You could argue that to make truly great music a musician has to go through pain. Without experiencing the pain songs can ring false, sound like a love poem written by someone who has never been in love. Pain, it would seem, gives them a depth of experience, and a new perspective, which allows them to make songs that are relatable, poignant, and authentic. If pain is truly a prerequisite for great songwriting, Ezra Carey should be the Shakespeare of song. The journey to his first album, Though the Fire Keeps Us Warm, sounds like the second half of an episode of Behind the Music. Fortunately for Carey his troubles seem to be behind him, and with the album’s pending release his future seems to be bright.
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I’ve been in a serious country mood lately, listening to Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and the like. For some reason I’ve just had a hankering for listening for music that stays close to its roots, puts things plainly and simply, and manages to convey a ton of emotion in tiny little packages. This hankering led to me to seek out some new music that has the same qualities, and that search led me to The Pines.
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Last week I started this column talking about how often I feature bands from Canada. This week I’m adding to the list. I’m not sure what’s going on up there. Maybe it’s the cooler temperatures. Or the the more low-key atmosphere. Or the national heath care. Who knows? What really matters is that our neighbor to the north keeps churning interesting young bands. Bands like The Junction.
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I’m not sure what it is about our friends north of the border, but they seem to crop up a lot here on Sunday Music Spotlight. Tonight we head out west, to Victoria, British Columbia, to take a look at a husband and wife team who are poised to take North America by storm. In their 3 years as a band The Paper Cranes have played festivals, gotten rave reviews, and had a song featured on a Nissan commercial. But after hearing their upcoming album Chivalry’s Dead I have to believe that’s the tip of the iceberg.
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The Wiyos do a lot of different things. And they do all of them well. But their roots are in the kind of music America produced in the early part of the 20th century: country blues, ragtime, and western swing. They expand upon those roots with touches of modern sounds like beatboxing and hip-hop. The result is a unique mix of old and new, going in unpredictable directions.
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I’m not afraid to say that I love Jack White. Not in a gay way, just in a “everything this guy does turns out to be awesome” kind of way. So a few months back, when I heard that White had formed yet another band and was getting ready to put out an album, I was understandably excited. The single that accompanied the announcement, “Hang You From the Heavens”, was brash, raw, and exciting. There was a lot of The White Stripes in it, but having a female singer (Alison Mosshart from The Kills) gave it a different twist. Ultimately what the single did was frustrate me. It felt like a cruel tease since the full album wasn’t due for four months. Now those months have gone by, and Horehound is out, and the time has come to figure out if White has struck gold once again. Will The Dead Weather add to his string of hits, or will it spell his first true miss as a musician?
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There are different paths to becoming a fan. Sometimes the artist grows on you, a slow burn that builds into a raging fire. Other times a lightning bolt strikes you in the first few bars and you’re immediately engulfed. The latter perfectly describes my experience with Golden Bloom. The first song I heard was “E.H.M.”, the opener on debut album Fan the Flames, and within 10 seconds I was hooked. My first reaction was, “who the hell are these guys?”
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Like many people, I’m out of town for the holiday weekend. So this week’s Sunday Music Spotlight is a little more brief than usual. Don’t take that as a slight against the band. I’m too busy blowing things up to do a full write-up. I’ll be back next week at full-strength.
What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to highlight a band from another country? Ok, I know it doesn’t make much sense. But Toronto’s Whale Tooth makes bright, summer-friendly pop, and it matches the weather and general mood. So let’s celebrate our freedom to take in great music from all over the world and listen to some tunes.
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Tell me if this sounds familiar: three like-minded musicians form a band, and as part of their schtick they all take the same last name. Then they work that last name into the band’s name. They proceed to do things their own way, with attitude. Eventually their music gets noticed and they take New York by storm. You’ve heard this before right? It’s The Ramones, right?
Nope. Instead of long-haired ugly dudes from New York, this is a trio of Southern chicks. Where The Ramones’ music was straightforward and easy to define, their music shifts from song to song, jumping genres and defying expectations. They do share The Ramones’ spirit though: they’re doing things their way, and they don’t care what you think about it. They’re Those Darlins, and you’d best take notice, because if they have their way they’re taking over the music world.
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Despite the fact that they come from a place known for cold and snow, Winnipeg’s Paper Moon produces the kind of warm, sunny pop music that serves as the perfect backdrop to a day on the beach or by the pool. Singer Allison Shevernoha’s bright, clear voice draws comparisons to The Cardigans, The Submarines, and Letters to Cleo, all stalwarts of the genre. Since the sun is shining, the beer is cold, and the water’s warm, let’s skip the chit-chat and get straight to the music.
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