I feel like this album and the Kevin Drew album from last year aren’t really getting quite their due on the interwebs just because they are solo albums and not proper Broken Social Scene records. I have been listening to a whole bunch of BSS lately, and I think that I almost like this and Spirit If… better than their older stuff because their songwriting has become so much more mature and refined. I just feel like there is no fat on these two records and that they are playing completely to their individual strengths. I might change my mind on this tomorrow, but either way, Something For All Of Us.. should not be overlooked.

Brendan Canning : Something For All Of Us…

Brendan Canning : Possible Grenade

Buy Something For All Of Us… Here

Brendan Canning Myspace


Takka Takka (Brooklyn, New York)

When I first heard of this band, I didn’t really give them a fair shake because they were always tied to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (who helped these guys get big and their drummer produced this album) whom I don’t really like. But after enough recommendations from folks, I finally picked up their latest, Migration, and it is fantastic. Takka Takka do a really great job of incorporating interesting influences and creating an “art-rock” sound that is wholly poppy and accessible. You really need to check this out:

Takka Takka : Silence

Takka Takka : Everybody Say

Buy Migration here

Takka Takka myspace


The New Year (Ithica, NY/Dallas, TX)

photo by Allison Smith

The New Year are a band I wasn’t really aware of until this recent self-titled album, but apparently this pair of brothers have been making great music for a really long time, including their former project in the ’90s called Bedhead. I have yet to emerse myself in their back catalog, but this album masters the simple, pretty, and perfect ideal reminiscent of bands like Deathcab, Grandaddy, and Built To Spill. I like how many of the songs themselves contain great, concise jams that only once push them past 4 minutes. This album is the paradigm of doing more with less.

The New Year : Folios

The New Year : My Neighborhood

Buy The New Year here

The New Year myspace

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Post tags: Brendan Canning, Broken Social Scene, Takka Takka, The New Year, What The Hell