Peaceful, the world lays me down

Noah and the Whale sound like they’re having a whale of a time in the studio on their track “Five Years Time,” a teaser for their full-length debut album (titled Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down) due out September 16th. The band’s name is an homage to Noah Baumbach and his film The Squid and the Whale, and their sound is an amalgam of Belle & Sebastian twee pop and classic folk-pop.

It’s a classic summer track in my opinion: stylish melody, twinkling instrumentation, a bit of love and longing in the lyrics, and a memorable chorus that stays with you long after the sun goes down. They’ve toured extensively and appeared on the Lollapalooza stage this weekend, so be sure to check them out if you’re planning on heading out to Chicago’s Grant Park for the show.

Inside the molecules

What interests me most about popular music is how we’ve come to a point in it’s existence where the boundaries are new frontiers left to explore have nothing to do with genres or style, but the artistic commitment and vision of the creators. It’s now as if all the chord progressions and musical genres have been discovered, and the real vision comes from how the artist’s interpret these structures. It’s about feeling more than form, and there’s a lot of feeling to the work of Chad VanGaalen. Best known as a basement dwelling composer, VanGaalen’s music is alive with compassion and love–for his subject matter and his art–and born out of simple melodies and familiar instrumentation. He doesn’t limit himself to any specific genre or style, which gives the songs an organic quality, as if each were different varieties of the same fruit: they have similar structures, but each one has a unique taste palette that plays on your tongue.

The fruits of VanGaalen’s latest work will be available on September 9, when Soft Airplane is released on Flemish Eye. For a sample, give “Willow Tree” a listen below:

A love extreme

Sometimes it’s better to know very little about an artist, because then you can just appreciate their work without having to think of it in any kind of influential context (like weighing Coldplay’s success with their artistic merit, as an example). So it goes that I’m bringing you word of Mr. Benji Hughes. Here’s all I know and what you need to know, too:

a) His name is Benji Hughes
b) his album is called A Love Extreme
c) it’s out now on New West Records
d) it’s his debut album, and it’s 25 songs spread over two discs
e) it’s f**king brilliant

Encompassing everything from lust, longing and yearning, to misery, mayhem, and magic mushrooms, A Love Extreme is exactly what the title implies–an extreme journey around the pangs and pleasures of the human condition. Epic. The beard’s kinda cool, too, don’t you think?

Two Hours Traffic, Little Jabs

It was almost a year ago that I first brought you word of a slammin’ little album from some PEI boys calling themselves Two Hours Traffic. Since then, said album, Little Jabs, has landed itself on the shortlist for this year’s Polaris Music Prize. Not surprising, since its eleven slices of pop perfection have garnered rave reviews across the country. Joel Plaskett produced Little Jabs, which is the band’s second full length, infusing its folk rock sensibilities with a distinctive air of Maritime pop that has certainly been making a comeback of late. Of course the true marker that signifies that Two Hours Traffic have arrived is their appearance (or rather their songs) on Gossip Girl, Smallville, and The OC.

As I said, the accolades have poured in from across the country for Two Hours Traffic, and the Polaris nomination is most definitely a feather in these good ol’ boys’ cap. Good things gro-o-ow in Prince Edward Island as well, it seems. (Even though only Ontarians are going to get that joke, I couldn’t help it.)

4 for the weekend vol. 40

Welcome back to another edition of 4FTW! In an ever-continuing effort to refine this fine feature, we’re slimming things down even more: 4 tracks, 4-word descriptions for each track, 4 times the fun. (Sorry contest hounds, there’s no giveaway for this edition, but stayed tuned–you’ll get your chance to win the 4 CDs for subsequent editions, soon!)