Download Your Samples Our Obsession here

Squire is a Canadian musician who’s worked with Julie Doiron and Phil Elverum, and reminds me in certain ways, through his voice and the gentleness of his music, of Hayden, though really that’s more of a touchstone than a comparison. Jennifer Kelly does an amazing job of describing him full in her review of his first album March 12, so I’ll dispense with that and rather talk about something that I find genuinely novel in his music…read the full review here

Part Girl – DOG DAY from Seth Smith on Vimeo.

It’s nothing flashy, just 10 concise, crisply tuneful jams that go exactly where they should in subtly ingenious ways, shot through with a keen sense of wit and an audible appreciation for classic songcraft. Some pretty hot guitar playing, too, although it’s not all up-in-your-face about it. You’ll think fondly of Big Star, Guided by Voices, the Buzzcocks, the Who and Tom Petty hangin’ with Jeff Lynne while it’s playing and feel very good indeed about hitting “repeat” when the half-hour is up. Personally, I can’t get enough of “New Decade,” which manages to do something new (again) with the chord progression from “Sweet Jane.” Oh, and the stellar cast of supporting players includes ex-Constantine Steve Lambke, Shotgun Jimmie and all of Kehoe’s old mates from Attack in Black.

http://www.toronto.com/blog/post/704018–a-reason-to-live-marine-dreams-marine-dreams-you-ve-changed

Halifax trio Bad Vibrations was recently touted to me by none other than Seth Smith of perennial Reasons to Live favourites Dog Day as “one of the best bands in Halifax right now.”

Granted, an endorsement from Smith makes a lot of sense since former Dog Day drummer K.C. Spidle (also ex- of notable Haligonian outfits past Husband & Knife and the Hold) makes up one-third of this appealingly grim and assaultive combo, albeit now holdin’ it down at the front of the stage on guitars and vocals. Bassist Evan Cardwell of Secret Colours and drummer Meg Yoshida, meanwhile, serve as the relentless rhythm section propelling Bad Vibrations’ brisk, thick-riffed stoner-punk salvos forward at a determined gallop for the duration of the band’s exhilarating full-length debut, Black Train.

The lo-fi mix of murk, momentum and dour melodicism set to chugging, slightly downtuned guitars here won’t be alien to fans of Dog Day – nor, indeed, to fans of noisy East Coast indie-rock dating back to the late-‘90s onset of Sloan and Eric’s Trip, whose sighing boy/girl harmonies and penchant for weedstruck, mildly metallic psych-rock heaviness have definitely cast a long shadow over the Bad Vibrations oeuvre. Post-shoegazer punk isn’t quite as inescapable as old-time fiddle music out there on the shores of the Atlantic, but over the years there has developed a genuine tradition of this stuff to inherit and uphold for the acts who go looking for it. Bad Vibrations sounds game and more than capable of rising to the task. My new favourite thing.

http://images.toronto.com/images/36/53/9ffac16246ff920330c6ffd58c69.jpeg

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2011/10/09/bop-buddhism-and-looking-for-the-edge-the-jerry-granelli-interview/

Make no mistake: the Golden Seals seem disinterested in being your next smoke-in-the-armchair sort of band, as Increase the Sweetness takes its own prescription for immediate guitar licks, memorable hi-fi pop hooks and some knowing winks along the way. “We could use some education, we could use some thought control,” sings Merritt, giving some humour to highlight ‘The Year Things Fell Apart’’s soft laments. Merritt doesn’t pine for any of Pink Floyd’s ambition, preferring melodic arrangements and identifiable songwriting that pursues a timeless quality reminiscent of Tom Petty, The Cars and, yeah, a lot of Sloan. So clean and uncluttered are these tracks that ‘Woke Up Laughing’ initially feels bizarre with its electronic textures and padded organ; it follows the same less-is-more strategy and eventually feels at home despite bearing a completely separate palette.

A few more left turns would’ve arguably benefited Increase the Sweetness, not only because the record’s already a lean nine tracks but because Merritt, whose work has been covered by a wealth of artists from Sarah Harmer to the Rheostatics, has a proficient resume for shifting gears. The variety Golden Seals lack on this outing doesn’t diminish the strength of their focus and Increase the Sweetness stands firmly as one of the more irresistible choices for carefree, summery guitar rock.

http://theskeletoncrewquarterly.blogspot.com/2011/08/increase-sweetness-golden-seals.html?spref=tw

Many-an indie sensation have been ruined by the fabled “less-is-more” approach, and I dug the 12-inch on Divorce Records and the older full-length on Tomlab. Furthermore, I frankly don’t take disappointment very well. It … dulls me.

Thank god Dog Day didn’t lose It, opting for a template that doesn’t suck up the intrigue like a fiend with a coke straw and raccoon eyes. I guess if The Evens, Mates Of State, The White Stripes and — if you know the ’60s — Friend & Lover could do the male-female duo and make it stick like cooked spaghetti, why can’t Nancy Urich and Seth Smith? Think of it as soft-punk, in a noble way even John Wiese never could have imagined.

All of it would be useless if Urich sucked at drumming and Smith blew when it came to writing riffs and melodies, so let’s not forget how rare it is for new, original indie-rock songs — gutted like a fish no less — to make the penetrative impact these 12 arrow-tips do. I would be just fine with annhialating 50 percent of the shit bands out there just so outfits like Dog Day would be easier to find amid the gaping morass of middling music some of us have to deal with on a daily basis. It gives me the shivers just thinking about the general mediocrity that passes for innovation these days. WHAT’S HAPPENING!?!?! ARE WE ALL GOING TO DIE?

Hopefully. Until then, there’s no point in doomsdaying, naysaying or even soothsaying — just enjoy what you hold dear in this life and buy limited-edition LPs until you have no money left. Then go get five credit cards and charge those bitches to the hilt, yo! You can’t lose, I swear to you.

http://gumshoegrove.com/2011/08/24/dog-day-deformer-lp-fun-dog-records-album-as-art-113/