Canadian

Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Islands is a 6 piece band founded in 2005 by The Unicorns co-founder/songwriter Nick Thorburn (often performing as "Nick Diamonds") and drummer J'Aime Tambeur. Following the untimely disbandment of The Unicorns as they teetered on the brink of breaking through, Islands' debut release entitled Return to the Sea, with its quirky sounds and refreshing, catchy melodies includes collaborations with members of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade.

Born Ruffians are an indie rock band, originally from the small town of Midland, Ontario, Canada, located near Georgian Bay. The members are Luke Lalonde (guitar/vocals), Mitch Derosier (bass) and Steven Hamelin (drums). The band released their debut EP in 2006 and currently signed to Warp Records. For more info, visit www.bornruffians.com or www.myspace.com/bornruffians

MSTRKRFT (pronounced Master-craft) is the pet project from Toronto, Ontario, Canada of musician Jesse F. Keeler (Death from Above 1979) and studio wizard Al-P (Girlsareshort). “It all comes down to feel,” states AL-P. “We’re interested in making people feel like they want to dance, at least a little bit, so it’s all about whatever it takes to get people there.” Formed in 2005, the pair has been collaborating, on and off, since 1998.

The best songs don’t just tell a story set to music – they capture a moment, encapsulate a feeling and draw in the listener, in a way that’s at once singularly personal and completely universal. When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett was mulling over titles for his new album, the by-turns effervescent and elegiac Here’s To Being Here, he stumbled across a line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines’ (Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet.