Songs of the Week: November 06 - 12, 2023

“Brave” by Adaline

Adaline is back! It’s been a few years since her last release, but the alt-pop singer has announced a brand new EP, and released the first single from it, “Brave”.

The song is inspired by reconciling her own queerness with her religious upbringing (as the daughter of an evangelical minister), as well as stories of hundreds of LGBTQ+ people in a non-profit community she founded called Bad Believer.

She explains, “Is it worth the cost to unveil your authentic self, even if it means potentially losing the people you love? Even if it means forever altering the perception of you in the minds of the people who matter most? These are the kinds of painful, vulnerable and anxious questions grappled with in this coming out ballad. My mother and I have always been very affectionate with each other. But I also knew the narrative of queer people being an abomination, disgusting and immoral was a part of her religious, political, and cultural upbringing. I questioned whether she would hold me or "kiss my face" the same after finding out. The thought of losing our special connection was almost enough to keep me in the closet. These fears and questions are so often repeated to me in conversations with other people considering coming out, I wanted to give a voice to their feelings and concerns.”

You can find out more on Bad Believer, a community that helps people heal from religious trauma at their website, and Adaline’s new EP Hymnal will be out on March 22.

• Kirk

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“Flowers On The Fire Escape” by Moonriivr

Say it with me now…. SUPERGROUP!!!

We’ve got a new band called Moonriivr, featuring Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky), “Champagne” James Robertson (Lindi Ortega, Dwayne Gretzky), with Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), and Lyle Molzan (Kathleen Edwards).

Birthed, like many projects of late, during the pandemic, Gardiner and Robertson got together together on Robertson’s family farm and created some seriously sonic songs with a wide variety of themes from personal reflection to politics.

The entire Ep, titled Vol. 1, is out now (click here), but check out “Flowers On The Fire Escape” below - the bongos really do it for me in this one.

• Christine

Songs of the Week: October 30 - November 05, 2023

“So Small” by Talia Schlanger

Super exciting news this week that Toronto musician Talia Schlanger has announced her debut album, Grace For The Going, will be released on February 2, 2024.

Her latest single “So Small” is a beautiful little track, with a soothing arrangement behind her smooth vocals. And I’ll let her speak about the song itself:

“Right now, like so many of us, my thoughts are consumed by the horrors of war,” says Talia. “My heart is consumed by collective grief.” 
“So Small” was written and recorded as the pandemic years engulfed the globe in a different sort of trauma. The urgency of the song, offers a philosophical view on humanity and a perspective on our space on this planet that is deeply relevant to world events today.

“'So Small' is about finding a way to hold many truths at the same time,” explains Talia. “The idea that each of us is at once as big as the universe itself and smaller than the smallest speck of dust. This is a concept that appears in a number of traditions/faiths/systems of belief. My first window into this way of thinking was through the Jewish teachings I grew up learning as a kid. And it’s an idea I continue to cherish and explore as an adult through the western interpretations of Buddhist texts by teachers like Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein and Tara Brach. For me, this sense of perspective has been life-saving.
'So Small’ addresses 'the war outside me and inside me.' I share it along with my prayers for peace, outer and inner, for all.”

• Christine

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“Part Two” by iskwē

iskwē is not slowing down; last week she released the fourth new single from her upcoming album.

“Part Two” was written along with producer Damian Taylor and Ali “Willa” Milner, and iskwē shares: “This is a song about my broken heart after a rocky relationship finally came crashing down, We should have known, and we probably did, that things would end as passionately as they began. We ran the other to the ground while simultaneously pulling each other back to our feet, but the landing got slipperier and slipperier with each recovery, until enough was enough.”

Still no word on when the new album will be out, and sadly, iskwē had to postpone the Vancouver show that was supposed to be later this week. But have a listen to “Part Two” below!

• Kirk

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“Hold My Head Up Higher” by JEEN (feat. Ian Blurton)

We’re still a couple months out from her next album, but JEEN has released the third tease by way of “Hold My Head Up Higher”, which was co-written with the prolific Ian Blurton.

The new song is a slow-burn that is the second track JEEN has colaborated on with Blutron — who has also produced her last few albums — and she elaborates, “When we were in pre-production for Gold Control, Ian and I bounced an idea he had back and forth for a couple weeks long-distance before really solidifying the song in studio rehearsals. It’s always fun collaborating with Ian, so I'm really happy we got the chance to do it again on this album.”

Gold Control is out on February 2nd, next year.

• Kirk

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“Who The Hell Am I” by NOBRO

I needed a banger to wake me up this Monday morning and “Who The Hell Am I” by NOBRO did the trick.
The band’s new album Set Your Pussy Free (or SYPF as you’ll probably see it printed, lol), was released on the 27th, and it’s non-stop rock and roll throughout.

No Vancouver tour date listed as of yet, but hopefully there’s one on the horizon, because I want to hear these live!

• Christine

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“The Matrix” by Mother Mother

Mother Mother is back! The alt-pop group has announced a brand new album, and celebrated with the release of the new single “The Matrix”.

The new tune starts in the most Mother Mother way possible with the lyrics “Baby love, baby child, you’re gonna die”, before going on to a chorus that defiantly proclaims “Fuck no!” to living in The Matrix.

Grief Chapter will be the band’s ninth album, and is out on February 16th, but you can check out the trippy video for “The Matrix” now!

• Kirk

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“Renegade” & “Can I Get Your Name” by Bend Sinister

Not only are we getting another two songs from Vancouver’s Bend Sinister, but we’re also getting a little more info on their upcoming album!

“Renegade” & “Can I Get Your Name” are two more tracks off their upcoming yet-to-be-named release, which will be out spring of next year, and follow the same boisterous, 70’s influenced groove as their last few singles.

With “Renegade”, the band says “Dog is man's best friend. We played with that metaphor in this song, starting with that relationship in mind and how perhaps it can relate to more than just our K9 pals.”

While “Can I Get Your Name” is “about that fairytale romance that stems from two strangers meeting in the crowd and finding love. With dating apps and the online world is it even possible to find love the old-fashioned way?”

We’re now heard a half dozen new songs from the album, and I can not wait to hear the rest of it!

• Kirk

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Path Of The Heel EP by The Halluci Nation

Okay, this is damn cool.
The Halluci Nation have released the first part of their new project: “The Road to Halluci Mania.” What’s that you ask? Well…

"The Halluci Nation's Bear Witness and 2oolman have always had a deep interest in Professional Wrestling ever since they were kids – loving the complex story lines that play out week after week, and seeing the underdog overcome adversity and have their chance to shine.

…Themed around one of the main character archetypes in professional wrestling – "The Heel" (a.k.a. the bad guy) – Path of the Heel follows a faction of this group, called the ALie Nation. The creator of the ALie Nation has gone from being curious about The Halluci Nation – the champion "Baby Face" tag team wrestlers – to becoming obsessed with taking them down at Halluci Mania, aiming to do so by recruiting two wrestlers into the ALie Nation.

The story unfolds through the album openers, Tree of Woe and ALie Nation (Interlude), both of which feature powerful vocals written and performed by Damian Abraham [of Fucked Up]. The theme then expands with Eater of Worlds and Atomic Drop, featuring long-time collaborators, Northern Cree, and fulled by fast paced beats with complex basslines, all brining the Halluci Nation’s classic sound into the present and beyond.

Just, wow. These songs are so good, and I can’t wait to hear this whole project start to finish!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: October 23 - 29, 2023

“Dark Angel” by Rose Cousins, Jill Barber, and Jenn Grant

Can you think of a better trio of Canadian singers than Rose Cousins, Jill Barber, and Jenn Grant? Neither could Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.

Barber explains that she was backstage at a Blue Rodeo show last spring with Grant, when “Jim Cuddy turned to us and suggested that, along with Rose Cousins, we should form a trio... like a Canadian version of the Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstadt and Emmylou Harris ‘Trio’. The next thing we knew we were sending Rose a video message saying: ‘we're doing this, because Jim said so’.”

So of course, their first single is a gorgeous & haunting cover of “Dark Angel”, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of Five Days In July.

Hopefully we hear more from the trio in the future, but for now, check out the cover below!

• Kirk

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“Halloween Store” by Andy Shauf

Phewf! We got this one in under the wire…couldn’t leave out “Halloween Store” by Andy Shauf the day before Halloween!

It’s a fun, and chaotic, little song, and now it has a fun, and chaotic, little video to go along with it.

I hope you all have your costumes for tomorrow - I have to get back to work on mine.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: October 16 - 22, 2023

“Lost Without You” by Shred Kelly

Fernie’s own Shred Kelly have released their new album Blurry Vision this week, and shared the single “Lost Without You” at the same time.

I was lucky enough to pop in during their recording process to take some photos of the band doing their thing, so I’m super stoked for this record.
We also go to catch them performing in Vancouver last week with Elliott BROOD, and it was a hell of a show.

The band is heading to Germany next - but you can listen to the new release by clicking here.

• Christine

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“almost beautiful” by suffer fools

Vancouver Island’s suffer fools is “a conceptual project centered on d. debased: former child star, current trainwreck, future pop messiah”, and they just released the first single from their sophomore album.

“almost beautiful” is a dreamy, hypnotic song that’s juxtaposed with dark lyrics; the catchiest song you’ll hear in a while about being fine while “watching a dream die”.

the album will be out early next year, but have a listen to the new tune below!

• Kirk

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“No Help Coming” by The Fugitives

Another new album came out this week, and this one was from Vancouver’s The Fugitives.
No Help Coming is full of songs inspired by the climate crisis, and the band went about it in an interesting way.
Songwriter Brendan McLeod, says: “Leading up to the recording, we asked environmental experts what was missing from the conversation, and they all said the same thing: no more sad songs. We know the world’s messed up. What’s missing are more invitations to get real about making changes. And to do that, we have to get less precious about the subject.” McLeod's creative partner Adrian Glynn adds, “It’s an album about resolve. It’s upbeat because there’s a lot of resolve to be found in joy. And while humans have a lot of bad things going for us, we can be pretty great at the joy part. So, let’s use it.”

It’s a super intriguing album, and hopefully you caught the band at their album release show last week, as they’re heading out on the road to support the new project.

• Christine

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Songs of the Week: October 09 - 15, 2023

“Live a Lie” by Kandle

Kandle is back with a dark and hypnotic new song called “Living a Lie”. It’s the first tease of her upcoming, self-produced album, which will be out in the spring of 2024.

The single is accompanied by an X-Files inspired video directed by Jeffrey Mitchell — who co-wrote the song, and is the Mulder to Kandle’s Scully. Kandle elaborates that “this cinematic homage still layers in some welcome levity, with epic performance pieces and considerably more dancing than an X-Files episode typically contains. Happy 30th anniversary X-Files!”

• Kirk

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“Never Grow Up” by Said the Whale

Said the Whale wants to “Never Grow Up” with their latest single. The Vancouver band recorded this new rocker at the end of August with frequent collaborator (and local legend) Steve Bays, and admit it’s the fastest they’ve ever turned a new song around, from recording to release.

Check out the video below, which is a peek behind the scenes at the process, and includes Tyler Bancroft getting not one, but two new tattoos, including one he did himself!

• Kirk

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“I'm Starting to Think I'm Bad at Parties” by The Darcys

Yay! A new banger from The Darcys!

Released on Friday the 13th, the new track, “I’m Starting To Think I’m Bad At Parties”, is about “the malaise of the human condition and confronting the monotony of daily life”.

Despite that sounding super melancholy, it’s a super fun song with a hell of a catchy chorus (“hands up, hands high, if you don’t feel like feeling lonely tonight”), that kinda reminds me of some of the songs by The Zolas. (I think I just built myself a very fun touring duo!)
Check it out below!

• Christine

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“Old Familiar Drunken Feeling” by Corb Lund

Corb Lund is back with a new song, album on the way, and a tour to follow after that.
The new record, El Viejo, pays tribute to his late friend and mentor, Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson, and was recorded fully acoustically, live off the floor (of Corb’s living room).

The first single, “Old Familiar Drunken Feeling” is based on a true story of Corb being way too high off of edibles during a show.
Here’s his account of it: “It was all totally above board, the state had just legalized it, so it was kind of a novelty field trip for the band to visit the shiny new dispensary. Some songs are 'based on truth' but this happened EXACTLY as I sing it. Turns out weed ain't my thing. And eating it's even worse, it lasts forever. Fronting a band can occasionally be terrifying at the best of times, doing it high as a kite and super paranoid was hell on earth. When I started feeling like myself again in the second set after a bunch of cowboy whiskey, I confessed to the audience what had happened and offered them all their money back! No one took me up on it.  Bottom line? If this doesn't get me a Pendleton whisky endorsement, I don't know what will." 

You’ve gotta see the video below as well!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: October 02 - 08, 2023

“There's Never Enough Voices” by WAASH

You may know Vancouver’s Andrew Bishop, as he’s played with (or alongside) about 73% of all Vancouver bands, including Twin River, Alex Little & The Suspicious Minds, dwi, and White Ash Falls.

Now, Bishop is branching out with a brand new group, WAASH. The first single, “There's Never Enough Voices”, is a swirling, shoegaze tune that Bishop says is “about trying to come to an understanding about the intentions within your actions and the realization of your past mistakes. Quite often we get caught in the moment and don’t understand the consequences.”

The self-titled, debut EP comes out November 20th, and you can check out the first single below!

• Kirk

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“I Really Like Your Style” by Combine The Victorious

A new single from Vancouver’s Combine The Victorious has been released, and on top of that, it’s the first one they’ve written with new member and guitarist Dan Clement.

The song starts out soft and airy and then builds up into a fun little reggae track you can dance and sway to.

The band will be performing at the Cascade Room on Thursday October 19th as part of their After Dark series.

• Christine

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“WannaBe” by Autogramm

A couple weeks ago, Vancouver’s power-group Autogramm dropped their first single from the upcoming album, Music That Humans Can Play.

“WannaBe” (no, not that one) delves deep into the band’s 80’s influences, with a chorus that will instantly get stuck in your head.

Drummer/singer The Silo explains that, “WannaBe began as a way to say to the most important person in my life that I will stand beside them no matter what their direction, self-opinion, or physical state of being. Upon further reflection, I thought it could apply more broadly to all of our relationships in life: it’s a declaration of love and support to any friend, child, or lover who is going through a change in their self-perception; the idea that gender, occupation, size, skin, are all merely physical manifestations of being and will never matter as much as the person underneath it all.”

Autogramm features members of Black Mountain, Destroyer, Lightning Dust, and lots more, and you can hear the full album Music That Humans Can Play when it’s out November 14th.

• Kirk

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Songs of the Week: September 25 - October 01, 2023

“Rose City” by Eliott BROOD

Elliott BROOD is back with not one, but two new albums, Town and Country!

The first of the pair, Town, kicks off with an ode to Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet’s hometown of Windsor Ontario, with the new single “Rose City”. The tune joins a long line of songs about ‘home’ from the trio, with their trademark raucous sound.

Town will be out November 3rd, with Country out later on. Maybe you’ll hear a sneak peek on their current tour, which includes a stop here in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret this Friday (Oct 6th)!

• Kirk

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“Personal Effects” by Chromeo

I’m still choked I missed out on their show in Vancouver, but I’ll take a new track from Chromeo and day!
“Personal Effects” is the latest song to be released from their upcoming album Adult Contemporary (due out Feb 16th).
It’s another banger, one that you can definitely groove along to, and has a hilarious backstory from Dave 1:
“I was on a flight and the pilot said, ‘please don’t forget your personal effects’ and I was like, ‘wait how come this isn’t a Chromeo song title?!’ We felt like we needed a little breezy funk…something warm and fuzzy to bop to. You notice that long instrumental bit at the end? That’s definitely a motif on the album: extended sections where we let the music ride out. Adult Contemporary is a meditation on modern, mature relationships, which means: if we gotta sing about curling irons, so be it.” 
Love it.

• Christine

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“Laws of the Universe” by Twin Rains

Glad we were a day late because of the long weekend, because it meant I could include my newest discovery via my inbox, Twin Rains.

Hailing from Toronto, the duo of Christine (good name) and Jay released their new song “Laws of the Universe” - a shoe-gazey, dreamy, pop song.
The concept and inspiration actually came from an episode of Succession and of it Christine says: “Kendall speaks at his father’s funeral, saying basically: ‘Yeah we know he wasn’t a nice person—but look at what he accomplished.’ So one moment I’m watching TV and the next I’m in deep contemplation because I find this to be such a profound philosophical debate—what’s more important, your life and how you treat the people and places in it, or your legacy?”

Check it out!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: September 18 - 24, 2023

“Another Place” by Shred Kelly

As we creep closer to the release of Blurry Vision, the sixth album from Shred Kelly out on October 20th, the stoke-folk band is sharing another preview by wishing they were in “Another Place”.

Band member Tim Newton says the song is about never quite feeling like you’re in the right place, explaining: “When we’re on the road, we miss home, and when we’re home, we miss the experiences that travel brings. Our hearts are always in two places at once.”

One of those places will soon be here in Vancouver, as they are soon kicking off their tour with Elliott BROOD and stop at the Biltmore on October 6th!

• Kirk

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“Pilgrims” by Tim Baker

With his new album, All Along The Mountain Road announced for October 20th, Tim Baker has released a new track called “Pilgrims”.

Of the song he says it is: “…sort of about being born in the wrong time - feeling more spiritual and religious than our modern, rational, digital reality encourages. It’s about feeling close to sweetness, ease, goodness, enlightenment even, but always being pulled away from it by reality - specifically the reality of the climate crisis and our inability to fix it, ignore it, or find some deeper meaning in it beyond senseless destruction. It also speaks to my life as a traveller, a searcher, someone who is always leaving, always reaching for something, but never quite seems to arrive and find it. But somehow still has hope and keeps going.” 

Tim has announced a fall tour that’s billed as “an evening of songs, stories, stripped back and solo performances” - and he is doing two nights at St James Community Square here on November 23rd and 24th.

• Christine

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“Heading Home” by wiL&Co

For about two decades now, BC singer/songwriter William Mimnaugh has been going by the stage name WiL. But recently he wanted to highlight that there is more to WiL than just him, especially his legendary live shows which frequently feature drummer Keith Gallant and Matt Bromley on electric guitar. And so the name has evolved to: wiL&Co.

And along with the updated moniker, there is a brand new song, “Heading Home”.

A heartwrenching song about looking back, as Wil expands: “Not many songs are written from the perspective of someone who is ready to die. Our culture tends to shy away from the topic; perhaps since we are all heading there and we can't do a damn thing to change it we spend hours obsessing over its inevitability versus the alternative of being genuinely present; to acknowledge and appreciate what is right in front of us, good or bad rather than wile away the hours worrying about what hasn't happened. When you have lived 'a life' and arrived at a place where you know it's time; it can be peaceful; even liberating. This is what I realized after having had some remarkable conversations; knowing that once I leave the room, I may not see them ever again. In this case, a gent I got to know over the years who recently passed. He had accepted his imminent fate but also spoke some brutal truths with a glint and a grin. I was able to sit with him for one final scotch and a great chin wag”

Have a listen below, and keep an eye out for him hitting your town on his string of western Canadian dates.

• Kirk

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“All Your Fails” by Kevin Drew

I’ve really been enjoying the vibes of the new music that Kevin Drew has been putting out lately, and am excited that the new album is finally out (physically - digitally that will be November 3).

The Aging LP has taken on a more sonic and melodic route, with songs reminding me of early Broken Social Scene.

“All Your Fails” fits that bill as well, and of it he says "Live by the mirror, die by the mirror. The loops of the constant reflective trauma continue within exploring vocal ranges beside Lake Ontario. I have always kept a journal next to my mouth for better or worse. I hope you enjoy this struggle anthem for the outdoor bedroom lovers of yesterday."

• Christine