Songs of the Week: June 20 - June 26, 2022

June 27, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day

“Dance With You” by Arkells (feat. Cœur De Pirate and Aly & AJ)

Here is a collaboration I was not at all expecting. “Dance With You” is the disco-y new track from Arkells, and features not only francophone singer Cœur de pirate, but also pop duo Aly & AJ.

In tandem with the new single, the band also announced Blink Twice, their follow-up to their latest album Blink Once. Along with “Dance With You” and their previously released collab with Cold War Kids, they also team-up with the likes of Lights, Tegan and Sara, and most excitingly (for me, anyway) Joel Plaskett!

The album comes out on September 23, and you can catch them here in BC playing Laketown Shakwtown on June 30, or in Surrey for a free show on July 1st!

Kirk

“secret” by nêhiyawak

While this song by nêhiyawak is not by any means new, the video is and I thought it worth sharing!
The song “secret” is from their 2020 debut album “nipiy” (translates to ‘water’ from the nêhiyaw language).
I adore this album (and have it on vinyl) and the new video was directed by Dene multidisciplinary artist Casey Koyczan
The video itself is an “exploration of Indigenous customs through the prismatic lens of First Nations youth and performers, as they drum and dance through blasts of full spectrum colour and enveloping texture”.

I really hope we get some new music from nêhiyawak soon - I’m on the lookout.

Christine

“Some Day” by Tim Baker

Last week we got another brand new song from Tim Baker, and also a preview of a new project!

“Some Day” is a summery tune — perfect for the current mini-heatwave here in Vancouver — with bouncy piano and beautiful harmonies.

Baker also put out the teaser trailer for a series of sketches he’ll be releasing, teaming with his long time friends and producers/writers Jordan Canning and Adam Christie (of Schitts Creek, Baroness Von Sketch Show). Tim says: "We put together a series of sketches filmed in Toronto. You'll see me awaken from my covid stupor, endeavour to become relevant, fit, road ready, all the while surrounded by incredible comedic actors and usually dressed ridiculously. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did filming them. Keep an eye out on YouTube for the full series."

Check out the trailer — and the new song — below!

Kirk

“Mountain” by JEEN

As she gets ready to release her third album in as many years(!) JEEN gave another tease of her upcoming album Tracer last week, with the new single “Mountain”.

JEEN is joined by frequent collaborator Ian Blurton, as well as Robin Hatch and Stephan Szczesniak on the new song, and says, “I wrote ‘Mountain’ in early spring 2021 after spending too much time fixating on the irreparable parts of everything...it’s really just a song about trying to let that shit go. There was so much going on out there politically and morally at the time. I had just started releasing a record (Dog Bite) and I was also writing a new one (Tracer) all while dipping in and out of lockdowns...I started getting panic attacks a lot and just needed to chill out. I guess this track was my attempt to try and keep things in perspective.”

The new album Tracer is due out October 21.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 13 - 19, 2022

June 20, 2022 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

"And (Samantha Sarty Version)” by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald (aka MBF) announced this week that his 2020 LP, Love Valley, will be released in an entirely new format - featuring all female vocalists, - titled Love Valley Rearranged (Deluxe).

The original album contained a female voice for one line on each track, the rest being Michael's, but the “Rearranged (Deluxe) songs are all newly fronted with female voiced interpretations and Michael is the singular line sung per track”.

The first release is Winnipeg artist Samantha Sarty (“who plays in Living Hour and Veneer, and collaborated with US/CA group Central Heat Exchange. She also explores soundscape composition in her experimental solo project, purepulp”).

Other ladies on the record of note include Ashleigh Ball (of Hey Ocean!), Hannah Epperson, and Jaycelyn Brown (of Said The Whale) and more. Can’t wait to hear them all.

Christine

“love and anarchy” by Little Destroyer

Vancouver’s Little Destroyer is back with their second single of the year so far, the infectious “love and anarchy”.

A song about navigating love & relationships, frontperson Allie Sheldan says “I think love as a liberator is a radical idea because so much of our learned behaviour around love is to be possessive, scared, insecure. There’s a big difference between conditional and unconditional. As somebody who’s always had a really complicated relationship with relationships, it took crashing head first into a rock bottom before I did the work to learn how to love unconditionally. This song is a thank you to, and celebration of, the people (and person) who helped me get there, and still be here.”

No word yet on a new album from the trio, but hopefully we hear word soon!

Kirk

“Eiffel Tower” by KINLEY

Just a warning off the top: after you listen to the latest single from KINLEY, you will have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. “Eiffel Tower” is the lead single to the PEI singer’s upcoming album Daylight, and is an incredibly catchy indie-pop breakup tune.

KINLEY says “I wrote this song after reflecting on a breakup. I got in a fight with my boyfriend in Paris. We were surrounded by couples in love at THE most romantic landmark in the world, the Eiffel Tower. I should have known it would never work out!”

Have a listen to “Eiffel Tower” below and mark November 4th for the release of Daylight.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 06 - 12, 2022

June 13, 2022 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“What Feels Like Eternity” by Metric

The third and latest single from Metric was released this week, as we creep closer and closer to their July 8th release of Formentera, and August tour.
The live performance video for “What Feels Like Eternity” was directed by Justin Broadbent and have a very 90’s-esque vibe and a throwback to the MTV days.

The album name and theme came from a travel book sitting on the desk of their recording studio - with nowhere to go and being unable to travel, I suppose for what felt like an eternity.

The band will be in Vancouver on August 13th at the Orpheum Theatre, with Dear Rouge opening.

Christine

“Stir The Ashes” by iskwē x Tom Wilson

We’re a little over a month away from the release of Mother Love, the debut album from the pairing of iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (Cree Métis) and Tom Wilson | Tehoh’ahake (Mohawk), and we’re getting yet another tease of the album with the latest single, “Stir The Ashes”.

Written & produced by Serena Ryder, the new song is a perfect contrast of iskwē’s smooth vocals and Wilson’s gruffness, with a beautiful tune to go along with it.

Have a listen, and mark down July 20 for the release of Mother Love!

Kirk

“White Flag” by Darkometro

We’ve already heard a couple singles from Darkometro — the duo of Maïa Davies (of Ladies of the Canyon) and Patrick Krief (formerly of The Dears) — and on Friday they not only released a video for the latest single, “White Flag”, but also dropped their whole debut album!

Krief says the new song "embodies a sort of ‘psychedelic cocaine disco’ experience, honoring my love of late 70’s music. Once we had the lyrics I made the music to mirror the bittersweet uplifting vibe with an eerie, energized and dancey arrangement. In a lot of ways, it’s an answer to some more misanthropic songs of mine.” Davies reflects, “It was a real time experience for me, writing as I was living it, after so long of living in a love that only offered the bare minimum to me. It’s about that moment where I knew I had to choose myself, and the feeling on that precipice. It’s about how bravery is also lonely.”

Check it out below, and grab their whole self-titled album everywhere!

Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 30 - June 05, 2022

June 06, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day

“Little Trophy” by Hyaenas

“Little Trophy” may be the first single from the new Vancouver band Hyaenas, but you may recognise the members — Sophie Heppell, Jessie Robertson, Jen Foster, and Luvia Petersen — from other bands (or two, or three) around the city.

The new group promises songs that are “written through a queer feminist lens; exploring meaningful themes from acceptance to vigilance, celebrating a love of nature, witchcraft, and social justice” and the incredibly catchy “Little Trophy” exemplifies that, with lyrics rebelling against the sexual objectification of women.

Have a listen below, and keep an ear out for more from the band in the future, as they have an EP coming soon!

Kirk

“Shine On” ft The Skints AND “Something Lost + Something Found”
by Bedouin Soundclash

It’s been a LONG time since we’ve heard something new from Bedouin Soundclash, but the band is officially back with two new tracks!
”Shine On” features Marcia Richards of British reggae-punk band The Skints for a bouncy, groovy tune, and “Something Lost + Something Found” is reminiscent of “When The Night Feels My Song” and is equally as catchy.

No news in the press release of a full album to come but it sure feels like it. The band is heading out on the road to several festivals, including performing at the Vancouver Craft Beer Festival on July 9th!

Christine

“Cemetery Blues” by A Family Curse

Last week, the father-daughter duo of A Family Curse announced their self-titled debut album for July 27, and dropped the first single, “Cemetery Blues”.

Comprised of Kandle and her father Neil Osborne (of 54-40 fame), the collaboration began a few years ago when Neil and Danny Michel recorded some instrumentals together, which were forgotten until Neil passed them on to Kandle, who breathed new life into them. From there, they decided to complete a whole DIY album where the two played and recorded everything at home.

And if “Cemetery Blues” is any indication, I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album!

Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 23 - 29, 2022

May 30, 2022 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

“Dig Me Out” by Miesha and the Spanks

Last week Miesha and the Spanks debuted their latest single, "Dig Me Out", a tribute to the recovery of the 215 child remains discovered at the Kamloops Residential School in May of 2021.

Miesha -- who is is a mixed Secwépemc First Nation woman -- painfully shares, “I wrote this song to process everything I was feeling: the grief, the horror, the anger, and the helplessness. Like most Indigenous kids, I already knew the history of abuse that came with the assimilation these schools offered. I saw it first hand reflected in the generational suffering of my family. My Grandmother survived Tk'emlups Residential School, sent there after her two older sisters died at St. Eugenes, the one closer to our home. Unlike her sisters, she made it back home, shamed and pregnant. As the numbers piled in from all across Canada, gaining more press and social media attention, survivors and their relatives shared their stories, again, because they’ve been doing this for years while no one listened, and I read them all. I found myself in a very dark place, absorbed in my Grandmother’s story and so many like her, and it was very difficult to dig myself out.”

Have a listen below, and all All sales of the track go towards the Indian Residential School Survivor’s Society.

Kirk

“Guess I’m Going To Hell” by Lowell

I’m used to super fun, catchy, upbeat songs from Lowell, so when a synth-y ballad started playing I almost gasped.

I know this woman has range, but “Guess I’m Going To Hell” is a GORGEOUS song and definitely raw. While the music is flowing and pretty, the lyrics are about struggles, mistakes and demons.
Give it a listen.

Christine

“Every Time You Cry” by Matthew Barber

Matthew Barber just announced his new EP, No Singing or Dancing, (sounds like COVID times to me!), coming out on July 22, 2022.

His latest single “Every Time You Cry” is a “confessional plea to understand and accept that tears don’t always come in the same ways to different people - at least not when others are around" - says Barber.

Christine

Songs of the Week: May 16 - 22, 2022

May 23, 2022 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day

“Hypernormalization” by Rich Aucoin

Love myself an instrumental track from Rich Aucoin! They always have such a great build-up and his new track “Hypernormalization” is no different.

He just announced his new album Synthetic: Season 1- set for release in October 2022 and says that he performed all the synths on the first 9 tracks “but on Seasons 2-4 will be joined by a couple hundred fellow synth enthusiasts.”
Seasons 2-4!!! The plan is to release them every 6 months for the next 2 years. Super exciting.

Better yet, just like his last album United States, if you preorder the physical album, you can get the digital version right now. So excuse me while I go listen to the whole thing…

Christine

“Patrick Bateman” by Housewife

New name, new song, same stunning vocals & catchy songwriting.

“Patrick Bateman” is the latest from the duo of Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla, who were previously known as Moscow Apartment, but recently changed their name to Housewife.

They say the new song “is about putting bad people on a pedestal and romanticizing evilness. The ultra-capitalist business imagery fell into place once we started writing the song. We wanted to tell a story of someone who is a ‘bad actor’ and hides parts of themselves to appeal to others, but their true intentions are slowly revealed.”

Check it our below, and catch them here in Vancouver at the Folk Fest in July!

Kirk

“Doomscroller” by Metric

Strap in, because this new song from Metric is a ten minute(!) epic.

The latest single from their upcoming album Formentera, “Doomscroller” shares its name as their upcoming tour and promises to transport you into a “high speed chase through the wild terrain of modern life."

I recommend shutting off the lights, and let the song — as well as the video directed by Justin Broadbent — just wash over you.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 09 - 15, 2022

May 16, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Lucky Few” by Tim Baker

Tim Baker is back! In his first new release since 2020’s Survivors EP, Baker dropped the brand new song “Lucky Few” last week.

An unsurprisingly gorgeous, piano-driven tune, “Lucky Few“ is about longing for people and the attempting to make connections. Tim says "This is a song that grew directly from these years of social isolation. It’s about missing people, and missing the power of connection, shared emotion and music. The rhythm section and I performed it live off the floor (the second floor of the Fogo Island Inn to be exact - an incredible piano they have there, among a lot of other incredibles), and I later added violins and a little choir of friends at home."

Check out the video — co-directed by Tim and Newfoundland cinematographer Jamie Miller — below!

Kirk

“Past Life” by Arkells feat. Cold War Kids

Take some Arkells.
A dash of Cold War Kids.
Add in a pinch of Will Forte.
Mix it all in a karaoke video.
Watch for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Kirk

“Unseen” by Harrison Brome

Vancouver’s Harrison Brome just announced a 5-song EP titled Strange to be released on June 17th. And with it comes a new track “Unseen” which reflects on “feelings of frustration, self-doubt, and rejection that can come along with breakups”.

Harrison is such a talented artist, and is one whose genre I couldn’t even begin to nail down. Give it a listen.

Christine

“On and On” by JEEN

JEEN might just be the hardest working musician in Canada right now. She released a self-titled album in 2020, and then Dog Bite in 2021, and is already announcing a third album is as many years, Tracer due out on October 21.

The first single, “On and On” is a gritty rockers, and JEEN revealed, “I wrote ‘On and On’ last spring/summer when nothing felt worth it anymore…everything was grinding me down when I was working on this one. On and On is about breaking points and falling down more times than you’re willing to get back up.”

Check out the cool lyrics video below!

Kirk

“Faith In Doubt” by Holy Hum

Last week the sophomore, full-length release from Holy Hum, Let It Be Desire, was announced and released digitally (physical released in the fall).
The album explores “what it means to yearn, to accept, to question, and, ultimately, to become” and kicks off with “Faith In Doubt”.
It’s 17 minutes long, so buckle in!

Christine

“The Other Man” [Sloan cover] by Twin River

You know me, I love a good cover! And last week, Twin River dropped their version of Sloan’s “The Other Man”.

The live video sees the Vancouver band put their own spin on the classic song (which, fun fact, is allegedly inspired the real-life love triangle between Sloan’s Chris Murphy, Leslie Feist, and Broken Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman!)

Kirk

Songs of the Week: May 02 - 08, 2022

May 09, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“My Mother’s Hand” by Jill Barber

This past weekend was Mother’s Day, and to commemorate the day, Jill Barber released a gorgeous, heartfelt song called “My Mother’s Hand”.

Though it was released ahead of Mother’s Day, the song was actually written for Jill’s mother’s birthday, after realising she had forgotten to send a card. Jill says "I wrote this song on my Mother’s birthday last year, and quickly recorded a rough demo and sent it to her as a voice note. We are very close, but live very far apart and hadn’t seen each other for over a year. I wanted to express my gratitude to her in the best way I know how, through my music. I am a mother myself now of two young kids and I sometimes worry that I’m not doing as good a job as she did with me… but I know she set the example I will always strive for, and I wanted to thank her with this song."

Have a listen below!

Kirk

“Gimmie Spirit” by Dear Rouge

New video and track from Vancouver’s Dear Rouge this week. “Gimmie Spirit” from their album Spirit that was released last month was directed by non other than Steve Bays, and follows the band around a party, and some beach fireworks.

If if you want to see them perform live, you’ve got a lot of chances coming up. They open for Vance Joy on May 27th, headline Friday at the Constellation Festival on July 22nd, and then are opening for Metric on August 13th!

Christine

“3 Sisters” by The Rural Alberta Advantage

Hot off the release of their recent EP The Rise, The Rural Alberta Advantage have released a brand new video for the song “3 Sisters”

The video — directed and animated by Jared Sales — follows the band’s tour van across the country, going from show to show. Sales stated, "We wanted to show the synergy a touring band has with each other, their audiences and the landscapes between them. Stylistically, we told the story from a bird's eye view and using 3D animation was the most effective way for me to bring it to life."

And you can catch the band with their van this summer on tour, including a date here in Vancouver opening for Broken Social Scene (or, if you find yourself in California next week, you can see them in LA with me!)

Kirk

“Part of Me” by Blunt Chunks

Even if you haven’t heardthe Toronto-based Blunt Chunks before, you may be familiar with some of the faces involved. Fronted by Caitlin Woelfle-O'Brien (of Jaunt), the band also features members of of The Weather Station, Luna Li, Hooded Fang and more! And not only that, but their latest single “Part of Me” features vocals and piano from Broken Social Scenester Brendan Canning.

Dubbed a “narcissistic anthem” by Woelfle-O’Brien, the song features her voice soaring to a crescendo, where it’s joined by a choir of others. Have a listen below, and check out the self-titled EP out now!

Kirk