CHMA Charts, week ending June 26, 2007

CHMA Charts, week ending June 26, 2007

*1. Jim Bryson - Where the Bungalows Roam (Kelp)
*2. Dog Day - Night Group (Black Mountain Music)
*3. Nich Worby - Oh, how? (Ford Plant)
*4. David Myles - Things Have Changed (Little Tiny)
*5. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock (Maplemusic)
*6. Entire Cities - Centralia (Independent)
*7. Superfantastics - Pop-Up Book (Independent)
*8. Peter Mansbridge and the CBC’s - Love in the Country Songs (Independent)
9. The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me (Universal)
*10. The Financial Group - Goldmining (Independent)
*11. Old Man Luedecke - Hinterland (Black Hen)
12. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
*13. The Ghost is Dancing - The Darkest Spark (Sonic Unyon)
14. Calvin Johnson and the Sons of Soil - Calvin Johnson and the Sons of Soil (K)
*15. Sleepless Nights - S/T (No Scene)
*16. Km Barlow - Champ (Jericho Beach)
*17. Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up (Endearing)
*18. Ghettosocks - Get Some Friends (Droppin’ Science)
*19. Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away (Last Gang)
*20. Dick Morello - RCPMRIEFTMAS (Independent)
*21. Port City All-Stars - Mish Mash (Independent)
*22. Bonshah - The Mighty Mastadon (Deadbeats)
*23. David Trenaman - Success! (Independent)
*24. Barmitzvah Brothers - The Century of Invention (Permafrost)
25. The Clientele - God Save the Clientele (Merge)
26. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
27. Los Campesinos - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Arts and Crafts)
*28. Shotgun Jimmie - The 6000 True Stories of Love (Independent)
29. The White Stripes - Icky Thump (Universal)
*30. Tokyo Police Club - Smith (Paper Bag)
*31. Wax Mannequin - Orchard and Ire (Infinite Heat)

* denotes Canadian content.

Charts compiled by Mark Brownlee, Music Director.

CHMA charts, week ending June 19, 2007

Hey Everyone, Entire Cities wrestled top spot away from Feist this week in support of their show here at George's Fabulous Roadhouse this past friday. Dog Day moved itself up with their excellent latest release, and great new releases from Elliott Smith and The National also cracked the top ten. Peter Mansbridge and the CBC's and Jim Bryson also continue to do well in support of their upcoming shows here this week.

Here it is:

CHMA charts, week ending June 19, 2007
*1. Entire Cities - Centralia (Independent)
*2. Dog Day - Night Group (Black Mountain)
*3. Feist - The Reminder (Arts and Crafts)
*4. Code Pie - The Most Trusted Name in Yous (Flagless)
5. Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers (Nonesuch)
6. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
7. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
*8. Ohbijou - Swift Feet for Troubling Times (Independent)
*9. Peter Mansbridge and the CBC’s - Love in the Country Songs (Independent)
*10. The Choir Practice - S/T (Mint)
*11. Les Petits - The Mighty Song of Antlers EP’s
*12. Jeff Healey - Among Friends (Stony Plain)
*13. Sarah Hallman - S/T (Busted Flat)
*14. Jim Bryson - Where the Bungalows Roam (Kelp)
*15. Shapes and Sizes - Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner (Asthmatic Kitty)
*16. The Ghost is Dancing - The Darkest Spark (Sonic Unyon)
17. The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me EP (Universal)
*18. Immaculate Machine - Fables (Mint)
*19. Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me (Maple Music)
*20. Carolyn Mark - Nothing is Free (Mint)
*21. David Trenaman - Success! (Independent)
*22. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness (Domino)
*23. Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up (Jagjaguwuar)
*24. Yellow Jacket Avenger - We Are Geoffrey Pye (Independent)
25. The Clientele - God Save the Clientele (Merge)
*26. Miracle Forttress - Five Roses (Secret City)
27. Battles - Mirrored (Warp)
28. The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies (Merge)
29. The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters (Fat Cat)
*30. Living With Lions - Dude Manor EP (IDefine)
31. Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it Races EP (Polyvinyl)

Charts compiled by Mark Brownlee, music director.

* denotes Canadian content

Have a great week and watch out for the floods,

Mark

Sunday June 24: Living With Lions, The Chorus Leaves, Joel Carr and his Schmacket Smatchers, Shotgun Jimmie

matinee rock show at George's Fabulous Roadhouse. Vancouver's Living With Lions headline, playing their unique of melodic brand of pop-punk, not unlike a skate-board video. takes me back to my high school days. also playing will be a cornucopia of local artists, from rockers The Chorus Leaves, to the folk rock of Joel Carr, to former Shotgun & Jaybird-er Shotgun Jimmie, who has planted himself firmly in between the two (not literally, of course). things get going at 4:00 PM, and are all-ages.

Friday, June 15, 2007: Entire Cities, Nich Worby, Nathan Richards

tonight at George's Roadhouse (the first one in a while), Entire Cities play their brand of raucous country indie-pop, complete with seven different members on seven different instruments. Nich Worby will (probably) be playing a solo set of his unique brand of indie-ified jams, and local guitar stalwart and legend Nathan Richards opens up. don't worry folks, he can play guitar better than he can hit a baseball. things get going at 10:00 and they also cost $5. checkkkk it.

CHMA 106.9 FM CD Review: Battles / Mirrored

Artist: Battles
Album: Mirrored
Rating: 4.5/5
Label: Warp Records



I guess, in retrospect, it’s about time somebody reinvented math rock. And who better to do it than a band whose members include someone who played a major role in inventing the genre in the first place.
Starting from revolutionary beginnings in Don Caballero, math rock was soon to be found in pretty much every basement or indie rock club this side of Halifax. Suddenly, it was the fun-loving, undepressed way for indie rockers to have a good time without slowing everything down to 30 beats per minute and singing lyrics wrapped in pretension and literary confusion. Math rock quickly became the populist indie rock: anyone could play it who wanted to (not everyone did), and it was pretty hard for those on the sidelines not to get into the sheer intensity of it all.
However, this is where things started to get a bit iffy. I once heard Jeremy Gara, formerly of the now-defunct Ottawa math band Weights and Measures and now of indie rock superstars/reinvention postter boys, remark that what held his side project together was the sheer intensity of each member when performing. While it was impossible not to marvel at this, math started to sound the same. As great as intensity was (and it really was refreshing in indie rock), it didn’t seem to make up for the other end of the music; the creativity side.
Thus did Battles become formed. Boasting a former member of Don Caballero, the band makes use of all the elements that made math what it is, but there is something clearly different going on here. The frame is still there, but there is something altogether original and evolutionary about Mirrored.
Here, the band makes use of keyboards on almost every song, and often trades in intensity for artistic creativity, without betraying the fundamental principles. Nevermind the fact that it makes for a less accessible listen.
This is something that those in math rock and beyond will be listening to, not to mention drawing influence from, for years to come.

Standout Tracks: 9, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now Playing on CHMA 106.9 FM.

CHMA charts, week ending june 12, 2007

Hey Everyone, not one, but two hip-hop artists actually cracked the top ten this week! Surely a CHMA first. Apart from that Feist's dominance continues unabated. As well, Code Pie (who have released an excellent record), rose near the top to number two this week. A lot of great records on (and off) the charts this week.

In addition, I seem to be having trouble entering these into !earshot this week. Anybody else experiencing something similar?

CHMA Charts, Week Ending June 12, 2007
*1. Feist - The Reminder (Arts and Crafts)
*2. Code Pie - The Most Trusted Name in Yous (Independent)
3. Herman Dune - Giant
*4. Bonshah - The Mighty Mastodon (Deadbeats)
5. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
6. Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers (Nonesuch)
*7. Stephanie Hardy - Brand New Skin (Independent)
*8. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness (Domino)
*9. Abdominal - Escape From the Pigeon Hole (Do Right)
*10. Jim Bryson - Where the Bungalows Roam (Kelp)
*11. Immaculate Machine - Fables (Mint)
*12. The Superfantastics - Pop-Up Book (Independent)
*13. Old Man Luedecke - Hinterland (Black Hen Music)
*14. Ghettosocks - Get Some Friends (Independent)
*15. Dog Day - Night Group (Black Mountain)
*16. Jenn Grant - Orchestra for the Moon (Paris 1919)
*17. Peter Mansbridge and the CBC’s - Love in the Country Songs (Independent)
*18. Various - Friends in Bellwoods Compilation (Out of this Park)
19. Mavis Staples - We’ll Never Turn Our Back (Anti-)
20. Peter, Bjorn, and John - Writer’s Block (V2)
21. Yukon - Mortar (Terra Firma)
*22. Various - You and Yours: Burnt Oak Records Compilation (Burnt Oak)
*23. Sarah Hallman - S/T (Busted Flat)
24. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
25. The Clientele - God Save the Clientele (Merge)
*26. The Choir Practice - S/T (Mint)
27. Los Campesinos - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Arts and Crafts)
*28. Joel Plaskett - Ashtray Rock (Maple)
*29. Woodem Stars - People Are Different (Sonic Unyon)
*30. Young Galaxy - S/T (Arts and Crafts)
31. Battles - Mirrored (Warp)

* denotes Canadian content

CHMA 106.9 FM CD Review: Les Petits / The Mighty Song of Antler EP's

Artist: Les Petits
Album: The Mighty Antlers of Song EP’s
Label: Saved by Radio
Rating: 3/5

Across an expanse of acoustic guitars and little else, Les Petits manage to weave an intricate web of shimmering and atmospheric folk-pop songs. At times gentle and drony, The Mighty Antlers of Song EP’s stands on the brink between folk-pop brilliance and epic instrumental. At times, the sparse instrumentation gets instrumentation gets annoying, and with a number of songs clocking in at or below one minute, and with no song over 4 minutes, there is little depth to this ten-song full-length, a combination of two EP’s. It is only when the two main participants are joined by a band, such as with “Boy Before the Woods (it’s a prequel)” that Les Petits really get the chance to show themselves off. Still, there’s plenty more on offer here than the depth of this release would initially suggest.

CHMA charts, week ending June 5, 2007

*1. Feist - The Reminder (Arts and Crafts)
*2. David Myles - Things Have Changed (Little Tiny)
*3. Laura Peek and the Winning Hearts - From the Photographs (Just Friends)
*4. Malajube - Trompe L’Oeil (Dare to Care)
*5. Dog Day - Night Group (Black Mountain)
*6. Wooden Stars - People Are Different (Sonic Unyon)
*7. Peter Mansbridge and the CBC’s - Love in the Country Songs (Independent)
*8. Various - Friends in Bellwoods (Out of this Park)
*9. Shotgun & Jaybird - Trying to Get Somewhere (Sappy)
10. Jonas Bonnetta - Farewell to Harmony (independent)
*11. Superfantastics - Pop-Up Book (Independent)
*12. The Constantines - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)
*13. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness (Domino)
*14. David Trenaman - Success! (indie)
15. Maria Muldaur - Naughty Bawdy and Blue (Stony Plain)
16. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic)
*17. Al Tuck - My Blues Away (Independent)
*18. Rich Aucoin - Personal Publication EP (Independent)
*19. Jim Bryson - Where the Bungalows Roam (Kelp)
*20. Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up (Endearing)
*21. Jenn Grant - Orchestra for the Moon (Paris 1919)
*22. Shapes & Sizes - Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner (Asthmatic Kitty)
*23. Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars - S/T (Sappy)
*24. Handsome Furs - Plague Park (Sub Pop)
*25. Young Galaxy - S/T (Arts and Crafts)
*26. The Phonemes - There’s Something We’ve Been Meaning to Do (Blocks)
*27. Financial Group - Goldmining (Independent)
28. Peter, Bjorn, and John - Writer’s Block (V2)
*29. The Acorn - Tin Fist EP (Paper Bag)
*30. The Ponys - Turn the Lights Out (Matador)
*31. Code Pie - The Most Trusted Name in Yous (Independent)

* indicates Canadian content