Songs of the Week: November 27 - December 03, 2023

December 04, 2023 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Fixing The Again” by Kevin Drew

I’ve really enjoyed Kevin Drew’s latest album Aging, as it’s given me lots of early BSS nostalgia.

The latest video for the single “Fixing The Again”, is made up of “footage partially shot and directed by Drew, the video intercuts flashing vignettes of everyday life with brief scenes made up of a variety of characters. The video is bittersweet and reflective, capturing the true essence of the human experience.”

Drew also announced a run of solo, intimate shows in January, and while there’s no Vancouver date yet, we can cross our fingers we’ll get added to the run.

Christine

“Hollowed Out” by Ducks Ltd.

Toronto duo Ducks Ltd. have just announced their latest album, Harm’s Way, and given us a taste of what’s to come with a jangly new single, “Hollowed Out”.

Singer Tom McGreevy says: “There was a sinkhole that opened up on Dundas West a little while ago, in an area near to where I live. It shut down the road for a month. It had a strange resonance, partly because a lot of the streets in Toronto used to be rivers and streams running down to the lake that roads were then built over. It felt like an encroachment of nature into an urban environment–the river coming back to collapse a piece of civic infrastructure, and I built the song around the feeling that evoked.”

Harm's Way drops early next year, on February 9th via Royal Mountain Records!

Kirk

“Make You Understand” by Chin Injeti ft. daysormay

This song slipped under my radar for a bit, but I’m glad I spotted it in my inbox!

What started as a chorus on TikTok by Chin Injeti, was then sampled by daysormay, and then finally turned into a new song from the artists.

I love when a collaboration is something organic and natural, and that’s exactly what this tune, “Make You Understand”, ended up being!

Christine

Songs of the Week: August 14 - 20, 2023

August 21, 2023 by Christine McAvoy in Song Of The Day, Songs Of The Week

“Who Am I Now?” by David Vertesi

David Vertesi is back and going through an existential crisis. The latest solo release from the Hey Ocean! member — and integral part of Vancouver’s music & arts scene for over a decade — asks the question “Who Am I Now?”

Vertesi explains “This song was born out of the individual and collective renegotiation of self that I have witnessed since 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic. With my band of 15+ years [Hey Ocean!] on indefinite hiatus, I was attempting to do this for myself, however, I couldn't help but notice pretty much everyone around me was doing the same: leaving jobs, moving cities, ending relationships. But whether mourning or celebrating the loss of our old lives it seemed like we were all asking ourselves the same question.”

“Who Am I Now?” features Vertesi’s trademark smooth vocals over a moody beat, and marks his first release through Vancouver’s Tiny Kingdom Music. So check below to find out who the hell David Vertesi is now.

Kirk

“Out in the Fields” and “Party Oven” by Kevin Drew

We’ve got a new solo album announcement from Broken Social Scene front man Kevin Drew, and it looks like it’s quite a vulnerable one.
Aging will be released in the fall (physically first on September 22, and then digitally on November 3rd) and was heavily influenced on loss, love, and illness of those around him, and the reality of aging.

Of the album the press release says it is “an album best played at the end of the night; a collection for the stragglers left when the bar is about to close; a serenade for those who are coming down; songs that are quietly sad but ultimately ruminative and comforting.”
The first two tracks “Out In The Fields” and “Party Oven” have major BSS “Lover’s Spit” vibes and I’m here for it. Can’t wait for more.

Christine

“The Cabin” by Haley Blais

Speaking of David Vertesi’s contributions to the local music scene, someone he’s been producing lately has been Haley Blais, who is giving us another peek at her upcoming album, Wisecrack.

Her latest song is “The Cabin” which she describes as “A sweaty, dehydrated memory of my summers spent in the cabin on the lake. It wasn’t our cabin — my dad’s brother’s wife’s cousin’s friends owned it or something — but it was ours. I had my first sips of beer, first almost kisses. It’s a fluffy recollection until the guitars break through with their overbearing distortion like a roaring tidal wave and I’m thrown back into the discomfort of real time.”

The video for was directed by Zia Kalyan, and features some familiar faces in Blais’ chaotic orchestra.

Wisecrack comes out September 15, and she’ll be celebrating the release with a show in Vancouver at the Hollywood on October 20th!

Kirk

“Let’s Do Drugs” by NOBRO

And now for something completely different… NOBRO’s first single of 2023 “Let’s Do Drugs”!
A fun, loud, fast, punk song, “Let’s Do Drugs” is one I can see a whole venue shouting along to.
Of the idea behind it, vocalist/bassist Kathryn McCaughey says it’s “a ‘dumb’ rock song about getting older…about wanting to have one more wild night, while having no business doing so and failing miserably. Musically it’s a middle ground between maybe ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)’ and ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ but only the dumbest bits of those songs, distilled into something even more dumb. It’s like shotgunning a beer then immediately puking on yourself.”
I don’t know if there’s anything left to say - I really hope they swing by Vancouver soon!

Christine

“Rise Up With Fists” by Elliott BROOD

Sometimes I’ll see a band release a track with the same name as another song, and be disappointed it’s not a cover.

Other times, Elliott BROOD will release an absolutely fantastic cover of the Jenny Lewis classic “Rise Up With Fists”.

The tune is the latest in their covers collection, and hopefully they’ll be playing this live on their upcoming tour with Shred Kelly, or at least when they hit Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret on October 6th.

Kirk

“Electric Dreams” by Adnama

Vancouver’s Adnama is back with her first new single in over a year, “Electric Dreams”.

The fittingly-titled song is an ethereal ear-worm, which “surfs on layers of synth waves while floating in a dreamlike state.”

Check it out below, and try not to get it stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Kirk

Songs of the Week: June 14 - 20, 2021

June 21, 2021 by Kirk Hamilton in Song Of The Day

“The Slinfold Loop” by K.D.A.P. (aka Kevin Drew a Picture)

You may know the name Kevin Drew, but you have likely never heard him like this before. Under his latest project, K.D.A.P. (aka Kevin Drew a Picture), Drew secluded himself over the last year and made a brand new album, largely with a smartphone app while walking outdoors in the woods just outside of London.

Influences (out July 16th) is a collection of instrumental songs inspired by, well, his earliest influences, and of the lead single “The Slinfold Loop” Drew says: “We live in a society that’s based on selling yourself back to yourself. It’s created an underground battle to constantly be searching for ‘true identity’. We wanted to create a video presentation that promotes exploring over searching and brings the mystical slide-show of never ending opinion to the forefront of this battle. We used available footage found on the World Wide Web from other artists and cut together a blender of images to tell a love story about continuing to move forward amongst the never ending information of how one is supposed to live.”

Kirk

“Never Gonna Stop” by BROS

This new tune from Ewan and Shamus Currie (of Sheepdogs fame) from their side project BROS gives off serious Chromeo vibes, and I love it.

Their new album Vol 2, comes out in just under a month and I’m pretty excited to hear more.

Christine

“Jealous” by Chromeo

Speaking of Chromeo!

The duo is releasing a new live album, called Date Night, and listening to it has made me miss live shows even more. I highly recommend putting it on and dancing around your living room. Here’s the live version of “Jealous”

Christine