
Tokyo Police Club
The incendiary energy of Canadian quartet, Tokyo Police Club is electric. We caught up with keyboardist, Graham Wright. Your previous band never quite hit the same heights that Tokyo Police Club already have in a comparatively short period of time. What are the fundamental differences between the two bands? ‘Our last band was a five-piece. Our buddy Will was the lead singer and Dave played bass. The other band was more of an alt-rock kind of band’. There’s a frenetic energy to the TPC sound. Like you guys are always rushing to the next song before the last one barely had a chance to get going. Are attention spans really that short these days? ‘They are. We like to get in and get out!’ What are your enduring memories of recording the debut album, Elephant Shell — was it a fun experience or was business as usual, get in and get it done? ‘It was fun. A bit stressful at times. When we made the EP, we had only three days to record and mix. This time around we had a few months to get it right. We are thrilled with how it came out!’ Has living and playing in Ontario shapes the Tokyo Police Club sound, or could you have sprung from anywhere and still gelled in the same way and played with the same energy? ‘We never thought of ourselves as a Ontario band, like Broken Social Scene, Stars, Metric, and so on. They are all a lot older than us. People actually mistake us for a Brooklyn band a lot of times’.
Listen to the Tokyo Police Club song. In A Cave.
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Tagged: Canadian bands, Montreal bands, pop music, rock music
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Land Of Talk’s Secret Playlist [psst, they like Bon Iver]
Red hot Montreal band Land of Talk feature Elizabeth Powell, a former punk who got her start playing her own anti-rock anthems on the local scene of Guelph, Ontario, during her mid-teens. We got the inside word from her on the tunes that inspire Land of Talk’s own high energy frock and roll. The first track she propped was, drum roll please, Bon Iver’s hauntingly evocative, Re:Stacks: ‘This song changed my course, emotionally. I can’t tell you how, but it levelled me. Everyone I’ve played it for, or who has heard it, has had the same or similar reactions. This is a song I will listen to well into my twilight years’. Read the rest of Land Of Talk’s Secret Playlist.
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Canada seems to be the land of amazing ambient metal duos. Montreal has Menace Ruine, and Toronto has Nadja, a formidable couple that churns out huge-sounding, bass and electronics-driven doom that draws your gaze up towards the stars just as old cathedral ceilings humble the faithful and make them think of the Almighty.
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The music behind the new Howling Bells album, Radio Wars
The last time I caught up with London-based, Australian band, Howling Bells, was in New York in early 2007 when they played a show at one of the many seedy Lower East Side bars. Since then, they’ve recorded a new album, the aptly named Radio Wars [listen to their song, Treasure Hunt, below], a remarkable follow-up to their 2006 self-titled debut. I checked in with guitarist Joel Stein to find out what music the four-piece had been listening to around the time the album was written: ‘The Byrds’ Eight Miles High always sounds so futuristic to me. It has one of the best guitar sounds ever and really moves me with its color and power. Every time I hear the Tortoise track, I Set My Face to the Hillside, I instantly get transported to the ocean. Beautiful! Joy Division’s Isolation is incredible. I love the intro keyboard riff, in particular (the keyboard was self-built). It expresses urgency and truth. And then there’s Neu!’s Hallogallo, a truly inspiring instrumental track that I always want to go on for longer. Its fuzzy guitars are so warm and vibrant. Perfect!’ Read frontwoman Juanita Stein’s Playlist of inspiring songs.
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Also by ZOLTON

Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
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Banky’s done it before and now so can you, at least metaphorically. A group of Palestinian graf artists will spray-paint emailed messages onto the massive concrete wall that divides Israel and the West Bank and send you photos to prove it. The aim of the project is to creatively transform the physical purpose of the imposing eight metre high wall of separation into one of communication, joy and unity. It’s also a decorative, peaceful and simple way for the Palestinians behind the project to remind the rest of the world of their existence and plight. Funds raised go towards small-scale social and cultural projects in the West Bank, with the Palestinian Peace and Freedom Youth Forum behind the spray painting.
I’ve been admiring the work of Portland illustrator John Klassen for a while now. I’m irrepressibly drawn to his muted, textured landscapes, in all their mysterious glory. No coincidence then that a Coraline section should have recently appeared on his site. It just makes me want to see the movie even more. Read more
Oh man, it’s a good thing I’m not living in Tokyo as I’d probably never leave the house. Japanese TV is the best. Want proof? Check out this clip from a prank show called Wake You Up where hapless victims are woken from their slumber in the most … ummm … ruthless of ways.
In a world filled with conceptual environmental architect, Lost in Paris, designed by R&Sie Architects for a so-called ‘urban witch’, is the definition of innovation and resourcefulness. The 1400 square foot home is engulfed by 1200 ferns and 300 glass-blown pods. A potion of rainwater and plant nutrients are fed to the pods, which in turn feed the ferns, drop by drop, during the year. And because the home is entirely covered with the plants, it is protected from outside weather and the interior temperature is regulated without use of traditional methods.
George Lois is the god of good ideas, or at least one of them. When I am stuck on ideas, I pray to George the God, or look through his works in hope of doing something one hundredth as good as his work. Read more
We name-checked them as having one of the top five albums of 2007, and with good reason. I speak of Nashville band, The Silver Seas. Read more
Chuck Wepner, Clara Rockmore, Abe Lincoln. These peeps and more are worthy of a t-shirt. Pretty Patti also sells modern postcards of vintage family members.
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Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork
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Now this is fun. This 3D watch dial actually jumps to life. The dial is a modern version of the 19th century art form of lithophanes: carved porcelain sheets that, when lit, deliver astoundingly detailed images. When the pusher is activated, the dial springs to life in 3D, with an LED light and afterglow effect. Read more
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