exploremusic

Canadian Music Week is the biggest music festival in the country. Hundreds of bands, thousands of people, all over just a few days. Things start next Wednesday and until then, the daily “Five Songs You Gotta Hear” list will feature bands scheduled to appear.

“Still” by Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers are from Toronto. Five people. There’s a banjo and an upright bass in the mix. The current album is called “Lost Channels”. It’s their fourth and was shortlisted for the 2009 Polaris music prize. Try a song called “Still” and see what you think. 

“Atlas” by Alert The Medic

Our second CMW band of the day is Alert The Medic. They’re from Halifax. They’re on to their second album, which is called “We, The Weapon”. Love the rhythm section. Go with a song called “Atlas”. 

“AO” by TV Heart Attack

The third band on today’s list is TV Heart Attack. We’ve featured them on the show before. They’re from Vancouver and have a very catchy album called “Lost In The Sway”. Alan really likes a song called “AO”.

“Hooligans In Love” by The Unfinished Sympathy

The Unfinished Sympathy is named after a Massive Attack song—and they’re from Barcelona, Spain. Their current record is called “Avida Dollars” and being fans of Massive Attack and from Spain, they sound nothing like you might expect. Listen to a song called “Hooligans In Love” and you’ll see what we mean. 

“Bombs Bomb Away” by Elephant Stone

And one more. Elephant Stone is named after the Stone Roses song. They are from Montreal and say that they play “Hindi rock”. And yes, that means they do have a sitar player. Try a song called “Bombs Bomb Away”.

Another bunch of bands from Canadian Music Week 2010 tomorrow. Meanwhile, if you want to browse through all the acts—and to find out when and where they’re playing—go to the “festival” section of www.cmw.net.