July 2010
3 posts
Bffs Tegan & Sara + Keys/If We're Not Talking... →
a wee update: summer songwriting
Since the release of Keys & Machines last fall, there hasn’t been a lot of songwriting in your friendly neighborhood washroom studio. A semi-conscious break to work on other projects and funtimez. But also, after five records, it felt important to take a step back.
But this week, I dusted off my old bff Garageband and started writing. I am happy to report that my fears of...
June 2010
2 posts
Next Tuesday
Hanging out in Van with my bro Shamik.
Stream “A Little Room” (from KEYS & MACHINES) here. Download it here.
April 2010
5 posts
Happy God Loves Hair Day!!
GOD LOVES HAIR IS NOW AVAILABLE @ godloveshair.com. Yay! This project is very much a labour of love for me and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s finally ready to make the leap from my heart to yours.
Check out the teaser for the book by dj/photographer/videographer/candoanythingrapher Sammy Rawal featuring illustrations from the book by the ONE & ONLY Juliana Neufeld.
...
Keys & Machines Montreal Mirror review (8/10)
“…sweet beats and smart lyrics…”
Stream The Grind on MySpace
I can be confrontational. A good wrestle is good for the blood.
The Grind, now streaming on MySpace (and available on iTunes), is about those tense spaces that can either drive or kill a relationship. You’ll never know until you let go.
TDOT! MTL! Shows! Next Week!
March 2010
2 posts
February 2010
1 post
rehearsaltown
January 2010
4 posts
WEAKNEES now on MySpace
There is a lot you can learn about someone by observing what is in their grocery store cart. What someone looks for in an apple or their favorite brand of bagel can have so much significance in the early stage of a crush. The lyric what do you eat? and consequently this song, was born out of this desire to know every. single. detail. Soon after, you get bored of the person but that’s a...
WEAKNEES teaser! From Keys & Machines, now on iTunes!
December 2009
6 posts
January 1, 2010
Doing a short reading from God Loves Hair (and maybe singing) on New Year’s Day @ 3pm as part of Mayworks Poetry Marathon in Toronto.
Hope to see you there.
fave songs of 2009
1. This Tornado Loves You (Neko Case): Wild love expressed perfectly. I get you Neko. You get me. Nothing made me happier than the train ride from Montreal to Toronto, basking in sun and Middle Cyclone, my fave record of the year.
2. Empire State of Mind (Jay Z feat Alicia Keys): Holy, chills on the dancefloor. When Keys wails Newww Yorrrrk!! I am right there. Right there. Hands in the air. Also...
fave movies of 2009
2008 and was such a great year for movies, I suppose 2009 was never going to compare. And it didn’t. Worse, it was big disappointment after the next. I kept wanting to leave the theatre mid movie. My money felt way better spent on cheese (hello The Proposal) vs. any big blockbuster. That said, here is what I enjoyed the most:
1) Where The Wild Things Are: The line “will you keep out...
i(heart)music feature
“If there’s any justice, Keys & Machines will help Vivek Shraya conquer iPods and dancefloors all over the world.”
November 2009
5 posts
Happy Keys & Machines Day
Big day! Keys & Machines is now available here at vivekshraya.com and iTunes!
“…Keys & Machines is the real deal: it’s an electro-pop fans dream. Smart, intelligent pop that you can dance to, sing along with and play over and over again.” -Quick Before it Melts
I AM A BASS DRUM now streaming on MySpace
A random song was playing in the background, barely audible except for the drum. Her feet tapped along mindlessly. I AM A BASS DRUM was inspired by that image, that moment. The way our bodies respond mechanically to a beat.
Listen.
Also, check out this interview and contest to win a free copy of Keys & Machines w/ Quick Before it Melts.
The throb in your head.
October 2009
5 posts
BIG NEWS! Keys & Machines release date! Artwork!...
Keys & Machines will be out on November 17th! YES! Here is the artwork designed by Sammy Rawal, the man also behind the fun teaser videos.
Tracklisting:
1) Keys & Machines 2) Where And Tear 3) I AM A BASS DRUM 4) Weaknees 5) In/Out 6) Bump 7) A Little Room 8) The Grind 9) Always You
Produced by Meghan Toohey, mixed by Bryan Cook and mastered by Hans DeKline.
You can also preorder the...
Bump now on MySpace
Bump was the last song written on this record. I had been struggling with a couple of separate song ideas but neither were going anywhere until I decided to string them together. BAM. It’s kind of a magical moment when things collide and gel like that. I love the (supposed) straightforwardness of the lyric and the big 80s drum beat. It’s my favourite jam off of Keys & Machines and...
Gunnin for that number one spot.
September 2009
4 posts
K&M update and God Loves Hair gets all www
I am happy to report that Keys & Machines is inching towards the finish line. It’s easy to lose faith during crunch time but Meg has been knocking shit out of the ball park, making a believer out of me over and over and over again. Lots of video chatting happening. This is how records are made in the 09. We also have a new team member on board! Bryan Cook (Beck, Nigel Godrich, Inara...
First KEYS single, In/Out, now on MySpace
I bought my first synthesizer in the fall of 2007 and like most new technology I invest in, iPods not included, it sat quietly in some corner for months before I stopped being intimidated of it. A new instrument can be an extraordinary tool, opening new doors, summoning new inspiration. In/Out is the first song I wrote on the synth after I got around to doing more than turning it on and twiddling...
vivek shraya dot com (for the very fifth time)
Things look pretty different in these parts thanks to my dedicated webmaster/brother from another (whiter) mother Simon Crowley!
I met Simon in 2002 through my “real” brother (or via creeping his LiveJournal, depending on who you ask). My guess is that it was our joint megaboner for Radiohead that compelled him to offer to design a website for me. I am not sure he realized what he was...
If We're Not Talking returns to iTunes (finally!)
Like all contemporary love affairs, Meghan Toohey and I met over MySpace. It was the summer of 06. We found that we had many things in common: a love for Joni Mitchell, nana’s gloves and hairy armpits. We decided the next natural step was to make a baby. A music baby. Our love was consummated in someone’s AWESOME mansion in Jamaica Plains. A short 5 months later If We’re Not...
August 2009
2 posts
From upcoming record KEYS & MACHINES (video by Sammy Rawal).
Don’t let em string you along!
news news news
First up, a confession. I lied. There won’t be a re-release of If We’re Not Talking (but it will be back on iTunes very soon). Instead, expect a whole wack of new jams on a new full length record this fall! Yes!
(Working) title: Keys & Machines. Where possibility and technology intersect.
Vibe: synth pop, just the way you and your ass like it. Just darker and dirtier in places.
...
July 2009
1 post
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Big things are happening. Watch this space.