Exclusive vinyl pressing of Amythyst Kiah’s “Pensive Pop” EP. The common themes throughout this record address the lamenting external factors that can impede us on our journey in life and the struggle to accept and work through those challenges. Fear is at the centre of all these songs: fear of rejection, fear of change, fear of sobriety, fear of living in the present. “Pensive Pop” is Kiah’s reinterpretation of pop/rock songs in order to bring more attention to the stories being told.
How good a song was Tori Amos’ “Sugar”? Good enough that it pops up, improbably after 30 years, on two Record Store Day releases this year — Amos’ own, as mentioned above, but also this four-song EP of covers from the estimable Kiah. She’s been rocking some of these songs on tour, and shows a lot of savvy in her picks, from Green Day’s “Hitchin’ a Ride” to one of Katy Perry’s most unexpectedly stealth-mature songs, “Chained to the Rhythm.” Three of the covers are fairly loud or high-energy, but a quieter closing take on Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” really delivers the lamentable goods.
The Fat Angel Sings 