The CanCon Catalogue

If you read this site, you're probably a fan of Canadian music. And if you're a fan of Canadian music, then I almost guarantee that you listen to CBC Radio 3 (if you don't, you should). Well, it seems that due to the financial situation taking on the world, Radio 3 might be on the chopping block. This is a problem. To my mind, CBC Radio 3 is one of the most important components of the Canadian music scene, providing a national forum for independent bands to be heard. It is 100% Canadian, and is better than any other music station I have ever heard, and losing it would be monumentally bad for this country. If you feel the same way, I would strongly urge you join the Facebook group, sign the petition, and get involved.

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LIGHTS - "February Air"


At some point I almost completely lost touch with popular music. I don't know when. I think it has to do with getting an iPod, discovering CBC Radio 3, the Hype Machine, and various reliable music blogs, and deciding I really didn't have to deal with commercials and various incarnations of "Newlyweds with Nick and Jessica" (this dates me) in order to listen to new music, which for the most part wasn't even close to reflecting all the good stuff that was going on. For the most part this has been awesome-- not only is there a lot of great stuff that never goes mainstream, but mainstream stuff sounds better if it isn't overplayed-- allowing me to appreciate pop in small doses as opposed to being assaulted with it until it destroys my soul.

The one drawback is that outside of my own little ghetto, I really don't know what the rest of the world is listening to. The song I'm posting today is a case in point. I heard about LIGHTS through my cousin, who saw her perform some small show in Vancouver last year and said she was going to be the next big thing. I just got around to checking her out now, and figured I would post the track so you could hear it, but according to my research, you already have. See, my cousin was right(ish). Her music has been featured in a bunch of commercials for Old Navy, and she had two songs chart last year. This song, "February Air" was number three on MuchMusic. I didn't even know MuchMusic still played music, so there you are.

Anyways, even if you're sick of this song already, I'm not because it's new to me. The opening synths (done on Garageband?) are the perfect sound for the glossy sheen of pop music heartbreak, but her voice is organic enough to prevent it from getting all Europop. The closest comparison I can think of is the Postal Service
fronted by Robyn without the attitude, and that's exactly what you need for a song that conjures up images of the cold grey of February as the backdrop to a broken heart. This video here, using Toronto as a backdrop, captures this mood a lot better than the official one (which looks way too much like an Ikea commercial).

LIGHTS: official site, myspace

k-Os gives props to Tokyo Police Club (see track below)

This week, the CBC Radio 3 podcast is a remix special. All in all it's a good show, if you like that sort of thing, nothing particularly mind-blowing. My favourite tracks is the MSTRKFT remix of Metric's "Monster Hospital," which I already have in my iPod, and the two I'm most likely to listen to again are the Tiesto remix of Tegan and Sara's "Back in Your Head," and the RAC mix of Tokyo Police Club's "Be Good." I've put them below, along with a track that should have been on there, except for some reason k-Os refuses to sign up for New Music Canada. He really makes it hard to like him sometimes.







Tokyo Police Club- Your English is Good (k-Os mix) (link via eastofla.com)




Playlist for CBC Radio 3 Podcast Episode #193: The Remix Special, download it here.

Rough Gem (Remix) Islands
Be Good (RAC Remix) Tokyo Police Club
Monster (rac mix) You Say Party! We Say Die!
Monster Hospital (Mstrkrft Remix) Metric
Back in Your Head (Tiesto REMIX) Tegan & Sara
The Cansecos “Rise Up” (Cadence Weapon Mix) Cadence Weapon
Blood On Our Hands - Justice Remix Death from Above 1979
Fatty Wants to Dance (Paronomasiac Remix) Hawksley Workman
Secret March (Nik 7 Remix) The Wet Secrets
Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Final Fantasy) Stars