The Neighbourhood Mixtape

The Neighbourhood Mixtape: Buckets of Rain

The Neighbourhood Mixtape is a collection of newly-released songs by Toronto musicians. The mixtape is meant to celebrate Toronto's music culture and provide a forum to listen to and discover new local music.

Every Sunday, I post a five-track mixtape that you can download or stream as a soundtrack for the week. The theme for our latest installment is March.

Track #1: MSTRKRFT, "Beards Again"

After two years, MSTRKRFT returns. Like March, they've come in like a lion, with the unannounced single "Beards Again" that's quickly spreading around. Get ready for a fistful of electro, kick-drums and the roar and crackle of power chords, a fitting way to open this week's collection.

Track #2: The Two Koreas, "Scared Straight"

We continue our march into spring with The Two Koreas garage-rock track "Scared Straight", an expanding song full of heavy artillery that's both comforting and disorienting: stomping drums, varying guitar tones and god bless, Stuart Berman's shouting vocals.

Track #3: Austra, "Lose It"

Stuck in the middle, shrugging off the foreboding Ides of March, is Austra's powerful track, "Lose It". Katie Stelmanis' operatic voice sounds naked and fragile at first, until her voice unhinges in layered choral chants that anchor the bright, scintillating keyboard strokes and ceremonial drums. You can download this beautiful new song over at Stereogum. Austra's new album Feel It Break will be released May 17th.

Track #4: Digits, "Lost Dream"

Digits' "Lost Dream" begins our drift towards the mellower end of March and the calm that's soon to follow. The digital slow jam features finger-snaps, handclaps and scraps of silky synth lines, which follow Alt Altman's tongue-twisting lyrics.

Track #5: Donlands and Mortimer, "Dreaming Songs"

Our collection goes out like a lamb with the Donlands and Mortimer track "Dreaming Songs". The song flows with warm textures, almost somnambulant in tone, before trumpets and Steven Foster's laid-back vocals and drums gently urge the song to its conclusion.

If you wish to be a part of The Neighbourhood Mixtape, you can contact Aldrin at aldrin [at] blogto [dotcom]


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