Happy Friday dear music lovers! Here at Mixtape we like to help you get your weekend started with a playlist featuring bands that we think you should get to know a little more about.
Last week, we brought you a selection of bands from Hamiltion, Ontario and decided to keep the geographical theme going. Everyone knows the Sheepdogs hail from the Paris of Prairies, also known as Saskatoon, but this city has a lot going on right now, especially when it comes to local music.
Stating off your playlist this week we have Close Talker. This foursome of young gentlemen have been getting a whole lot of attention since they blasted on the local scene just a little more than a year ago. Their debut album Timbers has been raising eyebrows across the country, especially after they became finalists in the CBC Searchlight National competition. But mostly it’s their ability to stitch together catchy melodies with good lyrics ultimately making them a band to check out.
Also currently gaining momentum on a national level is Young Benjamins. Having just released their latest album, Less Argue the band is currently taking their act on the road and have been quickly collecting new fans. This co-ed band manages to experiment with the indie rock sound just enough, intertwining complex harmonies, time changes and violin lines making listeners truly understand that this is a group of four people who truly love what they do.
Slow Down Molasses has been part of the local music scene for more than six years and have slowly managed to gather a strong, nearly cultish, following across Canada and around the world. The thing about this band that gives them staying power is that they are always keeping things fresh. With team work they maintain a consistent creative edge, allowing their sound and their band to mature without sounding passe or boring.
If you are looking for something a little more fit for a kitchen dance party, look no further than the electro-pop duo We Were Lovers. As their Facebook profile describes, the band has “swirling atmospheric guitars, and dynamic synths (to) convey a wide array of moods and themes” and with their strong female vocals this band is the one thing every dance party has been missing. Check out this video from their most recent album Pryamids, showing that good times can happen…even in the flatlands.
One of the coolest things about Castle River (aside from their palpable and amazing friendship), is the fact that they create such a large sound for being just two dudes – one on drums and the other on guitar, both singing. Having been playing together for quite sometime (they used to be called Father Figures), the duo have managed to collect quite a following in Saskatoon. Writing songs that rely heavily on the basics of music – driving the rhythms from the kit with trick kicks and steady hands and the melody with the solid guitar riffs, these two manage to create a fresh sound that gets the crowd’s attention.
To listen to the entire playlist, check it out on YouTube.
Photo: Jane Caulfield