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: January 30 - February 05, 2023

“Room Service” by Haviah Mighty

A new sultry, and groovy, new song from Haviah Mighty leaning towards more of an R&B style (and I’m loving it).

I could give you a breakdown on the meaning behind the song, but Haviah lays it out perfectly:

“This song reflects on the many phases of denial that I experienced going through a recent breakup. My self-worth was shattered, I convinced myself that things weren’t as bad as they seemed, and that it wasn’t my fault. I was fully aware that this person had already let me go, by their mannerisms, the shifts in attitude, and the conversations we had. I knew their heart wasn't in it anymore.

But it wasn't official. Because of that, I had this glimmer of hope - as if the energy wasn't loud enough, and as if I didn't know what the outcome would be. For me, this song grew into an anthem of lust, wonderment, desire and delusion. The sultry lead melodies pull you in as I plead for my lover to wait for me. Just hold on. The bouncy synths playfully suck you into a vortex of heavy-hitting 808s and afro-style grooves that remind you that I’m not just a rapper - but also a singer, Jamaican, and Toronto-born.”

• Christine

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“Plague Dogs” by The Rural Alberta Advantage

It looks like The Rural Alberta Advantage has no plans on slowing down any time soon. After releasing a brand new EP and touring Canada last year, the trio has kicked off this year with a brand new song, ahead of an American tour.

“Plague Dogs” is a sonic kick to the chest, and is part of their goal to record & release new music in real time as the year progresses.

Check out the video below!

• Kirk

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“Let It Go” by Patrick Krief

Last week, Patrick Krief released the latest single off his upcoming album, due out later this year. “Let It Go” (not that one) features Krief’s buttery vocals as the song builds to an intense finish.

Patrick says “This story touches on the idea of being able to leave and finding a new safe space when everything gets difficult. Something I saw my parents do when leaving Morocco. Always left to reflexively want to escape hard times, this song is my confrontation with the habit of running from my problems. As the cliche goes, you cannot outrun your demons. In this song, I look for an alternative.”

Watch the video below, and keep an ear out for a full album, out some time this year.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 23 - 29, 2023

“Still Got You” by Del Barber

Been waiting for this new music from Del Barber for a while, so I was stoked to see it land in my inbox.
“Still Got You” is the first single from his upcoming, and newly announced album Almanac. It’s a wonderful song about the beauty surrounding his home, and being thankful, yet feeling guilt about being shielded from some of the bigger things going on in the world.

Check out the track, as well as a live recording of the song, below - and keep an eye out for some tour dates!

• Christine

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“Means To An End” by Colleen Rennison

Vancouver's Colleen Rennison is back with the first look at a brand new album. The lead single "Means to an End" is a gorgeous piano-driven song, with Rennison's incredible vocals laying her heart out.

She explains “This song is literally ripped from my diary with me sitting in the realization that the best has come and gone. It’s the bittersweet recollection of moments passed and wondering if this feeling of loss and melancholy is something that you’ll live with until you don’t live anymore. We first recorded this as a full band and I felt it turned out too CMT and didn’t do the song justice, so I brought the piano player and all around musical savant Alexander Ward back in and we did it with just piano and a little percussion, adding in the live strings which he also arranged later.”

"Means to an End" is the first single from Colleen's new album Persephone, which is due out later this year.

• Kirk

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“Rushes Over Me” by Combine The Victorious

Another new track from Vancouver duo Combine The Victorious!

“Rushes Over Me” is about the idea of “falling back and trusting that the universe is there to catch you”. The band released the song on Robbie Burns Day, as Ayrshire is where vocalist Isabelle Dunlop is from, and they felt like the track tipping point of their musical career.

There’s some touring in their new future as well, so keep an eye on their socials!

• Christine

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“It’s My Year” by Miesha & The Spanks

Hot off the news of their signing to Mint Records, Miesha & The Spanks not only just released a brand new single, but also announced their newest album.

“It’s My Year” is about making the most of the next 12 month, and is the kind of gritty-yet-catchy tune the duo of Miesha Louie and Sean Hamilton (no relation) does so well.

Watch the video below, and grab the new album, Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi, out April 14th on Mint Records.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 16 - 22. 2023

“Dumpster Gold” by Murray A. Lightburn

Followers of this here website will probably know that The Dears are one of my top favourite bands, so my ears perked up when I saw new music from singer Murray A. Lightburn.

“Dumpster Gold” is the lead single off his third solo album, and is a heartbreaking tale of reconnecting with the past. Murray explains: "About a year or so after my old man passed, my mom called and said, 'Murray, I’ve made a big decision: I’m selling the house'. She’d been there for 50 years. We were the only family that ever lived in it, one of many identical houses in a section of Brossard, Quebec. On our way out, we sifted through everything; most of it was going to the dump. There were many worthless treasures that were meaningful only to us. A couple of things now sit around my house. My father wasn’t an expressive man to me. I am left with these fragments to piece together a connection to him."

The new album, Once Upon A Time In Montreal, is out March 31, and as Lightburn jokes, is an audio version of a biopic, inspired by the passing of his father, a jazz musician from Belize who moved to Montreal via New York to reconnect with his teenage sweetheart.

• Kirk

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“I Don’t Feel It Like I Used To” by Louise Burns

Well, this song made my whole week, I love it that much.
“I Don't Feel it Like I Used To” is the latest track released by Louise Burns, off of her newly announced new album Element (set for release on April 21 via Light Organ Records).

Louise said she “felt torn between writing something more gothic country like my older catalogue, or trip hop and sample based like the music I was listening to. Naturally it turned into both…”
Between this release, the cover of “See You” she put out in the fall, and the list of contributors she has for the album, I cannot wait to hear more from Element!

• Christine

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“Evolution” by Braids

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard new music from Montreal’s Braids, so I was excited to hear the experimental pop band drop a new single “Evolution”, as well as announcing their next album.

The swirling song spotlights singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s vocals, with the singer explaining “Evolution in and of itself is a patient act. Our pursuit of the individual self, which comprises all realms of human emotion, is sweetened with the intention and act of patience from ourselves, from those that we love and those who love us.”

Euphoric Recall, set for release on April 28th through Secret City Records, and you can check out the trippy video for “Evolve” below!

• Kirk

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“Married By Elvis” by Begonia

Usually I want to write about the song itself, but for this new track from Begonia, “Married By Elvis” - from her upcoming album Powder Blue, I just HAD to talk about the video.

Of it she says: “I started becoming obsessed with picturing the music video I wanted to make for it. I’ve always been fascinated by tribute artists, and I wanted to just be in an Elvis Tribute Artist club for a day. I held on to the idea for two years and then finally decided to make it happen with beautiful freak director Ryan Steel. We hired some of the top tribute artists in Western Canada and Ryan totally captured the earnestly absurd joy I was after. I don’t really believe in marriage and I’m not even really an Elvis fan but I do believe love can make you do some strange things and that’s what this song is all about.”

It doesn’t disappoint, those Elvis’s are serving looks.
Can’t wait for the entire album to come out, and hopefully for a Vancouver show to be announced!

• Christine
  

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“Truths You Outrun” by Hillsburn

The Halifax indie-pop powerhouse Hillsburn is back with a brand new EP coming soon.

The latest tease is “Truths You Outrun”, a slow-burner with beep bass & shimmering sax, about “a lonely season spent ‘trying to mute my fear’ before realizing it wasn’t possible.”

Check out the song below and keep an ear out for Stories, the new EP out March 10.

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 09 - 15, 2023

“Really Really Light” by The New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are back! Last week the group released their brand new single, “Really Really Light”, the first taste of their upcoming album Continue as a Guest.

As catchy as you would expect from the Vancouver power-pop legends, the new song was co-written by Dan Bejar — who has been conspicuously absent from recent New Pornos albums — and adapted from a tune that didn’t make a previous album, 2014’s Brill Brusers.

A.C. Newman says “Part of my process throughout the years has been messing with things I never finished. I really liked Dan’s chorus, and for a while I was just trying to write something that I felt like belonged with it. I was thinking of the Aloe Blacc song ‘The Man’ which interpolated the chorus from Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ and thought it would be fun to interpolate a song that no one knows. Not trying to sound like Aloe Blacc, just doing some interpolating of my own. It became a game of writing a verse that felt like a part of the same song. In my mind, I was striving for a little Jeff Lynne–era Tom Petty, a classic go-to.”

Check out the video below, and keep an ear out for the new album out March 31 from Merge Records.

• Kirk

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“In Stride” by Brandon Wolfe Scott

Brandon Wolfe Scott is taking it all “In Stride” with his latest single. The Yukon Blonde frontman announced his upcoming solo release last week, Slow Transmission, with a new tune about anxiety and insomnia.

Scott explains: "When I hit my mid 30’s there were a few aspects of my life that were causing me a great deal of anxiety and as a result, I started to struggle with sleep. I am regularly up at 3 am on the dot, wide awake with my mind spinning for hours on end. I wanted this song to encompass that feeling of being stuck in your own thoughts with a fear of what tomorrow might bring, trying to navigate a life that is fast paced with inadequate energy."

The new album is due out March 23rd on Dine Alone Records/

• Kirk

Songs of the Week: January 02 - 08, 2023

“SO HARD TO TELL” by DEBBY FRIDAY

Last week, DEBBY FRIDAY announced her debut album, GOOD LUCK, with a brand new single, “SO HARD TO TELL”.

With a beat that will be suck in your head all day, the song — and rest of the album — was co-produced & mixed by Friday and Graham Walsh (METZ, Holy Fuck). On the single, Friday says “I have a lower register and speak with vocal fry so I don’t know what came over me when I made this track. I have never in my life sung like this before and I had no idea I could even make these kinds of sounds with my voice. There’s no pitch effects on ‘SO HARD TO TELL’, it’s all me."

You can catch DEBBY FRIDAY on tour this year, with a stop in Vancouver at the newly-reopened Cobalt on April 15, and pick up the new album GOOD LUCK on March 24.

• Kirk

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“Days Of High Adventure” by SHAMUS

If I see the words “Rock Opera” in a press release, I’m already hooked.
This one is going to be coming to us from The Sheepdogs, and BROS member Shamus Currie, and not only are we getting an album, but an adventure card game as well.

”Days Of High Adventure” is the opening track off the album The Shepherd and The Wolf by SHAMUS, and is the intro into the world he’s creating and the vibe of the project.
I cannot wait to hear more!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: December 26, 2022 - January 01, 2023

“Repeat” by July Talk

Last month, on the winter solstice, July Talk released the latest song from their upcoming album, Remember Never Before.

“Repeat” is a slow burn of a song, with gorgeous interplay between the voiced of Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis. According to the band, the song is “a meditation on the decisions we make and the reasons we make them.”

The new album is out in a few short weeks, on January 20, and you can check out the karaoke styled lyrics video for “Repeat” below!

• Kirk

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“Catch Your Eye” by Andy Shauf

It was hard to keep on top of new music over the holiday but this email…caught my eye.
Sorry.
”Catch Your Eye” is the new offering from Andy Shauf, and if from his upcoming EP Norm, out in February.
About a missed connection at a grocery store, (that could be ripped from the Georgia Straight “I Saw You” posts), it’s a sweet little song, with an equally sweet animated video.

• Christine

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“You’d Like To Believe” by Ten Kills The Pack

A poignant and timely song by Ten Kills The Pack, “You’d Like To Believe” is a new single off his upcoming album Thank You For Trying: ACT II.
The track “addresses the daily struggles with depression and how those suffering often rationalize their state with excuses”.
Thank You For Trying: ACT II will be released on March 10th.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: Holiday Edition 2022

“Christmas Anyway” by Stars

Stars are always an excellent way to celebrate the holidays. Whether it’s with a holiday tour, a cover of an old favourite, or a brand new song.

“Christmas Anyway” is their newly released song, and in the spirit of the season, the song's proceeds will be split with the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal who provide Indigenous women and their children a safe and supportive environment.

Have a listen below, and add it to your holiday playlists!

• Kirk

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“Cry Christmas” & “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
by Mother Mother

In anti-Christmas tunes…
Vancouver’s Mother Mother offer up “Cry Christmas” - a vivid detailing of “the often conflicting and complicated feelings that can come with the holiday season”.

They also throw in a cover of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with their own Mother Mother-y unique sound.

• Christine

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“Xmas (Merry Christmas)” by The Trews

The Trews also have an original Xmas tune out this year, which was requested by the big man himself…
"‘Santa Claus commissioned us to write a new Christmas [song] for the 2022 holiday season. I guess he was getting a little tired of that Paul McCartney one and wanted something new that, in his words ‘slaps.’”
They have also been out in the world doing good deeds like fundraisers and toy drives leading up to December 25th. Check out “Xmas (Merry Christmas)” below.

• Christine

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“I’m Ready For Christmas” by The Sheepdogs

Our final original is “I’m Ready For Christmas” by The Sheepdogs, who were also trying to come up with a new tune to go along with the old classics, but with a rockin’ twist.
This one is definitely has the signature Sheepdogs sound - and is an "ode to the best time of the year”.

Happy Holidays! Stay safe and warm.

• Christine