Songs of the Week: May 01 - 07, 2023

“Blame Brett” by The Beaches

My first thought before even listening to the brand new song from The Beaches was, “jeez, I’d hate to be Brett”.

That’s because “Blame Brett” is the lead single for their upcoming album Blame My Ex, though Jordan Miller clarifies: “Blame Brett is a song with a little bit of a misleading title. It’s not really about my relationship. It’s about feeling vulnerable and afraid to open your heart to someone new. I'm basically talking to my future partners, explaining that I can only offer something casual while my heart heals—a song for all the hot messes out there.”

The new song is incredibly infectious and chaotic, as you would expect from the group, and you can grab the album when it comes out September 15. You can also catch The Beaches in a city near you when they hit the road this fall, including a show here in Vancouver at the Orpheum(!) on November 12.

• Kirk

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“Expensive” by Chin Injeti ft. Jarrel The Young

An 80’s inspired tune for a Monday morning? Yes please!

Chin Injeti teased in January that he would be releasing new music this year, and after “All For Nothing” a few months ago, we have another one.

“Expensive”, which features producer and songwriter Jarrel The Young, takes inspiration from Grace Jones’ hit “Crush” and is about “celebrating the decadence of love and all it comes with”.
It’s an infectious tune that has me excited to hear more soon!

• Christine

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“Cruel” by FRANKIIE

As we creep closer to the release of FRANKIIE’s new album Between Dreams, the Vancouver group is giving us another taste with the latest song, “Cruel”.

The third single off the upcoming album, “Cruel” is a dream-pop vibe that showcases the group’s ethereal vocals. About the song, the band saying “In an age of celebrated self-absorption, we were inspired to write this song about a fictitious character that we sing back and forth with. It is essentially an amalgamation of all the narcissists we’ve ever met and in turn we want nothing to do with.”

Check out the live performance video below, mark June 2nd for the release of Between Dreams. And if you’re here in Vancouver, check out their double album release party alongside Winona Forever at Green Auto on June 9th (please go in my place, as I’m out of town that weekend!)

• Kirk

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“The North Shore” by Gord Downie & Bob Rock

The long awaited album between the late, great Gord Downie, and Bob Rock, Lustre Parfait, is finally out, and with it’s release, another single titled “The North Shore”.

It’s a gorgeous ballad, and does a great job balancing the rest of the album, and while I immediately thought it was about the North Shore of Vancouver, Bob explains more throughly:
"I had the music to 'The North Shore' around for a very long time. I think when Gord came to Maui when we did The Tragically Hip records, he stayed on the north shore of Maui, so we were joking that there was a north shore of Vancouver, it seemed there was a north shore of every culture and every country. But in the end what Gord wrote, it's not about any north shore at all, but just this beautiful story of a couple with his incredible imagery as the backdrop.”

Definitely one of my favourite records this year so far - it’s always nice to hear new music from an artist that’s left us. Amazing work Gord.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: February 06 - 12, 2023

[Fair warning, this week it’s three song picks from me (Christine), and they’re alllllll melancholy. So get ready to sway, bob your head and get into some feels.]

“Miss Fort Erie” by Hayden

Back in October, Hayden released his first new music since 2015 with the single “East Coast”. Well, now we’re moving slightly west with “Miss Fort Erie” (as someone from the Niagara Region of Ontario I did a double take at the title).

The press release called him the “king of downcast Canadian indie-folk” - and this might be true, as the new track is about balancing a young family, being out on the road, and downplaying the adventures, which he’s embarked upon again with his current tour.

Speaking of, Hayden will be in Vancouver this Wednesday, performing at Christ Church Cathedral.

• Christine

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“Telephone” by Andy Shauf

Andy Shauf’s new album Norm, is officially out, with this latest single and music video to celebrate.
It’s funny, when I was listening to “Telephone” I was thinking “a lot of people don’t do that these days” and then I read in the press release that this is about an imagined person because Andy “hates talking on the phone” - so there we go.

If you recognize the video as similar to the one for “Catch Your Eye”, that’s because it’s the same character, animated again (in the immediately recognizable style) by Chad VanGaalen.

PS Andy will be here, performing at The Orpheum on March 11th!

• Christine

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“The Moment Is A Wild Place" by Gord Downie & Bob Rock

Okay, this one made me tear up, especially as it was just recently Gord’s birthday last week.
“The Moment Is A Wild Place” is another track from Lustre Parfait - the collaboration between Downie and Bob Rock, recorded from 2009 to 2016.

"They keep saying, ‘Just live in the moment / What they don't say / Is the moment / Is a wild place.”

The lyrics, written before his diagnosis, just tug at my heartstrings, along with the soaring vocals.
Such a treat to get these songs - the whole album of which will be fully released on May 5th.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: November 21 - 26, 2022

“The Raven And The Red-Tailed Hawk” and “Is There Nowhere”
by Gord Downie & Bob Rock

Getting this new music from Gord Downie has been both amazing and saddening as I know I’ll never get to see it performed.
And not just because we lost Gord, but there are so many elements in the songs, like Ché Aimee Dorval’s vocals on “Is There Nowhere”, Bob Rock’s soaring guitar solos, and Pat Steward ripping up the drums on “The Raven And The Red-Tailed Hawk” that I’d have loved to see live.

Maybe when the album Lustre Parfait is released by Arts & Crafts in May of next year they’ll have come up with an awesome way to celebrate it.

• Christine

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“Loveless” by Ché Aimee Dorval

Speaking of Vancouver artist Ché Aimee Dorval (see above!), she released a new song this week as well.
”Loveless” is the 3rd single from her upcoming album The Crowned (out January 19, 2023) and is about “loving without the expectation of having it returned”.

Pre-pandemic she was working with Bob Rock, who produced half the album, while she self-produced the rest post-lockdown - and I’m excited to hear more.

• Christine

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“Catherine” by Kylie V

Last week, Kylie V released their latest single, “Catherine”, a dreamy pop tune that builds to an intense finish, driven by their vulnerable vocals.

The song is the first (non-holiday) single that Kylie V has released since last year’s album Big Blue, and hopefully it’s indicative of more to come!

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: October 17 - 23, 2022

“East Coast” by Hayden

So, I sat straight up in my chair when I saw this in my inbox: The first new music from Hayden since 2015!

“East Coast” is a gorgeous ballad and has rolling piano throughout, with added guitar over the end. In the press release he says the song was inspired to write this song after covering a Leonard Cohen song (Avalanche) and you can definitely get those vibes when listening.

While he’s only touring in Ontario this November/early December, a new album is anticipated for early 2023, and I hope that a West Coast (see what I did there?) swing brings him this way as it’s been far too long.

• Christine

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“Another Level” by Hyaenas

Vancouver’s Hyaenas dropped their latest new single last week, “Another Level”, about the cult NXIVM — which preyed on the Vancouver acting scene — as well as the ‘Bargaining’ stage in the cycle of grief.

The band says, “Another Level was heavily inspired by NXIVM - a sexual slavery cult that lured people in under the guise of their personal and professional “Executive Success” seminars. The track begins with booming, roomy drums and then pulls into a tight, crisp, and punchy soundscape when the rest of the band kicks in. In the last chorus you’ll hear all four band members' individual voices overlapping and intersecting - representing the many voices of inner turmoil when you realize you got more than you bargained for in a deal with the ‘Devil’.”

(Not-so-fun fact: I went to high school with one of the more infamous members of NXIVM, Nicki Clyne.)

Check out “Another Level” below and just try not to have it running through your head for the rest of the day.

• Kirk

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“Smoking Weed Alone” by Tegan and Sara

After a whole slew of single releases over the last few months (including several different music videos), Tegan and Sara’s new album Crybaby is out now!

Also out at the beginning of next week will be the release of their new TV show “High School”, based off their memoir of the same name, and the duo will perform on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday.
If you’re in Vancouver on November 20th, they’ll be performing at the Commodore Ballroom.

Oh, and I can’t forget that this post is about a new single, “Smoking Weed Alone”, the 5th off Crybaby, of which they say “there’s a chorus where we’re sort of singing to each other, and we haven’t done that before, in our career”. Check it out below.

• Christine

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“Lustre Parfait” by Gord Downie & Bob Rock

I did a double take when I saw Gord Downie’s name alongside '“new music”, but I had to expect there would be a giant well of unreleased music from such a talented man to release posthumously.

“Lustre Parfait” is super fun and upbeat, in a very non-Tragically Hip way. Honestly you could swap in Max Kerman’s vocals and I would 100% have believed this was an Arkells song - between the keys, background vocals, and horns!
It could be because Gord wrote the lyrics over the music that Bob Rock provided him, and apparently there is more to come from the collaboration….MUCH more. I can’t wait, his voice has been sorely missed.

• Christine

Song of the Day: October 17, 2016 - "The Stranger" by Gord Downie

I hope you're ready for a good cry, because this one's going to pull on all the heartstrings. Not only for the subject matter of Secret Path, the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Ojibway boy that died after fleeing from a residential school in 1966, but that it comes from Gord Downie.

I've expressed before my huge love of the man, and the Tragically Hip, but between the new music (and coming on-air special on October 23rd on the CBC) and his recent interview with Peter Mansbridge (embedded below), my heart is breaking.

So curl up on the couch for this one, and grab some tissues, because it's beautiful and crushing.

Song of the Day: May 24, 2016 - "Courage" by The Tragically Hip

If you know me, you know I'm fighting tears right now. The Tragically Hip is one of my favourite, if not my favourite, band and Gord Downie is my favourite frontman, hands down.

So today, when The Hip announced that Gord has an incurable form of brain cancer, glioblastoma (which coincidentally is what our friend Neil had/passed away from this year), I had that instant, gut-punch feeling. I don't know what cruel joke 2016 is playing on us all, but it had better stop, because now it's really personal (a feeling that I'm sure many Canadians, musicians and music lovers alike, are sharing today).

I have seen this band too many times to count (I tried today and lost track), and have seen Gord perform with other bands over the years as well (a favourite being with The Sadies - not just because I was obsessed with this outfit he had on).
EDIT: See below...

I don't even have words for this one. I love Gord Downie so much. @pemberton_fest #pembyfest #pembyfestisawesome

A video posted by Christine McAvoy (@christine__mcavoy) on Jul 17, 2014 at 12:37am PDT

Take this photo below for example, three set lists from three shows in one week in Toronto, where I used to live. First I saw them on The Hour (centre set list) [I found the video online, you can watch the concert here, but watch the whole thing b/c there is an interview with Gord too - and at the 40:46 mark, you might spot a grainy, 20 year old Christine to George's left], then at 102.1 The Edge I got Gord to sign the set list [Christine, enjoy w/ my compliments Gord Downie], and managed to get invited into the secret show at the Horseshoe that night (set list on the left), and finally the first night of shows at the Phoenix they had that week (set list on the far right). 

Fun Fact: the back of the centre set list says "Applause!" - Johnny Fay wrote that on it during the show as a joke and held it up. I was closest to him, so I asked him for it. <3

Obviously if you've read the news, the one shining light is that we still have him for a while, and The Hip, being the rockstars they are, are doing one last tour with their spectacular front man. The dates are going to be announced this week, and you can bet you're ass I'm going to be there.

There was really only one choice of song for today... Courage, it couldn't come at a worse time.