Arts & Crafts Announce Slew of Forthcoming Releases By Apostle of Hustle, Years and Still Life Still
3/12/2009 By Brock Thiessen

With recent releases by Gentleman Reg, Charles Spearin and Bell Orchestre, 2009 is already shaping up to be a busy year for Arts & Crafts, and it’s only going to get busier. This week the Toronto-based label announced it has signed a handful of new bands, as well as gearing up for new releases from the Hidden Cameras, Apostle Of Hustle (pictured), Amy Millan, the Most Serene Republic and Jason Collett, among others.

As for the new signings, Arts & Crafts has first off inked a deal with Years, the one-man project by Torontonian Ohad Benchetrit. The project’s self-titled debut is due out May 5, and from the sounds of the tracks on Benchetrit’s MySpace page, we’re in for quite the massive exercise in orchestral avant-rock.  

Along with Years, Arts & Crafts has signed another Toronto outfit, Still Life Still, who are currently working with producers Martin Davis Kinack and Broken Social Scenester Kevin Drew. The hooky pop-rockers’ debut EP is scheduled for a release in June, with a full-length expected to drop in August. And finally, the label has brought newcomers Zeus into the fold, who last year served as Jason Collett’s backing band and have their first Arts & Crafts EP slated for this spring.

On the more veteran front, BSS offshoot Apostle Of Hustle are set to deliver their new LP Eats Darkness on May 19. The album will mark the group’s first since 2007’s National Anthem of Nowhere, and according to the PR, it’s “raw and explosive, while remaining thought-provoking, dynamic, infectious and unforgettable.” And while the details are all sorted on this release, there’s no word yet on when or what to expect from that upcoming Hidden Cameras record or the new ones from the Most Serene Republic, Amy Millan and Jason Collett. All we know at this point is that the albums are to come sometime later this year.

Here is what’s on Apostle Of Hustle’s Eats Darkness:

1. “Snakes”
2. “Eazy Speaks”
3. “Soul Unwind”
4. “Sign”
5. “Perfect Fit”
6. “Xerses”
7. “What are you talking about?”
8. “Whistle in the Fog”
9. “Eats Darkness”
10. “Return to Sender”
11. “How to Defeat a More Powerful Enemy”
12. “Nobody Bought It”
13. “Blackberry”
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