more than just dreamy pop...
Canadian indie pop dream, okay that sounds very weak and un-listen-to-able, but actually you would be mistaken... likened to Pink Floyd and Spiritualized their sound is deep and advanced are signed to canadian label Arts and Crafts...

They were formed in Montreal, 2005 by Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless, The band which is now a four-piece, has toured in Canada, The United states and Europe, opening for The Album Leaf, The Frames, Peter, Bjorn and John, Death Cab For Cutie. They later moved to Montreal, where they recorded their self-titled debut. The album was released on April 24, 2007.

Invisible Republic, from which this track is taken, will be released in August 2009 through Fontana North Distribution. It was mixed by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol) in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Climate change, rubber factories and chocolate croissants...
I AM ON HOLIDAY THIS WEEK, SO NO ORLANDO EXPOSURE FOR YOU, bye.

Bruise is the coming together of Yorkshire-born Isobel Morris who found her voice in Alaska, and long-time session drummer and music experimentalist Jim Kimberly. Morris brings a varied and cracked vocal style to the duo, equally capable of honeyed tones or hard-edged rock-tinged sounds. Kimberly veers between a supporting role in vocal showcases, where a minimal style leaves well alone, and song-building which rises to a crescendo of samples, beats and additional vocals.

There are traces of pop in some of their music, although the land of gritty, sometimes rowdy, folk seems to be their happiest territory. A recent gig at Climate Camp on Blackheath, London, burst with energy to the delight of a crowd with heads filled with the economics of climate change, the possibilities of direct action and the dilemmas of fostering behaviour change. A weary and challenging audience, no mistake, and local band Bruise did a job they may well be proud of. Like so many good musicians, they understand the difference between the need to goad live audiences into life with a gratifying racket, and the desire to be soothed when sitting at home contemplating the mysteries of human existence.

It has been a busy week, so for a musical antidote here is ‘Silvertown’, which tells a story of a recently demolished part of East London where Bruise once lived, named after the owner of a rubber factory. It borrows some of the best from artists such as Suzanne Vega and Joni Mitchell, complete with snappy, unexpected lyrics, a dynamic rhythm and wistfully affectionate tones. It’s the musical equivalent of someone you love bringing you a coffee and a chocolate croissant in bed on a sunny weekend morning, and that’s never bad.

Just for kicks, this week’s video is Mark Knopfler’s take on the same part of the same town. ‘Silvertown Blues’, live in Munich, a retro-shock number just in case we are ever accused of being too predictable.