Songs of the Week: August 08 - 14, 2022

“Retriever” by Braids

Clear your next ten minutes, because you are going to want to just sit back and let the luscious new song from Braids wash over you.

“Retriever” is the group’s first new music since their 2020 album Shadow Offering, which the band describes as “a 9-minute journey track, simple in its sentiment of love and friendship, yet complex in its lush arrangement and textural experimentation. We returned to our roots with this one, exploring new corners of sound, collaboration and a ‘DGAF’ attitude with where we ended up. This song is a trip back to euphoric freedom and lightness during a time of intense isolation. We were happy to travel there, and for you to now dive into it.”

No word yet on a new album from the Montreal trio, but here’s hoping we find out something soon!

• Kirk

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“The TFD” by TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS

Torquil Campbell has been busy as of late. Even with a new Stars album (and tour) and working on his personalized song commissions, he still had time to team with longtime friend and collaborator Stephen Ramsay (of Young Galaxy) for a brand new band.

Going under the name TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS (or just TFD), the duo released their debut single “The TFD” last week. The synth-pop jam was written & recorded “in 20 minutes on the verandah of a rich woman's house.”

And how can you not love a song with the stark opening lines: “death to fascism, death to men, death to the politicians and the women who live with them”

• Kirk

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“Scattered Ashes” by UWUW

Speaking of new supergroups…
Vocals from Chris A. Cummings aka Marker Starling, and Drew Smith (Bunny, The Bicycles), and a band consisting of Jason Haberman of Dan Mangan and Yeahsun, Jay Anderson of Badge Epoque Ensemble, Biblical and Lammping, and Ian Blurton of Ian Blurton’s Future Now, Change of Heart, and C’mon have joined forces to form UWUW.

UWUW (which is pronounced “you-you”), will have a self-titled debut album out in October of this year, and the first single “Scattered Ashes” is out now. It’s got a jazzy, yet 70s fuzzy rock vibe to it and I’m always in for a good horn section! Check it out below.

• Christine

Song of the Day: November 6, 2019 - "Spirit" by Riches

When Young Galaxy announced their hiatus last year, I was bummed out for a number of reasons, chief among them being where/how/if I would ever hear the impactful vocals of Catherine McCandless again.

Luckily, we didn’t have long to wait, as last month McCandless announced her new solo project, Riches.

The first single, “Spirit” is darker than what you may be used to from YG, and Catherine said about writing the song: “I had been feeling like my career as a recording musician was threatened and unsustainable, and stepping into our home studio to lay down the vocal felt like it had this fear still fresh in me. Beginning to really sing it made me feel like I could run it off, fly away from it, and be totally washed over by my love of singing – completely possessed.
I wanted to create an antidote to combat that feeling of being helplessly swept away by the tides of commercialism, among other things. I had to create the thing that would drive me to unfamiliar, challenging and exciting places.”

Take a look at the video below!

Song of the Day: September 25, 2018 - "Future" by Young Galaxy

Good news: Young Galaxy just released a brand new song called “Future“, just ahead of their upcoming EP, Snow Leopard!

Bad News: They also announced they are going on the dreaded “indefinite hiatus”.

Silver lining: While it may be the end of Young Galaxy, there will still be creative endeavours coming from the minds of Catherine McCandless and Stephen Ramsay. In a statement released with the single, they said:

Young Galaxy has been the singular site of all our creative coordinates since 2006.  Generatively, as source, as the conduit for all our content, and as the bloom of each album cycle, it is the flower we have presented to all those who want to listen, see, and appreciate.

YG has had a linear movement until now with Stephen and I as it’s central driving force. And to satisfy our need to change and be challenged, each album bloomed differently than the last with loved and varied people to help present it. But now the two of us see that it is a matter of survival, personally and creatively, that we transform our singular process from its linear movement to multiple processes / branched movements.

Young Galaxy will go on hiatus so that we can go inside, stir it up, and regenerate. There will be many more Ramsay and McCandless blooms but they will have new and varied origins, conduits, and presentations. We both wish to focus on solo work, interdisciplinary collaborations, and ways of presenting content beyond prescribed music industry limitations.

Most of all, we want to thank you, the fans, for your support. To all who have listened, come to our shows and kept in touch, you have truly been the reason we have continued to love doing this and believe in it, through the ups and downs of these past 12 years. Thank you again.

We will have lots to announce in the coming months. We will see you soon. 

caterpillar to butterfly

As sad as this is to hear, I am very much looking forward to what they’re up to in the future. McCandless has one of the best voices in Canada, and it would be a shame not to hear it again.

Song of the Day: April 03, 2018 - "Frontier" by Young Galaxy

With their new album, Down Time, coming out in mere days, Young Galaxy has given us a tease in the form of the video for "Frontier".

Singer Catherine McCandless says: "I almost shot this video naked. It needed to be naked though, not me. I wanted a <<real, raw, and blasted out with light >> communication that didn't have a plan behind it.  We wrote the song Frontier and realized that it was, and is the manifesto for this album. Down Time grew around it. Frontier is the core and the data from which all the rest of the songs derive their meaning. It needed to be a stripped down signal coming in to a loved one. With a concept of intimate detail, high contrast, and work-like, utilitarian dress we shot a non-performance performance video featuring light, textures, bravery, and braun. I wanted to shoot a love letter that fortifies, works for change, and spills over in it's celebration of the place of this love."

The album is being self-released by the band on April 6, but you can get an early peek if you catch them kick off their tour tomorrow night (the 4th) here in Vancouver at Venue! 

Song of the Day: January 14, 2018 - "Under My Wing" by Young Galaxy

Over the last little while, Young Galaxy has been teasing us with new singles. Now not only do they have another one, but a full-on announcement for their new album! 

Down Time is the band's first fully independent album, being self-released on April 6. The newest track "Under My Wing" is a bit more spacey than you may expect fromt he band, with the ethereal vocals floating through the song. 

Plus! They'll be kicking off a short tour here in Vancouver just days before the release, on April 4 at Venue. 

Song of the Day: November 09, 2017 - "Elusive Dream" by Young Galaxy

A few months back we heard a one-off single from Young Galaxy called "Stay For Real" which was a reaction to everything going on in the world at the time. 

Well, considering the world has clearly got much more sane and normal since then, their latest single reflects that. 

The band says "'Elusive Dream'was written this summer during this ongoing period of social and political tension in the world. The song addresses the fact that we feel human existence is the craziest, most psychedelic thing there is, and yet it feels like we’re prone to squandering it all. We are hopeful, ready to fight for our beliefs and on behalf of those who have trouble fighting for themselves. Sometimes however, we just want to take a moment to reflect, to feel the wonder and the sadness of it all at the same time. This song is about those feelings."

The song also features the band back down to the original duo of Catherine McCandless and Stephen Ramsay, so check it out (with the former's haunting vocals) below! 

Song of the Day: March 10, 2017 - "Stay For Real" by Young Galaxy

Yesterday Young Galaxy released a brand new single called "Stay For Real", put out in reaction to, well, a lot of what is going on in the world today. The haunting song features Catherine McCandless' ethereal voice  encouraging everyone to fight on. 

They're releasing it independently, and partnering with Plus1 so all net proceeds from the sale of the song go to defending the rights of the marginalized through PIVOT (Canada), ACLU (USA), and W.A.V.E (EU). The band said in their press release: “We can no longer stand idly by and rely only on the people who shape the world for us culturally and politically. We must stay true to ourselves and feel the courage of our convictions in the face of polarizing political and personal views. But most of all, we must show empathy, compassion and love - even when faced with increasing existential threats, and fear and hostility. This song is a statement of intent, as we enter a new era, to hopefully serve as a reminder to ourselves of what our responsibilities are as artists in this troubled time.”
 

Song(s) of the Day: November 16, 2016 - "Back/Rings" by Drowzy

House of Commons is a brand new record label started by Stephen Ramsay & Catherine McCandless of Young Galaxy, and the latest release is from Ramsay's new electronic project Drowzy. 

Back/Rings reflects the spirit of electronic improvisation, and Stephen says:

"With Drowzy, I wanted to underscore how the creative process and workflow has changed, and how important spontaneity and immediacy are in this day and age. 'Back/Rings' is an exploration on themes of minimalism, repetition, dissonance and drone. Both tracks were recorded live, with minimal edits done to the finished product. Both are limited to less than 10 overdubs and no acoustic instruments were used in the recording. The idea was to capture some of the kinetic energy of the analog synths and to document the interplay."