OSHEAGA according to Sean

 

As I write this I’m still recovering from the utter insanity that was Osheaga 2012 in Montreal. This was my first time going to a festival on this large of a scale and I’m still in awe of how much amazing music I witnessed in just 3 days. Throw in some notorious Montreal nightlife, awesome people, and beautiful weather and you’ve got the recipe for the perfect (albeit exhausting) weekend. Here are some random, arbitrary awards that sum up my time at Parc-Jean Drapeau.

Most Random Set: Snoop Dogg

Where else would you hear hip classics (Gin n Juice, The Next Episode, Jump Around), pop hits (California Gurls, I Wanna F*** You) and hilariously bad reggae (Snoop Lion) in the same hour?

Most Badass: The Black Keys

If you’ve heard Little Black Submarines you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Best Dancing: Snoop Dogg & Santigold (TIED)

The super old dude dancing for Snoop Dogg had me in tears at some points from laughing so hard. Then Sunday I was totally caught off guard by Santigold’s two dancers and dancing horse. You gotta see it to believe it.

Most Likely to be Possessed: Florence and the Machine

Florence Welch looked at me, reached out, took my soul and I loved it.

Biggest OMG Moment: Justice

The French duo managed to surprise me at least once every 5 minutes with the most sublime set I’ve ever witnessed. When the stage pulled apart and revealed Gaspard playing D.A.N.C.E. on the piano I thought I was in heaven.

Wildest Crowd: Arkells

Justice almost took this one but both dance parties that the Arkells held on Saturday were just too good to be true.

Best Cover: Arkells

3 of the Arkells covers had me going insane. You Make My Dreams by Halle and Oates, Signed Sealed Delivered by Stevie Wonder and That Thing You Do by The Wonders. Unbelievable.

Best Costumes: Santigold

This picture says it all.

Best Haircut: Franz Ferdinand

The moustache gets me every single time.

That’s about it for my Osheaga wrap-up. I’ll do this again next time I’m recovering from a major festival. Mahalo.

 

 

Daily Tune: Freelance Whales – Locked Out

Freelance Whales hold a special place in the heart. They were one of the first bands that I discovered when I got into the indie scene in 2009. Songs like “Starring” and “Generator^First Floor” bring me back to a time when I was discovering all of this great music that I had no idea existed. So with that being said, it should be no surprise that I’m extremely fond of this track. Freelance whales create music that always have this youthful sense of wonder and innocence. “Locked Out” is no different. It practically bursts with happiness and has no trouble bringing us back to memories from our youth. Though the folk instruments keep everything deceitfully simple, the horns and simple refrains of “we have the rations to go anywhere” make this one hell of an indie anthem. Locked Out is available as a free download from the band’s website. Their sophomore album Diluvia comes out on October 9th.

Daily Tune: Metric – Youth Without Youth

Awwwwww yeah new Metric. I forgot how much I missed these guys. I love great bands when they’re Canadian and I love them even more when they have a lead singer as fantastic as Emily Haines. “Youth Without Youth” is the first single off of their upcoming album “Synthetica” which drops on June 12th. This song hits hard and while not poppy like “Help I’m Alive” or as instantly catchy as “Black Sheep” it creeps its way inside of your head and will have you rocking out within seconds. It looks like the Metric have taken a card from The Black Keys and gone for a simple yet effective approach. The results are amazing, let’s just hope the rest of “Synthetica” is this damn good.

Daily Tune: Portugal. The Man – People Say

I didn’t really have much time to find music this weekend so I’m just posting a fantastic song by Portugal. The Man who I was just reintroduced to. I loved this song a couple years ago but completely forgot about it until I saw Portugal. The Man on the Osheaga 2012 lineup. The band really gives me an “Oasis” feel, especially the beginning guitar lick that sounds eerily similar to the guitar solo in “Don’t Look Back in Anger”. Overall though it’s just a great song that’ll have to tide you over until I find some new stuff.

OH YEAH

Yes, I know I didn’t put up a 905 mixtape yesterday. It’s crunch time for me right now and I have 4 exams this week. I promise there’ll be one next week and it will be stellar. On the brightside, Hoodie Allen’s “All American” EP comes out on Tuesday so just listen to that all week. Cheers.

Daily Tunes (March 23rd and 24th 2012)

HAIM – Forever

Don’t let their looks deceive you. The three girls that comprise of the up and coming band HAIM definitely know how to craft a song. In the ever growing trend of disco/dance indie bands HAIM aims to capture the same magic of early Michael Jackson while still integrating their own unique sound. These lovely ladies have been garnering a lot of buzz at this year’s SXSW. I highly recommend checking them out.

Madeon – Icarus

Madeon is my role model. Seriously, he is everything I want to be. The kid is only 17 and has been making some serious waves in the EDM scene. His video Pop Culture sold me on his creative sample-based indie-disco complextro sound that is uniquely Madeons.  Icarus is a testament to the kid’s unbelievable production skills. Every second is flawless and I shudder to think how many hours he put into this track. He’s playing at Ultra in Miami this week and I’ll have the pleasure to see him in August at Osheaga. Make sure to check out Madeon, he’s going to be around for a long long time.

OSHEAGA 2012

I freaked out a little bit today when my friend showed me the lineup for Osheaga this year. We had been trying to figure out a music festival to go to this year and this looks like it’s actually going to be the one. The lineup is insane and the tickets aren’t too expensive. Add in Montreal and you really have no excuse not to go. I figured I’d hype this one up a bit by posting my favorite songs by the artists I want to see at this festival. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at noon, get your credit card ready.

The Black Keys

 

Justice

 

Sigur Ros

 

Metric

 

Florence and the Machine

 

City and Colour

 

The Shins

 

The Weeknd

 

Bloc Party

 

MGMT

 

M83

 

A$AP Rocky

 

Young the Giant

 

Madeon

 

Passion Pit

 

Of Monsters and Men

 

Arkells

 

Freelance Whales