Five Songs You Must Download
Kudos to crankygeek for starting this meme and thinking of the idea of using You Send It to facilitate the process! Anyhow, my music taste is a little odd, a lot indie, and quite all over the place, so it was hard picking five songs, but here goes... a mix of old favourites and new addictions. Most of y'all will probably hate most of this, because it's nothing like what the rest of you seem to listen to, for the most part, but whatever. Unfortunately, they're all crappy Windows Media Audio files instead of mp3s, because Nero was being crappy and kept crashing my computer for some reason.
Symphonic by Emm Gryner - Emm is a friend of my sister's who has been a favourite on the Toronto indie scene for quite a few years now. She was signed to Mercury Records and released Public, which was quite successful, on the label before Mercury fell prey to label mergers and Emm ended up dropping them/getting dropped (depends on whose story you want to believe) in the process. She's released several albums on her own indie label, Dead Daisy Records, since, and this song is off her latest, Asianblue. I lurrrrve Emm to bits, and this song is one of my faves, despite being quite a bit more poppy than the stuff I usually listen to.
The War on Drugs by the Barenaked Ladies - Despite my mostly indie tastes, if I had to say who my favourite artists of all time were, BNL would definitely make the Top 5 list. They are just such awesome, talented, intelligent artists, and I will say that technically, they still go with my indie music love, since I've loved them since their dorky indie-band-from-Scarborough days. This song, off their latest album, Everything to Everyone, is a taste of their serious side.
Mary by Sarah Slean - Sarah is another friend of my sister's who tore up the T.O. scene for awhile before being signed to quite a remarkable deal with Warner Music prior to the release of her critically acclaimed third album, Nightbugs. This song is off her brand-new release, Day One, which is one of the most fascinating albums I've heard in years. It's more a cabaret rock-opera than the pop-rock album it claims to be, and while it took me awhile to get used to after hearing the stripped down, less processed versions of most of the songs on it live in concert over the last two years, I now can't stop listening to it, particularly this track. It's an acquired taste, especially for those brand-new to Sarah's music - give it a few listens before passing judgement.
American Spirit by Crescent & Frost - I first heard Crescent & Frost at a tiny concert at the sadly defunct C'est What in Toronto. They were last-minute additions to fill a bill of a show my sister was promoting and hosting, and everyone who heard them that night instantly fell in love with their music. It doesn't hurt that Maryann and Dan, the duo behind C&F, are the most charming, adorable musicians you could ever hope to meet. I'm not generally into the whole country-bluegrass sound, but these guys are just too good to resist.
We're Gonna Be Alright by Danny Michel - Danny is yet another one of the familiar faces on my city's bustling music scene, and this song, from his second album, In the Belly of a Whale, kicks ass. Plus, Danny is hilariously adorable and I <3 him muchly.