Never before heard Broken Social Tune Golden Facelift

Broadsheet Music: A Year in Review is a compilation album that seeks to answer the question, "What would 2014 sound like in music?" One of the notable things about this compilation is that it features a previously unreleased Broken Social Scene track from the Forgiveness Rock Record sessions called "Golden Facelift".

The track shows huge dynamic shifts and magical melodies and hooks that BSS is known for. Give it, and the rest of the compilation a listen below, and download it for free from The Globe & Mail. The compilation features lots of other cool Canadian artists like Reuben and the Dark, Brendan Canning, Zeus, Jason Collett, and Fucked Up, along with Canadian Opera Company singers on some songs.

Bloody Diamonds at Cherry Cola's

I caught Bloody Diamonds opening for Little Foot Long Foot's Woman EP release at Cherry Cola's on December 6. I came away impressed with this Halifax duo's songs and performance. Sara Elizabeth's powerful and soulful voice combines beautifully with Jake Seaward's heavy riffs and percussion. They sum up their influences fairly well in their bio, naming acts like Black Sabbath and Band of Skulls. I'm looking forward to seeing this duo again and can only imagine how powerful they would be with a full band behind them.

Here are some tunes that they played at the show, all from their début album They've Got Secrets.

"Twisted"

"They've Got Secrets"

"I'm Not A Machine"

They have some more recent releases on their bandcamp and there are some clips on Youtube. Here's "Monsters"

And their latest tune, "Nightmare"

Little Foot Long Foot: Woman EP release party at Cherry Cola's

I discovered Little Foot Long Foot during Indie Week 2013. I thought they were a fantastic blues/rock band with tons of talent, especially their singer/guitarist Joan Smith, who has a powerful voice and rocks on the guitar. When I heard they had a new EP titled Woman coming out and they were doing a release party at Cherry Cola's, I just had to be there.

Little Foot Long Foot did not disappoint. Their tight set was high in energy and musicianship from start to finish and I don't think I was the only one left wanting more. The tunes are all riffs and emotional vocals, taking classic influences and rolling them up in a unique package. The new EP has made a quick impression on me, coming in at number 9 on my Favourite 25 Albums of 2014, while "Woman" and "Mess" made it into my Favourite 60 Songs of 2014 at numbers 8 and 41 respectively. Of course, Little Foot Long Foot featured on my Top 10 Canadian Bands of 2014, too. Needless to say, I love this band and can't wait to see them again.

They opened with "The Worst" from the new EP and included tunes from their 2009 début Harsh Words, their 2011 album Oh, Hell, their 2013 single Bridge Concerns and of course, more from Woman. Of course, "Kickface", which featured on season one of Orange Is The New Black, was a highlight. At the end of the set, Colin MacDonald, the producer of Woman and singer for The Trews joined the band on stage for the EP's title track. Great set. Great night. Great band.

Now take a listen to this incredibly talented band's amazing music:

"Neko Case Hate Fucks Kurt Cobain" (that's quite a visual, isn't it?)

"Bridge Concerns"

"Kickface"

"Mess"

"Woman"

Video for St. Vincent's Birth In Reverse

Just after I put St. Vincent's brilliant eponymous album on my Favourite 25 Albums of 2014 list and the song "Birth In Reverse" at number 16 on my Favourite 60 Songs of 2014, she releases a cool video for that very song.

It's a cool clip that highlights Annie Clark's guitar prowess. If you get the chance, go see her live because her guitar playing comes across even more powerfully from the stage. As I put it in my post on her show at NXNE, "Her unique phrasing and off kilter but wonderfully brown riffs and sounds makes her a new kind of guitar hero for a new generation of guitarists."

So there.

Best of: Top 10 Canadian Bands from 2014

Another great year for music? Check

Another great year for Canadian music? Check

Here's a list of the 10 awesome Canadian artists that appear on my Favourite 60 Songs of 2014 list and my Favourite 25 Albums of 2014 list.

Public Animal "Careful" and "High Pony"

The Balconies "Boys and Girls", "The Slo" and "Do It In The Dark"

Lowell "The Bells", "Cloud 69" and "Palm Trees"

Little Foot Long Foot "Woman" and "Mess"

Mounties "Headphones" and "Pretty Respectable"

The New Pornographers "Dancehall Domine" "Brill Bruisers"

The Pack A.D. "Big Shot"

The C'Mons "Only Ghost" They're currently on hiatus, but they're one of two great discoveries at 2013's Indie Week (along with Little Foot Long Foot). I love their EP Places and am hoping for great things from them upon their return.

Death From Above 1979 "Trainwreck 1979"

Stars "From The Night"