Holiday Soundtracks

I have spent the last few days walking around the expansive city that is Toronto. Queen St and Kensington Market could quite easily claim to be the coolest places on earth. There are so many bars, record shops and other hidden gems to investigate.

My best find is Penguin Music, a independent record store with a really amazing selection. Not only that, dotted all around the shop is various detailed recommendations from the Penguin staff. So yes, I took some of those recommendations up.

I always like to investigate local music, so was only to happy to buy Torontonian Arc Lab's "The Nineteen Floors". I am listening to his music posted on his myspace site at the moment (I don't have access to a CD player until I get home) and it sounds good.

Fans of Arovane, Max Richter and the n5md roster will find a lot to love here. You can also download three tracks here.

Another recommendation that caught my eye was Montreal's Fifths Of Seven, featruing members from A Silver Mt Zion, Shalabi Effect, Set Fire To Flames and Wolf Parade. Apparently there is not much information availible on this collective, except they use a lot of string instruments (cello, mandolin etc.) on "Spry From Bitter Anise Folds". Their website will help shed some light on this mysterious band. For those with a good grasp of French (sadly I don't) you can read a biography here.