Roosevelt - Montreal

YouTube recommended this song to me once. Turns out I do like it ... clever algorithm. Well, it wasn't suggested because I like any of the same artists from Roosevelt's label (Greco-Roman). Nu-disco's a train I been on before ... let's go for another ride ... choo choo mf'r. Relatedly, they are considering opening a high-speed rail line between Toronto and Montreal so ... there's that.

"Montreal" by Roosevelt from their 2013 EP Elliot

Lykke Li - I Never Learn

Really like the tense atmosphere created by the unrelenting acoustic broken up by the melodic instrumental bridge. The album version isn't cut-up like in this video but the important parts are in this video.

"I Never Learn" by Lykke Li from her 2014 album I Never Learn

Lucius - Dusty Trails

Josh introduced me to this song ... he likes it a lot. Josh and Derek both seem to like country stuff. I wonder how that preference came to be. Well, I like this too. Things don't and won't always work out but we should always remember the importance of persistence. Success sometimes need to be  built upon the smoldering ruins of our past failures. That alone should never dissuade us.

"Dusty Trails" by Lucius from their 2016 album Good Grief (live version from KEXP, album version has better mixing but can't seem to find a version on YouTube)

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

Speaking of movies, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I really do have to thank Lost In Translation for wildly affecting the course of my musical preferences. It gave me my first exposure to MBV thereby sowing the seeds of my subsequent and current preoccupation with shoegaze and dream pop. "Just Like Honey" was also another song that really stood out to me in that movie.

"Just Like Honey" by The Jesus And Mary Chain from their 1985 album Psychocandy

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

I recently subscribed to i'm cyborg but that's ok on YouTube. The person mixes songs with movie clips. Not a particularly novel concept but, in this case, I find s/he pairs them to good effect. It helps that I dig a lot of music s/he uses, not to mention the periodic feature of HK films.

"Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order from their 1986 album Brotherhood set to Chungking Express from 1994

King Krule - Dum Surfer

New King Krule video. Haven't listened to him since "Noose In Jah City" back in 2011 (I think it was his first 2011). Really digging like lo-fi jazzy hip hop style and actual instrumental breaks, dam son.

"Dum Surfer" by King Krule from his 2017 album The OOZ

HONNE - Warm On A Cold Night

Has not been a particularly warm summer. So, I guess this song is still relevant. Interestingly, the video has been up since 2014 but the album didn't come out until 2016. I appreciate HONNE's soulful warmth and the elements, that are for me, reminiscent of Daft Punk's Discovery album. The wrastlin' was also well done.

"Warm On A Cold Night" by HONNE from their 2016 album Warm On A Cold Night

Leif Vollebekk - Elegy

Quiet weekend ... woke up early ... went to get a haircut but David's on vacation ... of course. Well, nothing to do but chill out for a bit. ...though I appreciate the video is set during dusk ...and that the lyrics are about mournful retrospection. Uh ... ... ... whatever.

"Elegy" by Leif Vollebekk from his 2017 album Twin Solitudes

Slowdive - Star Roving

Slowdive was a thing before my time but they sure were there to get me through many dark confusing moments. I got their album before summer and have been listening to it once in a while. MBV and Slowdive really eased me into the whole shoegaze dream pop thing ... and those two genres have really become core attributes of my musical preference. The beauty of their music for me has been its uncanny ability to permeate into the crevices of my head and, for a brief moment, drown out all those meddling voices yammering on and on about the day's trials and tribulations.

Of course I was hugely excited when I had first heard of the new Slowdive album earlier in the year (first album in 22 years, who wouldn't be). And, of course, I was hugely disappointed when I found out their show in Toronto had been sold out way long ago (Japanese Breakfast opening for them also a respectable combo move onto my overall hype, well played).

A part of me actually was shying away from listening to the album and watching live performances. "What if I didn't like their new stuff" "What if I got sick of it and this was the last time they'd release something as a group" ... thoughts like were probably subtly slithering in my subconscious. That wouldn't be the first time I would've reacted that way (still haven't watched Wet Hot American Summer stuff on Netflix). Well, that's neither here nor there ... I'll figure out that part of me sometime.

Back to the actual music, unfortunately, my favourite songs from the album have not been uploaded onto (or perhaps not retained on) YouTube. Don't get me wrong ... "Star Roving" is great ... I just have this very obvious weakness to female vocals so clearly a prominent Rachel Goswell song is something I could never turn away from (*ahem* ... "Everyone Knows"). Here's a link to "Star Roving". Honourable mentions from the album include "Slomo", "Don't Know Why", "Everyone Knows".

"Star Roving" by Slowdive from their eponymous 2017 album Slowdive

(Thanks, Slowdive)

Makthaverskan - In My Dreams

Well, let's continue our Petal-related post-chain. Wasn't expecting to see the name Makthaverskan under the same label as Petal (Run For Cover) but here they are, releasing their third album, III (out October 20th). I liked a few songs from their last album, II, like "Drömland" and "Asleep" ... it's looking like I'll probably like parts of III too. (2013 feels like a while ago.)

"In My Dreams" by Makthaverskan from their upcoming 2017 album III

Slingshot Dakota - Break

Was looking up what Petal had been up to, saw she went on tour in the UK with Slingshot Dakota. Hadn't heard of them before so I looked them up. It's nice, so is some of their stuff.

"You" by Slingshot Dakota from their 2016 album Break