Recording: ZONES

Artist: ZONES

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at Sonic Boom (Record Store Day), April 16, 2016.

ZONES - unknown

I was sad to have missed the celebration party for Zones' new album, but with a big sub in place at Sonic Boom, it was an ample reward to hear the band experimenting with some new rhythms. No longer just woozing with their dub-psychedelic layers of echo-haze, there were also excursions like this that skewed more towards mutant disco.

^* I'm not sure if this a new track, or something that got reworked a bit from its previous form — lemme know if you can work out the title to this one.

Recording: Eucalyptus

Artist: Eucalyptus

Song: Narcalypso

Recorded at Sonic Boom (Record Store Day), April 16, 2016.

Eucalyptus - Narcalypso

In the midst of their every-Saturday-in-April residency and sporting a new tape with two new long tunes, Brodie West's recent preoccupation with percussion was on display here with the band now sporting three percussionists (Blake Howard, Evan Cartwright and Nick Fraser). Trumpeter Nicole Rampersaud was unavailable for this one, so it gave the back line all the more space for rhythmic interplay in a mix of older tunes with new stuff, like the infectiously singalong stop-and-go rhythms of "Stop and Go".

[Eucalyptus' residency continues with shows tonight (April 23) and next Saturday at Hirut Restaurant, just steps from Woodbine subway station.]

Recording: Partner

Artist: Partner

Song: Lesbian Green Day

Recorded at Sonic Boom (Record Store Day), April 16, 2016.

Partner - Lesbian Green Day

Leading off an excellently-programmed afternoon of free in-store entertainment for Record Store Day, Partner once again eschewed their rhythm section and guitar solos to play a stripped-down set. Sometimes (as with "Everyone Knows You're High") that is a means to showcase a song that'd sound good in any context, but a couple songs here sounded more purpose-built for acoustic arrangements, including "Gross Secret", played "in the style of Neil Young". This little song shows the band at their most self-aware, making a couple meta-observations and not sticking around for a second more than the idea requires.

Recording: Comet Control

Artist: Comet Control

Song: Fear The Haze

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 18, 2015.

Comet Control - Fear The Haze

Closing out an afternoon of in-store performances, Comet Control turned up the volume in Sonic Boom's basement. Tasty all around, even if guitarist Andrew Moszynski was having a bit of a bad luck day, breaking a couple strings as the set went on. Perhaps it's just having more time to live with the songs on their album, but the band's dynamic increasingly feels like its own thing, with less need to invoke comparisons to Quest For Fire — just put in your earplugs and rock along with it.

Recording: ANAMAI

Artist: ANAMAI

Song: Lucia

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 18, 2015.

ANAMAI - Lucia

Though this was originally billed as a solo set, Anna Mayberry was joined by David Psutka for a half-dozen songs that sounded quite excellent in Sonic Boom's basement. A small crowd even gathered to sit on the floor in front of the stage as Psutka's synth-like guitar textures swelled up into sheets of noise.

[Help celebrate the release of ANAMAI's debut album Sallows tonight (Friday, April 24th) at CineCycle alongside Twist and Blunt Chunks.]

Recording: Carl Didur

Artist: Carl Didur

Song: Carl Didur - Record Store Day [edited excerpt]^*

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 18, 2015.

Carl Didur - Record Store Day [edited excerpt]

Say what you will about the corporatization of Record Store Day, it still brings out healthy crowds to local independent businesses — and they end up digging deeper than the newest redundant Bruce Springsteen reissues. Sonic Boom used the day to formally launch their in-store space at their new Spadina Ave. location, with a day full of cool live music to soundtrack people's shopping experience. Carl Didur led the day off with a gentle set for electric piano, offering a more meditative tone than his usual tape loop-abetted constructions. Beautiful stuff that subtly played with the expectations of what both random shoppers and enthusiasts might have expected.

^* Does anyone know the name(s) to these song(s)? Please leave a comment!

Recording: PS I Love You

Artist: PS I Love You

Song: In My Mind

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 19, 2014.

PS I Love You - In My Mind

Full review to follow. As has become a springtime tradition, Sonic Boom turned Record Store Day into a day-long spectacle, with live bands providing entertainment to the crowded store all afternoon long. Say what you will about the corporatization of the event, it does get people out and gives the community a chance to gather together — just hanging around all day felt like a rock'n'roll reunion as I kept running into friends and acquaintances old and new.

Paul Saulnier gave some previews of what we might expect on the follow up to the band's Death Dreams album, and live the new stuff fits in nicely with the band's past work. Saulnier still isn't one to wear his heart of his sleeve, but the guitar solos are as expressive as ever.

Recording: HSY

Artist: HSY

Song: Slimeball

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 19, 2014.

HSY - Slimeball

Full review to follow. As has become a springtime tradition, Sonic Boom turned Record Store Day into a day-long spectacle, with live bands providing entertainment to the crowded store all afternoon long. Say what you will about the corporatization of the event, it does get people out and gives the community a chance to gather together — just hanging around all day felt like a rock'n'roll reunion as I kept running into friends and acquaintances old and new.

Like a Sex Bomb igniting a swamp of grungesludge, HSY cranked up the volume and got Sonic Boom shakin'. As of this writing, they're taking their tunes (including those on a new 7") on tour across the UK. They'll spread the Buzz through the USA before returning home for NXNE.

Recording: The Bicycles

Artist: The Bicycles

Song: The Ultimate Price^*

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 19, 2014.

The Bicycles - The Ultimate Price

Full review to follow. As has become a springtime tradition, Sonic Boom turned Record Store Day into a day-long spectacle, with live bands providing entertainment to the crowded store all afternoon long. Say what you will about the corporatization of the event, it does get people out and gives the community a chance to gather together — just hanging around all day felt like a rock'n'roll reunion as I kept running into friends and acquaintances old and new.

The Bicycles' Young Drones rock opera received a re-mounting at Long Winter a couple months back, but it's even more intriguing to hear some of the tunes creeping into their regular set where they have no trouble standing on their own as tasty pop songs on a par with the rest of their catalogue. The forthcoming album version is definitely something I'm eagerly waiting to hear.

^* Thanks to Andrew for passing along the title to this one!

Recording: Greys

Artist: Greys

Song: That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate [Mission of Burma cover] + Brain Dead

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 19, 2014.

Greys - That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate + Brain Dead

Full review to follow. As has become a springtime tradition, Sonic Boom turned Record Store Day into a day-long spectacle, with live bands providing entertainment to the crowded store all afternoon long. Say what you will about the corporatization of the event, it does get people out and gives the community a chance to gather together — just hanging around all day felt like a rock'n'roll reunion as I kept running into friends and acquaintances old and new.

Greys' set was peppered with covers and was filled out with tunes from their forthcoming full-length. This one segues quickly from one to the other, with singer/guitarist Shehzaad Jiwani dedicating this MoB classic to the record store clerks that would be most likely to recognize it.

Recording: DIANA

Artist: DIANA

Song: Here Come The Warm Jets [Brian Eno cover]

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day"), April 19, 2014.

DIANA - Here Come The Warm Jets

Full review to follow. As has become a springtime tradition, Sonic Boom turned Record Store Day into a day-long spectacle, with live bands providing entertainment to the crowded store all afternoon long. Say what you will about the corporatization of the event, it does get people out and gives the community a chance to gather together — just hanging around all day felt like a rock'n'roll reunion as I kept running into friends and acquaintances old and new.

After a whole lotta touring behind their Perpetual Surrender album, synth-rockers DIANA are looking for some new challenges, including tackling what they informed the crowd was their first ever performance of a cover. They'll be similarly tackling some new horizons with a pair of shows this week at The Drake Underground that will tap into two different vibes: their "most opiated performance ever" on Thursday (with a lineup filled with MFS faves, including Doc Dunn, the Love Nation's ASMR buds [members of Bernice and more] and Jennifer Castle) and a "pure dance set" on Friday (including a set from Ice Cream and a performance by the awesome vogue crew House Of Monroe).

Recording: Beliefs

Artist: Beliefs

Song: Catch My Breath

Recorded at Sonic Boom (Record Store Day 2013), April 20, 2013.

Beliefs - Catch My Breath

Full review to follow. Jesse Crowe and Josh Korody played some older and newer songs to celebrate Record Store Day, including this gem, which is one of the highlights on their tasty self-titled debut full-length.

Recording: Tess Parks

Artist: Tess Parks

Song: Anemone [Brian Jonestown Massacre cover]^*

Recorded at Sonic Boom ("Record Store Day 2013"), April 20, 2013.

Tess Parks - Anemone

Full review to follow. Anyone that was still sleepy as the full day's worth of live music began at Sonic Boom had a chance to be nudged towards consciousness with Parks' hazy, drowsy stylings. Parks, a noted photographer whose Take Care of Your Soul exhibit just closed at Oz Studios, showed off a well-crafted group sound that fills in some of the spareness of the demos that appeared online a few months ago. I'm looking forward to hearing more of this.

^* Thanks to Ami for passing along the title to this one!

Recording: Fresh Snow

Artist: Fresh Snow

Song: BMX Based Tactics

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day 2012), April 21, 2012.

Fresh Snow - BMX Based Tactics

Recording: Bloodshot Bill

Artist: Bloodshot Bill

Song: Stop!

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day 2012), April 21, 2012.

Bloodshot Bill - Stop!

Full review to follow.

Recording: The Darcys

Artist: The Darcys

Song: Deacon Blues [Steely Dan cover]

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day 2012), April 21, 2012.

The Darcys - Deacon Blues

Full review to follow.

Recording: Light Fires

Artist: Light Fires

Song: Let's Get Divorced

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day Celebration), April 16, 2011.

Light Fires - Let's Get Divorced

My notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: Ben Gunning

Artist: Ben Gunning

Song: Mutilator

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day Celebration), April 16, 2011.

Ben Gunning - Mutilator

My notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: Bidiniband

Artist: Bidiniband

Song: Big Men Go Fast On the Water

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day Celebration), April 16, 2011.

Bidiniband - Big Men Go Fast On the Water

My notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: Teenanger

Artist: Teenanger

Song: Evil Man

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (Record Store Day Celebration), April 16, 2011.

Teenanger - Evil Man

My notes for this set can be found here.