I toyed with the idea of titling this blog '50 reasons why 'XanMan' by Pond is the greatest rock record of the year'.

Waverly, the title of Solar Year's debut means "quaking aspen". What the hell is that? Well, you should probably make time to Google Image Search it 'cos it's a stunning tree. Massive, golden and very beautiful, it's found in Canada, home also to David Ertel and Ben Borden AKA Solar Year. You might know their song 'Brotherhood' they made with Grimes (they also hail from the Arbutus cradle). Here's some background from the Ertel and Borden. [quote]Most of the album was recorded in a church.

Whatever you think of Kanye West's music or ludicrous persona the man is a genius at using samples. At at time when copyright law sometimes suffocates the use of sampling in hip-hop, West continues to go there even though he's been sued a number of times. One imagines he has enough money to risk it. If you look back at West's six albums you'll see how important this technique is to his product. By manipulating tempo, chopping and stretching, samples are putty in his hands. Boldness is key here. You've got to be confident in your skills to work Bette Midler or Aphex Twin into a track.

The coolest woman in the world just quit her day-job. A statement on Pixies’ official Facebook page earlier today announced: [quote] We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies. We are very proud to have worked with her on and off over the last 25 years. Despite her decision to move on, we will always consider her a member of the Pixies, and her place will always be here for her.

PV Nova have made a chronological remix of Daft Punk's monster hit 'Get Lucky'. From crackly 1930s jazz standards and 50s doo wop via 60s psych, 80s synths and modern-day dubstep, they've treated the song to show how it would sound if it'd been released over the last century. It's pretty impressive.