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October Edition: What You Should Be Listening To

Warpaint are on the verge of releasing new material and it's worth getting excited about. You may have heard of the all-female quartet through their former ties to Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, or actress/drummer Shannyn Sossamon; good attracts good, and the foursome stand on their own.
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Warpaint, "Love is To Die" Teaser

Sounds Like: A Fender Jaguar at 4 a.m. in a cemetery.

Warpaint are on the verge of releasing new material and it's worth getting excited about. You may have heard of the all-female quartet through their former ties to Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, or actress/drummer Shannyn Sossamon; good attracts good, and the foursome stand on their own. Earlier this month they release a teaser video for a new track called "Love Is To Die" and also revealed that they've been working on an audio-visual project with director Chris Cunningham, known for his work with Aphex Twin and Madonna.

Anxious to hear the new songs, I caught them at The Glass House in Southern California. Warpaint have tapped into something lost in rock 'n' roll. Opening with "Bees," the chemistry, you hear it. The jam, it's good. They integrated a few new tracks into their set. "Keep It Healthy" hooks you in with an addictive minute and a half intro. Jenny Lee Lindberg's bass groove and Theresa Wayman's dissonant vocals lead you through "High." "Love Is To Die" features killer sustain and an anthem-like chorus, and "No Way Out" builds from off-kilter to a dance-frenzy.

The band slips into crowd-favourite "Billie Holiday," a simultaneous ode to the song's namesake and nod to Mary Wells' "My Guy." It's titanic to turn a classic into something beautifully new. Warpaint is equally canon-reflective in its encore. Emily Kokal pulls an ethereal solo rendition of "Baby," a modern love song that hauntingly echoes The Beatles' "Long, Long, Long" refrain.

The new material has been in the works for two years, here's to hoping for songs that are equally alchemical.

Paige Cora, Souvenir

Sounds Like: Ziggy Stardust had a baby with Karen O.

The Ruby Spirit (formerly known as Sadie May Crash) was a highly regarded staple in the Toronto independent music scene. For 10 years they graced the city with dramatic live performances, artistic videos, and charismatic songs.

On Friday, October 25, 2013, Paige Cora will release Souvenir at Cherry Cola's in Toronto. Souvenir is a bridge between Paige Cora's solo material and what was to be The Ruby Spirit's new release before the split. The double A-side packs a punch and is a true pinnacle; featuring two strikingly complete, self-reflective songs.

Former Ruby Spirit's guitarist Alex Pulec also fronts a new act called The Nursery. They play Toronto on November 9, 2013 at The Rivoli with Donkey, The Mods, and Johnny and The G Rays to celebrate the release of the iconic punk documentary "The Last Pogo Jumps Again."

As band members move on with their respective projects, they leave you with a souvenir.

Festival Review: Nocturnal Wonderland, 2013

Sounds like: Bass.

Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat was the mantra for this year's Nocturnal Wonderland in Southern California. The electronic festival featured sold-out overnight camping for the first time. Organizers set up a silent disco where DJs played through two different channels. Campers could listen through headphones and literally dance till morning. Nocturnal was also a daytime spectacle: Insomniac's signature massive theme-stages sprawled across the Devore mountainside.

The musical highlight was Krewella, an electropunk trio out of Chicago that whipped the crowd into a dusty dance storm. They're one of the few artists that feature live vocals and legit DJ prowess. Krewella will perform this Saturday in Toronto at the Kool Haus to a sold-out crowd. Canadian artist Datsik also graced the Nocturnal stage with one hell of a dubstep set. He's on tour now, see him in Toronto on November 16, 2013.

Like Insomniac events? Escape from Wonderland is this Saturday in Southern California. Expect Universal Studio-quality haunted mazes, interactive actors, and lots of EDM.

The Rumour Mill: It looks like Brody Dalle (The Distillers, Spinnerette), notorious punk icon and wife of Queens of The Stone Age ("QOTSA") front-man Josh Homme, will finally release her long-awaited solo album. On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the The Distillers' Coral Fang, Dalle launched a new fan page, website, and announced that she will be opening for QOTSA and Nine Inch Nails in Australia and New Zealand.

Dalle's fairly unambiguous tweets reveal that the album is complete and features Garbage's Shirley Mansion, Warpaint's Emily Kokal, and Nick Valensi from The Strokes, among others.

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