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Archive | July, 2013

Making Noise: Jane’s Party + We Are the City

Jane’s Party, enjoying their spare time modelling and consuming Squishees.

Jane’s Party

Jane’s Party has surged onto the Canadian Music scene, with their second album Hot Noise being released earlier this month. The Toronto based foursome has been able to create their own sound of laidback piano/guitar riffs accompanied by some great sounding harmonies. Some of the tracks you’ll want to check out by these guys include the lead single from Hot Noise, “Til You Got Yours”. The song has to be about relationships with lyrics like: “Well I go out of my way, to woo you with the things I sing”. This song is a catchy little number and has been a staple on the CBC Radio 3 charts for weeks now, even before the album came out in early June.

They made a big impact in the city during NXNE. Playing three shows, with one a surprise set at their label Arts & Crafts’ headquarters on Queen Street. They packed the little room, adorned with huge black-and-white photos of Arts & Crafts artists like Dan Mangan, Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene, and Feist, just to name a few. It only set the ambiance for the evening. The boys played a great set with the room bobbing like a wave to their slick jams and passersbys couldn’t help but stop and peek through the windows out front.

Another track, “Hot Noise Pt. 1”, features one of these laidback bluesy piano/guitar songs. Again, another track that brings together the talents of the band, as well as showing the the boys’ love for the city where they come from.

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We Are The City, displaying the three stages of indie rock facial hair.

We Are the City

Cayne McKenzie, Andrew Huculiak, and David Menzel hail from Kelowna, B.C., and have been making music together since 2008. With the release of their sophomore effort Violent (also coming out earlier this month), We Are the City makes their return with another solid album. Cayne (lead vocals/guitar/piano) and Andrew (drums) have gone through the departures of other band members, yet have maintained their excellent songwriting and tight-knit sound. Being able to actually take in one of their live shows is also a treat. The band consistently brings a tremendous amount of energy and effort while performing on stage, whether it is a packed house or a few regulars at the bar.

The single that can definitely be heard right now on CBC Radio 3 is “Baptism”. It’s a melodic track that puts Cayne’s piano and vocals on full display. The track is a bit of a stretch from their earlier tracks like “Happy New Year”, which is an extremely heavy, riff-filled track that can easily get anyone in the mood to party and rock out.

The boys also put together a 26-minute long film for their entire High School EP. To put it simply, it’s a masterpiece. It something to check out for sure if you like amazing cinematography, and also want to check out their first EP.