Looking back to 2008, the first VW album was really a 'Best of' collection. Way before these Ivy Leaguers started playing on late night TV, blog aggregators were snorting up VW mp3s like nose candy. In fact, an earlier iteration of ISR called Indie Soup Modern Rock, played "Oxford Comma" way before these Afro-pop boys made it big.

But VW's latest album, Contra, does not suffer from the sophomore slump and indeed, lives up to the hype. The songscape is equally diverse as its predecessor. If you're looking for "A-Punk's" nearest relative you'll find it in the cliff-jumping spasmodic rhythms of "Cousins". Or, if you're seeking the expansiveness and world sound of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" then "Run" is a good contender. My personal favorite is the cheeseball ditty "Holiday". It's almost as if they were channeling that "I Wish It Was Christmas" SNL skit  with the cast of regulars (Fallon, Sanz, Morgan and Kattan) playing on stage that schlocky melody, with their puny instruments.The songs mesh well and as for your workouts, there is plenty to go round:

Workout Legend
LT = Low tempo workout
MT = Mid tempo workout
HT = Up tempo workout
S = Skip for your workouts
* = ISR faves

"Cousins" - HT* (Check out ISR's FunkaDellaDango mix for this mix opener!)
"Run" - MT
"Diplomat's Son" - MT
"Holiday" - HT*
"Giving Up The Gun" - MT
"White Sky" -  MT

Now that these Broadway meets rock bad boys (and girls) have released a proper album entitled The Silent City , it's time to give The Stagehands, Canada's answer to Los Campesinos! on Broadway, some blog love.

Picture this: a town where everyone is the same. Society stands still. Art has no face. It does, but your face is mine. The same one. Masks abound upon the celebrity faces of Laconia. Then Stan, a fame-seeking songwriter comes to the town and fights the pathetic banality surrounding him. Through achingly beautiful and sometimes rocking tirades of guitars and keys, we follow Stan, the frustrated songwriter and The Mayor, whose pernicious control of the artists behind the masks, fools Laconia into a permanent repressive state. Although the plot is a bit blatantly metaphorical, the music, the drama and the players undoubtedly have a flair for fusing both the thrill of theatrics and the edginess of popular music, including many genres (punk, metal, among others) into their cauldron of songs.

Song highlights: The marching thrashes of the "The Threat" ending in a thunderous conflagration. The fist pumping cheers of "Now or Never." The funereal reception of "The Riot," with its incandescent church organs and Master of Puppets-like chorus, both confound and turn the "rock 'n thespian" concept on its head, bashing its brains in until they are a bellicose mush.  There are also the celebratory mantras of "La Bibliotheque" and "The Commercial/Do It Anyway."

If you are interested in learning more about The Stagehands, check out their ISR interview. Also, these ISR episodes: Made In Canada and Trail Mix.

Website: http://www.stagehandsmusic.com

Quench your iPod with strikingly energetic tracks for your workouts. Below are the anthems that will lead you to glorious sweat fiestas.

* = ISR faves

"It's the Start/Overture"  - MT/HT*

"The Commercial/Do It Anyway" - HT*

"Sailor Man Sailor Man" - HT

"The Mayor (Part 1 and 2)" - MT*

"Petty Games/Worries Grow With Time" - MT

"La Bibliotheque" - MT/HT*

"Island Fever" - MT

"The Threat" - HT "The Riot" - MT/HT*

"Now Or Never" - MT