Big Sound, big noise, big ideas. Remember, Canadian musicians are linked in red.

British shoegaze, Engineers go with warm summer nights drinking wine on a dock or those kind of nights where you make out on top of a car with a view of the city and... does anyone still do this?

There seems to be such a fine line between being entirely brilliant & being entirely crazy. Kraftwerk are one of those bands that really seem to shine with their eccentricity. Rarely giving interviews, this oft self-secluded electronic band has hidden from the public eye for the better part their roughly 40 year career. To me, this is more music that seems to shine brightest late at night. Bias = Summer-night-drives.

Do you ever feel like you missed something important growing up when you did? I was born in '85 and sometimes think I came too late/missed some incredible parties. Then again, some days it's nearly overwhelming—the sheer amount of talented artists creating music these days. I heard once Chad Kroeger said ~~yet another idiotic~~ some uninformed comment about a lack of good or new rock music being made these days. If the Kroegster was referring to our Top 40 charts, then yeah, he was probably right. We're in pretty rough shape. But if you're telling me no good rock music good coming out, you've lost your head up your ass and the acoustics up there are shit. Off-topic. Point being, Joy Division filled what I assume are 4 of music's most incredible years and I thank everything delicious for 'em.

These boys first came to my attention when they opened for Japandroids last summer/fall. They're from Vancouver and they are the new-old sound of garage/noise-pop. They are also an object of my affection. We almost had them play again earlier this year, but the due to scheduling had to pass. Keep on the up-and-up for their next appearance.

More shoegaze/ambient/instrumental, Lotus Plaza is part of the 'Bradford Cox collective'. Seriously, if you love this one song, you'll love everything by Lotus Plaza/Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/everything else these two guys touch.

I'm certain I've mentioned these guys or at least their Swedish label, Service, before. Either way, I'm open confessional about of my summer bias, I've posted enough psychedelic/ambient/tropical pop acts to lie about it anymore. This is the music I'd listen to on a yacht. If you own a yacht, please email me.

I won't say anything about Hannah Georgas except get your damn tickets, right now! She plays next Friday, I can't wait and neither can you.

Jón Þór Birgisson is the lead singer of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós and if you still don't know who I'm talking about, that is a huge shame for you. If you've been living under a rock for the last 15 years, this would be one of those guys or gals who, artistically speaking, crap rainbows & unicorns on your brain. Outside of Sigur Rós, Jónsi is also a part of Jónsi & Alex (previously Riceboy Sleeps) with his boyfriend Alex Somers, who also does much of Sigur Rós' graphic design work. Also, pretty sure I stumbled across a recipe book he and his boyfriend were writing, taking the pictures for, and designing. (Click to download a zip file of two pages from this book). This album seems more uplifting than much of Sigur Rós previous work but no less epic. It's hard to explain. like most of everything coming from Iceland, it's better experienced.