already Yours - Bahamas

Well I always said don't mind me,
But your love always seems to find me,
It's always creeping up behind me,
I was never yours.

Bahamas is a Torontonian named Afie Jurvanen, who has put together an album with a wonderful soft sound. Jurvanen and his roommate at the time, Robbie Lackritz, recorded Pink Strat in a cabin in rural Ontario. Many of the songs were saved up over a period of 5 years of touring as part of Jason Collett's band, and then Feist's band.

However Jurvanen is now writing for himself and giving us the dreamy folk tunes found on Pink Strat.

You can listen to more on MySpace.

I'll Never Leave You - Rogue Wave

These bottles and stones,
We collected from our shows,
We could line them one by one.

This album is Rogue Waves's follow up to 2007's Asleep At Heaven's Gate. Their new release, Permalight, came out this week and is an album full of indie pop wonder. Take a listen for yourself, it's worth it.

You can stream I'll Never Leave You and the rest of the album below:

The Loneliness and The Scream - Frightened Rabbit

Am I here?
Of course I am, yes,
All I need is your hand,
To drag me out again.

Today Frightened Rabbit released their third studio album entitled The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The new album is powerful, dramatic and full of emotional vocals. I really believe this album outshines their previous work. They sound as if they have found themselves as a group and discovered where they fit into the music scene.

The new album is certainly different from past releases, but it's a positive move forward where their sound will appeal to more people. After the release of this album it will be hard to keep Frightened Rabbit as one of indie music's best kept secrets.

You can listen to more from thier album on MySpace.

Heavens to Purgatory - The Most Serene Republic

We're such plants - oxygen, xylem, phloem - in the wrists,
pumps to the greed of your delusion
to a blind knowledge of sight from fall chosen from spring.

This song comes off The Most Serene Republic's third album ...And the Ever Expanding Universe. I love the classic catchy pop sound of this particular track. The album has a sound that's open and free, proving the group isn't afraid to have fun with their words, vocals and performances.

This song also has a cool music video you can watch here.

World Sick - Broken Social Scene

We got a minefield of crippled affection,
All for the borrowed mirror connection,
That's why I'm leaving this spoken protection,
I'm a romance addict so that I can confess that.

Last week, Broken Social Scene released the first song, World Sick, off their forthcoming album. Forgiveness Rock Record is due out May 4th and will be the first album we've seen from BSS in five years. No wonder everyone is so excited. I personally can't wait either.

You can download the new song here: http://www.brokensocialscene.ca/

The High Road - Broken Bells

Cause they know, so do I,
The high road is hard to find,
A detour in your new life,
Tell all of your friends goodbye.

Broken Bells consists of Danger Mouse and James Mercer, a pair many were not expecting to see collaborating. James Mercer is well known as front man of The Shins while Danger Mouse, or Brian Burton, is one half of Gnarls Barkley. They came together in 2008 and almost two years later a self-titled album is set for release March 9th, 2010. The contrast in past musical styles of both artists has created a rich multilayered sound that is hard to categorize.

When Burton was asked to describe the kind of music he produced, he responded with, "Is this rock? Is it soul? Is it something else? I don't know, but I do know we did something great." This perfectly describes my feelings for this album. Look for its much anticipated release next week.

Listen to more at their website: http://www.brokenbells.com

Growing Younger - Michou

We were drunk, and yes those words were said,
I took them too close to heart,
But we've been working backwards,
From the end back to the start.

I hope that we don't grow apart.

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to catch a live performance by Michou, an indie pop/rock band from Windsor, Ontario. They performed in Kingston at our student pub to a laid-back crowd that was mostly unfamiliar with their music. Before their set, Michael Hargreaves went around and passed out samples of their new album, Cardona, which is currently available on iTunes and set for release later this month. I was excited to see these guys live and I thought they put on a fun, energetic show. They also looked and sounded great on stage, as if they have been doing this for years.

The band has come a long way since their debut EP in 2007, and recently have been receiving more of the attention they deserve. Their music video for Growing Younger is currently at number three on the Much More Music countdown and they were asked to open for Dashboard Confessional at the Kool Haus on March 18th. Hopefully we’ll continue to hear good things from these guys in the years to come.

Watch and vote for their video here: Much More Music Countdown