The Neighbourhood Mixtape: Long Time Coming

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 fifteenth installment, inspired by reaching the halfway point of winter, is daydreaming of spring.

Track #1: Autobodies, "Imposters"

Autobodies' "Imposters" starts off our collection this week. Mellow vocals and fading low-pitched hums, along with its opening lyrics "It's spring, and it just rained, look at all those colours out there / Flowers, grass, trees, brick shingles, sky, bicycles going by" form a perfect couch-song, inspiring reveries of the months to come.

Track #2: Entire Cities, "Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear"

As ice and snow begin to melt, "Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear" blooms into a love-gaze through joyous vocal teamwork, waltzing organ and banjo. But stay for the finale when the track shines brightest, with its music box racket led by a flaring guitar solo.

Track #3: Ben Veneer, "Morning Star"

It's still a while until we hear birdsongs. Ben Veneer's ballad "Morning Star" is like seeing a winter bird - a reward on its own. Veneer's rhythmic finger-picking and lyrical dialogue recalls Bob Dylan's songs "Girl from the North Country" and "Boots of Spanish Leather", the suite of songs written for lovers.

Track #4: Ketch Harbour Wolves, "Body Without Organs"

Ketch Harbour Wolves' uplifting "Body Without Organs" brings colour to the gray tones of winter. Guitar-based atmospherics and looping bouts of percussion cast down on lead vocalist Jonathan Tyrrell's quixotic lyrics.

Track #5: Broken Bricks, "Boy Dressed in Blue"

Broken Bricks' dance-punk track "Boy Dressed in Blue" thrashes your ears when guitars and drums duel with trumpet and piano flourishes - an enthusiastic, rhythmic freak-out that makes you want to shed your layers a couple months too soon.

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