POSTS TAGGED : Soft Serve

Farewell Vancouver: Vancouver Connection Playlist

BGVAN

After a couple of extremely fun years, my time in Canada is drawing to a close. As well as taking away no end of fond memories from Canada’s west coast, there is also a long, long list of local musical discoveries.

So, with that in mind and the impending return to Ireland, I decided to create a playlist of some of my very favourite artists/musical discoveries from Vancouver (and the surrounding areas). If nothing else, it will offer a taste of what this part of the world has to offer musically. Included among the 66 strong list are regulars on the blog and podcast, the likes of Kinship, Mesa Luna, Avid Walker, Bousada, The Orange Kyte, Supermoon, Soft Serve, Danny Diggs, Faith Healer, Project Pablo and more. Hopefully you enjoy the tunes as much as I do and it keeps you ticking over till the returns to normal service, once everything is settled after the move.

On that note, I shall leave you with the finest music BC has to offer.

Introducing: Milk

Milk by Lauren J Ray

                                                                                                                                                                                                     Photo by Lauren Ray.

Comprised of former/current members of Watermelon, Village, and Soft Serve, Milk have just released their debut EP, Late Bloomer.

The Vancouver quartet’s debut release is one of sleepy, mellow beauty, specialising as they do, in sweetly crisp guitar licks, dreamy melodies and jangling tones, while singer-guitarist Thom James’ drawl looms large above these laid-back indie-alt-country. Across the 6-track release, it is one treat after another. ‘Don’t Laugh’ is bright, catchy ditty with the clean, jangling tones and crisp electric twang accompanying James’ deep drawl. ‘Standards’ is just as instantly lovable, like Village Green era The Kinks meets melodic alt-country tones. ‘Marmalade’ and ‘Funeral’ showcase Milk’s darker side, not too gloomy, just a shade darker and imbued with sentimentality which eventually merges into dreamy, laid-back indie pop. Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the nicest new sounds of 2016 thus far; sleepy, laid-back and promising stuff from the veritable Vancouver super-group.

Milk’s debut EP Late Bloomer is out now and available here. Meanwhile, there are a number of choice cuts below.

Millions Like Us Podcast – Episode #9

We’re thrilled to share yet another Millions Like Us podcast with you all. It’s great to back with the latest in a series of music podcasts hosted by Justin & I, in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

On a bi-weekly basis we aim to please, providing relief from all life’s toils* with some lively and entertaining chat and eclectic selection of fabulous music from metro Vancouver and elsewhere. There’s plenty in there, well over an hour in fact, of great tunes and plenty of chat.

You can read more on it over here and of course, listen below (and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump too). You can subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter. Or you can email us at millionslikeuspodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.

2016 has been good to us so far, so thanks for all the support thus far and once again, thanks for listening!

 *May not actually do that.

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BarryGruff Albums of the Year (2015)

BGs Albums of the year 2015So it is that time of year again, lists, lists and more lists. Well, not be out done, here are my 41 (yes 41, and yes it’s a weird number) albums of 2015.

It has been such a good year for new albums, probably the best since I started the blog back in 2010. So much so that there is very little difference between the top 5, top 10, top 15 and so on. So without further ado, here are my favourite records from 2015:

There is also a Spotify playlist of the Top 20 albums, to save you time and hassle (it’s here).

41. Only Real – Jerk At The End of the Line’

40. Rozi Plain – ‘Friend’

39. Wildling – ‘Molecules To Moon’

38. The School – ‘Wasting Away And Wondering’

37. Sweet Baboo – ‘Boombox Ballads’

36. The Stammer – ‘Days In Between’

35. SexWitch – Sex Witch’

34. Faith Healer – ‘Cosmic Troubles’

33. Girl Band – ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’

32. Joanna Gruesome – ‘Peanut Butter’

31. Fort Romeau – ‘Insides

30. Soft Serve – ‘S/t’

29. Applescal – ‘For’

28. Zefur Wolves – ‘Zefur Wolves’

27. Hot Chip – ‘Why Make Sense?’

26. Drenge – ‘Undertow’

25. The Charlatans – ‘Modern Nature’

24. Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

23. Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘West Kirby County Primary’

22. Drinks – ‘Hermits on Holiday’

21. The Expert – Dynamic Drift

20. Boxed In – ‘Boxed In’

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Millions Like Us Podcast – Episode #5

Millions Like Us logo (1)

Delighted to once again to share a brand new episode of ‘Millions Like Us’, a music podcast with myself & Justin Beats, in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

A bi-weekly digest of music from metro Vancouver and beyond, the fifth installment has the usual chatter and top tunes, comprised from an eclectic mix of styles and genres. There’s also a chance of winning tickets to see the excellent Joanna Gruesome, in The Cobalt, Vancouver on November 15th – tune into the show and then email your name to millionslikeuspodcast[at]gmail[dot]com – winners be notified before 5pm, Friday, November 13th.

That’s about that then, we hope you enjoy episode #5. You can read more on it here and listen to episode #5 below, and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump. You can subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find them on Facebook & Twitter.

Hopefully you enjoy our curated pickings, here’s to good listening.

Episode #5:
Unalaska – ‘Air Transylvania’
Kyross – ‘Fragments’
Queen of Jeans – ‘Dance (Get Off Your Ass)’
Big Harp – ‘Diev’
The Statics – ‘Fake Sorrow’
Soft Serve – ‘Better Off When You’re Gone’
Hippies Vs Ghosts – ‘Three Shadows’
Joanna Gruesome – ‘Psykick Espionage’
White Poppy – ‘Sublimity Form Natural Phenomena’
Avid Walker – ‘Who’s Your Lover’
Soft Haze – ‘Love Song’
Super Furry Animals – ‘Slow Life

 

 

BarryGruff Playlist October 2015

October 2015

A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

October was another busy month. We we’re introduced to Primitive World, Soft Serve, Auramics, Jade Statues, New Pope, Mesa Luna & Silver Matter. There were excellent new singles from Totalitarian, The Statics, Cuinciu, Juice, Martha Ffion & Queen of Jeans. And we had tunes from Field Music, Nancy Leticia & Fold ahead of their respective, new and forthcoming albums. There as also the not so small matter of an interview with Super Furry Animals’ resident electronic and keyboard wizard, Cian Ciaran – read it here.

Oh, and there were two new episodes of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s new music podcast extravaganza for 604now (if you missed them, why not check out episodes #3 & #4 here). You can also subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Well then, that’s that for another month – listen to BarryGruff’s October 2015 playlist below. Enjoy!

 

Introducing: Soft Serve

soft serve vancouver

Vancouver indie lovers Soft Serve, serve up an upbeat, glorious guitar-jangle-racket – with an instinctual ear for hook-laden melodies – and it is infectiously catchy.

The trio have just recently released their self-released full length and it is a magnificent blend of classic ‘indie’ meets early ’80s post-punk, fastened with flourishes of shimmering guitars, frenetic guitar work, a swift, driving rhythm section and frontman Kyle Thiessen’s world-weary vocal delivery. With guitars bright and shimmering, the likes of ‘Sons on Your Side’ and ‘Better Off When You’re Gone’ recall the sparkling brilliance of Echo & The Bunnymen at their very best, or The Smiths, the nifty guitar work anyway. Rather than just a casual throwback, these sounds are very much grounded in today. Blossoming through repeated hooks, verses and choruses, Soft Serve’s songs get inside your head and never leave, such is the insatiably catchy nature of them. Absolutely irresistible and brilliant stuff from Soft Serve, take a bow.

‘Sons on Your Side’ and ‘Better Off When You’re Gone’ are available to stream/free downloads below, while the whole of Soft Serve’s debut LP is available for purchase/stream now from Bandcamp. Enjoy!