Sexy Merlin

One-man-drum-band Sexy Merlin (aka Sean, drummer for Foxfire and other Toronto groups) just released this badass bit of cowbellery. 7? available now from Pleasence. - Silent Shout

Long haired, hooded opener Sexy Merlin began at 10 p.m., alone with a mic and some pedals before a drum-kit. Aside from the appeal of looking like fabled wizard Merlin, SM's industrial beats and effects-heavy vocals made for surprisingly accessible and danceable lo-fi jams. - Blog TO

Forget about drum ‘n’ bass, this is drum ‘n’ drum. Sexy Merlin (the man on the traps for Foxfire, Mausoleum and White Suede) is a one-man Liquid Liquid, jamming the urban gamelan like it’s his birthday and the sticks are made of glitter. This mad (wizard) hatter freaks the funky beat and leaves witches grinding in the coven. Bold moves from Pleasence and seven inches of high fidelity bamboo bangers. - Weird Canada

Building on the success of last fall’s split 7-inch with White Suede, Toronto weirdo indie rockers Gay (fronted by Foxfire bassist Neil Rankin) continue to explore the possibilities of the single format on this boundary-testing collaboration with Sexy Merlin, the solo percussion project of Sean Dunal (also of Foxfire).

Both acts work together on the A-side’s Asbestos, a soulful, upbeat epic that takes on tropical inflections thanks to Dunal’s rhythm work. The B-side is three linked songs; two Sexy Merlin tracks bookend Cool Island by Gay, effectively serving as a trippy intro and outro.

Introspective and wistful Cool Island is the standout, sounding like it could have come out of early-2000s NYC, with Rankin’s soaring vocals landing somewhere between David Byrne and the Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser. They’ve clearly tapped into something special. - NOW magazine