Picastro / Metal Cares

I apologize for my absence last week. Maria and I headed north to Champaign-Urbana to see Sufjan Stevens, we stayed the night with friends, and then ended up spending the weekend in Bloomington, IN. I didn’t have much computer access. But I’m sure you did alright without me. I’ll try not to do it again. I don’t want anyone breaking out with the DTs from New Music Friday withdrawl.

And now, on to the rock! Well, today’s band doesn’t rock so much as they roll… or loll. Rock and Loll! Can I patent that? Picastro hails from the great white north (cue Rush), also known as Owen Pallette Country. Owen was in Les Mouches and is now Final Fantasy, but somewhere along the way he was part of Picastro. Also, rumor has it that Owen gave Elvis Presley his big-break and was the first to discover radium and polonium, all while delivering triplets on a runaway monorail.

But enough about Owen, he isn’t even in the band anymore. But it gives you an idea of where Picastro is coming from. Acoustic instruments, a touch of electric guitar, strings, and mumbled lyrics - staples of Canadian indie music these days - make up the music’s groundwork. Blah, blah, blah, just listen.

Recommended Tracks:

• Sharks
• Mine
• Fifth Wall
• All Erase (4-track version)

You can also hear them on MySpace.com.

Note: Picastro now makes two NMF features in a row with a name that starts with “P” and has communist subtexts. Coincidence… hmmmmm? What can I do next week? Proletariat? Proudhon? The Poverty of Philosophy? Party, Communist? Private Property is for Pansies?