Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition: the best Canadian music video of the year, a new album for The Grapes of Wrath, The Weeknd puts out a vinyl boxed set and more.
The winner of the inaugural Prism Prize is… Rich Aucoin. The prize names the top Canadian music video of the year, and its first round deemed Halifax-based Aucoin’s “Brian Wilson is A.L.i.V.E.” the best. Directed by Noah Pink, the video follows the story of Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, and it netted $5,000 at the ceremony last night at the Soho House. Aucoin beat out fellow nominees Metz, Drake, Young Rival, Grimes (nominated twice) and a few more. Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II” took home the audience award.
Abel Tesfaye — better known as Toronto’s R&B singer, The Weeknd — drops a very exclusive vinyl boxed set for his Trilogy mix tape on March 26. The set, which consists of six LPs, includes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. Sure, Trilogy might go for a steep $199, but your box set will be one of only 500 copies printed. The Weeknd has also hinted at a new album release sometime this year.
It may have been more than two decades since the original members of The Grapes of Wrath put out a record, but the British Columbian boys are back. Last week, their latest effort, High Road, was released — and it is rife with their trademark harmonies and breezy lyrics. And despite the folk-pop band’s so-called final show in 1992, The Grapes played an intimate midnight set in Toronto this past weekend at The Dakota Tavern. “Good To See You” is offered up for a free download.
Dream-fuzz-rock outfit Koko Blue announced last week that their debut album, Crosses and Planks, will be out in June. Duo Koko Bonaparte and Evan Gordon recorded the full-length in a Parkdale apartment last summer in order to pay homage to Jim Guthrie’s idea that “home is where the rock is,” a press release says. Canadian tour dates in April are expected to be announced soon.
Canadian Music Week just wrapped up this weekend in Toronto, and there are some major props owed to our musicians. This year’s SiriusXM Indie Awards saw Japandroids take home Album of the Year, while Cold Specks won Female Artist of the Year and Said the Whale was awarded the Must Follow Artist of the Year. As well, the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards named Horseshoe Tavern as Club Venue of the Year, and local label Arts & Crafts as the Management Company of the Year. Rolling Stone’s Toronto-based correspondent, Karen Bliss, was dubbed the Music Journalist/Blogger of the Year.