DISCOVERY: MOTHER MOTHER

"I made a fist and not a plan; just call me a reckless wrecking ball."


Now, it's a bit early for a showcase; usually I do those for bands with a bit of history, a few albums I know and love under their belts. So, introducing (kind of) 'Discovery' - mini-showcases for bands I've just discovered or don't have enough material to have a proper Showcase.

This time round, we're meeting Mother Mother, whose new album O My Heart has captured my own heart, though I'm still digging into the album. That said, though, they are immediately impressive, both rocking and being ridiculously cute and funny, something almost no band can pull off credibly. Take "Hayloft", which is led by childish vocals, and somehow manages to fuse creepy and cute in a bizarre way. Or "Arms Tonite", about a lover dying and trying to get back to their lover. Or the lovely "Ghosting", or the sweetly aggressive and self-deprecating "Wrecking Ball"

Mother Mother have my heart, and my ears, because they make great music that just cheers me up, and that is a type of music I want to see more of.

Mother Mother - Hayloft
Mother Mother - Wrecking Ball

IF YOU LIKE: Los Campesinos - You! Me! Dancing | Boney M - Hooray! Hooray! | Cloud Cult - Everybody Here is a Cloud

And don't forget, search for more at The Hype Machine; purchase albums or mp3's at Amazon, Amazon Canada, Amie St., cdbaby, or Insound.

DISCOVERY: TRACY SHEDD

"Whatever it takes, don't let them break you down."


Tracy Shedd is being promoted as a Liz Phair slash Bettie Serveert type singer, and I have to say I agree. I'd moreso say that she's trying to be both, right now, and failing to properly emulate either or find a particular style that works for her. Her lyrics aren't particularly imaginative, sadly, and too often she allows herself to be buried under her music. Her voice, potentially the best part of her music, doesn't get any chance to shine.

However, despite this, if she'd just take charge of her own songs instead of being too quiet and too safe, there's a good artist under there. I'm hoping Cigarettes and Smoke Machines, her newest album TBR September 23, gives her the chance to do so. On "Not Giving Up", despite being pushed as similar to the artists above, she actually shares more with Laura Viers sound-wise, which is actually heartening. Maybe by scaling down the too-much electric guitars, she can find a way to use that to make some good music. Luckily, as her best tracks are from Cigarettes, I have hope for her.

Tracy Shedd - Not Giving Up
Tracy Shedd - Whatever It Takes

Also, her entire previous album, Louder Than You Can Hear, can be downloaded for free at her Myspace.

What do you guys think?

DISCOVERY: PLAJIA

"Why search for greatness in such tiny worlds of squared pixels?"


Pronounced plah-gee-ah, this excellent Montreal-based is a new discovery. Their debut seems to be garnering quite a bit of critical praise, and from what I've heard, they deserve it. Plajia is an enchanting trip-rock group composed of Patrick Pleau (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards and harmonica), Simon Boivin (bass and backing vocals) and Pascal Laviolette (drums, percussion and backing vocals). The songs are a flurry of layers, some beautiful, some rocking, some sharp, some soft. A barrage of sound creeping up and down your back. They bounce between styles - while "The Other Side of the Squared Pixels" makes you want to close your eyes and listen to the layers, "Dummy" alternately creeps you and makes you smile, "Beautiful Explosion" aims to make you dance in your seat and "Is That The End?" wants you to cry. However, they do it effectively enough to impress me.

Their lyrics are nothing to write home about, with "Pixels" rushing through a disjointed message about gamers being cut off from the rest of the world and "End"'s lyrics being nothing an emo somewhere hasn't cut into their arm. However, the words are just window dressing, as the music here is the real draw.

Give them a listen:

Plajia - The Other Side of the Squared Pixels
Plajia - Dummy

Both from recently-released debut, "Beautiful Explosion".

BUY: A myriad of links from their website.