Songs of the Week: December 02 - 08, 2024

“Stardust” by Scenic Route To Alaska

Edmonton natives Scenic Route To Alaska have just released their latest album - Lasts Forever, and this week we got a new single as well.

“Stardust” is definitely a song you should watch the video for as it “explores themes of love and existential musings” and is set “against a cosmic backdrop”. The black and white music video has big 80’s vibes and was modelled after the work of artists like The Police and Elvis Costello.

There are no tour dates for the new album yet, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

• Christine

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“You Got Something” by TAURO

TAURO is the collaboration between jazz pianist & singer-songwriter Cynthia Tauro and Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning (among many, many other bands), and last week they dropped their second single, “You Got Something”

The new song brings to mind a late 90s trip-hop influence, with the director of the video Bea Santos agreeing, saying: “I knew that I wanted to make something fun that matched the fresh and idiosyncratic talent of Cynthia and Brendan, and looked and felt like it could have been on the Wedge (IYKYK). Some of the sequences in the video are an ode to the work of video artist Chris Cunningham and videos from artists like Massive Attack and Portishead. Ultimately, I wanted to create a moody, DIY vibe that underscored the song's melancholy and introspective mood.”

You can check that video out below, and while there’s no word on an album from TAURO, they have teased more… so keep an ear out!

• Kirk

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“Little Bit” by Larkin Poe

Grammy Award-winning duo Larkin Poe are set to release their new album, Bloom, on January 24th, and have dropped another single for us.

“Little Bit” is a tender and slow tune (especially compared to their single “If God Is A Woman”) and is perfect as the theme of it is taking time to be present and in the moment.

One part of the sister duo Rebecca Lovell says: “As touring musicians, we have cultivated a pedal-to-the-metal, high-octane culture, but the shine has slowly worn off that penny. ‘Little Bit’ is all about slowing down and savoring the precious little details, as lyrics say: ‘more ain’t always more than a little bit.’”

Their tour has been announced for the new year, and it will come through Vancouver on April 19th at the Commodore Ballroom!

• Christine

Songs of the Week: September 23 - 29, 2024

“Bad Dog” by Menno Versteeg

Another new song from Menno Versteeg this week that you should watch below for the video alone. Starring alongside him are comedian Chris Locke and actor Mary Hollis Inboden (Kevin Can F**k Himself, The Righteous Gemstones)…and a whole bunch of dogs, including his own (named Roger).

The track is about “loving someone or something through their worst moment”, and will be on his debut solo album, Why We Run, out December 13th!

Menno is in town this Thursday (October 3rd), performing at The Heatley with a few other pals.

• Christine

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“Great Minds” by TAURO

TAURO is the new collaboration between jazz pianist & singer-songwriter Cynthia Tauro and Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning, and last week they shared their debut single, “Great Minds”

With a groovy R&B beat, and Cynthia’s voice intertwining with Canning, the new tune is about a long lasting love between two people, with the band elaborating: “They know they shouldn’t be together, but somehow the feeling of them still lingers”

“Great Minds” also comes with a cool video, from animator Jared Sales, which you can watch below!

• Kirk

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“Earthsong” by Jennifer Castle

As we creep closer to the release of Camelot, the upcoming album from acclaimed songwriter Jennifer Castle, we’re getting another tease with the latest single, “Earthsong”

The gorgeous & sparse new single is driven by her incredible vocals, with Castle saying “‘Earthsong’ was one of the last songs I wrote for what would become Camelot. Seeded from hope, imagination, destiny and resistance, the line that works on me like medicine is ‘I belong to the world.’ Feels good to say and mean that.”

You can pick up Camelot when it drops on November 1st, and check out the video below, which Jennifer made with her sister Sarah!

• Kirk

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“1986” by The Darcys

The Darcys first album in four years, Rendered Feelings, came out this week and it’s another great one from the duo.

Drummer Wes Marskell has this to say about the record:

“Rendering Feelings took a really long time to… render. As it does, life got in the way. Jason and I were both going through massive changes, and at different times confronting past traumas, breaking up, making up, and relapsing to old behaviors and flawed patterns. At one point, we both found ourselves in long-distance relationships which, in turn, made the two of us in a long distance relationship. Spoiler: LDRs are bad for productivity.
In part, that’s why the record is so conversational, we wrote it as if every lyric could be pulled from a phone conversation (or text) one of us had over the past four years. Technology became a theme, as did UFO’s for some weird reason.”

I did wonder about the UFO themed merch they had going on. Listen to the track “1986” below and the rest of the album full of bangers (that I can’t wait to hear live) by clicking here.

• Christine