andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

The best way I can describe Spiral Beach’s music is “ghoul punk”. Yes, that’s ridiculous, but I stand by my claim. Considering how young the members of this band are, they have an impressively well-developed sound and style. Spiral Beach puts on one of the craziest live shows in Toronto, and their recent album “The Only Really Thing” is a great listen. Check out our interview and hop on the bandwagon.

For those of you under 20 years of age, there used to be these crazy things called VHS and Vinyl. VHS were these tapes that played movies and all sorts of video, in machines hooked up to your TV. Vinyl were these big discs which contained music that you played on something called a record machine. Sadly as Emily told Jordan, her newest projects, Hannah Montana The Movie will not be available on VHS and her newest album will not be available on Vinyl. Ah well.

Martina Sorbara’s music career has been like one one-night-stand after the next.

The lead singer of Electro-Pop group Dragonette has been involved in many projects – both as a solo singer and in group settings – but she has yet to be part of a follow up album – until now.

Dragonette’s second album Fixin to Thrill, was released last month, and Sorbara’s feeling of the album’s completion is sublime.

“It’s a huge deal for me,” Sorbara, 31, tells andPOP. “Just putting out a second album is kinda like a milestone. I just think that every time we finished a song, that was a big high point for myself.”

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Free music is sweet. Forty-four free brand new Smashing Pumpkins songs is even better. Frontman Billy Corgan revealed news on his website last week that the band will be releasing their new, enormous album via free downloads in a series of releases starting this October.

Though the songs are part of an album called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, they will not be released in a bundle. Instead, the song will begin popping up on the website around Halloween and 11 four-song “mini-boxset” EPs will be released to the public. Once all 44 songs are up, a full box-set will be assembled. These boxsets will be available for sale, in some cases with exclusive demos attached.

Corgan has always been something of a maverick in the way of online music, beating Radiohead to the punch when he released Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music for free back in 2000, Pitchfork reports.

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If ‘alt.country’ (as the kids call it) is ‘your jam’ (as the kids call it), then look no further than Cuff the Duke. I’ve been a fan of these boys for years, and I’m really impressed by their latest LP, Way Down Here. The footage in this video is from their in-store performance at Criminal Records in Toronto. Check out www.myspace.com/cufftheduke to hear more of these good Canadian kids.

We remember meeting Cascada a couple of years ago when she was not quite as big, but we do remember her being hot and very friendly. The same remains except she now rules the dance charts with her latest release “Evacuate The Dancefloor”. What did we learn from this interview? The key to being on the road according to Cascada is Red Bull.

Well perhaps saying they don’t care what you think is a little bit of an exaggeration. However Young Galaxy has been doing this so long that they are making music that makes them happy and proud. If you like it, great. If you don’t that’s completely cool with them also. I sat down with them to talk about the past, the future, and their newest release “Invisible Republic”.

Note: See the bottom of this article for a free download from Amos The Transparent, plus their new video!

Most bands don’t go from recording their debut in a bona fide studio to tracking the next release in their drummer’s mother’s basement. Or at least not of their own will. But that’s exactly the unlikely order of things Amos the Transparent have chosen, and it’s turning out to lead them along a favourable path.

After hefty studio bills the first time around and struggling under time restraints, the band decided to go easy on themselves for the next record. They split time between lead singer and mastermind Jonathan Chandler’s home and the basement of Chris Wilson’s mother while she was away in Florida, and rather than setting a deadline, they got together sporadically over what ended up being a nine-month period.

And so was born their sophomore EP, My, What Big Teeth You Have.

Chandler credits the laissez-faire approach to a better product, an album worthy to come on the heels of their acclaimed debut, Everything I’ve Forgotten to Forget. And one that has qualified the band for a Verge Artist of  the Year nomination against nearly every heavyweight Canadian act out there. (Think: Feist, Tegan and Sara, The Tragically Hip, etc.)

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The Dodos! This was an interview that I was extremely excited for. The two-piece (now a three-piece) is releasing their highly anticipated album, “Time To Die,” this fall. Last year’s album “Visiter” garnered a great deal o…f praise for its aggressive – albeit beautiful – tunes. It was great to chat with the band and hear all about their upcoming album, and I’ve also included some video of their set. Check out myspace.com/thedodos if you like what you hear.

One of the most successful Canadian bands in recent memory is back with their fourth studio album, Billy Talent III. Do they feel any pressure with this album given the multi platinum success of their other releases? And what do they think about today’s record business? Jordan found out.