The Coast
Expatriate

By Jill Langlois

Coming from neither the west nor the east side of our country, the Coast — actually named after the Paul Simon song — have got to be one of Toronto’s hardest working bands. With tour dates already lined up through July, the indie alt-pop quartet shouldn’t have any problem selling their first full-length, Expatriate, at every stop on their trip. Ben Spurr’s voice soars through every song on the new record like it did on the Coast’s self-titled EP, but this time with more texture added via layered group vocals, like in album opener “Tightrope.” The band keep things interesting and upbeat by weaving a purposefully playful piano with distorted-sounding guitar riffs and incessant drumming on “Nueva York,” but still know how to slow a song down without making it boring or having it lose the catchiness of its faster-paced counterparts (check out “Ceremony Guns”). If they keep creating records like this, the Coast definitely won’t be expatriated any time soon. (Aporia)

Portishead - Third
Highly anticipated and 11 years in the making, the aptly titled Third is a beautiful and accomplished album either compared to its predecessors or taken on its own. Beth Gibbons, all wild-eyed and dramatic on Portishead, is nicely restrained here, with those 11 years bringing a calm an ...Read More
Lykke Li - Little Bit EP
The last year has seen Lykke Li’s stock rise from anonymity to blog darling, and with her forthcoming debut album, Youth Novels, possibly even find Peter Bjorn & John-like fame. That would be most fitting considering that band’s Björn Yttling is on board with the Stockholm girl as co-producer ...Read More
{{{Sunset}}} - Bright Blue Dream
A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In The Sea
American Princes - Other People
Apples In Stereo - Electronic Projects for Musicians
The Autumns - Fake Noise From a Box of Toys
The B-52s - Funplex
Big Dipper - Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
Birds of Avalon - Outer Upper Inner
Black Horse - The Black Arts of Black Horse
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Bob Wiseman - The Legend
The Breeders - Mountain Battles
Cancer Conspiracy - "Ω"
The Carps - Waves and Shambles
The Child Ballads - Cheekbone Hollows (Pop. ½ Life)
Clinic - Do It!
Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Colorlist - Lists
Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg and Curse
Culture Reject - Culture Reject
Dark Meat - Universal Indians
Dead Child - Attack
The Death Set - Worldwide
The Dodos - Visiter
The Drift - Memory Drawings
The Drift - Memory Drawings
The Duke Spirit - Neptune
El Perro del Mar - From the Valley to the Stars
Excepter - Debt Dept.
Freddie Stevenson - All My Strange Companions
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Glowworm - The Coachlight Woods
Hallelujah The Hills - Prepare To Qualify
The Heavy - Great Vengence and Furious Fire
Help She Can't Swim - The Death of Nightlife
Hilotrons - Happymatic
Howlin Rain - Magnificent Fiend
J. Spaceman / Sun City Girls - Mister Lonely
Jean-Paul De Roover - ...dichotomy...
Jim Noir - Jim Noir
Jordan Zevon - Insides Out
Kensington Market - Aardvark
Kensington Market - Avenue Road
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Lach - The Calm Before
Lemuria - Get Better
The Little Ones - Terry Tales & Fallen Gates
Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster!
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
Matches - A Band in Hope
Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious
Miwagemini - This is How I Found You
Monotonix - Body Language
Muse - H.A.A.R.P.:Live at Wembley Stadium
New Bloods - The Secret Life
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Night Marchers - See You in Magic
Old Haunts - Poisonous Times
Pacific UV - Longplay 2
Pas Chic Chic - Au Contraire
Pattern is Movement - All Together
Paul Haig - Go Out Tonight
Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon
The Priddle Concern - The Priddle Concern
Pyramids - Pyramids
R.E.M. - Accelerate
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir
Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir
Richard Swift - Richard Swift as Onasis
Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
The Scenics - How Does It Feel To Be Loved
Singer - Unhistories
Singer - Unhistories
Slim Twig - Derelict Dialect EP
Sun Kil Moon - April
Tapes ’n Tapes - Walk It Off
The Teenagers - Reality Check
Thalia Zedek Band - Liars and Prayers
Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom is Worth Spending A Night In
These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
Tickley Feather - Tickley Feather
Two Dark Birds - Two Dark Birds
Under Byen - Siamesisk
Walls of Jericho - Redemption
We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
What Made Milwaukee Famous - What Doesn't Kill Us
Wye Oak - If Children
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Commercial potential? The Avetts have it in spades, so don't be surprised if this disc blows up big. After building a grassroots following independently, the North Carolina trio signed to Rick Rubin's American label, and the man himself produced this, their fifth album. It's ready for primetime, as ... Full Review
Sitting in a Toronto coffee shop the week before the release of Little Girls' debut album, 20-year-old Josh McIntyre is a little worried. After an opening slot for crazed Israeli rockers Monotonix the previous night, the band's guitarist had his guitar amp repossessed. "He had it for a little longer than he was supposed to have it," he says dryly. A replacement needs to be wrangled before the band set out for their gig in Hamilton tonight.... Read More
Aside from deliberately misspelling their entire lyric book, there's nothing I dislike about Capade's Dno't Say It Mihgt Maen Somehitng. This record is everything a sophomore album should be; it's a much more developed effort stylistically and construction-wise than their debut, Wake Me Up... Full Review
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