i(heart)music

The Nymphets (4 pm at Le Divan Orange, with Slim Twig and Library Science)

Fast and catchy: there's no other way to describe The Nymphets, and anything more than that is superfluous.

Download The Nymphets, "I Don't Care"


Yeasayer (8 pm at Ukrainian Federation, with Plants & Animals and Grizzly Bear)

Back in May or so, when Sean from Said The Gramophone and I met up to start discussing what would eventually become The Bleating Hearts Shows, the first band he named when he was talking about bands he wanted to bring was Yeasayer. Couple his enthusiasm with the fact that Plants & Animals are one of the most promising new bands to emerge out of Montreal in at least a few months, and you have a recipe for a great line-up.

Download Yeasayer, "Final Path"

Alternate 8 pm suggestion: We're Marching On at Preloved


Sunparlour Players (9 pm at Saphir, with The Diableros and Jewish Legend)

Their performance at the first night of the i(heart)music fest capped an awesome night, and confirmed what their recently reissued debut, Hymns For The Happy, hinted at: that the trio's blend of Appalachian folk and Sufjan-esque orchestral pop makes for a singularly pleasurable listening experience. Don't miss out on these guys, because they're absolutely worth seeing.

Download Sunparlour Players, "Talk It To Death"


Boo Hoo (10 pm at Le Gymnase, with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Georgie James)

Initially, Boo Hoo were slated to headline my showcase...until, that is, they were unceremoniously moved from that show to opening for some guy named Ted Leo. Given how insanely nice they are, however, it's hard to begrudge them a break like that, and they certainly have the talent to make the most of it.

Download Boo Hoo, "Eff The Ineffable"


Laura Barrett (11 pm at Casa del Popolo, with Republic of Safety and World Provider)

The reason for going to this one is obvious: Barrett is finally releasing a follow-up to last year's Earth Sciences EP, which means that everyone who listened to that as much as it's possible to listen to five songs over and over will finally have something new to digest. For anyone who hasn't yet been introduced to Barrett, it's a chance to see how cool a kalimba can be in a live setting.

Download Laura Barrett, "Robot Ponies"

Alternate 11 pm suggestion: Patrick Krief at Hemisphere Gauche


The Bicycles (midnight at Barfly, with Ancient Rhymes and Mille Croche

At some point over the weekend, you'll need to take a break from all the cooler-than-thou hipsters and people just looking for the Next Big Thing. When that happens, The Bicycles will be the perfect solution: they're the definition of catchy and fun, and they're about as far from pretentious as you can possibly get.

Download The Bicycles, "B-B-B-Bicycles"

Alternate midnight suggestion: Rah Rah at Escogriffe


The Golden Dogs (1 am at Les 3 Minots, with Elk City, The Whitsundays, The Race, Camphor and The Coast)

I can't say I'm a fan of their recorded stuff, but The Golden Dogs make up for that with their incredible live show. I saw them over a year ago, and the experience still sticks in my memory, so I'm excited to see if they can live up to expectations.

Download The Golden Dogs, "1985"

Alternate 1 am suggestion: The Hot Springs at Escogriffe

Danielle Duval (8 pm at Le Gymnase, 1st Floor, with My Dad Vs Yours, The Airfields and The Brother Kite)

The Chromewaves-curated portion of The Bleating Heart Shows is solid from top to bottom, and generally reflects his tastes pretty well. The left-field name, though, is Duval, a straightforward girl rocker who's totally at odds with his usually-shoegaze/post-rock-tinged tastes. Judging from the songs on her Myspace, however, she's still pretty talented, and there's every reason to believe that she'll be as good as everyone else on the bill.

Download Danielle Duval, "Bright Galactic"


Basia Bulat (9 pm at Ukrainian Federation with Final Fantasy and Ohbijou)

I've seen Basia twice before; both times were in Montreal, and both times were absolutely magical. With a proper album under her belt, this time should be even more incredible. (And everyone who's not in Pop Montreal this weekend should check out this week's feature on Oh My Darling!)

Download Basia Bulat, "Before I Knew"

Alternate 9 pm suggestion: The Paper Cranes at Saphir


The Luyas (10 pm at Club Lambi, with Alec K. Redfearn, Bruce Peninsula and Feuermusik)

I've been kicking myself for missing The Luyas when they played Ottawa this past summer, so this is my chance to see them again. Everyone I've spoken with who was at the show has nothing but great things to say, so they have high expectations to meet, but everything I've heard from them so far suggests they'll live up to that hype.

Download The Luyas, "Cats In A Bag"

Alternate 10 pm suggestion: Final Fantasy at Ukrainian Federation,


Young Galaxy (11 pm at Le Gymnase, 2nd Floor, with The Stills, The Most Serene Republic and Sam Shalabi)

The big draw here may be The Stills playing their first show as an Arts & Crafts band, but I'll still be there front and centre just for Young Galaxy. I still believe that their self-titled debut is one of the year's best albums, and seeing them play it in their hometown will make for a great experience.

Download Young Galaxy, "Come And See"

Alternate 11 pm suggestions: Clone yourself, because there's also Two Hours Traffic at Barfly, Bruce Peninsula at Club Lambi, Magic Weapon at Coda and These Hands at Cagibi. Though if you want to leave Young Galaxy early, you can race over to Casa Del Popolo and see Kyrie Kristmanson, who starts her set at 11:30!


Code Pie (12:30 at Casa Del Popolo, with Kyrie Kristmanson, Away R'io and C:be)

Code Pie's set at last year's Pop was marred by frontman Enzo Palermo being incapacitated by a pretty severe cold, but they still put on a fun show. Armed with a great (and disturbingly overlooked) new album, this year's set should be even more enjoyable.

Download Code Pie, "Paradise"


Woodhands (1 am at Balattou with Hilotrons, The Magic and Gift Shop)

Without knowing anything about The Magic (most un-Google-able name ever!) and being thoroughly unimpressed by the songs on Gift Shop's Myspace, I can still confidently state that the latter half of this bill will make for one of the danciest nights of the festival. Hilotrons are the kind of band you need to see live to fully appreciate, and as for Woodhands...they blew me away both times I saw them this past summer, and I've no doubt they'll keep doing that for this show.

Download "I Love You" by Woodhands

Alternate 1 am suggestion: Abdominal at Quai des Brumes

Pop Montreal gets underway tonight, so it seems like a fitting time to start previewing each day's jam-packed line-up...


Julie Doiron (11 pm at Le Gymnase, with Ola Podrida, Christine Fellows and Lily Frost)

The first of the Bleating Hearts Shows, and the first show to be affected by the closure of Main Hall/Green Room (which means that all shows there -- including the i(heart)music showcase on Saturday -- have been moved to Le Gymnase), this line-up features three of Canada's finest female singer-songwriters. Doiron may not have captured the Polaris Prize with Woke Myself Up, but it was still an excellent album, while both Frost and Fellows are equally talented. I can't say I've ever heard Ola Podrida, but Sean at Said The Gramophone adores them, so that should be a good indicator of their quality.

Download Julie Doiron, "Untitled"


Brides (10:15 pm at Balattou, with Slow Hand Motem, Richard Laviolette, Green Go, Griffin and the True Believers and Elbow Beach Surf Club)

I loved Brides when they were Tamsen & Elliott, and there's no reason to believe that the last year has seen them get any less noteworthy. Of all the good shows happening today at Pop, this is the one -- and Brides are the band -- that makes me wish I'd been able to get one extra day off work to go up to Montreal early.

Download Brides, "Lola"


Andy Swan (midnight at Bar St.-Laurent II, with Percy Farm, The Narrator and Moco Neil)

I've been told repeatedly by Jon Bartlett at Kelp Records that the new Andy Swan album (due out in November) is a brilliant slice of sunny '70s pop. Since he was right about how great the Jim Bryson album was, I'm going to believe him on this one, too. Couple that with Percy Farm's Dylan-meets-Polyphonic Spree pop, and you have the makings of one big, happy show.

Download "Can I Pay You With Sunshine?", by Andy Swan


Katie Moore (9 pm at Sala Rossa, with Magnolia Electric Co. and The Watson Twins)

I know it's the other two acts who'll get the attention, but as I said a few weeks ago, Moore has a great voice, and she's yet another artist to watch out of Montreal.

Download Katie Moore's "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle"


Fucked Up (10 pm at Theatre National, with Pere Ubu and Thundrah)

You'd have to be pretty brave to kick off Pop with Fucked Up, seeing as they might just be the loudest, most intense band in the festival (with the possible exception of Priestess). Still, if you're looking for hardcore at its finest, this is where you go, regardless of how much pain you'll be in afterwards.

Download Fucked Up, "Baiting The Public"

Alternate schedule: Either Miracle Fortress or Patti Smith (the latter accompanied by Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra + Tra-La-La Band) at 9 PM, followed by Torngat at 10 PM