In this week’s edition of Tuesday Tracks we take a look at a couple of side projects—two starkly different sounds, both with an inherent Canadiana about them. Both bands evoke the great expanse of the country in different ways, the first conveying that certain sense of isolation it instills, while the second feels like a tribute to the community built out of it, a singalong stuffed with words you can’t hear.

Oh and then there’s the Arcade Fire, because, well, they made one heck of a music video.

First up is Grey Kingdom, the side project of Attack in Black guitar player Spencer Burton. It’s an apt alias, well suited to the wistful, contemplative track-list on his self-titled EP, which is out today. They’re lonely, sad songs that can be hard to listen to if you aren’t ready for them, but if you are, a song like “Paintbrush Soul” feels like it could save your life:

Next is Baby Eagle, another side project, this time from Steven Lambke of the Constantines. Although, with recent news that the Constantines have essentially broken up, Baby Eagle might become his fulltime gig. The new album Dog Weather is certainly reminiscent of Lambke’s days as frontman, but twangier. Listen to “Haybale Song” here:

And finally, yesterday the Internet was all a buzz about Arcade Fire‘s new video for “We Used to Wait.” What’s so special about it? It’s a unique little experiment that blends really well with the themes in the band’s latest album The Suburbs. Basically it takes some new features allowed by HTML 5, and combines it with data from Google Maps to create a personalized video that plays on the viewer’s nostalgia quite effectively. Unfortunately, a video like this can’t be embedded, and it only works in the Chrome and Safari browsers. Check it out at The Wilderness Downtown.

Alice Glass of Crystal Castles performing at the Indie Awards at Canadian Music Week March 13, 2009. Photo by Luke Champion.

As the weather warms up it seems the nation’s music industry is collectively waking up from a wintertime hibernation. Although based on the sheer volume of new releases slated for the next few months it looks like rather than sleeping, the time was spent locked in various recording studios—which is good news for all of us.

This week’s edition of Tuesday Tracks includes two hot-off-the-presses numbers from two highly anticipated releases and one swoon-worthy duet that is bound to leave you in awe.

First up: Crystal Castles‘ new LP was originally scheduled to be released in June, but after it was leaked, the label immediately put the album out on iTunes and bumped up the physical release to May 25. The new self-titled album is full of angry electronic anarchy, punctuated with brief glimpses of beauty. Check out “Doe Deer” for a little of that anger:

Second: Plants and Animals should be one of Montreal’s most famous exports. Their first album, Parc Avenue, was a near perfect collection melodic psychedelia and their latest, La La Land, builds on those same grandiose quirks to remarkable success. The first track, “Tom Cruz,” is blanketed with a wonderful paranoia that can’t help but draw you in.

Finally: Islands in the Stream. The tune, penned by the Bee Gees and made famous by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, is completely reinvented here by two of Canada’s finest: The Constantines and Feist. It speaks for itself, haunting: