Indie Downloads - Best of 2008 on Indie Rock Cafe + why not to come to Montreal

For seriously sexy stacks of indie rock songs check out Indie Rock Cafe’s series - Best Songs of 2008. They’re on to volume 7, which features tracks from Wolf Parade and The Stills, so Montreal still rules the indie rock clearly, but also great songs from Firewater (Brooklyn via the World), The Black Keys (Akron Ohio), Secret Machines (NY via Dallas) and The Dodos (San Fran).

Also, I’m sure you noticed as I did that 2 of those bands are in NY, making NY tied with Montreal for indie stardom in this website’s sample. Whatever. It’s like a zillion times bigger.

I would also like to add that both of those groups (Firewater and Secret Machines) mostly moved to NY from elsewhere to be bands, and to subsequently gain band momentum, and scruffy indie stardom. You shouldn’t come to Montreal looking for that in my opinion, as I doubt the city will deliver. We have M for Montreal and POP Montreal and you could come down for those events if you’re looking for an indie career move, but aside from that don’t look for career movement per se to happen in Montreal. What happens in Montreal is different. It’s more like a fermentation process that will steep and stress your sound and soul, and if you survive it you’ll make something beautiful, and many odd lovely acquaintences and some friends, and then it’ll be time to hit NYC, probably… though from then on you’ll call Montreal home… and I swear we’ll love you back… in the chill to the point of chilly, honest, sexy way that only Montreal can.

Here’s Wolf Parade, often seen loping and coffee slinging around the local low key spots in town, doing Soldier’s Grin (the song featured in the IRC mix) live at the Rialto in Tucson: