Best releases of 2012…that we didn’t work on • 12.21.12

With 2012 wrapping up, all of us at Pigeon Row decided to take a look back at our favorite albums of the year (that we didn’t work on). Check ‘em out. Let us know what you think. Have some really excellent holidays.

Matt –

1) Lambchop – Mr. M
2) Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
3) Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.A.A.d City
4) Captain Murphy – Duality
5) Damien Jurado – Maraqopa
6) Lower Dens – Nootropics
7) Ormonde – Machine
8) Lucas Hicks – Slower
9) Sea Glasses – Paquette Lake
10) Kyle Bobby Dunn – Bring Me The Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn

Trevor –

1) Father John Misty – Fear Fun
2) Evening Hymns – Spectral Dusk
3) Outtacontroller – Don’t Play Dumb
4) The Shins – Port Of Morrow
5) Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
6) Metz – Metz
7) Stelliform – The Room Had Filled With Light
8) Topanga – Oceans 7″
9) Rah Rah – The Poet’s Dead
10) Dusted – Total Dust

Darcy –

1) Black Dice – Mr. Impossible (Ribbon Music)
2) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, M.A.A.D. city (Top Dawg / Aftermath / Interscope)
3) Peaking Lights – Lucifer (Mexican Summer)
4) Eric Copeland – Limbo (Underwater Peoples)
5) Neil Young – Psychedelic Pill (Reprise)
6) Kyle Bobby Dunn – Bring Me the Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn (Low Point)
7) Huoratron – Cryptocracy (Last Gang Records)
8) Roc Marciano – Reloaded (Decon)
9) Emptyset – Medium (Subtext)
10) Drainolith – Fighting! (Spectrum Spools)

Francis –

1) Wintersleep – Hello Hum
2) Dean Brody – Dirt
3) Alanis Morissette – Havoc and Bright Lights
4) Alan Doyle – Boy on Bridge
5) Matchbox Twenty – North
6) The Tragically Hip – Now For Plan A
7) Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
8) Phillip Phillips – The World From the Side of the Moon

Week-End Wrap Up • 12.14.12

As the week comes to a close, here’s a look at some of the features on Pigeon Row artists and clients that have come our way over the last seven days.

order viagraorder levitra onlineSomething Daily on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: “The synergy of seven musicians, here, creates something that’ll rattle yer bones. In a nutshell, if you were a fan of Mumford & Sons’ first album, but found their 2012 follow-up a bit too contrived, repetitive, and formulaic: behold the most impassioned, footstomping, fist-pumping sonic barrage of the year: Earthworm Heart.”

Read the whole review order cialisbuy cheap levitraHERE.

generic cialisbuy levitra onlineGrayowl Point on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: ”The Tom Fun Orchestra are creating intense instrumental songs with almost a reckless aspect about them but at the same time there’s always a feeling of control by the band…Fourteen songs rich with instrumentation and style, The Tom Fun Orchestra have produced a very solid sophomore record.”

Read the whole review generic viagrabuy cialis onlineHERE.

buy generic levitrabuy cialis500KhZ on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: “Earthworm Heart allows The Tom Fun Orchestra to affirm it’s identity to something beyond that of just kitchen parties.  This sophomore album is a reminder that not only is this collective is a force to be reckoned with, but they also know how to write a great song.”

Read the whole review, en français, buy cheap viagrabuy cheap viagraHERE.

order viagrageneric cialisThe Globe and Mail on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: “Why do we assume we know what a ‘ghostly’ sound is? I happen to believe ghosts are capable of all manner of noise, melody and rhythm, and I suspect the Tom Fun Orchestra does too. On it second album, Earthworm Heart, the Cape Breton roots-rock troupe is gruff and galloping, with horns, banjos and whatever. Ghosts are believed in – some dead, some alive, but all needing to find their way home.”

buy cheap levitrageneric cialisOcean of Antics on Backward Music Vol. 1: “Each song brings a new and interesting texture to the forefront, but as a whole they still flow together elegantly. Don’t let these songs simply wash over you; while this music may be soothing, carefully listening to each one of these tracks makes the compilation much more rewarding.”

Read the whole review buy viagra onlinegeneric viagraHERE.

Arts East on Backward Music Vol. 1: “If Volume 1 were a meteorological event, it would be an all-inclusive rainstorm, beginning with gently falling beads of water, climaxing into bold thunder claps and receding to leave a shimmering rainbow. And if this album were a CBC radio show, it would certainly be The Signal.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Little Red Umbrella interviews Mardeen: “Mardeen aren’t afraid to admit they love ZZ Top — and for that we commend them…they make good music and are making their maritime home proud by rocking your god damned socks off.”

Read the interview HERE.

Deep In The Music on Erin Costello‘s We Can Get Over: “A soul record from a Halifax woman — makes Adele sound pretentious and makes Sharon Jones’ lack of sweetness very apparent.  The tunes are more early ’60s soul influenced rather than late ’60s/early ’70s soul influenced.  She sings her ass off, the arrangments are tight and hip and the record sounds really good.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Silver Tongue interviews Rain Over St. Ambrose‘s frontman, Cory LeBlanc: “ The thing about Yarmouth is we have a small, little town that’s super-supportive of you, whether you’re a musician or what have you. They’re very supportive of any kind of export the community offers. If we play Halifax which is three hours away, I would say twenty to fifty percent of the crowd is probably going to be from Yarmouth, whether it’s people traveling from Yarmouth to see it or it’s people from Yarmouth who have relocated.”

Read the whole interview HERE.

Week-End Wrap Up • 12.07.12

After a busy week here in Halifax, here’s a look at some of the features on Pigeon Row artists and clients that have come our way over the last seven days.

Skeleton Crew Quarterly on Backward Music, Vol. 1: “While a step outside of the mainstream by way of its instrumental nature alone, Backward Music Vol 1 is wholehearted comfort music – life-affirming stuff you might not otherwise know exists. It also sets about establishing three unique artists to Canada’s under-established electro-acoustic scene. So let’s bring on Vol 2!”

Read the whole review HERE.

Monsieur Délire on Backward Music, Vol. 1: “This teaser is quite enjoyable. I appreciate the care and finesse in the arrangements of all three artists – Van Tassel, in particular, manages to defy expectations while remaining accessible (and he reminds me a little of Rodéoscopique).”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Examiner on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: “Thematically songs tend to border on epic, with abstract lines that allude to religious elements, meta-physical meanderings, and abstract contemplation on life and love.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Buying Shots For Bands on an Erin Costello Toronto performance: “Unexpectedly sultry, Costelo’s powerhouse of a voice is 60’s R&B soulful and jazz-like, almost operatic at times. It felt like she should have been serenading us from the depths of a smoky jazz club rather than the tavern that is the Dakota.”

Read the whole review HERE.

CTV‘s Section Six highlights the East Coast Music Week showcase announcement.  Watch the segment HERE.

The Chronicle Herald features the East Coast Music Week showcase announcement: “While sipping mimosas and/or coffee and listening to Rhapsody Quintet’s Christmas carols, the roomful of media and music industry figures was soon brought to attention by the sound of a crunchy guitar riff and video screens flashing all-caps slogans like ‘SWEATY SHOWS, SALTY AIR,’ ‘DOUBLE BILL OF TRADITION AND REBELLION’ and ’100% EAST COAST.’ As the East Coast Music Association’s new executive director Scott Burke pointed out at the announcement of the bulk of its showcase stage lineups and major sponsors, the annual celebration of Atlantic Canadian talent has come a long way since it debuted as the Maritime Music Awards at Halifax’s Club Flamingo in 1989.”

Read the whole piece HERE.

Metro Halifax talks to Ria Mae about the East Coast Music Week showcase announcement: “Mae said Atlantic Canadian musicians are special, because artists from all different genres have a family bond and support each other. ‘There’s hip hop and rock and all this, but everyone grows up listening to the same stuff, like Great Big Sea,’ she said. ‘We have this common culture that the rest of Canada doesn’t have,’ Mae said, ‘Things like the ECMA bring everyone together so nicely.’”

Read the whole piece HERE.

Week-End Wrap Up • 11.30.12

Friday is upon us once again, so here’s a look at some of the features on Pigeon Row artists and clients that have come our way this week.

Exclaim! catches up with the Tom Fun Orchestra to film a performance of a track from their new album, Earthworm Heart: “Outfitted with accordion, trumpet, banjo and more…the Tom Fun Orchestra joined Exclaim! TV for a session at the Lomography Gallery Store on Queen Street West. There, they performed a toned-down version of ‘I Am Bleeding Hallelujah.’”

Watch the performance HERE.

Nexus Newspaper reviews Tom Fun Orchestra’s Earthworm Heart: “Admittedly, as I wrote this review, I found myself wiggling around in my chair as I typed, most notably to track nine, ‘Animal Mask,’ a great song. Earthworm Heart is a fun album worth checking out.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Weal talks to Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Ian MacDougall about an upcoming tour date in Calgary:  ”‘It’s a pretty big commitment to play in a touring band,’ [MacDougall says].  ’The thing with the band is that we always sort of had a revolving line up and we’ve had different people playing in the band at any given time, but now the current line-up is the band.’”

Read the whole interview HERE.

The Argosy reviews PANOS‘ self-titled debut: “In addition to its delightfully unorthodox rhythms and syncopation,Panos tastefully balances the entrancing qualities of electronic sound with the organic appeal of acoustic instruments like violins, bells, and even saxophones. For those seeking yet another fix from the bountiful Halifax music scene, this album will make a valuable addition to your music library.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Coast reviews Kyp Harness‘ double album, The Wrong Way/Can A Poor Man Get A Fair Trial: “Fellow songwriters like Ron Sexsmith keep praising this fellow and he lives up to it on this double CD. The second disc consists largely of fables for the jaded that end abruptly, though the innocent are given a fighting chance. By the time this Toronto troubadour has vented his spleen and told his tales, ability to carry a tune could be considered a frill.”

Read the whole review HERE.

AMI‘s Pop Talk catches up with Tim Crabtree to talk about Backward Music, Vol. 1 Listen to the whole piece HERE.

In addition to that great radio piece, AMI also recapped the Halifax Pop Explosion via video.  Check it out:

Week-End Wrap Up • 11.23.12

As the week comes to an end, here’s a look at some of the features on Pigeon Row artists and clients that have come our way over the last seven days.

Bob Mersereau on Rain Over St. Ambrose‘s Truth For News: “There’s nothing retro here, no 70′s or 80′s fixation. If there’s a sub-genre, it’s closer to the story-telling epics favoured by The Gaslight Anthem or The Hold Steady, minus the Springsteen obsession. But this is forward-thinking rock, with edge and brains and interesting tales in there as well. Plus, they’ve discovered the magic of repetition, with plenty of sing-along (or yell-along) lines for the crowd to join in on.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Coast on Rain Over St. Ambrose‘s Truth For News: “Robust rock rhythm transports each distinctive tune. ‘Walking Home’ will make a good theme song for those nights when no cab can be found, touching off a quarrel. ‘How long can you run from me?’ croons the opening to ‘Your Audience,’ launching some amusing vitriol against posers.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Noisography goes Beyond The Stage with Rain Over St. Ambrose. Watch the interview and a performance of an exclusive new song here:

Herohill on Kyp Harness‘ song “Autumn Leaves” from The Wrong Way: “I know I’m projecting, and most of the fantastic dual release Kyp Harness offers to his devoted listeners is dark and traditional, but “Autumn Leaves” feels like a celebration of sorts. I don’t know if it’s of life, of love or just of the moments we all search for, but these four-minutes feel like a sympathetic hug and a message of hope.”

Read the whole piece HERE.

The Coast talks to PANOS about his upcoming self-titled debut: “After Panos Giannoulis played in the rock band Their Majesties, he was drawn to a different sound. ‘I gravitated to jazz music, free-improvized music,’ he says. That led to the change of pace with PANOS, and a debut album that has more of a dream-pop feel, though that wasn’t necessairly his goal. ‘I just had a bunch of songs I wanted to record and they all changed a lot through the recording process. I started with the basics and went from there.’”

Read the whole interview HERE.

The Beat Magazine reviews a Tom Fun Orchestra tour date in London, ON:  ”This band brought back Indie music to the core meaning of the genre moving past the cliché nature that many modern day bands have brought to the style. By using a violin, banjo and trumpet, all of which are hardly common in rock bands, Tom Fun is toying with the breakdown of traditional East coast music, acknowledging their roots.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Week-End Wrap Up • 11.16.12

It’s been a busy week here at Pigeon Row headquarters.  Here’s a look at some of the features on Pigeon Row artists and clients that have come our way over the last seven days.

FFWD Weekly features Lowlife in a cover story: “While they’ve met nothing but praise so far, the mass of people attending this weekend’s screenings are bound to have mixed reactions to the film’s bizarre narrative and gross-out drug scenes. Like the experimental noise music that provides the soundtrack for the film (including choice cuts from Burzum and Calgary’s Black Mould), however, Spidle and Smith can only expect a polarized reaction.”

Read the whole feature HERE.

Magnet Magazine on the track “And Then It Rained” from Backward Music, Vol. 1: “Bing & Ruth’s ‘And Then It Rained’ is melancholic and powerful, and you can almost feel the sudden surprise that occurs when the sky opens up and the rain completely surrounds you, freeing you.”

Read the track review HERE.

500KhZ reviews Backward Music, Vol. 1: “The separate worlds of three composers compliment each other and become intertwined. If it’s still a struggle to find words that define the concept of beautiful music, the term now has its official soundtrack.“

Read the whole review, in French, HERE.

Noisography on Rain Over St. Ambrose‘s Truth For News: “The band’s backing vocals dance around the edge of the mix while front man Cory Le Blanc belts out heartfelt lyric after heartfelt lyric, before not-too-long guitar solos take over to keep you entertained. There’s literally no downside to this album, assuming that you like music.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Rain Over St. Ambrose‘s Cory LeBlanc talks to GUFF Magazine about their new album Truth For News: “The direction of Truth for News is exactly where we want to be right now. We were able to find our “sound” early so there hasn’t been much that has changed.  We’ve been a band for just over two years now, and this is our first full-length – so this accomplishes a major goal for us.  Having said that, I think as a band we’re working as hard as ever, touring more, practicing a lot at our drummer’s house and trying to find new and exciting ways to expand our fan base.”

Read the whole interview HERE.

Earshot on Tusks‘ Total Entertainment: “Total Entertainment is a bit of a slow grower that adds layers of stripped-down pop to fuzzed out guitars and delicate melodies. It takes a few listens to fully realize itself, but when it does, it is a very satisfying experience.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Bob Mersereau on Erin Costelo‘s We Can Get Over: “Wow, what happened to Erin Costelo?  She took a big soul pill is what, and now we find out the Halifax singer-songwriter had a secret inner Marvelette or something.  Costelo has made a disc that combines rich soul sounds with classic 60′s pop production.  There’s a bit of several touchstones in the ten songs.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Earbuds & Ticket Stubs on Erin Costelo‘s We Can Get Over: “The luscious gem of a record, which showcases Costelo’s soulful and timeless voice, also sees her behind the mixers as producer. As for topic matter, the album is about ‘love, passion, aging, and spirituality. All the things you start to think about as you get a little bit older,’ comments Costelo.”

Read the whole piece HERE.

Bob Mersereau on Kyp Harness‘ The Wrong Way & Can A Poor Man Get A Fair Trial?: “Kyp Harness is the kind of guy you want to follow down the street writing down everything he says, in case he drops a great line he won’t be using.  Words and ideas seem to swirl from him, almost fully formed straight from mind to disc.  I’m sure there’s some editing and lots of thought put into it, but there’s a stream-of-conscious feel to his performance, a sense of immediacy and adventure, and you get the feeling he doesn’t quite know where its going but something’s going to happen.  You like fine writing?  Kyp’s your guy.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Coast on the self-titled PANOS album: “Giannoulis draws from his background in indie rock and his more recent involvement in avant-garde and improvised jazz, with a well-trained ear and stable of talented guests to give the album a Sufjan Stevens-esque feel. The addition of atonal elements, a healthy amount of feedback and unexpected harmonies elevate this debut to symphonic heights.”

Read the whole review HERE.

The Tom Fun Orchestra talks to L.A. Beat about their upcoming show in Lethbridge, AB: “The new CD combines a touch of Celtic music with a lot of indie rock and surprisingly a lot of horns. ‘You’re the second interviewer who noticed that, but we’ve always had horn players. We don’t have a touring violin player now, so the horns fill in some of that,’ said [Ian] MacDougall, who said it wasn’t intentional, it’s just the way the music developed. ‘I’m more comfortable with arranging music now, but we wanted to do more of a rock and roll record than the last one,’ he said.

Read the whole piece HERE.

Week-End Wrap Up • 11.09.12

As the week comes to a close, here’s a peek at some features that have come our way this week for Pigeon Row artists and clients.

SoundVat on the Tom Fun Orchestra song “Animal Mask” from their album Earthworm Heart: “The Tom Fun Orchestra is an interesting collective  of seven musicians who have no problem finding their own voice in Canadian music. They’re the kind of people that whoop, holler, and stomp, and that sense of energy dominated their music, along with frequent shoutings of the word ‘methadone’ in today’s case.”

Read the whole piece HERE.

NOW Magazine on Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Earthworm Heart: “Singer/songwriter Ian MacDougall deliver[s] grim and dramatic tales in a gritty voice (that doesn’t sound much like his speaking voice) backed by Arcade Fire-like backup vocals and weirdly appropriate instrumentation: drums, bass, guitars and synths but also trumpet, accordion, violin and banjo.”

Read the whole piece HERE.

Tom Fun Orchestra‘s Ian MacDougall talks to The Record: “I certainly don’t feel awkward or shy about the reputation of the Cape Breton music scene but we do often get a lot of comparisons. People will often just decide that we sound Maritime-y or East Coast-y, Celtic gypsy rock, that sort of thing. Which maybe in the past was a little bit warranted but I think when they hear that a band is from Cape Breton and they see that there’s some folk instruments in the band that they just instantly draw comparisons to Celtic music, which is fine. It might not be true but I can live with it.”

Read the whole feature HERE.

Herohill on Ruth Minnikin‘s The Minnikins Photo Album: “The Minnikins Photo Album is washed in sepia tones; images faded and cracked Ruth sings in the spirit of tradition and lineage. Dust is blown from vinyl grooves, revealing a rich warmth, but these songs aren’t sun kissed nostalgia or sweaters and knit scarves. No, the fire that heats the room is the love of family and stories told time and time again through smiles, hugs and tears.”

Read the whole review HERE.

Sunrise Ocean Bender on Backward Music Vol. 1: “It’s easy to get lulled in only to find there’s much more going on than lazing in the experience. From rhythmic electronic tinged progressions to an uplifting wordless elegy, there’s activity. With no need to shout and moving at its own pace.”

Read the whole review HERE.