La Sera - Break My Heart

Sic Alps - Glyphs

This is Pop Download-o-rama

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Best New Music - Friends in Bellwoods II

Out of this Spark is celebrating the intersection of community and art, with the release of Friends in Bellwoods II. The compendium, a 40-song, double-album set of rare, new and unreleased selections from some of Canada's most innovative independent musicians, is now available and features Great Lake Swimmers, The Acorn, Sandro Perri, Basia Bulat, Timber Timber, Katie Stelmanis, Ohbijou and many more. All proceeds from the sale of the compilation go to the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.

Listen here.

Friends in Bellwoods II

Track List
Disc One

01. Forest City Lovers – Minneapolis
02. Le Pigeon – Freezing Rain
03. Basia Bulat – My Heart Is A Warning
04. The Acorn – Slippery When Wet
05. Canadian Wildlife – Winter’s Moon
06. Double Suicide – Touch The Sun
07. Great Bloomers – Find My Way
08. Lisa Bozikovic – The Letting Go
09. Bellewoods – Kneel On The Apron
10. Kate Rogers – The Same Party
11. Timber Timbre – Water
12. No Kids – All That Heaven Allows
13. Snailhouse – Don’t Go Anywhere
14. Final Fantasy – Red Sun (Demo Version)
15. Sylvie Smith – On Our Own
16. Bruce Peninsula – In Parallel
17. Gentleman Reg – For Trust
18. Evening Hymns – Cedars
19. Kite Hill – Tom Thumbtack
20. The Bellwoods Crew – Staten Island Waltz

Disc Two

01. The Dinghies – The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
02. Bocce – Inspiration Bellwoods
03. Kids On TV - Poison
04. Katie Stelmanis – Believe Me
05. The D’Urbervilles – Magic Arrow
06. Sebastien Grainger – Home Is The Light
07. Violence – Living Off The Land
08. Ohbijou – An Ode To An End
09. Great Lake Swimmers – Send Me A Letter
10. The Low Notes – Glory Glory
11. Snowblink – When Pushed From A High Branch
12. lice - yggdrasil
13. Emma McKenna - Happiness
14. Richard Laviolette – Media Song
15. The Adam Brown – Joy Rider
16. The Phonemes – April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email
17. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Rough And Tumble
18. Tusks – New To Old Money
19. Hooded Fang – Highway Steam
20. The Wooden Sky – My Old Ghosts


In 2006, Ohbijou's Casey Mecija and her bandmate, James Bunton, knew it was time to document and showcase some of the music being created in her home on Bellwoods Avenue in Toronto. In an attempt to render a "digital diary of the house", the pair curated the first Friends in Bellwoods compilation later that year. Their keen sense of changes taking place in the neighborhood, and their relation to the gentrifying forces at work, led them to consider the geographic connection between the house and a heavily trafficked food bank. As a result, all proceeds from the original and the second compilation go to The Daily Bread Food Bank. The first edition of the compilation has raised over $11,000 since its release two years ago.

Even on the new recording many of the songs were recorded in the house; listen carefully and you might hear the detailing of the house's life recorded-a window creaking, a kettle boiling, the resident dog shuffling, the constant rotation of friends and musicians that continue to animate a small bungalow on Bellwoods Avenue.

But do seek out this excellent and worthy new release.


1 comment:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

That considerable list reads like a real who's who of Canadian indie music. This is a must have, for so many reasons.

I do love music that incorporates ambient sounds, even when it is accidental. It just adds a whole new level of interest and intimacy to the music.