When a young artist can make your knees buckle like Julien Baker and Stella Donnely or get you rollicking with an old-school alt-country tune à la Kathleen Edwards, her future is undoubtedly limitless. Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter Taylor Janzen made us weep and excited with songs like “Stations”, “Waiting Room”, and “New Mercies”. Her excellent debut EP, Interpersonal, caused us to imagine her gracing the stages of not just the acclaimed Winnipeg Folk Festival. We can see her leaving the audiences at Newport Folk Festival and Pickathon completely silent and in awe of her brittle folk-rock.
Aaron Powell (Born 1993) is better known by his lo-fi singer songwriter moniker Fog Lake where he creates music that’s been best described as “a complex collage of nebulous angst and heartfelt nostalgia” (Wake The Deaf)
Born and raised on the island province of Newfoundland, he’s lived his life in relative isolation writing and recording a total of six releases in four years including his two most current LP’s Virgo Indigo (2014) & Victoria Park (2015) both being released by Brooklyn based tape label Orchid Tapes (Foxes In Fiction, Alex G, Teen Suicide).
His unrelenting approach to releasing music has lead to an ever-increasing cult following, seeing Fog Lake featured by the likes of renowned YouTube channel, Majestic Casual for the second time where it has racking up over 400,000 plays. In addition, tastemaker blog Gorilla Vs Bear has named his latest single ‘Rattlesnake’ one of the Top-25 Tracks of 2016.
Recording project of Aaron Powell from Newfoundland, Canada.
Canada’s Frontperson release “Young Love”, which details the uncertain yet exhilarating feelings that arise in the early stages of a relationship, as Kathryn Calder explains:
“‘Young Love’ was one of the last things we finished. It was kind of tricky to get right because it is a delicate song. Lyrically, I was trying to capture the feeling of meeting someone and those first days when everything is kind of unsettled but yet you also know it’s the right thing. I remember the final glue to the song – when it felt like we had figured it out – was when Mark and I played our guitars together into one microphone, inspired by an early Leonard Cohen kind of sound. There was something kind of lo-fi about playing the song that way that really worked.”
Frontperson are: Kathryn Calder, Mark Andrew Hamilton, with Melissa McWilliams, Jen Sévertson, Clea Foofat, Foon Yap , Marek Tyler
From their album ‘Frontrunner’, out 21st September on Oscar St. Records.
Remembering Alexander Lee “Skip” Spence, born on April 18th, 1946, born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada — he died on April 16yj, 1999.
He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. The first Moby Grape album is probably in the Top 10 Psychedelica rock albums of all time! Skip released only one solo album, 1969’s Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry. He had started his career as a guitarist in an early line-up of Quicksilver Messenger Service, and was the drummer on Jefferson Airplane’s debut album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.
He has been described on the Allmusic website as “one of Psychedelia’s brightest lights”; however, his career was plagued by drug addictions coupled with mental health problems, and he has been described by a biographer as a man who “neither died young nor had a chance to find his way out.”
Described as “one of the most harrowing documents of pain and confusion ever made”,the album was recorded after Spence had spent six months in Bellevue Hospital. Spence had been committed to Bellevue following a delusion-driven attempt to attack his ex Moby Grape bandmates Don Stevenson and Jerry Miller with a axe.
In November 1968, Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence stepped outside Bellevue Hospital for the first time in five months. While he had dozens of new songs and sketches in his head, he was no longer a member of Moby Grape. He needed another outlet. Meeting with producer David Rubinson at a hotel in Manhattan, Spence hatched a plan to record his new material in Tennessee.
Receiving some advance money from Columbia, he bought a motorcycle, and… well, either he returned to his family in California, or he drove down to Nashville. The timeline and course of events is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that in early December, Spence entered Columbia’s Nashville studio on 16th Ave. Though his future was unclear, he was ready to embark on a solo project. It turned out to be a recording process – and record – like no other.
The 12 original songs on Oar communicate a whole range of emotions. Often, it’s as though Spence is whispering to us, stuck somewhere between accusation and confession. At times, he croons in a baritone, telling tales of travel and betrayal. Other times, he cracks himself up with his own wordplay. There are moments when his music veers towards the dreamy, others when the sense of intimacy is arresting.
After its original release in May 1969, Oar went out of print. Yet over the years it has returned to us again and again. When first released, Oar was not promoted by Columbia Records, despite pleadings fromproducer Rubinson. It was at the time the lowest-selling album in Columbia Records history. Subsequent reissues have added ten more songs, in different stages of completion, to the original dozen. The original release ended with a fade out of “Grey / Afro”. The 1999 Sony/Sundazed reissue appends “This Time He Has Come” to a fade-less “Grey / Afro”, which reflects how the two songs appeared on the master tapes.
This is the recording project of Aaron Powell from Newfoundland, Canada. this band display a unique sound and songwriting that makes this a pleasure to me. Aaron Powell (Born 1993) is better known by his lo-fi singer songwriter moniker Fog Lake where he creates music that’s been best described as “a complex collage of nebulous angst and heartfelt nostalgia” .
Born and raised on the island province of Newfoundland, he’s lived his life in relative isolation writing and recording a total of six releases in four years including his two most current LP’s Virgo Indigo (2014) & Victoria Park (2015) both being released by Brooklyn based tape label Orchid Tapes (Foxes In Fiction, Alex G, Teen Suicide).
Aaron’s relentless and prolific approach has garnered worldwide critical acclaim receiving coverage on The FADER, DIY Magazine, Noisey, Tiny Mixtapes, The 405, BBC, CBC, Earmilk, Chart Attack, Exclaim! and many others. His unrelenting approach to releasing music has lead to an ever-increasing cult following, seeing FogLake featured by the likes of renowned YouTube channel, Majestic Casual for the second time where it has racking up over 400,000 plays. In addition, tastemaker blog Gorilla Vs Bear has named his single ‘Rattlesnake’ one of the Top-25 Tracks of 2016.
Ellis, the pseudonym of Canadian songwriter, Linnea Siggelkow. Up until now, Ellis’ reputation has been based entirely on a series of live dates with the likes of Soccer Mommy and Pale Hound, however this week we’ve finally got some recorded material to go on, in the shape of debut single, The Drain.
The Drain about which Ellis sings is more emotional than plug-hole related as Linnea explains, “it’s about self-sabotaging a relationship because you’re afraid of how deep it’s getting, but then saying ‘fuck it’ and diving in anyway.” That euphoric feeling of throwing yourself in at the deep end is equally present in the music, as driving rhythms are cut through with gorgeous twinkling synths and Linnea’s, easy, almost detached vocals. With an EP coming later in the year, Ellis’ potential is clear to see, and where she goes next could be fascinating.
The Dirty Nil play rock and roll. Loud, distorted, and out of control, they play like it’s a fever they’re trying to sweat out. Reveling in the din of distorted guitars, pounding drums, and desperately howled vocals, the Hamilton Ontario three-piece makes music for turntables and hi-fi’s – music for dive bars and house parties – for beer drinking and joint smoking – for road trips and barbecues – for fighting and yelling and shouting and singing and screaming and howling – for sweating and bleeding – trying and failing and trying again anyways. Gravel-in-your guts, spit-in-your-eye, staggering, bloodthirsty rock and roll. They have two 7″s available that capture the snarl and destructive noise they create. The Dirty Nil play rock and roll – cause they couldn’t do a damn thing else if they tried. The Dirty Nil present their second single Pain Of Infinity from their upcoming album Master Volume, out September 2018 on Dine Alone Records.
Canadian trio Basement Revolver are set to release their hotly anticipated debut album in August, and have this week shared the latest sample of it, “Knocking”.
Knocking is a deeply personal song for chief songwriter Chrisy Hurn, as she puts it, “I often still can’t sing it without crying.” The track details her writing a letter to her family that explored her past, things she wasn’t proud of and, in her own words, “made me feel like I wasn’t the “good christian woman” that they had hoped I would one day become.”It deals with the anger that inspired the letter, and also the acceptance, love and forgiveness that she found afterwards. Musically, it’s possibly the most mature the band have ever sounded, there’s a country-twang to the guitars alongside their usual, melody-led approach to expansive soundscapes. You could cite reference points from Big Thief to Angel Olsen and be in the right area of the musical world, ultimately though Basement Revolver shine entirely on their own terms.
Limited to 500 Copies (250 on Yellow and 250 on Red). Allie Hanlon’s Peach Kelli Pop returns after 2 years with a 6 song EP. In December 2017, Hanlon spent a week in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. She recorded the EP in just four days, utilizing the dust-coated equipment left in her bedroom after she emigrated to the United States in 2013. “I really benefited from being in the specific home, and even room where I learned to play music when I was growing. Upon first listen, a new level of vulnerability is instantly detectable, effectively separating this release from any of the bands previous creations. This new intimacy is due to the predominantly autobiographical lyrics: songs about isolation, depression and feeling like an outsider in Hanlon’s current home of Los Angeles. Which Witch is akin to the Red Cross’ Posh Boy EP – both have 6 songs, each close to a minute long.
All 4 members of Peach Kelli Pop are outspoken Redd Kross fans; which comes as no surprise: the band is named after a Redd Kross song. On earlier material, Hanlon’s voice was passive, frequently inaudible and blanketed in reverb. Those days are gone; She now sings with confidence and clarity, demonstrating a refreshing assertiveness not seen before in her work. Which Witch holds the first glimpse of an evolution, a new stage in which Hanlon is finally no longer holding back.
Founded in 2014, Men I Trust , is an indie band from Montreal (Canada) who loves smooth sounds, calm melodies and simple rhythms that relax, but make your right foot tap and your chin bounce on the beats. They record, mix, master and shoot their music videos.
MEN I TRUST, are connoisseurs of dreamy disco pop, are back with their latest release ‘Show Me How’. Like their past couple of releases including 2017’s ‘Hope To Be Around’ and ‘Tailwhip’, the single takes listeners away from the dreariness of city reality and into the haziness of road trips and spontaneous camping getaways. And with our summer now at an end, and winter standing stonily at the end of Autumn’s 3-month tunnel, it is a reminder that those sunlit days are sure to come again.
It is a thoughtful track with an endearing hook. The soft guitar caresses the angelic vocals cozily and the drums provide a solid, slightly R&B, base. The corroborating video clip seems to portray a content loneliness where vocalist, Emma, can be seen walking through a luminously lit cityscape. It depicts an obscurity, a dreaminess that comes with the daydreams we associate with new lovers. And like all of Men I Trust’s discography, it is a tender almost bittersweet love song; a slow and succulent but delicate retelling of a pleasant and hopeful adventure.
The Fat Angel Sings 