Daniel Victor 
Who: Daniel Victor
What: a death-defying collaboration
Where: Windsor, ON, and assorted locales
To Contact: Coalition Entertainment, (905) 508-0025, www.coalitionent.com, www.nwlmusic.com.

This is an extraordinary undertaking, an ambitious project that began as a wish-list of vocalists and met every expectation. To explain, Daniel Victor, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter composed all the songs and then basically cold-called or mailed the track to his chosen singer to lay down the vocals. Among those who said yes are Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida, Finger Eleven's Scott Anderson, Switchfoot's Jonathan Foreman, Ours' Jimmy Gnecco, Mogwai, Todd Kerns, Bif Naked, 311's Nick Hexum, and SuperGarage's Marco Defelice. Entitled "Never Ending White Lights: Act 1 - Goodbye Friends Of The Heavenly Bodies", the low-key melancholic music has a death theme. Produced and recorded by Victor at his studio, The Wave, he sings, plays piano, Rhodes, electric and acoustic guitars, e-bow, bells, synths, mellotron, organ, strings, bass, drums, percussion, as well as coins, a vacuum cleaner, and other effects. Along the way, he scored management with Coalition (OLP, F-11, Simple Plan) and is now seeking a label brave enough to put it out.

Magneta Lane 
Who: Magneta Lane
What: medusa music
Where: Toronto
To Contact: Paper Bag Records, Inc. 455 Spadina Ave., #306, Toronto, ON M5S 2G8 (416) 260-1515, FAX (416) 260-0492, www.magnetalane.com.

Finally, a cool Canadian all-female rock band that has a vocalist with some power and oomph. No la la la flighty, wispy cutesy stuff happening here; singer/guitarist Lexi Valentine is reminiscent of the Pretenders' mother of rock attitude, Chrissie Hynde, and musically it has the scrappy attack and simplicity of the Strokes. Formed by Valentine and drummer Nadia King in the fall of 2003, Magneta Lane soon added bassist/guitarist French (who goes by one name only) to the fold. After some local shows the trio was signed to Canadian independent label, Paper Bag, in the spring of 2004. Armed with six songs, the 19-year-olds went into Toronto's Signal 2 Noise studio with Jon Drew of label mates Uncut, who produced, recorded, mixed and mastered what would become Magneta Lane's debut EP, The Constant Lover. Valentine, who collaborated with King but handles the lyrics herself, writes about a gal who can't find real love in the title track to what sounds like the night of a streetwalker in "Kissing Is Easy" and a manipulative go-go girl in "Medusa". Magnetic.

Satellite Rides 
Who: Satellite Rides
What: rough riders
Where: Halifax, NS
To Contact: 6170 Chebucto Road, Apt. A, Halifax, NS B3L 1KS (902) 802-1514, www.satelliterides.com.

The two most prominent parts of this band are Jason Mingo's parched rough-voice with a tinge of Tom Petty-ness and the implementation of synthesizer in all its new wave pop glory. Influenced by everyone from Ryan Adams to Weezer and Neil Young, with a dose of the Cars thrown in, Satellite Rides could easily share a stage with The Weekend or Hot Hot Heat if the synth remains in the live show. In its year-plus together, it hasn't done too badly, however, scoring slots with such Canadian acts as Blue Rodeo, Hawksley Workman, Matt Mays and Driveway. Comprised of main songwriter Mingo on vocals and guitar, guitarist Jason MacIsaac, bassist/vocalist Adam MacIssac, and drummer/vocalist Shane Gyorfi, the band went into Ultramagnetic Studios in Halifax and recorded these six songs with Charles Austin (Super Friendz, Neusiland), and graematter (a DJ, who works with Buck 65) co-produced with the band. Andrew Glencross of Buck 65 and Neusiland added the synth and organ to three of the tracks - "Love Is All That Matters", " Ever Be The Same", and "Man For You". Ride On.

Credit: Toronto-based music journalist Karen Bliss is the Canadian news correspondent for Rollingstone.com, and operates a Canadian music industry news column, Lowdown, at http://jam.canoe.ca/JamColumnBliss/home.html. She also edits Gasoline, and contributes to Elle Canada, Audience, Tribute, Words & Music and others.

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