Also Cool's POP Montreal Top Picks: Round Two
Jane Inc. by Shelby Fenlon
Our next round of POP Montreal 21st anniversary top picks has arrived! Listen along to our playlist below and discover some of our favourite artists from this year’s lineup taking over Montreal from September 28th to October 2nd!
Jane Inc.
Toronto’s Jane Inc. (Carlyn Bezic) charms with parasocial pop. Between galactic rhythms, dreamy harmonies and Bezic’s meditations on the self, Jane Inc. dazzles with endearingly-alienating stage antics that you can dance to. Jane Inc. came on the scene first in 2021 with Number One (2021), a supercharged disco dissertation on capitalistic fragmentations of identity. Jane Inc.’s latest offering, Faster Than I Can Take, arrived earlier this year and shut down the possibility of Bezic resting on her laurels. Instead, Faster Than I Can Take boasted Bezic’s dexterity as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, with arrangements reminiscent of 1960s California pop with elements of 90s trance and Italo disco.
Jane Inc. plays Ursa on Saturday, October 1st at 8:30PM.
Jane Inc.
FUJI||||||||||TA via Bandcamp
FUJI||||||||||TA
To put it simply, Japanese sound and installation artist FUJI||||||||||TA (Yosuke Fujita) realizes the unexplored potential of ubiquitous sounds. Hailing from Yamanashi, Japan, the neo-classical drone musician and instrument builder mesmerizes audiences, performing unorthodox arrangements with peculiar tools. Notable examples include recorded water sounds from multiple aquariums and audio captured from black soldier fly maggots burrowing in soil. The former was brought forth on his 2020 LP iki, his first album in nine years. The work documents a ten-year-long exploration of a pipe organ that he built—and taught himself to play—without any prior knowledge of its inner workings.
FUJI||||||||||TA plays St. James United Church on Sunday, October 2nd at 8:45 PM.
FUJI||||||||||TA
Tiger Balme by Felice Trinidad
Tiger Balme
Toronto indie outfit Tiger Balme plays POP Montreal in advance of their debut self-titled release, set to arrive later this fall. The four piece’s first offering “Saving Face” beams with lush undertones and whimsical embellishments like violin, vibraphone, harp and lulling harmonies. Without giving too much away, listen for a masterful musical shift and prepare to be wowed a second time. Trust us, this breakthrough track alone makes Tiger Balme an act to watch out for!
Tiger Balme plays Casa del Popolo on Thursday, September 29th at 9 PM.
Tiger Balme
The Linda Lindas by Zen Sekizawa
The Linda Lindas
Rounding out our next collection of top POP picks is none other than LA’s plucky punk outfit The Linda Lindas. Garnering praise from the likes of Kathleen Hanna and Carrie Brownstein, these teen sensations have customized Riot Grrrl stylings for a whole new generation. Their energetic album Growing Up channels a little bit of everything, highlighting the highs and lows of adolescence within the confines of a global pandemic. For a taste of what to expect, check out their viral performance of "Racist, Sexist Boy” at the Los Angeles Public Library’s AAPI Heritage Month celebration in 2021.
The Linda Lindas play the Rialto Theatre on Thursday, September 29 at 7:30 PM.
The Linda Lindas
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