Songs of the Week: Jan 17 - 23, 2021

"Andre" by Small Sins

(okay, this came out before last week, but this is a new feature & I wanted to spotlight it, and I call the shots around here!)

It's been just over a decade since the last Small Sins album, and since then Thomas D'Arcy has been more than a little busy producing and collaborating with the likes of Hawksley Workman and members of July Talk. But now the catchy synth and intimate vocals that I loved are back, as heard on the new single "Andre", the first tease of the brand new album, Volume II, due out on Feb 12th. - Kirk

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"We Are The Underworld" by Strippers Union

Another band we haven't heard of in quite some time, with members who have been busy nonetheless. Strippers Union was a collaboration between The Tragically Hip's Rob Baker and Craig Northey of Odds, and they're back with not one but TWO albums of new material. The Undertaking is a double album with the first half being released February 5th, with the second arriving a month later on March 12.
"We Are The Underworld" is the first taste of the album, and sounds a lot like what you would expect the collaboration of the two Canadian powerhouse bands. - Kirk

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"Wanna Feel Good" by Miesha and The Spanks

Hot off their 2018 album Girls Girls Girls, Miesha and The Spanks are already back with a brand new EP called Singles on April 16th. The grungy, fuzzy rocker "Wanna Feel Good" is the first of what was meant to be a loose collection of radio singles, but found their way onto an EP produced by the award winning Leeroy Stagger. - Kirk

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"TV God" by Art D'Ecco

Vancouver's "androgynous neo-glam art-rocker" Art d'Ecco released the lead single off brand new album In Standard Definition, due out April 23. The press release promises the album will be "like channels on an old television set" and that every song "presents an episodic look into the world of entertainment, our obsession with celebrity and the power it holds over us."
I love a good concept album, and if the first single is any indication, it's gonna be a doozy. - Kirk

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"Bus" by Begonia

A b-side off her last album Fear, "Bus" comes out along with the announcement of Begonia's upcoming live album, appropriately titled the Fear Tour Live Album.
The live album is out at the end of this week, January 29. You can get a tease of it by watching "The Other Side" here. If you’ve never seen Begonia live, this record and these videos will have to do for now, coming as close as possible to capturing her powerful performance. - Kirk

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"High School" by Nice Horse

It's not often you'll see a country song here, but I've long said Nice Horse sneaks in with the few other country acts I like. And their new single "High School" reaffirms that sentiment, with a nostalgic look back at the "glory days" (that hits even if you don't have a particular fondness for those days or wish to re-live them). - Kirk

Song of the Day: June 22, 2019 - "Hanging On A Line" by Begonia

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the debut full length album from Begonia, and now it’s been announced: Fear comes out September 13, and we’ve got the first taste of it with the lead single, “Hanging On A Line”.

She says the song is about “seriously falling in love in the club. Sometimes anything seems possible when you're slightly intoxicated and there's a sub bass vibrating through your body. Amidst all this there are two extra underlying messages; try to be a good person and remember to stay hydrated.”

You can also catch Begonia TODAY at 3:45 for a free show at the Vancouver Art Gallery, as part of the Vancouver Jazz Fest!

Song of the Day: February 5, 2019 - "Beats" by Begonia

Winnipeg’s Begonia has released a new single for 2019 - “Beats” - which follows another single in fall of 2018, meaning we hopefully get a new album soon too.

I got a huge Bahamas vibe from the music in the background, but Begonia’s vocals are so unique and soothing it’s exactly the song I needed this morning.

The band is on tour right now with Terra Lightfoot and Lindi Ortega - but unfortunately it’s only east coast shows, so you’ll just have to listen to “Beats” on repeat!

Song of the Day: December 20, 2018 - "It Won't Be Christmas (Till You're Here)" by Begonia

Kirk has a rule around here that we don’t post Christmas/holiday music until December 20th because his birthday is on the 19th!

So I’ve been sitting on a few x-mas songs that we’re going to roll out starting today with “It Won’t Be Christmas (‘Till You’re Here)” by Winnipeg’s Begonia!

Get the eggnog out, put on some cozy socks, and get into the holiday mood!

Song of the Day: September 13, 2018 - "The Light" by Begonia

Dim the lights and get ready to groove to the latest single from Begonia.

“The Light” is about “feeling like I’m over the casual dating and party culture that dominated my early 20s. In a deeper sense, it’s about growing up and coming to terms with what that growth and transition means to me as a woman. It also questions the expectations that are put upon women in general and how exhausting it can be to try and live up to them. We are told in many ways by many people to be some Hollywood version of gentle, to be more beautiful, to be soft but not too soft, to change our bodies but to be happy with the way they are, to be agreeable, to make ourselves desirable to the opposite sex and ultimately not to take up too much space while doing it. It’s all very confusing and frankly impossible to keep up with. I want to defy those ‘rules’ and I want to encourage others to do the same. I want to inspire women / people in general to take up as much space as they want while feeling empowered enough to be whoever they are in this very moment.”

Catch Begonia on tour with Royal Canoe - in Vancouver on Tuesday (18th) at the Fox Cabaret!

Song of the Day: August 03, 2017 - "Out Of My Head" by Begonia

If you were at the Vancouver Folk Fest this year and didn't catch Begonia -- the solo project of Alexa Dirks of Chic Gamine -- at least once over the weekend, you made a huge mistake in your planning.

But you can fix that by checking out her latest video, for "Out Of Mt Head", which was shot in an abandoned pillow factory. It's off her debut EP, Ladt In Mind, which you can pick uo now!

Song of the Day: June 13, 2017 - "Fussin'" by Royal Canoe (feat. Begonia)

If you are in search of a total jam for this summer, look no further than Winnipeg. That's where you'll find "Fussin'" the new song from Royal Canoe, which also features the lovely voice of Begonia (aka Alexa Dirks, who you may know from Chic Gamine).

Singer Matt Peters says "The track is about a couple going through a little spat. They're both trying to get their way at the other's expense - pushing buttons and playing games… Of course they make up in the chorus and get back on track.”

You can catch Royal Canoe playing a free show at David Lam Park on July 2nd as part of the Jazz Fest. I assume Begonia won't be joining them, but she will be a part of this year's Vancouver Folk Fest! 

Song of the Day: April 14, 2016 - "Juniper" by Begonia

If you enjoy the harmonies of Chic Gamine, then you might just recognise the voice behind Begonia. It's the new solo project from Alexa Dirks, who took to the studio with Matts Schellenberg and Peters (of Royal Canoe) as producers for the upcoming release. And if the first song is any indication, it's going to be something you're going to want to keep an ear out for. 

Watch the camera swirl around the band as Dirks' voice soars over an infectious bass groove in the video for "Juniper", performed live at Knox United Church in Winnipeg.