REVIEW: Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

If you've spent a year on this fine planet of ours, you've undoubtedly observed the changing of the seasons – or even the daily exchange of sun for moon and moon for sun. There's something inexplicably beautiful about the subtleties that characterize these transitions: the way the leaves begin to turn color at the introduction of cold or the way the sun sets not against a blue canvas but rather one decorated with a multitude of brilliant orange, pink, and blue hues. It’s all organic, a series of natural events that mark the passage of time. But that doesn’t change the fact that the sight, or the feeling, of such things is rather surreal.

LISTEN: Bravestation - Giants & Dreamers

Once upon a time, this guy in the UK e-mailed about some Canadian band with a simple name. That band was Bravestation. As I do with submissions, I did my best to take a second to check them out. Fast forward two years, and I'm still keeping tabs on Bravestation's progression. Why? Well, while you can pick out their influences (e.g. Foals, Wild Beasts, etc.), they're one of the few acts I've had the pleasure of covering who are trying to distinguish themselves, always pushing forward to a new direction. And what's more impressive, they've managed to maintain their identity along this sonic evolution, experimenting just enough to challenge expectations and the boundaries of their prior output. They're some friendly Canadians, but also uniquely gifted musicians. A formal review is on the way, just as soon as I dig myself out of this mess I call an inbox.

Bravestation's debut LP, Giants & Dreamers, is out tomorrow. Hear the whole thing below. Someone (I apologize as I forget who you are!) brought up Peter Gabriel when describing Bravestation's current sound. I'd add to that and say Giants & Dreamers sounds like Peter Gabriel conducting a Foals and Wild Beasts collaboration: it's the sound of post-punk's adventurous edge and dream pop's aural hypnosis.

LISTEN: New Song by The Weeknd Entitled "Initiation"

For those keeping track, Toronto's futuristic, myserious R&B outfit The Weeknd (primarily the project of one Abel Tesfaye) released one of the year's best debuts with their House of Balloons mixtape. Then, they shared the news that two more mixtapes were on the way before the end of the year. Thursday was released in August, and Echoes of Silence is still on the way. A new track entitled "Initiation" was just posted, which you can hear below. No word yet on whether or not this is from Echoes of Silence, but considering two tracks were released in advance of Thursday, chances are likely this is a taste of what's to come.

WATCH: Bravestation Release "Beyond the Scenes" Documentary

Toronto indie pop/new wave/afropop band Bravestation have had quite a year, beginning with the release of last year's fantastic 2010 EP and ending with their first trip overseas on a May 2011 tour of the UK. The year is documented in this self-produced mini-documentary -- inside the recording studio to filming a music video to tearing a hole in the roof of their tour van. With everything they've been up to, it's all the more exciting to see where the guys head next, not to mention what they do next. They're currently working on their debut LP which I feel will probably be one of my favorite releases of the year -- assuming it does see release this year. Watch the documentary below as well as the music video for EP track "White Wolves."

LISTEN: Freedom or Death

 (Photo: The Year In Pictures)

MP3: Freedom or Death - "Lost In Dances"
MP3: Freedom or Death - "Soldier"

High above everything, you can finally see and hear what you're supposed to. Outside the limits of the city, you finally gain your perspective. You spend your life dancing around the important things because, sometimes, you can never really realize what matters until you remove yourself from the familiar and the present. From the top of it all, you start to question decisions that have been made and, even more so, you begin to form a new perspective about everything that you once held to be concrete. Freedom or Death soundtrack this journey. Over cracks, clicks, clanks, blips, and beeps, this Toronto duo lays down smooth harmonies and gorgeous melodies underscored by lively, chilling guitar and adventurous synthesizer. With ease and grace, Freedom or Death prove their ability to move from quiet, subtle beauty to a captivatingly vast ambiance. They make an eclectic mix of post rock, electronica, electro pop, folk, R&B, pop, and even ambient that you can't help but get lost in.

Stream the whole self-titled EP here.

BUY: Pick it up on iTunes (US), iTunes (Canada), iTunes (UK), or iTunes (Japan).

Freedom or Death @ MySpace
Freedom or Death @ Twitter