Quick Post!

Sweet Serenades - Die Young (mp3) (buy)

Deep Dark Woods - All the Money I had is Gone (mp3) (buy)

Pomegranates - Corriander (mp3) (buy)

Deadbeat Darling - Everytime (mp3) (buy)

Big Fresh - W.L.U.V. (mp3) (buy)

Golden Bear - Night Lights (mp3) (buy)

Wooden Birds - Sugar (mp3) (buy)

Howie Beck - Flashover (mp3) (buy)

The Legends - You won (mp3) (buy)

Little Earthquakes

According to their press release, My First Earthquake is all about "the tight, punchy synths, Cure-ish keys, P-bass, dance rock grooves, handclaps, gang vocals, cowbells, tambourines, hip-hop beats and lyrics that reference mermaids in love with humans, crossword puzzles, and getting kicked outta the band."

I'm already sold!

It's fun, poppy music with bright colours, snyths and clear references to the riot grrl movement. But I can't tell if I'm too old for this.

My First Earthquake - Cool in a Cool Way (mp3) (buy)

Party Days

Summer has finally begun. What better way than to spend an evening with friends and take some silly pictures, play "rock band" on Nintendo Wii and pig out on junk food. Who knows, this could be you in the future:

"Hurrah!"

San Francisco's Photons feature the basson, glockenspiel, clarinet and a random assortment of instruments such as the electro-harp, sod-bottle perussion and bulbut tarange (Indian banjo).

Photons - Where were you last night (mp3) (buy)

It's rock sound that's a bit complex, with lush sounds and an indie spirit. The group has organically grown from people simply wanting to learn a second instrument. For example, the bass player, wanted to learn how to play the drums. And soon with members being able to pay a large variety of instruments, why not write songs that can involve heavy instrumentation and and complex arrangements?

They sound like a cross between Belle and Sebastien, Modest Mouse, a softer Interpol and infused with the spirit of Broken Social Scene. It's a poppy uplifting sound borne out of intellectual advancement.

The band has recently released their Glory! EP and each CD comes with an issue of the "We Are Photons" comic book series. Seriously.

Wait by My Generation

I love the music of the past. You could say I'm not with the times. You could say I'm living under a rock. You could say that, you know, there's a whole new world out there. But...

There's something about songs from the 50's where all that matters is that it sounds good and brings a smile to your face! And there's an audible aesthetic to this kind of sound you'll know as soon as you here it.

It's also hard to reproduce or interpret that type of aesthetic without venturing into a cliched or gimmicky territory.

That's why I'm so impressed with the Generationals and Lucky Soul.

Clearly, the two guys behind the Generationals, Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, have managed to capture diners, circle skirts, motown sunglasses and sunny afternoons perfectly without going off the deep end. It's fun, it's catchy and the intro to "when they fight, they fight" will automatically you of summer.

Lucky Soul is a little bit more cautious. "Whoa Billy!" warns of "dark age ahead", but who cares anyways?! It's a song sung with girl-group vocals and pop sensibilities about a boy who's confident that everything will work out in the end. Awww..... it instantly takes away the rain cloud above your head and promises that this summer is going to be awesome!

Generationals - When they Fight, They Fight (mp3) (buy)

Lucky Soul - Whoa Billy! (mp3) (buy)

Sam Bennett and the Sharp Knees

Just in time and perfect for the summer season, it's Sam Bennett and the Sharp Knees!


This Sam Bennett from Nottingham, England really knows how to brighten a day. Unlike the rest of the kids, his music is unabashedly cheerful in a decade where it's arguably much cooler to be depressed. Plug him into your iPod and you'll be strolling, skipping and/or sauntering down the street while everyone else shuffles, slouches and slinks. Thank goodness for sauntering.

Sam's got this snazzy new Hummingbird EP with the Sharp Knees supporting him. The result is something punchier and higher energy than his acoustic solo material from the I Am a Lighthouse single and B-sides that he released earlier. The tracks from that single are available for download at his official site so be sure to pick it up if you enjoy good music and being happy. At its core, the Hummingbird EP shares the same infectious, pop-hit-worthy writing but with the addition of amps and drums via the Sharp Knees.

Sam Bennett and the Sharp Knees - Two Headed Girl (mp3) (buy)
Sam Bennett and the Sharp Knees - Speak to Me Softly (mp3) (buy)
Sam Bennett and the Sharp Knees - Hummingbird (mp3) (buy)

After listening to that batch of catchy tunes, even I feel like finding a summer girlfriend and frolicking with her as the sun shines on our faces and the wind rushes through our hair and onlookers sigh in envy at our optimistic young love. And I challenge you not to feel the same way after taking a listen for yourself.

Dark Mean

Hee hee, lookit the monkey! :D

When playwright Rebecca Nada-Rajah needed a soundtrack for her production of "The Constant K Determines the Ultimate Fate of the Universe", lifelong friends Billy, Sandy and Mark got together as the Hamilton-based Dark Mean. They wrote and performed, and now a year later, they're working on their first full-length release. It'll be appropriately titled after the play that fueled their formation.

The album will be a compilation of three EPs, the first of which has a monkey on the cover and is called frankencottage. Aren't you already charmed?

Dark Mean - Happy Banjo (mp3) (iTunes)
Dark Mean - frankencottage (mp3) (iTunes)

And that is indeed quite a happy banjo on the first track of their first EP. The happiest of banjos I've heard in a while, dare I say. The banjo may or may not have been paying attention to the slightly darker overtones of the lyrics. You can hear the entire frankencottage EP over at their mySpace, or you can download it for free off their official website. So do yourself a favour and go get 'em!

It's definitely a strong start for the trio. It's kind of pop, and kind of folk, and kind of reminds you that Canada is THE place for indie music. We've got happy banjos and monkeys on our album art, fuck yeah! I'm looking forward to the next two EPs which they say will be released over the next year or so. They plan to be finished the second of the set by the end of this summer. Dark Mean does joke that their band's evolutionary process has "the pace of a critically-ill snail", but I'm predicting that it'll be well worth the wait.

Dark Mean will be playing a free show at Sunrise Records on Yonge and Dundas in Toronto on June 19th at 6PM. Woot! I was planning to be in the area anyway because of In-Flight Safety, The Cliks and Wintersleep playing Yonge and Dundas Square later into the night for NXNE. Fantastic!

And look! More monkeys!

Middle of Nowhere

Holy shit, Impressionable Youth has finally hit its 200th post! Like, wow! It's about time! Confetti all around! So as my gift to you all, I'm gonna do one of those mp3 shuffle quizzes, and I'll post all of the songs that I end up getting. I highly recommend doing this quiz yourself. It's fun and the results are usually hi-larious.

So put your mp3 player on shuffle and press play. Each song that plays will be your answer to the following questions.

1.If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say?
Two Hours Traffic - I feel Naked Without My Cell Phone (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- 'Cause I'm all awkward like that. Also, the Two Hours Traffic Boys will be releasing their third album, Territory in September. Happy days!

2.How would you describe yourself?
Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- 'Cause I'm all depressing like that.

3.What do you like in a [boy/girl]?
Ewan McGregor - Your Song (Moulin Rouge Soundtrack) (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- I've got high expectations. You better be better or equal to Ewan McGregor if you wanna get with me. Ha!

4.How do you feel today?
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Six Barrel Shot Gun (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- lol.

5.What is your life's purpose?
The I Spies - Thump, Thump, Thump (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Not much of a purpose apparently.

6.What is your motto?
Original Broadway Cast of Avenue Q - The Internet is for Porn (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Ahaha. Ha! Hahaha. You know what? It's probably true.

7.What do your friends think of you?
Foo Fighters - Stranger Things Have Happened (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- They think I'm strange, but not that strange.

8.What do you think of your parents?
Ben Lee - We're All In This Together (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Oh happy times.

9.What do you think about very often?
Pulp - Sorted For E's And Wizz - (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- This quiz really isn't making me look very good.

10.What is 2 + 2?
Le Tigre - Deceptacon (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Yeah, so that shows how much I know about math. But "2 + 2 = Deceptacon" does have a nice ring to it. That'll be my band's name if I ever start one.

11.What do you think of your best friend?
Coldplay - Fix You (live) (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes) OR (download the live album FREE at Coldplay's offical site)
- I will try to fix you, buddy! D: Don't worry, it's gonn' be alright!

12.What do you think of the person you like?
Joel Plaskett - Precious, Precious, Precious (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Yeah, that sounds about right.

13.What is your life story?
Stars - Today Will Be Better, I swear! (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)

14.What do you want to be when you grow up?
Neverending White Lights - Warding Off the Spirits (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- I'm gonna be an exorcist.

15.What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Five For Fighting - Superman (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Haha, cute. Ironically, I have a friend that we've nicknamed Superman.

16.What will you dance to at your wedding?
The Hives - Inspection Wise 1999 (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Hell yeah, I'm gonna have one rockin' cool wedding.

17.What will they play at your funeral?
Stabilo - Flawed Design (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- Now that's just mean.

18.What is your hobby/interest?
Weezer - Peace (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- I am quite interested in peace.

19.What is your biggest fear?
Zuckerbaby - Jealousy (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- It's an ugly emotion. Whatever happened to Zuckerbaby? I'll have to go look them up after I've done this post.

20.What is your biggest secret?
Luke Doucet & the White Falcon - Blood's too Rich (Amazon) (iTunes)
- "Cause my blood's too rich for subway cars and I'm too poor for a cab old for the girl I love but she doesn't know it yet." D:

21.What do you think of your friends?
Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)
- "C'mon let's get high!" Yeah, boy! Also, the dub version of Tonight is called Blood is now out at record stores near you.

22.What will you post this as?
Hot Hot Heat - Middle of Nowhere (mp3) (Amazon) (iTunes)



So there you have it! There's your glimpse into my own iPod, and 22 mp3s. Enjoy!

Sealed with a kiss. One pretty bad-ass kiss.

Muah!

I was completely unprepared for the high voltage rockin' that was waiting for me on the other side of this link to SWAK's mySpace page. For me, if anyone uses the phrase "SWAK", or "sealed with a kiss", my mind immediately leaps to that 60's hit performed by Brian Hyland of the same title. So I was daydreaming with the lonely summer ballad, waiting for SWAK's page to load, and suddenly the first track on their music player starts up and it sucker punches me in the face with a fistful of bad-ass. It was like a wake-up call telling me to kick my sappy music aside and to get my shit together.

That's probably what Syd, Pete and Julian did when they got together in the last month of 2008 to form SWAK. Now after just six months, they've left their New York City home with a handful of strong demos to embark on a DIY tour of the States. Why more people haven't taken notice is beyond me. They're pretty hard to miss with the wailing vocals and speeding guitars, all heavy on the distortion.

SWAK is a much needed reminder of what American punk music is in its most classic context. None of that guyliner-induced so-called music that kids seem to think is "punk" these days. That's not punk! SWAK is punk.

SWAK - Head In the Sand (Stand Up) (mp3)
SWAK - Scream (mp3)

And just as a sidenote, I can totally imagine myself rockin' out to Head in the Sand (Stand Up) on a little plastic guitar in front of a TV screen, via Guitar Hero. That song is absolutely perfect for the game.

Again, they're on a DIY tour around the US, so catch 'em if you can. They're still looking to book a couple of venues in some of the cities that they're visiting and are open for suggestions, so head over to their mySpace for the dates.

Sparkling White

When I first saw the words "Sparkling White" on my computer screen in cursive font, I started thinking toothpastes, dish detergents and other cleansing products. But now, now I think of good ol' Toronto indie.

Sparkling White is a band that's got a simple but effective zeitgeist. Their mySpace page, default layout, is adorned only with three songs and one video. Their influences are "good music" and they sound like "sparkling white". Their bio: "We met, and now we play."

Fair enough.

Sparkling White - Which Way (mp3)
Sparkling White - Checkers (mp3)
Sparkling White - Lie With Me (mp3)

Maybe I'm just an old soul longing for a return of the 90's, but I hear a bit of that decade in Sparkling White. Probably a result of the generally optimistic pop-rock melodies and gritty production quality, both of which I am a fan of. Couple that with some endearing never-more-complicated-than-they-need-to-be lyrics, like Which Way's
"She's browsing at the book store
I'd like to know more
About what she's reading"
and you've got yourself a decent choice for a summer anthem. It's tunes like these that bring an unexpected smile to your face when you've got your iPod on shuffle.

Sparkling White will play Rancho Relaxo on June 10th, so go check 'em out if you can. It's Mexican food and feel-good music. It's a win-win situation!

Sound On

I first heard of Sweden's the Sounds from their last effort, Living in America. I thought they were very Blondie-esque and not just because of the blonde lead singer. Their new album, Crossing the Rubicon, out yesterday, has the same kind of shiny, edgy (but safe enough to play in stores in American Eagle), new-wavish sound that will guarantee that they will be able to make a living doing what they do.

But having said that, don't discount it. It's still a fun, catchy record.

The Sounds - Nobody Sleeps when I'm Awake (mp3) (buy)

Hi Ho Silver. Oh.

It's a mystery. I know nothing about Hi Ho Silver Oh. This quotation is the extent to my knowledge about the group:

"free ep.
california.
house shows. lots of them.
i did this without his permission.
sorry casey."

What?! But I do know I like their songs. They are simple and affecting. And timeless in the way of oldies like "tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree", but marked by the new generation.

Their my friends and the sun ep can be downloaded on their website for free.

Hi Ho Silver Oh - A Bird and Winter (mp3) (donate)
Hi Ho Silver Oh - Sunset (mp3) (donate)