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Recent Rotten Folk Releases!

CRHYMES has a new record!

Our boys in CRHYMES have dropped a new album! The two songs contained on HYPE / / WAVES are kinda beautiful, kinda sad, but also kinda joyful and kick-ass, just like the blustery end of Fall that us Torontonians currently find ourselves in. Give it a listen and rejoice!

#crhymes #ep #album

The Pick Brothers Band - Pink Lemonade

Do you remember the first time you saw an iPod commercial? I remember my first. You know the one – silhouetted figures atop backgrounds of simple colours, dancing wildly to the chorus of Steriogram’s “Walkie Talkie Man”? The bright visual design, the way the people moved their bodies so freely, the quirk of the song – I never lost sight of the fact that it was intended to sell me a product, but that commercial was so fun and infectious that it seemed to sum up everything that I loved about music at the time. And then they followed that one up with commercials featuring all kinds of other bands that were as concerned with making you dance really hard through good ol’ catchy rock n’ roll: The Fratellis. Caesars. Jet. Even Feist, that one time. I certainly can’t remember all of them – there were a lot of iPod commercials at the turn of the century, and there were a lot of bands trying to recapture the “fun” aspect of rock music at the time too. Indeed, that first wave of (yes, heavily commercialized) indie rock was perhaps the most concentrated moment of bands being self-consciously “fun” since the mid-60s. And as someone who grew up around that time, I must say, I sort of miss it.

The Pick Brothers Band is the sort of group that would probably have had a song in an iPod commercial, in that bygone era. It is perhaps unsurprising, considering the title of their debut record Pink Lemonade, that this trio of bros deals in sunny, breezy music that is simultaneously energetic and soothing. There’s a sense of nostalgia here, both in the lyrics – which mostly deal with pining after women and the romanticism of youth – and the way that the songs bounce around with classic rock enthusiasm.

Which isn’t to say that this album is single-minded; underneath the pleasant melodies and generally light aesthetic lies a very high level of musicianship. Countermelody-heavy bass lines, sweet vocal harmonies, intricate drum parts, and wonderfully sloppy guitar solos abound, and the brothers show a fondness for both genre and instrument swapping. Here you’ll find dirty blues numbers, mandolin-and-banjo-intensive folk ballads, a ska verse or two, and even, on one occasion, a saxophone solo.

In short, Pink Lemonade is a lovely record that perfectly caps off the summertime. It definitely deserves a few listens and a place in your music collection - preferably somewhere between Dr. Dog and The Elwins.

<a href="http://thepickbrothersband.bandcamp.com/album/pink-lemonade" data-mce-href="http://thepickbrothersband.bandcamp.com/album/pink-lemonade">Pink Lemonade by The Pick Brothers Band</a>

Listen to the whole album HERE!

#Daniels Korner #The Pick Brothers Band

Stan Simon Dukes It Out With SYFFAL!

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE: http://www.syffal.com/stan-simon-interview

#StanSimon #SYFFAL

Sheepman- Chetwynd (2013)

Sheepman's newest two song cassette is packed with kooky organ/synth sounds and catchy vocal melodies, which shift alongside these songs' ever changing rhythm patterns and slow grooves. The higher production quality Sheepman is now working with works to expose their always excellent song craft on this excellent Poncho Records release!

Check Sheepman out in support of the Psyche Tongues/Walrus cassette release on September 5th in Toronto!

RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1383627608529762/

#MusicIMike

Kevin Kralik joined up with Jesse McCracken, Jerome Riel, Eric Welch and actress Susannah Mackay for this amazing video of 'Sure Of That'!

#Kevin Kralik

Diane Coffee- 'Hymn' (2013)

Earlier this year we fell in love with Foxygen's sophomore album and now we are unreasonably excited for Foxygen drummer, Shaun Fleming's solo album out October 29th! Take a listen to this Donavan meets Beatles-esque single. I think i'm hooked.

#MusicIMike

Broken Bricks- Singles (2012)

These pop rock n' rollers from Toronto have a keen ear for melody and an impressive ability to toggle between frantic rock parts and smooth as glass pop songwriting. Take a listen below and hope for a full length (or even an EP really...) in the near future!

DOWNLOAD THESE TRACKS!

#MusicIMike #Broken Bricks

The Box Tiger - Set Fire (2013)

The first time I heard The Box Tiger was about a month ago at The Drake Hotel, where they were playing an opening set for one of my favourite artists, Laura Stevenson & the Cans. Despite being minus one band member that night, I was won over by their instantly-gratifying melodicism and well-practiced, self-confident sound. I’m happy to report that their new full-length record Set Fire retains these elements admirably, creating a really solid little alternative rock album in the process.

Admittedly, The Box Tiger are not the kind of band that are going to wow you with ingenuity. They’re a four-piece with the standard guitar/guitar+vocals/bass/drums setup, and their sound is one of pretty safe, relatively dark pop/rock the likes of which could easily be heard on your local modern rock station. Indeed, at times their mainstream-friendly sound threatens to swallow them whole into the belly of radio-rock irrelevance, but they manage to just toe the line between mass media music and hipster cred. They do this in a few ways; first is their defining characteristic, the vocal stylings of Sonia Sturino, who has a meaty voice reminiscent of Leslie Feist but with a bit more “bite”, suggesting a history of singing in punk bands before this project. But what holds it all together is a quiet confidence in their own songwriting and a feeling of being completely genuine in their stadium rock aspirations.

Yes, the songs are simple, structured in such a way as to produce maximum earworminess. Yes, the choruses are big, with loud distorted guitars chugging away. Yes, there are one or two obligatory acoustic songs. And yes, their overall sound is fairly typical. But none of this seems fake, phony, or like a cynical cashgrab; it’s merely the type of music that happens to come out of this band. It may be over-the-top in some ways, but there is a very personal nature to the whole affair, a sense of weight that keeps it all grounded. Besides, the songs are so stick-in-your-head-after-the-first-listen catchy that it’s hard to stay mad at them.

There are people out there who would scoff at a band like this, as if having a radio-ready sound is automatically a negative thing. Me? I don’t think it’s a crime to stick to a basic template and do it well. The Box Tiger seem to agree.

DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE ALBUM!

#DanielsKorner #The Box Tiger

Stan Simon: Now On Rotten Folk!

We here at Rotten Folk are incredibly excited to announce that hard-working folk musician Stan Simon is now the newest addition to our endlessly-growing family! Stan just released his first full-length record, Escaping The Madhouse, and it’s a stylistically-diverse, harrowingly beautiful piece of work. While the album deals mostly in dark, minimal folk music, diversions are frequently made into other genres, including noisy alternative rock and Eastern European gypsy music, among other things. He’s an extremely well-rounded songwriter and we’re very excited to grow together alongside him!

Here are his upcoming east-coast tour dates!:

Aug. 3 - Shaika Cafe, Montreal, QC

Aug. 4 - Le Cagibi, Montreal, QC

Aug. 6 - The Rainbow, Ottawa, ON

Aug. 8 - The Company House, Halifax, NS

Aug. 10 - Paddy's Pub, Wolfville, NS

Aug. 14 - TBA, Charlottetown, PEI

DOWNLOAD THE FULL ALBUM! & 'LIKE' HIM ON FACEBOOK!

#DanielsKorner #StanSimon

The Lost Babies- Holy City (2012)

A single album of rock n' roll fueled pop songs played fast and energetically! The Lost Babies are supposed to have an awesome live show so keep an eye out for them on the bill.

FOLLOW THEM ON FACEBOOK!

DOWNLOAD THE SONGS HERE!

#MusicIMike #The Lost Babies

CRHYMES @ NXNE Reviewed

'Toronto-based folk rock band with a punky ska edge, Crhymes, played a high-energy set at the Cameron House for NXNE. Spirits were high onstage and off even though their set started at 1 a.m. on Wednesday night'

READ THE FULL WRITE-UP HERE!

#crhymes #Forget The Box

ORG- ORG713 (DT! Records Compilation)

'ORG is a traveling showcase of the bands, art and film which comprise, or are otherwise politically aligned with the Ontario Reality Generation.'

Its also a collective of bands consisting of Ostrich Tuning, Archery Guild, Blood and The Haiduks. This is an excellent compilation off of DT! Records. Do check it out!

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM!

#MusicIMike #ORG #Ostrich Tuning #Archery Guild #Blood #The Haiduks

Nude Beach - S/T (2010)

The Silver Dollar Room might just be the biggest bummer in all of Toronto. The problem with the venue is that they put on honest-to-goodness excellent, often ludicrously cheap, shows – and no one seems to be going. Over the past year or so I’ve seen several great bands, both local and otherwise, step onto the Silver Dollar stage, and have been incredibly pleased every single time. And yet, every night I’ve gone, I have been joined by, at best, roughly ten additional audience members. While some of this is probably due to the relative obscurity of the bands in question, it certainly feels like it’s partly the fault of the venue’s own lack of publicity.

Anyways, I raise this point because the last band I saw there was Nude Beach, a Brooklyn-based sorta-punk/sorta-rock band who, like most bands with the word “beach” in their name, elicit a bright, sunny quality emblematic of the summer season. And considering that I was seeing their elegantly simple musical mixture of fist-pumping, poolside-lounging, and surprisingly fitting guitar heroism right at the turn of the season itself, this was pretty depressing for me.

I suppose I can’t be too mad about it, though, because at least this first full-length of theirs is pretty awesome throughout. These are songs that evoke the modest DIY punk attitude that I find so appealing, with lyrics that are self-deprecating in all the right ways and music that manages to be raw, energetic, and emotional, but still laid-back enough to enjoy on a perfect summer day. While they cover no newfound sonic territory, they make up for it with catchy melodies and an economical songwriting approach.

My point is that it kind of sucks that a band like this has to travel from New York to Toronto only to play to a crowd of ten people who choose to just stand there, staid and unmoving. So, maybe take a listen to this record. Maybe dance around a bit. I promise, you won’t die from it. DOWNLOAD THE FULL ALBUM FOR FREE HERE!

#DanielsKorner #Nude beach

Grids- Self-Titled EP (2013)

I think we can all agree that names are important. Yes, this includes band names. Band names like Grids are important. 'Grids' tells us so much about the music yet also so little (sorry to get all esoteric). It would be easy for me to call it "math rock", and in that regard the name Grids would be a perfect illustration (Imagine that: a math rock band named Grids). I get flashbacks of high school math classes writing on grid paper. However, it's abundantly clear that this self-titled EP is so much more than math rock and because they're successfully busting down genre walls, damnit, I appreciate the hell out of it!

In the case of this EP, Grids proves that size really doesn't matter. With each track clocking in around 4 minutes, times 4 tracks (thanks high school math class), this EP is an effort that makes 16 min feel like an hour, and I mean that in the very best way possible.

Opener 'John Drums' is anything but a complicated mess. Layered guitar work and complex rhythms dominate although don't overpower each other. Guitars sail, vocals wail, and drums detail an awesome sonic landscape. Lyrically there's a don't-mess-with-me attitude that suits the music well; vocals defiantly declare "you ought to know", and they're certainly correct. 'Three-Four' settles into a groove that, although repetitive, never stagnates. 'Worn Path' is excellent. A bluesy endeavor featuring tried and true math rock tropes, it is certainly a highlight of the EP. It's a piece that takes the conventions they've been toying with and surpasses them all. Assertive vocals combine with supremely catchy instrumentation that weaves in and out of each other like needles in the hands of a world class rug maker.

Ultimately, Grids is anything but conventional and you get the sense that this is a point of pride for the band. It's easy to follow patterns that have been laid out for you and thankfully Grids does exactly the opposite.

*Grids are having a huge release party this Saturday at Double Double Land*

CHECK OUT THE EVENT PAGE!...don't miss out!

#MusicThatsGoods #Grids

SYFFAL Interviews Psyche Tongues!

HERE IS A SNIPPET:

S: Your EP Flavour Canyon is perfect. It is the type of EP that makes me want to huff flaming Cheetos crumbs, disrobe and walk around the "poor people mall" singing songs off the first Cappadonna album. Is this what you were going for?

PT: Police have probably long since served their purpose in society if they are hauling you in for THAT. I'm just proud it was our music that incited this kind of a riot in your mind. What we were / still are going for is music that takes a tight hold on your brain stem, makes you see fractals in blowing leaves and garbage on the street...

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW OVER AT SYFFAL!

#SYFFAL #PsycheTongues

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rottenfolk-blog

Robb Mirsky has done it again...check out Psyche Tongues in illustrated form...Eric kind of looks like a sad little Mexican man!

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