Sled Island has once again proven that Canadian music is alive and well, and helping propell art forward into new and interesting terrain. An epic beginning to Sled Island included a perfect set from Rhye (Toronto) with Black Atlas (Montreal) and Shanni Cage (Calgary) at Central United church. Restraint and down tempo beauty was put on display with an effervescent yet attentive crowd caught in a perfect aesthetic moment of slow lush perfection. Rhye layed the foundation for a perfect week of forward thinking music.

    And then noisey static fuzz-punk took over. The Legion hosted a cavalcade of young fist pumping pschedelic energy with the Fresh and Onlys (San Fran), Bass Drums of Death (Austin, Texas), Fist City (Calgary) and ManCub (Calgary), and left no audience member dissapointed. Fist City was the find of the evening, with a sound akin to a charging train running out of control, screeching its breaks to narrowly avoid dissaster. The band barely held the reins of control, and in doing so, produced a fragile expression of major chord, noise saturated, freak out, loudness. There was no facade; nothing but truth emanating at blinding speed. Bass Drums of Death were beyond my ability to articulate. Perfect.

     Rowdy, sweaty and moshy, the contrast between punk-show maximalism and Rhye's minamalism made it clear that Sled Island is dedicated to music of all genres. The unifying force behind the fest is quality ideas and sound; this is a music lovers dream. 

And today, Friday, June 19th:

Mayor Nenshi of Calgary along with notable musicians like Dan Boekner (of Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, Wolf Parade, and his new project Operators) were on hand at the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta to announce the long list for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize. Makes you proud to live in such a robustly artistic country! Personal highlights included on the list are Tim Hecker (Virgins), Timber Timbre (Hot Dreams), Chad Vangaalen (Shrink Dust), Mac Demarco (Salad Days), and YAMANTAKA//SONIC DREAMS (UZU), but see the full list here:

http://polarismusicprize.ca/blog/2014-polaris-music-prize-long-list-is-h...

Tonight Oneohtrix Point Never, along with Chelsea Wolfe, and the Mission of Burma are playing. The excitement is overwhelming.