Thank You!

Soundscapes will be closing permanently on September 30th, 2021.

Open every day between Spetember 22nd-30th

We'd like to thank all of our loyal customers over the years, you have made it all worthwhile! The last 20 years have seen a golden age in access to the world's recorded music history both in physical media and online. We were happy to be a part of sharing our knowledge of some of that great music with you. We hope you enjoyed most of what we sold & recommended to you over the years and hope you will continue to seek out the music that matters.

In the meantime we'll be selling our remaining inventory, including thousands of play copies, many of which are rare and/or out-of-print, never to be seen again. Over the next few weeks the discounts will increase and the price of play copies will decrease. Here are the details:

New CDs, LPs, DVDs, Blu-ray, Books 60% off 15% off

Rare & out-of-print new CDs 60% off 50% off

Rare/Premium/Out-of-print play copies $4.99 $14.99

Other play copies $2.99 $8.99

Magazine back issues $1 $2/each or 10 for $5 $15

Adjusted Hours & Ticket Refunds

We will be resuming our closing sale beginning Friday, June 11. Our hours will be as follows:

Wednesday-Saturday 12pm-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

Open every day between September 22nd-30th

We will no longer be providing ticket refunds for tickets purchased from the shop, however, you will be able to obtain refunds directly from the promoters of the shows. Please refer to the top of your ticket to determine the promoter. Here is the contact info for the promoters:

Collective Concerts/Horseshoe Tavern Presents/Lee's Palace Presents: shows@collectiveconcerts.com
Embrace Presents: info@embracepresents.com
MRG Concerts: ticketing@themrggroup.com
Live Nation: infotoronto@livenation.com
Venus Fest: venusfesttoronto@gmail.com

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your understanding.

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2. SARAH HARMER - Are We Gone
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Friday
Mar112011

LYKKE LI - Wounded Rhymes

Every time my three year-old daughter hears distinct drumming, she turns to me and asks, "Daddy, can you hear the drums?" Consequently, I'm hearing that question a lot when I listen to the new Lykke Li in her presence. For her second release, the Swedish singer has decided to add some muscle to her frame in the form of frequently thumping, tribal percussion—call it "Pounded Rhymes." Nearly half of the tracks—and most of the immediate ones—are driven by Spector-esque patterns of deep echoing toms. Add on a healthy dose of organ and classic vocal hooks, and it starts to get tempting to slot Li alongside the many contemporary garage/girl-group revival acts like Best Coast or Dum Dum Girls.

Except, she’s not very garage-rock. Unlike those bands—and thanks in no small part to the skilled production of Bjorn Yttling (of Peter, Bjorn & John)—her approach is far more honed and set on the big time. It's not so much that Wounded Rhymes feels like a sellout, but rather than play up the "shy, shy, shy" persona of her debut Youth Novels, Li is now full of bravado. This newfound cocksureness does occasionally lead her to questionable places—the much talked about "I'm your prostitute" line from first single, "Get Some", only really works if you don't think about it too much—but overall, it's easy to get swept up in her eager exuberance. There's a thrill to be had in the more energetic parts of the record that speaks directly to one's early 20s.

Even more importantly, she has wisely not abandoned her vulnerability altogether. Instead, her swagger works to provide a sharp repose to the more tender moments of the album. Tracks like "Unrequited Love" and "Love Out of Lust" are gorgeous and ache with a feeling that Li wasn't quite able to conjure before. Taken as a whole, the songs on this record work together to communicate a confidence that tries to hide fragility, while making it clear that ultimately, it's the more delicate impulses that still drive her. When it’s all delivered through such strong pop songs, her internal power struggle—between reckless libido and emotional dedication—is a fascinating one to track. All of which suggests that in twenty years’ time, this album might mean a lot more to my daughter than just a bunch of great drumming.

Reader Comments (1)

I love this review. When I heard the album, I was wondering why I couldn't connect right away & you've really helped make sense of that. : )

April 4, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLM

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