Posts have been heavy so far this week…education reform, medical ethics, blood minerals. Here’s a change of pace:

I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Karkwa. How many bands can you say that about? It was an overcast March morning and the ground was covered with just enough wet snow so that it would crunch a bit. I was on my way to class listening to Bande à part, Radio-Canada‘s indie music podcast, when Karkwa’s La Marche came on as I took my first steps onto the sidewalk. I was in love.

I have to admit that, despite the fact that their most recent album Les Chemins de Verre came out this past March, I hadn’t picked it up until it I heard it won the Polaris Prize Monday night beating out a couple other amazing albums including The Besnard Lakes’ The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, Caribou’s Swim and, Shad’s TSOL. Les Chemins de Verre was a great first listen–and that doesn’t happen to me very often. Here’s a live version of the lead track:

And here’s the title track of their most recent album translated into English with Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell: