The Lifers
Front Door
led by sisters Liv and Anita Cazzola, this art-folk/rock collective from Guelph, ON should easily find their place on CanCon-driven radio, especially at the folk/world/blues festivals that are meshing into one giant genre onto itself, and that’s a good thing. A bit of Sinead, a touch of Doroles from The Cranberries, and tight rocking guitars make them absolutely one to watch.
Nikö Blank
1, 2, Hello
Out there for his most notable remix to date – Flume “Never Be Like You” Remix, reaching the #1 spot on Hype Machine – he goes on his own this time around. The symphonic strings, energizing drums and sweeping synths show he’s only a few singles away from EDM stardom.
Van Der Neer
Everybody Knows
Back in the 90s, this would be all over MTV with their super-friendly hard-rock pop with a riff Jimmy Page would give a wink towards. A crunchier song than, say, Def Leppard or Bon Jovi would write, but they’d easily take them on as an opener. Let’s hope it happens.
Cassie Marin
Candy
This is a pure glimpse into the superb production, a simple but effective melody and never throwing more than it needs to in the studio. A dreamlike trip into another dimension that works perfectly.
Sure Sure
Giants
From the sunny piano melody to the blustery percussion, the beautiful harmonies peaks alongside their positive lyrics, “Giants celebrates the simple joy of life. Their chorus doesn’t even make it close to over-whimsical, and adds to this glorious track. If you dig Squeeze, this is absolutely for you.
Fly By Night
Complicated (Avril Lavigne cover)
A surprisingly hopping version that stands out and suits Owl City fans nicely. Inside this group is a pop band ready to make their mark alongside The Chainsmokers.
Laice
Independence
Born in Colorado and raised in Cambridge Massachuttes, the young artist and songwriter delivers R&B-tinged-Pop music with power and nuance well beyond her years. She’ll follow in the footsteps of Rihanna across the free world if she continues to deliver.
Nicolas Maul
Haus am See
Nicolas Maul is a German artist living in Frankfurt am Main who publishes exclusively via the internet. His sparce but punchy melodies and guitar will remind you of Franz Ferdinand and will slip into your car-driving song playlist.
Mushroom People
On The Road
From their recent release, On The Road, he song was inspired by electronic artists such as Kasbo and ODESZA. What you hear isn’t a trumpet, but a fluegelhorn, a rare instrument from the bugle family played by Woody Herman, Chet Baker and on Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey by Paul McCartney and Wings. It’s a dazzling display of the instrument in a song Imagine Dragons would have been proud to write.
The Olympic Symphonium
Comedy
The self-produced video was shot by Fredericton filmmaker F. Chris Giles. Beauty In The Tension comes out February 9 via Forward Music Group. They’ve got a beautiful, smooth, that sails through almost 5 minutes worthy of this big ballad finding a home on the radio. CBC can playlist this now.
