So it wasn’t until I had to give this blog a fresh start with a new focus that I have realized how much great Canadian music I have missed this year. As I am searching and buying albums on emusic.com I keep stumbling across albums that I have overlooked from side projects that I knew nothing about. It is great having a reason to actively look and discover new music, I guess that is why I do this.
One said side project is Lightning Dust, featuring Amy Webber and Joshua Wells of the Black Mountain Army. Yes (with arm pump)! Another Black Mountain side project. Seriously, these guys are starting to seem like the psychedelic west coast version of Broken Social Scene. For those not too familiar with the names, Amy Webber is the sometimes haunting, sometimes warbbly voice from Black Mountain.
Infinite Light, their latest release is still reminiscent of Black Mountain, if you strip back the heavy fuzz. Still psychedelic, but in more of an easy listening way. They heavy guitar riffs have been traded in for a grand piano and plenty of keyboard. For me, the album was an instant hit. The sound is familiar, soothing and catchy without losing the psychedelia that ties them into the Black Mountain Army.
Billboard has released a Top Artists of The Decade list and the top ranking band is a Canadian band, although it was 7 on the list of artists. Now I fully realize that Billboard’s ranking is based on not much more than record sales, but the winner of this prize fell into the lap of a band that I consider music for people who don’t really like music. Consider this quote from The National Post:
“Despite a distinct lack of critical acclaim, the rock band formed in Hanna, Alta., has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.”
I am not a swearing man, but I was close when I heard that Nickelback won this prize. Seriously this band is a joke. I have no clue how Nickleback has achieved the success it has. I swear that for every person I know who has one of their songs on their iPod, I know 10 more who will make fun of that person. At least the guys in the following video had enough sense to boo them off stage and start throwing stuff at them.
You can rest well knowing that Word Magazine readers also voted this band as one of the world’s worst bands, but sadly Word Magazine doesn’t carry nearly the same sway as Billboard. See the graphic below though as it is good to see that Nickelback was so bad that they made it twice. If only people could spell properly, those two entries may have added up to one that was bigger than Queen.
Welcome To The West just posted a new video they shot of the Pink Mountaintops. I think Stephen McBean, of the Pink Mountaintops and Black Mountain fame, is one of Canada’s funnier independent artists. Every interview I see with him in it makes me laugh. He is not over-the-top Robin Williams obnoxious funny, but a quiet quirky funny that begs the question, is this guy for real?
Outside Love, The Pink Mountaintops 2009 release is a good listen. If you want to hear more songs from the latest or older albums, head over to their radio3 site.
For those not familiar with Welcome To The West, it is a site worth keeping an eye on as well. I stumbled upon it as a former classmate of mine is part of this project that features videos of “spontaenous and often secretive, private music sessions.”
Some shows you watch stick with you for a long time. Love him or hate him David Lynch has mastered that hook in making his shows. A prime example of this for me is the TV series Twin Peaks. A couple of years ago I downloaded both seasons and completely enjoyed it. I think the music for the opening credits is haunting and beautiful.
After seeing the series my eyes were opened to Twin Peaks references in music and pop culture that I was not previously aware of. I enjoy stumbling upon these treasures. One such find came recently from Abbotsford band You Say Party! We Say Die! Laura Palmer’s Prom from their new album XXXX.
Laura Palmer’s Prom – You Say Party! We Say Die! listen
When I was in High School I was enamoured by this local punk band named Placebo (not to be confused with the popular UK band Placebo). I think my infatuation with this band was due to 2 reasons. First this was one of the first intimate and rowdy punk shows I ever went to. The second reason was because this band was lead by a female singer but wasn’t ‘boring.’ I usually didn’t listen to girl bands so Placebo was a big deal for me.
As the years went by I forgot about Placebo and expanded my musical taste beyond punk. I was surprised many years later to see Feist’s name (and surprised that I recognized it) in the credits of a Kings of Convenience album. I re-listened to Placebo and found that the nostalgic trip wasn’t all I hoped it would be. I was genuinely pleased to hear of the success of a local musician and even more pleased to hear that Feists music had progressed.
Although I admit that she has progressed a lot, not all of Feists subsequent musical endeavors have left me begging for more. Broken Social Scene is a rotating cast of powerful Canadian musicians that gives instant credibility to her as an artist, but as her solo songs ended up on the charts for Lite 96 (and other radio stations targeted for middle aged moms with an insincere interest in music), I again began to forget about Leslie Feist (aside from commercial appearances like the iPod commercial).
Recently I have found that Feist has been involved in more collaborations that spark some interest with me. First it was hearing her voice on the song You and I from Wilco’sWilco (The Album) released earlier this year. Listen to the track below. Wilco is huge (at least in my books) so once again I was proud of the once Calgarian. Another album I have enjoyed recently and then was surprised to hear Feists’ voice on was the new Amy Millan (of Stars and BSS) album, Masters Of The Burial.
Then tonight as I was doing some internet sleuthing on Feist, I discovered the video above which is a collaboration including the likes of Skip Spence (from Jefferson Airplane), Beck and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. To paraphrase Barry Manilow, “It looks like you made it!”
We have a High School art exhibit/contest showing in the lobby at my work right now. It is interesting looking at the broad range of work showcased there. We have examples that range from fail to fantastic. I know it is all subjective, but there is some stuff there that is just terrible. Some pieces look like they were painted by 10 year olds and other pieces show a culmination of great talent with no imagination. After wading through all this you will see examples that are solid. Talent meets up with imagination. One of my favorite styles to see is the one that isn’t a traditional realistic painting, but art that may look a little juvenile in skill yet has imagination loaded up so strong that it does not matter. It is amazing how far imagination can take an artist.
One artist that I appreciate (far beyond the realms of this High School show) is Calgary’s own busking to Sub Pop success story Chad VanGaalen. His visual art may not be technical and traditionally ‘good’ but when I watch a video like Clinically Dead (above) I can’t deny that Chad has the mind of a true artist. The same can be said for his music. This is not a prepackaged indie rock formula, but a well thought out creation. His songs usually make me wonder “Why am I not exploring and listening to his music more.”
Anyway, there is a follow up EP to his 2008 album, Soft Airplane that is being given away on his website. I am a sucker for bands that are willing to dole out some of their music for free. I understand that they need to make a living so I do buy their music, but I admire the greedless action nonetheless. Download the free Soft Airplane – B-sides EP.
The Dead Letters have come to weave a soundtrack for the sadness,violence and the haunting beauty of the human condition. In the wake of a new war, the rising creation of intricate systems of destruction and the unwavering attempt to trample beauty in favour of commerce, The Dead Letters came into fruition.
That quote instantly appealed to my empathethic side, but really what brought me to The Dead Letters’ website was hearing they had an affinity for spaghetti westerns and Ennio Morricone soundtracks. Having just finished working my way through The Man With No Name Trilogy and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a actually a great movie with a lot style.
The Dead Letters’ music would have fit in well with any one of those movies, it is nice to see a band doing something completely different for our time. I am not sure if The Dead Letters have music with longevity, but I am really enjoying it for now. It will be interesting to see if and how they evolve and what else they will come out with. Whether you like or dislike the sound of The Dead Letters, you may want to check out National Monument who sound nothing like The Dead Letters but is the band that Jim Demos and Alex Janusz play in when not recreating the spaghetti western sound.
Ambitious and remarkably accessible. Not since Eric’s Trip has a Canadian band so successfully combined music that’s both head smashingly heavy and heart-achingly delicate. FFWD, Calgary
Here is a heads up for some free music. I was just on the Wintersleep site and saw a link for some free tracks from various albums of theirs. The free tracks include:
Snowstorm from Self-titled
Jaws of Life from Untitled
Danse Macabre from Untitled
An iTunes exclusive version of Search Party from Welcome to the Night Sky.
While these may be good for listeners who are not already familiar with Wintersleep they also have a Bonus Tracks treat for those who already fans. You will have to get a membership and sign in to the site for these tracks, but if you are a fan that shouldn’t be an issue. These tracks include:
The Kids Are Ultra-Violent
Oblivion (Acoustic, Live from SXSW)
Weighty Ghost (Acoustic, Live from SXSW)
Nerves Normal. Breath Normal (Live at Summersonic)
I really like Wintersleep and I think you should too.
One of the things I really enjoy about having a music blog is having a reason to sit down and listen to an album. Sometimes, in this digital age where music is so easily available I find myself getting excited for an album to be released, but due to other flavors of the month the album suffers from neglect. It is a sad reality that there is so much good music out there that I can’t savor it all.
Unfortunately Cuff The Duke’s fourth album, Way Down Here falls into this category for me. Fortunately, I have never completely forgotten about this purchase. I truly was excited about this album after falling in love with all three of their earlier albums, I knew I couldn’t let these mp3’s collect too much digital dust before digging up the album for a review.
Wayne Petti and company have crafted what I consider to be a near perfect sound for my liking. Great melodies and a soothing voice that easily get stuck in your head. Combine that with a rock/country sound I was introduced to by and fell in love with in Wilco and it is a hit in my world. I really like it when a band isn’t afraid to mix sounds and span genres and Cuff The Duke does that for me. So many times country is a bad word for musicians and it doesn’t have to be.
The hardest part of livin life is knowin that it ends. But harder than that still, my dear, is not knowing when.
I want to share the song Rocking Chair which is a classic love song and is Cuff The Duke as described. A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll (all that without any annoyances from Donnie and Marie). Even though Rocking Chair is thick with steel guitar, I can’t classify it as purely a country song. At least I can’t lump it in with the Country 105 sounds that most folks consider country (Top 40 country gives country music a bad name).
Another song that deserves some attention on this album is Another Day In Purgatory. Every time I listen to it I second guess myself that Elliott Brood, another fantastic country influenced band, has somehow been mislabeled.
The lengthy ramble that acts as an into to the above video for Utilities makes me wonder if John K Samson is hypnotizing his German audience as he promotes his new single, City Route 85, a name that tributes his hometown of Winnipeg.
What is it about Manitobans and their absolute loyalty to the Peg? John K. Samson is no exception, having found great success in both Propagandi and The Weakerthans, he could easily abandon the city on the Eastern edge of the prairies that he sprouted from. But he hasn’t. His music often pays homage to his roots.
There is something going on in Winnipeg that drives a strange kind of loyalty. I have met a fair number of people who don’t live in Winnipeg any longer, but will do nothing but sing their own praises of the city and not be shy to tell you why it is so much better than the city where they currently live. I guess I don’t understand it, but I do enjoy the praises as sung by JKS.
