Recommended music: 'Demain Est Une Autre Nuit' by Essaie Pas

Coming on like a cross between 80s New Romantic group Visage and industrial electronic band Factory Floor, Canada's Essai Pas are the latest act to find a comfortable home amongst the brilliance of DFA Records label. Hailing from Montreal in Quebec, the duo mix mininal synth and electro sounds with breathy French vocals. Amongst this there's a filmic atmosphere, a Lynchian noir touch, which somehow feels just right amongt the basslines. Mixing Sheffield in the early 80s, Berlin in the early 90s and New York in the early 2000's , the tracks here can make you feel like you're in the middle of the dancefloor and walking the 3 a.m. icy streets home at the same time.

Is this the start of a new Canadian scene? Maybe not, but for now it'll fit right into your world, wherever you are.

Recommended music: 'Ripe 4 Luv' by Young Guv

I hadn't heard of this record until the postman delivered it on Wednesday. It was my first selection from vinyl subscription service Wax and Stamp, and a damn fine selection it is too. If everything they send through is as good and as unusual as this we're going to get along just fine.

Some background on Ben Cook - he's the guitarist on hardcore band Fucked Up. But his punk credentials haven't stopped him ghostwriting pop hits for the likes of Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson.

It's retro styling mines a different vein to the standard electronic dance/pop references. Opener 'Crushing Sensation' sounds a lot like Split Enz (ask your dad) while title track 'Ripe 4 Luv' has got hints of 'My Best Friend's Girl' by The Cars (ask your uncle). 'Aquarian' meanwhile steps up the soul quotient as he hits the drum machine and shuffles his way across the dancefloor. When 'Kelly, I'm Not A Creep' jangles into life you think it's going to be a lost Byrds classic before turning into more of a lost indie guitar anthem that blends The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub into a melodic milkshake. 'Living The Dream' really sounds like he is, driving down the hiway in Los Angeles as the sunsets. It's hard to be certain whether closer 'Wrong Crowd' oversteps the boundary between affection tribute and kitsch, especially when the sax kicks in, but if you can forgive him the slight excess it's a great, upbeat way to end the album.

It kind of reminds me of Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) in the way he can turn his hand to any genre and make a really good job of it. It's all disarmingly casual and slightly lo-fi, but hidden within it are a set of fantastic tunes. It's a beach barbecue blow-out kind of album that demands some hot sun and cold beer to help it take its place in your affections.

'Ripe 4 Luv' is out now on Slumberland Records, and if you get the vinyl it comes in a lovely shade of blue.

Track of the Day: 'No Man Needs To Care' by Nap Eyes

Canadian four-piece have created this jangly, guitar driven indie track, featuring the killer line "No man needs to care about another man's hair". Rather like the sort of track that you would've found John Peel playing in the mid to late 80s, the winsome lyrics are matched by the vocals that have more than a hint of Edwyn Collins to them.



It's lifted from their recent album 'Whine of the Mystic', which is available from Bandcamp on one of those 'pay what you like' deals. So as a bonus you can listen to the whole album below and see if you think it's worth buying.
 

Track of the Day: 'Tokyo Winter' by Teen Daze

Taken from the new EP 'Paradiso', which is out on March 25th, this track is a great slice of electronica which closes the record. Over a bouncing, pulsing rhythm there's some great electronic melodies and a great, warm vibe, It's a pretty uplifting track which would seem to be a great way to close out a record, or even a live set, and gets me looking forward to what the rest of the EP has in store for us.

You can download the track for free below.

Video of the Day: 'Reach for the Dead' by Boards of Canada

The first track to hit the airwaves from the forthcoming album 'Tomorrow's Harvest' (unless you count those 20-second bursts from the Record Store Day 12"s).  It's a good track, but maybe not a great one. As usual it's difficult to understand a single song without hearing it in the context of the album - the new Primal Scream album is a good example of where the songs sound much better in the flow of the record than they might do individually. But hey, it's a new Boards of Canada track at the end of the day, which is something we weren't expecting at the start of the year, and it certainly whets the appetite to hear the rest of the record, which is out on June 10th.

Recommended music: 'Still Awake' EP by Ryan Hemsworth

Canadian DJ and producer Ryan Hemsworth is definitely one of this year's 'buzz' artists, and that buzz is about to get a whole lot bigger. His new EP has just landed, and not only is it brilliant but it's also available for free, which means that you can all hear his brilliance without coughing up any money - ironic really, because once you've heard it you'll realise that you would've happily paid a few quid for the privilege.

It's quite a fluid, dreamy set of tunes that are easy to lose yourself in despite the beats. And if you do download if you'll find this little not from the man himself tucked in with the music files:

thank you for downloading this and putting it on your computer laptop iphone palm pilot, whatever, and listening to it while you're doing stuff in the world.

it's free, so share it with anyone you think would like it. or keep it to yourself. cause it's for you :)

It's a nice touch that makes him stand out from the crowd and helps him exist in the real world rather than just to be an internet phenomena.

You can listen to the tracks below, or click on the picture of him above to download the EP.

Track of the Day: 'Full Moon' by Bike For Three!

If you're not familiar with Bike For Three, they're a duo consisting of Canadian rapper Rich Terfry (a.k.a. Buck 65) and Belgian electronicist Joelle Phuong Minh Le (who records as Greetings From Tuskan). In 2009 they put out a great album called 'More Heart Than Brains' (which I loved) but things have been quite from them for a while.

Until now that is, as tonight they've unleashed 'Full Moon' as a 'name your price' i.e. free download. The vocals are a joint effort from the two this time, while the music is a pulsing, throbbing, eurobeat pleasure. Hopefully this signals the return of the pair and a new album on the way - listen and download the track below.