Ty Segall
SLAUGHTERHOUSE IS OUR ALBUM PICK OF THE WEEK The ambitious Ty Segall, who earlier this year promised three separate LPs for 2012, has so far made good on his word. His second effort, Slaughterhouse, follows in the footsteps of last month’s Hair with White Fence, and features—you guessed it, his touring band, for eleven tracks...
The List
BACK WITH OUR FIFTH EDITION Story by Laura Cappe Beirut “The Rip Tide” The video for the title track from Beirut’s latest critically acclaimed album takes you on a magical journey through the open waters, where colours explode in the sky and meld together to create the most magnificent landscape; truly a work of art. SSION “Earthquake”...
NXNE 2012 Wrap Up
NO PAIN NO GAIN Story by Laura Hermiston Video by Olenka Szysmonski My NXNE 2012 experience consisted of in total sixteen hours of sleep, eleven bands, three DJ sets, and two bruised knees. The week long festival features both local and international band showcases at venues in downtown Toronto. With my NXNE badge I was able...
NXNE Weekend Review
OUR WEEKEND WARRIORS NXNE WRAP UP Story by Adam Steel After a much needed spell of recuperation, Day 4 was all about the excess. Upon receiving word that Queens rapper Action Bronson was to take the stage at Drake Underground for a jam-packed midnight set, I made a sharp beeline to the west side hotspot...
NXNE Day Two Show Reviews
SO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME White Rabbits at the Mod Club & Hooded Fang at the Horseshoe Story by Laura Cappe Photos by Evan Cappe and Laura Cappe Day 2 of NXNE was a series of misadventures, missed shows, a deafening of the eardrums and a few unexpected hellos. I had mapped...
NXNE Beliefs and Mac DeMarco
STOOPIN’ AND DRINKIN’ WITH BELIEFS AND MAC DEMARCO Story by Laura Hermiston Video Production by Olenka Szymonski I kicked off my first night of NXNE with Jesse Crowe from Beleifs and the boys of Mac DeMarco. The two bands were doing a soundcheck early in the night in preparation for their NXNE show...
NXNE Day One Show Reviews
ETERNAL SUMMERS AT THE DRAKE UNDERGROUND Review by Laura Cappe Photos by Evan Cappe At first glance Eternal Summers is a bit of a mystery. The Virginia trio – consisting of two grungy male garage rockers (sporting wolf print t-shirts and long dark hair) and their female lead in a prim skirt and blouse –...
NXNE Day Party Picks
ENDLESS NXNE FUN IN THE SUN Story by Laura Hermiston There is more to NXNE than the concerts at night (see our top picks). However, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of events popping up on your Facebook list then take a look at our top choices for events to go to...
Top NXNE Picks
TAKE A GANDER AT OUR NXNE 2012 SCHEDULE Story by Laura Hermiston, Laura Cappe, Kate Davies, and Adam Steel. Plaid’s online music writers sat down with the entire NxNE schedule and picked their top choices out of the hundreds of bands playing this year. It includes both big names and small up and comers who...
The List
OUR NEW TOP MUSIC VIDEO PICKS Story by Laura Hermiston PS I Love You – “Princess Towers” PS I Love You’s second LP, Death Dreams, was released earlier last month and has received rave-reviews from critics in North America and Europe. Watch their new video inspired by Kingston Ontario’s city view from the water (and...
Patrick Watson
THE SIMPLICITY OF ADVENTURES IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD Story by Kate Davies Photo provided by Patrick Watson 2012 is an epic year. Not only has there been rampant talk of a zombie apocalypse and an increasing number of natural disasters, but the Mayan prophecies have been continuously cited by both conspiracy theorists and the average...
Mystery Jets
FOURTH ALBUM RADLANDS OUT TODAY Story by Kate Davies Shortly before the release of their fourth album, Radlands, English four-piece Mystery Jets announced that bassist Kai Fish would be leaving the band. Not only was this heavy news dropped right before a CD release, but also just before the group’s scheduled UK-wide tour. Nevertheless,...
Holly McNarland
NINETIES MUSICIAN COMING BACK INTO A SOCIAL MEDIA OBSESSED MUSIC WORLD Story by Alexa Tomaszewski Photo by Vanessa Heins Juno-award winning artist Holly McNarland is back with her new album, Run Body Run. It was produced entirely in-house and the first supporting show for the album will be June 16 at the Rivoli. After...
Press Play: Modern Superstitions
MODERN SUPERSTITIONS SHOW FOR NEW RECORD RELEASE THURSDAY Story by Laura Hermiston Video Production by Olenka Szymonksi Modern Superstitions are releasing their School Days/Way I Want 7″ with a release show this Thursday night at the Garrison in Toronto. Michael Rault and Chang a Lang will be opening Doors are at 9pm. *Special thank you to Tusk *Actual Water...
Japandroids
JAPANDROIDS LONG AWAITED RELEASE CELEBRATION ROCK OUT TODAY Story by Laura Cappe Photo provided by Japandroids The house is bustling, overflowing with people. The keg is being tapped frequently, keeping bodies warm and buzzed. Boys and girls are dancing, tingling with high school lust. Everything seems to be going just peachy… Then suddenly you wake...
Press Play: Girls Rock Camp Toronto
GIRLS ROCK CAMP TORONTO FUNDRAISING EVENT THIS TUESDAY AT THE SILVER DOLLAR Story by Laura Hermiston Video Production by Olenka Szymonksi Summer is here and not only are music festivals kicking into high gear, but so are summer camps. Girls Rock Camp Toronto is one of the coolest (if not the coolest) camps in Toronto which...
The List
WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF NEW RELEASES WE ARE LOVING Story by Laura Hermiston Photo provided by Icky Blossoms Wymond Miles – Pale Moon Fresh and Only’s guitarist, Wymond Miles, is set to release his debut LP, Under the Pale Moon, out June 12 on Sacred Bones. John Maus – Mental Breakdown On July 17th/16th, Ribbon Music...
The List
SECOND EDITION OF THE LIST Story by Laura Hermiston SSIONS “My Love Grows in the Dark” Hailing from Kansas City’s unexpected art-scene, SSION has reached the apex of synth-pop perfection with the album Bent, out August 7th on Dovecote. Animal Collective “Honeycomb/Gotham” Animal Collective are back with a new 7inch single titled Honeycomb / Gotham featuring two brand new songs. The ‘Honeycomb /...
JP Hoe
JP HOE RELEASES FIFTH ALBUM MANNEQUIN Story by Kate Davies Photo by Robert Huynh Although you may not know his name as of yet, JP Hoe has already cranked out four albums to date, releasing his fifth on May 15th. Evidently inspired by the likes of David Gray and Ryan Adams, Hoe nevertheless...
Press Play: Elk
ELK DAYDREAMS RELEASE PARTY THIS FRIDAY AT CINECYCLE Story by Laura Hermiston Video Production by Olenka Szymonksi Elk are celebrating the release for their new LPDaydreams on Indoor Shoes. With The Dirty Nil, The BB Guns and The Beverlys $5 or $12 with LP Cinecycle (401 Richmond St. W.) 9pm *Cheap PBR tall cans
Best Coast Sophomore Album
NEW BEST COAST ALBUM AVAILABLE IN CANADA TODAY Story by Laura Cappe Photo by David Black Like every twenty-something, Bethany Cosentino is just trying to figure it all out. With Best Coast’s sunshine fuzzy debut album “Crazy For You”, Cosentino penned raw, quirky anthems about unrequited love, heartbreak and her cat Snacks that made you...
The List
FIRST EDITION OF THE LIST Story by Laura Cappe and Laura Hermiston We compile our favorite new singles, videos, and albums for our readers to hear and love. Dusted – “(Into The) Atmosphere” Holy Fuck’s Brian Borcherdt is back with a new name, a new sound and a new record. His latest project Dusted is...
Neon Indian
NEON INDIAN PLAY THE PHOENIX TUESDAY Story by Kate Davies Photo provided by Neon Indian What better way to kick off the start of four glorious months of warmth (hopefully!) than a live show whose vibe captures our longing for those sticky days and hazy nights of the summer? Thanks to their heady rhythms, addictive...
I Break Horses
END YOUR WEEKEND ON A HIGH NOTE Story by Kate Davies Photo provided by I Break Horses If you’re going to the sold out M83 concert at The Opera House this Sunday, make sure you arrive early to see this Swedish duo in action. Having been compared to the likes of Sigur Ros and Air,...
Frankie Rose
PLAID TALKS TO FRANKIE ROSE ABOUT BEING IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND HER STYLE ICONS Story by Laura Hermiston Shot by Mark Cira Produced and Edited by Laura Hermiston Frankie Rose played a show at The Shop Under Parts & Labour in Toronto on May 2 2012. Plaid Magazine got the chance to talk to her...
Hot Kid
HOT KID ARE GROWING UP Story by Kate Davies Photo provided by Hot Kid Originally from Cambridge, Ontario, this two-piece indie rock group has been steadily churning out albums since 2005. Having already produced five releases, the band is now based in Toronto and set to issue a string of EP’s over the summer. The...
