TotW: White Doves

Disco. There, I said it. But never forget that the classic, Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall (pt. 2), is also recorded with a disco drum beat... and, I mean even the Glee kids got over disco the other week, so you can to.

That said, while Toronto's Young Empires obviously has disco influences, this isn't some sort of nu-disco EP. This song, White Doves, the lead single from the band's 7-song EP, Wake All My Youth, is perhaps the least disco-esque track on the album, but it's got a great summer, pop-dance, electro- groove that just carries you along for a few minutes. A perfect 'summer night' song for the coming season. The vocals are just right in the mix, not too hard to hear, but not over-powering the song either.

Looking at the last few TotW posts, I'm obviously on-board with this electro-indie-pop sound that is happening right now; if you haven't jumped in yet, this is as good a track as any to start with. You can stream the whole album on the band's website, or check out most of it on their Radio3 band page (linked below).

» Listen: Young Empires - White Doves

TotW: Be Patient

I am swamped at work and have no time to be writing this, and it's Tuesday (not Monday), but this song/album just has taken me by storm. It's fantastic, and I don't even think I know why.

This self-titled debut from Paper Beat Scissors came out a few weeks ago, and I heard a track on the Radio3 "New Release Tuesday" show that liked... but then I don't remember having heard it again until last Thursday, just before the long (Easter) weekend.  And then, I heard it again this morning and have found it streaming on-line and not stopped listening to it.

I've seen it listed as a folk album, but it's certainly not your grandfather's folk music.  Tim Crabtree himself (aka, Paper Beat Scissors) claims to be an 'electro-hobo from Nova Scotia'... and this seems much more fitting. While it's certainly not rock music, it's an inviting mix of acoustic guitar, electronic ambiance and haunting vocals.

There are a few tracks up on the artist's Radio3 page, and you can heard the whole album through Tim's own page (via Bandcamp, it appears). So, do yourself a favour and go take a listen... it's a wonderful album and I think it promises amazing things in the future.

» Listen: Paper Beat Scissors - Be Patient