Song of the Day: August 08, 2017 - "By The Tree" by Sauropod

I found out about Norwegian band Sauropod while attending the Trans Musicales Festival in France last December.

Since then the band has signed to Propeller Recordings, and have now released a new single called "By The Tree" - frontman Jonas Røyeng says it "is essentially about juggling two things at once, not knowing which one you like the most."

The band will be touring in the new year, so I will be keeping an eye out for Canadian dates!

Song of the Day: August 07, 2017 - "Drained Lake" by METZ

Another single from METZ from their soon to be released (September 22) album Strange Pearce!

Of "Drained Lake", lead singer Alex Edkins says (it's about) “The constant struggle to know yourself and make sense of your life and surroundings. What is my purpose? Holding on to who you are while fending off pressure to bend to what other people want and expect from you.”

Crank up the speakers and have a listen.

Song of the Day: August 06, 2017 - "Gold In You" by Ashleigh Ball

Ashleigh Ball has released a video for the title track from her new solo album Gold In You.

The song and video are perfectly timed for these hazy summer days (get out to Pride today!), and of the location Ashleigh says this:
"My boyfriend and I would often boat past this spot on route to friend’s cabins and he would grimly tell me that it was the Island where his Grandfather had drowned in the 1950s when his mom was only 7 or 8. It was always this sort of mysterious place that held such a negative energy. Until one day we decided to drop anchor in the bay and swim in. It's one of the most beautiful gulf islands I've been to with sandstone cliffs and white shell beaches. We've returned time and time again with friends to camp.
I thought it would be a fitting location to shoot a video for this song because of the heavy history and darkness of the place: 'When shadows blind we just let the light in.' If you shift your perspective you can see the good in something.”

Have a beautiful Sunday!

Song of the Day: August 05, 2017 - "Whistleblower" by Dan Mangan

Dan Mangan has released a new video for his song "Whistleblower" off of his 2016 album Unmake.

He's currently in the process of his next album as well as a variety of side projects like Side Door, helping emerging artists with touring and exposure etc.

About "Whistleblower" this is what Mangan had to say:
"Seems there is a lot of anger in the world. Anger can be important. Anger can topple tyrants. Anger can be a catalyst to growth. But if it becomes the default lens through which the world is seen, it can blind us from the redemption or beauty that can be found in this absurdity of errors. This video was not made with the intent to incite anger, but it does hope to advocate to work through anger and find the other side of it. To find resolution, forgiveness, and peace. Everyone involved donated their time/talent completely, and I am so grateful."

Check it out below:

Song of the Day: August 04, 2017 - "Nothing Makes Me Happy" by Said the Whale

Surprise! It's a new track from Said the Whale! 

"Nothing Makes Me Happy" comes mere months from their last album, As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide, and features guest vocals from Ali Milner (aka Willa). The song is about, well, the title seems to sum it up nicely, with the band saying:

"We were thinking about friends of ours who complain about their lives even though from an outsider’s perspective they’ve got everything. It’s a very common complaint to have right now, and it’s something that is perpetuated by social media - seeing your peers share only the best moments of their lives makes everything you do feel weak by comparison. And I’m guilty of it, too! We can be so focused on the goals we're trying to achieve that we forget to take a step back and appreciate what we have. Now that I think about it, this song is a little bit like a re-hash of ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ but targeted at insecure, privileged millennials. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "

Song of the Day: August 03, 2017 - "Out Of My Head" by Begonia

If you were at the Vancouver Folk Fest this year and didn't catch Begonia -- the solo project of Alexa Dirks of Chic Gamine -- at least once over the weekend, you made a huge mistake in your planning.

But you can fix that by checking out her latest video, for "Out Of Mt Head", which was shot in an abandoned pillow factory. It's off her debut EP, Ladt In Mind, which you can pick uo now!

Song of the Day: August 02, 2017 - "Fluorescent Light" by Stars

"3 A.M. and the lights go on and the middle of the chorus they turn off our song
Everyone is wasted, Everyone's alive
We hail a yellow taxi and we drive, drive, drive"

I really just wanted to post this with just the lyrics and leave it as is; this song is peak Stars and I fucking love it. "Fluorescent Light" is the latest single from their upcoming album, There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light, due out in October. 

Along with the new album, there will also be a documentary called DINNER WITH STARS which is... pretty self-explanatory, I think. Check out the trailer for it above, and the new song below! 

Song of the Day: August 01, 2017 - "Costume Party" by RALEIGH

New song from Calgary band RALEIGH!

"Costume Party" starts out sounding like it's going to be a spooky song but goes into an upbeat and ethereal tune, reminiscent of some Broken Social Scene songs. Which made sense after reading that they worked on their new album at the Banff Centre with several BSS members.

The new album, Powerhouse Bloom, is out on September 29th, but no tour dates yet. Check out the new song below, as well as a bonus cover of Frank Ocean's "Ivy".