SoundSalvationArmy

You probably don’t know the name Afie Jurvanen, but if you’ve listened to certain Canadian indie musicians in the last few years, you’ve probably heard him. He’s played with Great Lake Swimmers, the Stills, Howie Beck, Amy Millan, Jason Collett, Hayden, Zeus and Feist.

But now is the time for you to hear him and see him on his own. Jurvanen, now playing under the name Bahamas, released his album, Pink Strat, today on Nevado Records.

This week is a fine start to what I’m sure will be a grand solo career. First, Pink Strat (named for the beat-up fender guitar he favours) is released. The first single “Already Yours,” is being featured for free on iTunes. And in the tradition of all the artists in my posts this week, Bahamas will be playing at Hillside!

Jurvanen picked up a thing or two, playing in such esteemed company. His voice reminds me of Jason Collett’s, but more lonesome, less sure. The shy, sexy way the songs are arranged is positively Feistian (she sings on a few tracks) and his pacing is reminiscent of Great Lake Swimmers (various members of tht band, the Golden Dogs’ Dave Azzolini and members of Zeus perform here as well.)

Indeed, if you combined all of the above, you’d have an approximation of what’s on offer here. I’m not complaining about the similarities though, because Jurvanen doesn’t let his guest stars or influences steal the show. He and his musical abilities are front and centre and that’s as it should be.

There’s a melancholy thread running through all these songs. They’re mostly about lost loves or loves that haven’t happened yet. One of the best tracks is “Try, Tried, Trying,” which does a magnificent job of highlighting Jurvanen’s musical talents. Multi-instrumentalist Jurvanen crafts a song with a steady if sparse back beat and proceeds to fill it out with bluesy guitar solos and his tremulous, wounded vocals. “Lonely Loves” is an echoey plea for love, filled with some excellent little guitar noodles. It’s also given a boost by the breezy backup vocals provided by Feist.

As much as I love the original songwriting on display on this album, I’m incredibly impressed by his efforts at covering a new-wave punk song.

“(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World” has been covered and covered and covered. I love the original by Wreckless Eric and I am not impressed by many versions I’ve heard from musicians who attempt to put the same kind of spin on the song. Imitating the plaintive growl of the original is not going to work, and Jurvanen wisely doesn’t even try.

Whereas Eric Gouldon makes you believe he’s going to get the girl, if only he sings hard enough, Jurvanen knows he isn’t going to get her, cause she’s gone. He makes the song into a remorseful memory about what might have been. Where the original is all hard corners and unexpected gasps and wails, this version is a sweet, sensual number kept moving by finger snaps, lazy, easy guitar licks and a lilting piano. It reminds me of nothing so much as Marcellus Hall’s haltingly romantic “Love Letter.”

And apparently, he’s good enough live to impress the folks at Chart. They gave his set at NXNE last month a mark of 88 out of 100. Here are some upcoming tour dates for you if you can’t make Hillside. And in October, he’s embarking on a Quebec to B.C. tour of the country with Amy Millan. Check his myspace for more details.

Aug. 1-2: Kee to Bala with Sam Roberts Band, Bala, ON.
Aug. 6 - The Dakota Tavern, Toronto, ON.
Aug. 7-9 - Wolfe Island Festival, Kingston, ON.

You can buy Pink Strat on iTunes and Nevado.

 

 Bahamas - Try, Tried, Trying: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bahamas - Lonely Loves: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bahamas - Whole Wide World: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Afie Jurvanen, Bahamas, Canadian content, Feist, Golden Dogs, Great Lake Swimmers, Guelph, Hillside Festival, Jason Collett, live music, Zeus

Last night I spent some time adding more information to the “Complete Archive” page you see at the top of the screen. It now features a short description of what band, artist, or geo-political event is the subject of each post. Some labelled mix tape undoubtedly have more detailed subjects, but it seemed quicker and easier to just call them as such.

In the course of doing that and proofing the information on that page, I stumbled upon an older entry that someone had fallen to the tracks. The permalink was altered or damaged somewhere along the line and I’m not entirely certain the post in question actually made it onto the site in a legible way. So, click on this link for a “bonus” entry of sorts by our very own Tanis Fowler.

Happy summer!

 

 They Might Be Giants - I Am Not Your Broom [1:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries housekeeping, Sound Salvation Army

I’m going to preface this entry by mentioning that I recently wrote a piece for the Toronto Star about some upcoming festivals in southern Ontario that you can go see this summer if you wanted to get out of Toronto. I was just there last week for the Neko Case show at Massey Hall (I was gonna review it and then I had interviews and stuff to do, so I didn’t, but she was brilliant, obviously.) and she said she was glad she could make it to town for the biannual garbage strike. What I’m trying to say is: Toronto smells. It’s not their fault, but really, if you can leave that behind for a weekend, why wouldn’t you?

One of the festivals I mentioned in the article is Hillside in Guelph and it starts Friday. One of the commenters on my story rightly points out that you cannot call this festival “little.” And I did not. So there. The commenter also says it is now nearly impossible to get tickets. This is true. But it is also true that I said there are Friday passes left. And if you wanted to, you could buy some. Like, say, if you went to TicketPro, you would find tickets for Friday. AND Sunday! Man, look how nice I am!

I decided that this week, I would pick a handful of groups that I love who are performing at Hillside and write a bunch of entries about them for this poooooooor commenter who tragically could not plan ahead or get his ass online to buy tickets when they went on sale and apparently could not be bothered to click a link where tickets for two days are still available. You can’t tell, but I’m crying a single tear for this commenter.

ANYWAY! Hillside is famous for its community spirit, commitment to environmentalism and ability to pick unknown bands right before they make it big. There are a few groups on the roster this year that I think are poised to blow up huge and I thought, why not talk about them here while I’m figuring out what to see when?

Leading off is Regina’s Library Voices, one of my favourite discoveries from last year.

Yes. This photo is accurate. There are ten members of this group writing clever lyrics, soaring harmonies and creating a whirling dervish of sound. Library Voices made a six-song EP - Hunting Ghosts and other Collected Shorts - that is filled with hooky pop music that alternately yells its greatness from the rooftops and whispers its witty bon mots in your ear. But there’s always an urgency to it, like: “Listen! Listen! Please listen! Oh! Get this part… hear that? Yeah! We are on the same page! The best part is coming up… man! So awesome! Right?” Like they croon on the title track, “time is of the essence.”

At first, the only song I liked on Hunting Ghosts was the single, “Step Off the Map and Float,” but the more I listened, the more I heard. God. That sounds so lame, but it’s true. I don’t get people who claim that indie music is inaccessible. That is so fucking lazy and untrue. For instance, “Love in the Age of Absurdity” has a wailing guitar solo and a woo-woo-woo chorus of which Weezer would be jealous.

And how - HOW? - can you not love a band that extensively references Kurt Vonnegut in its lyrics? On “Things We Stole From Vonnegut’s Grave,” jaunty guitar riffs meet handclaps meet lush harmonies meet the shouted chorus of “And so it goes, and so it goes.” This equals big fun. We are who we pretend to be, so we must be careful who we pretend to be, indeed. The title of this post is what Vonnegut requested for his epitaph if, God forbid, he should die. One cannot presume to know what Vonnegut would have thought of a band incorporating his words into their lyrics, but I guess he might be amused. And so it goes.

And they continue to grow, musically. The dynamics on their new song, “Drinking Games” (which you can stream on their myspace because I don’t have it), are amazing. It’s like the goddamn Beach Boys I’m picking up so many good vibrations from this shit!

I can’t wait to see them live. It’s my experience that most collectives are great live. There’s more that can go wrong, sure, but the energy is always infectious and I’ve never had a bad experience with seeing groups that have more than seven members. Library Voices play Saturday, which is the one day of the festival that is sold out at all points of sale, so it’s a good thing you’re here!

The group joins Rah Rah, the Polymaths and Goldenmile in the growing category of great groups from the Reeg getting some much deserved buzz. They’re all on Young Soul Records, which hasn’t got a very up-to-date website, but maybe that’s because they’re busy signing more great groups. The Queen City should brag long and loud about these talents. Maybe then they wouldn’t all move away and I would no longer have to hear jerks from Winnipeg rag on the city as a talentless void. As if Winnipeg didn’t suck too. But I promise, Ontario, if you catch Library Voices on tour in Ontario in July, you will not be sorry. Here’s some tour dates, so you have no excuses!

July 21 - Toronto, On - @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 22 - Hamilton, On - @ The Casbah
July 23 - Windsor, On - @ Blind Dog
July 24 - Peterborough, On - @ Montreal House w/ The Burning Hell (Oh man, DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!)
July 25-26 - Guelph, On - Hillside Festival
July 28 - Toronto, On - @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 29 - London, On - @ Call The Office w/ Songs From A Room
July 31 - Thunder Bay, On @ Apollo

You can read about their tour adventures on their blog, and buy their stuff on zunior, sonic unyon and iTunes.

 

 Library Voices - Step Off the Map and Float: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - Things We Stole From Vonnegut's Grave: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - Love in the Age of Absurdity: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, collectives, Guelph, Hillside Festival, Library Voices, live music, Regina, Toronto Star

Here’s a quick hit to brighten up your Monday afternoon.

So SPIN magazine has this thing happening. They’re doing a full-court press for the 10th anniversary of Purple Rain, an album which to be perfectly frank is mostly lost on me as far as its importance in the cultural zeitgeist goes. I mean, I like “When Doves Cry” as much as the next guy, but that’s about as far as it goes.

Anyway, so they’re doing this track-by-track cover album called Purplish Rain with a pretty diverse and kind of awesome stable of artists contributing their own takes on the songs (including SSA favourites Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings). Nothing new there, of course. The newness comes in the form of a bright and shiny teaser for the next project from noisy hardcore geniuses the Bronx.

Maybe hardcore isn’t the right word. The Bronx are a riotously noisy band that cranked it past 11 a long time ago and have never looked back. Check out the first track below for proof. “Shitty Future” is a bruising cut from their first self-titled album, a ball of unfettered fury and buzzsaw guitars that will literally explode your ears in a live setting.

But the Bronx are an enigmatic group of fellows, apparently with some deep Latin roots. That’s why they’re releasing a full-length album of mariachi music later this year.

Yeah. Mariachi tunes.

As a warm-up, the band (under the slightly skewed moniker Mariachi el Bronx) recorded a cover of “I Would Die 4 U” for the Purplish Rain release. And it’s AWESOME. If I knew enough about mariachi music to speak about it critically I would happily do so, but since I don’t I’ll plead willful ignorance and just say that I enjoy the hell out of it.

Mariachi El Bronx is out in late August.

 

 the Bronx - Shitty Future [2:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Mariachi el Bronx - I Would Die 4 U: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out past Bronx releases on their website, through iTunes, and maybe InterPunk?

Pat entries el Bronx, hardcore, mariachi, Mariachi el Bronx, rock, the Bronx

This is kind of a tough one.

The Perms are a group of — from what I remember of the brief Manitoba days of my previous life — exceedingly nice gentlemen who traffic in a vein of power-pop not dissimilar to the pantheon of Canadian pop-rock bands that have come before them. Comparisons to your Plutos, Gandharvas, Limblifters, Bloody Chiclettes, Starlings, et al are apt, as the entire album is washed in constant harmonies and sweet backing vocals, handclaps, tambourines, and a propulsive two-guitar attack.

Admittedly, I’m a fan of the genre. But for some reason I’m going back and forth on this record. Some spins its a slice of toe-tapping greatness, some spins it seems downright anonymous, almost to the point of fading into the background.

Don’t get me wrong: they do absolutely nothing wrong and do nearly everything right. The songs are the band’s most compelling yet and the energy and enthusiasm is there in spades. The tunes are catchy, well-produced, tightly-written, and radio-ready. They sound like they’ve absorbed and taken extensive notes from their forefathers (a Sloan vibe hits early and often) and worked hard to put their own gruff spin on the sound.

A lot of work clearly went into the album and it has plenty of engaging moments. “Give Me All Your Loving” is a catchy, propulsive opening track backed up with some strong swagger. Closer “Salvation” is a high point, slowing things down before ripping into a chorus that could be just as easily about God as it could be a girlfriend. The ambiguity is nice. I think this genre tends to benefit from a little guile. They even sort-of briefly crib the melody from “Footloose” in “Nightshift,” which really threw me off-balance for a second. The song is one of the better tracks on the album despite that retro transgression, amping up the energy and jangle. Later, on “Big Mistake,” the verse hook is eerily reminiscent of some classic guitar pop that I can’t place but I know I’ve heard dozens of times.

But for some reason there are times when I just don’t find myself that heavily drawn to this release. There’s something ineffable about Keep You Up When You’re Down that, on roughly every second spin, leaves me thinking I’ll probably wind up listening to it a few times before abandoning it to collect dust on my CD shelf. It’s a shame, because I really want to like it. I still have a copy of their self-titled debut I picked up at Arcade Records and Tapes in Medicine Hat and it was a very cute and praise-worthy album.

I have no doubt that it will gain an audience in the power-pop community, possibly a very large one. Its got just the right amount of bubblegum, but it doesn’t always taste so sweet. Listen below and judge for yourself.

 

 the Perms - Give Me All Your Lovin' [2:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Perms - the Mess: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out the Not Lame Records store for purchase or CD Baby for physicals. iTunes has digitals.

Pat entries Canadian content, pop rock, power pop, rock, the Perms, Winnipeg

Update on yesterday’s post about the Job’s gig in Regina: apparently the Club may have been double-booked. I don’t know what happened to the band when they got here, but I’m sorry to hear it.

If you’re in or near Saskatoon tonight, Jeff from the Musebox says they’re supposed to be playing at Lydia’s Pub tonight. However, Lydia’s website says Winnipeg’s Crosstown Rivals are scheduled for this evening. There’s no mention of support acts, so hopefully the Job will actually be there and this entire tour isn’t just some bizarre practical joke.

Either way, go back to yesterday’s post and listen to the tunes we posted. I swear on Michael Jackson’s grave this band is a real thing.

Pat entries live music, the Job, updates

Since we’ve been known to focus on local scenes in this bi-provincial blog, consider this a public service announcement: the Job is coming to Regina and you should probably be there.

They’re scheduled to play the tiny SCES Club (better known as the other half of the Exchange) July 16th, unleashing their frenetic, old-school punk fury on the Queen City’s overworked citizens. I’m anticipating it will be quite a treat for the lucky few that show up.

Recorded in a single day, their self-titled debut album is as reverential as it is relevant in today’s punk rock climate. Spastic, jittery power chords serve as the backbone of a sound that melds the Buzzcocks, the Clash, and XTC into a rollicking and riotous package. Not sure about the fuax-British accent on some of the tracks, but it certainly lends some attitude to the proceedings and the melodic vocals are varied and charming enough to hold their own regardless.

On the whole its a dynamic set of songs that screams to be heard in a live setting. I’m hoping plenty of my fellow citizens take the opportunity to join me for an exciting gig by some promising up-and-comers.

 

 the Job - the Night: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Job - Killer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Job has just recently signed with Hi-Hat Recordings, but you’ll find little on Hi-Hat’s website aside from Spookey Ruben information and merchandise (that review is coming soon, by the way). For the meantime, peep the Job’s myspace, I guess, and attend the shows to get your hands on the disc.

Pat entries Canadian content, melodic punk, punk rock, the Job, Toronto

We’ve got a special treat for our readers: A he said/she said review of the latest album from Calgary band The Dudes. Pat will take first crack at it because he got his shit together fastest, but Tanis gets the final say.

PAT:

I’ve been listening to an awful lot of Sam Cooke in the last eight months or so and I think he would heartily approve of The Dudes. While they may aim for the aesthetic of Al Green meets the Flaming Lips, I’d wager their obvious passion and enthusiasm for life, love, and soul-affirming music makes them spiritual cousins to the late, great songwriter and many others that have dabbled in “soul” music.

Tanis and I both loved The Dudes’ previous album, Brain, Heart, Guitar, for its energy and sense of fun. The band shoots for the aforementioned vision and in their own, “white-boy soul” kind of way, achieves it. Now they’ve got a new album out called Blood Guts Bruises Cuts and it has been way too long.

While the lead vocals of the nerdily-bespectacled Danny Vacon may not at first (or second) blush be what the average listener might consider “soulful,” he performs the balls off his songs, alternately purring like a kitten and pleading like a sinner for the salvation that only love/sex can bring. Serving as the undeniable centrepiece of the band, he pushes his voice to the peaks and valleys mined by soul singers through the decades, allowing the band to put a downright Costello-ian pop-rock spin on the genre.

There are two centrepieces in my opinion: first is “Mr. Someone Else,” a spiritual cousin of sorts to “Jessie’s Girl” in which Vacon covets a friend’s lady…hard. It is a quintessential Dudes song: it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the arrangement is taught and muscular and the lyrics are honest and direct, a bald-faced and lustily covetous tale that would likely be considered ribald in polite company. They band is also totally willing to rock a cowbell in a non-ironic fashion.

The rest of the album follows suit, melding proto-rock sentiment and modern power-pop chords while Vacon analyzes, laments, appreciates, celebrates, and embraces love every way shape and form (including the wonder of make-outs and hook-ups).

If “Mr. Someone Else” is the yin of the album, the yang comes with “Ghosts We’re Buried On,” in which Vacon traces the roots of his musical passion back to a beat-up guitar played with fervor on his Grandfather’s porch, the soul of the music intertwining deeply and irrevocably with his own.

I could talk at much greater length of the wonderful and joyous songwriting displayed on Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, the razor-sharp hooks of lead single “Pretty Lies,” the band’s softer side showing through on “Small Mercies” and “Had Enough Of It,” the footloose and fancy-free celebration of life that is “Ever Been To Taiwan?” Instead, I’ll leave it up to you (and Tanis) to do yourself a favour and pick this album up.

At its very least it’s a perfect summer road-trip album; at its greatest, every track is a triumph that deserves to be heard.
_________________________________

TANIS:

When you move across the country to start a new job, the last thing on your mind should be bumping your flight to the next day so you can go see a band rock and roll all night before you leave, but thanks to The Dudes, I have done this. I only slept about an hour before hopping a plane from Calgary to Toronto, but their live show at the Hi-Fi was worth it and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Especially after listening to their latest effort.

The Dudes released Brain Heart Guitar in 2006, so the repeated lines “It’s a long time comin’” from “Pretty Lies,” the first single off new release Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, seem especially fitting. It took awhile, but by God, was it ever worth the wait.

The Dudes have turned this mother out, unleashing waves of jangly guitar, witty lyrics, hooky choruses you can shout along to and generally crafting the kind of happy, energetic songs that make legends out of local bands. They’re everything you want in a great pop act and they kindly ask that you respect their right to rock your face off, too.

Thanks to some tight producing, Blood Guts Bruises Cuts sounds much more complete and explored than Brain Heart Guitar. The band has stretched their legs, done some living, figured out who they really are and filled every corner of this album with their experiences. And they smartly did not slick everything up. This still sounds distinctly like The Dudes. Every song leads you down the corridor of their existence, pointing out pit stops taken and influences found along the way and the resulting album is the pinnacle of their creation.

The guitars are brash and bold – almost overdone – but they’re countered by frontman Dan Vacon’s shy, sweet voice. I wouldn’t be surprised if every word out of his mouth was accompanied with a nerdy shrug like “It’s OK, I guess.” He has this offhanded way of singing the most brilliant lines, just lazily letting slip these witty lyrics like they’re nothing. It’s positively Joel Plaskett-esque! There are also references, some overt, some subtle, to the Blues Brothers, Bon Jovi, the Beach Boys, Aerosmith, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. AND, I hear musical nods to Van Halen, The Cars, Cheap Trick and April Wine, among others.

At first, I thought Blood Guts Bruises Cuts was good. The second time through, I thought it might be better than Brain Heart Guitar. By the third listen, I knew it was. This album is so luscious and ripe, this band so primed for success. It will be so totally bogus if The Dudes don’t shoot to fame on the back of this bad boy.

I love the raucous and rockin’ “Ever Been To Taiwan?” and “Had Enough Of It,” a bright little duet with Calgary singer Lisa Lobsinger, recently of Broken Social Scene fame. And Pat’s mentioned the SUPERB “Mr. Someone Else,” the paen to the best song ever written. But the real standout for me is “Girl Police.” It’s awash with big, happy guitar riffs and power chords, a barely-contained ’80s sound, soaring oooooohs and aaaaaahs and with Vacon’s soulful vocals bobbing over it all. I can’t wait to see how they rock it live. I imagine there’s going to be some Budokan level shit happening there. Not to mention, it has the catchiest listing of names in a song since “Mambo No. 5.” Oh, come on. Like you never sang along!

The Dudes JUST missed the cutoff for Polaris Prize consideration this year, but I’d like to think that next year, they might be nominated for this stellar effort because I’ve already got it on my best-of list for 2009.

 

 the Dudes - Mr. Someone Else [4:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Dudes - the Ghosts We're Buried On [5:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Dudes’ website proclaims Blood Guts Bruises Cuts is “available in stores” (DEAD BUSINESS MODEL WHAT?), but is also on Amazon and of course, iTunes. Obviously, we’d rather you contacted your independent retailer (if you still have one) and procured a copy through that means, but we don’t run your life. You’re an adult.

Pat entries, Tanis entries Calgary, Canadian content, pop rock, power pop, soul, the Dudes

So since I don’t believe in having channels on my tv, I watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report on-line. I’m forced to do so through CTV’s on-line video player, as Comedy Central blocks non-U.S. residents from watching their streams. Jerks.

Anyway, I was catching up on a few episodes this morning and was deluged by the above video, which played between literally every single segment. It just gives me one more reason to hate U2.

Firstly, I haven’t really cared much for any song they’ve released since…ever, really. They’re probably the most overrated band ever. Secondly, Bono is a do-gooder asshole who consistently fails to put his own money where his mouth is. Thirdly, his messianic ego is really off-putting. Fourthly, listen to the lyrics of the song up there: “Hey kids, you can change the world, but only if Bono gets his party on!” What the what? Fifth, given the barely middling success of the U2-branded iPod and the epic failure of the Bono-spearheaded “RED” campaign how is this band supposed to be the long-sought link to the youth market RIM is hoping for, as Wired’s piece about the partnership suggests? They’ve been around for thirty years; why would the kids give a damn? Go get Brokencyde to sponsor your mobile phone and I’m sure tweens with swoopy hair will be knocking down your door.

 

 Jawbreaker - With Or Without U2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries Blackberry, Brokencyde, Jawbreaker, marketing, Research In Motion, selling out, U2

A friendly reminder from your favourite u-loving neighbours from the north: It’s Canada Day. For five more minutes! Hooray!

I used to love Canada Day when I was a kid. Because it meant that somewhere, somebody would be serving vanilla cupcakes with white frosting and red and white sprinkles. Today, I was sadly without sprinkles. Unless you count the rain, which meant very sad fireworks. But I do have a six-pack of Sleeman’s in the fridge and an iTunes playlist filled with songs that contain a bunch of Canadian references Americans won’t get. That’s gotta count for something.

We’re so weird up here with our snow, our maple syrup, our free health care and our great, unknown musicians. We have more amazing musical acts nobody’s ever heard of than you can shake a stick at! I’m both resentful and resigned to that fact. Like, it’s AWESOME and you don’t know what you’re missing, you ignorant buffoons who think of Canada and think of Nickelback and Anne Murray and Celine Dion! On the other hand, get away from my favourite bands, America! Get your own! KnowwhatImean?

It’s rare that I just go buy an actual physical album without worrying if it will be any good. Rarer still is the purchase of a TRIPLE album without worrying if it will be any good. Who the heck even MAKES a triple album nowadays? Probably the same guy who makes a concept album about being a teenage rocker in the Maritimes. Probably the same guy who rhymes Saskatchewan with Catchin’ On. Probably the same guy who falls asleep with the TV on because at 3 a.m. they play O Canada. Probably the same guy who owes a lot of his recognizance to the fact that Canadian store Zellers used his song in a commercial. Probably the same guy who writes a song about loving a town (Halifax) with the same ferociousness that he hates another (Kelowna).

Joel Plaskett is the PERFECT example of a guy who is incredibly popular in Canada, yet will probably never become a HUGE success in the U.S. And I’m sure he’s fine with that, just as I am sure many people don’t understand why he’d be fine with that. Sometimes, it’s enough that your countrymen and women love you.

Hell, I could be wrong about that, though. Because other times, it’s nice to have Sir Paul McCartney hand pick you to open his only Canadian show on July 11 in Nova Scotia. It’s fitting, since to me, Plaskett’s music has always felt like hallowed middle ground between the seedier side of the Beatles and the friendlier side of the Stones. Macca can’t go wrong to have an intensely local artist with cross-country appeal open his show.

Plaskett has always stayed true to his roots. He relentlessly tours the country, but calls Nova Scotia home. His shows sell out everywhere (except maybe Kelowna) because he just keeps throwing out pop songs that are both extraordinarily catchy and deeply personal. In short, he does exactly what all great artists should do: Makes everybody who listens to his music feel like he wrote the song just for them.

Down at the Khyber is an album full of straight ahead rock and roll that is perfect to listen to if you happen to be driving anywhere in Canada. And not just because Plaskett liberally sprinkles his songs with references to cities across the country. The title track has Plaskett in Edmonton, longing for home and the Musquodoboit Harbour. Meanwhile, the tune It’s Catching On brilliantly rhymes the title with Saskatchewan, Light of the Moon relates the touring artist’s feeling that “this country’s a coalmine and I’m a canary” and tells of the desire to “flirt with the waitress in Sault Ste. Marie.” And what to say about True Patriot Love? Who among us (Canadians) hasn’t fallen asleep with the TV on, only to wake up to the CBC’s end of programming music — the national anthem. Oh, Canada! True patriot love, and all that jazz.

Lest you think all Joel Plaskett is good for is referencing Canadianisms, there is Through and Through and Through. In a world that loves singles, he is endlessly experimenting with the album format and Three is probably his craziest venture yet. It’s three albums, each with nine songs apiece, many with one word repeated three times as the title. Three is a magic album and Through and Through and Through is the first single that reminds us that “good things come in threes.”

I think you should help make it THE JAM of this summer because the imagery? It’s beautiful, thanks for asking. If anybody ever wrote the lyrics “I’m the Berlin Wall, I’m a communist/You’re a wrecking ball in a summer dress” for me, I’d be hopelessly devoted. I love the harsh horns and the lazy licks and its lyrics are achingly sweet and tasty, like a melted Freezie. The female vocals featured on Three are a welcome addition that allow Plaskett to ease up on his falsetto, but his witty lyrics and hooky pop sensibilities are still there. Gosh, he’s so great! All I want right now is a balcony or a back porch so I can laze around and listen to this slice of summer on repeat.

What’s that? You want a few MORE songs about Canadian cities by a couple of my favourite Canadian bands? Who am I to protest?

Hello City is from the Barenaked Ladies’ first album Gordon. Pat and I have both said that we would unironically include Gordon in our top 10 desert island records. It’s fucking awesome, both for the novelty songs the Ladies were peddling (the sweet and funny Be My Yoko Ono, the painful truth of Grade 9 and the very pointed New Kid On the Block), the more serious and wistful laments (Wrap Your Arms Around Me, What a Good Boy and the Flag) and stuff that sits somewhere in the middle (like Enid, Brian Wilson and Hello City).

Hello City is about Halifax. I don’t know why I like songs about Halifax so much, maybe because I’ve never been there, but long to go. Before I moved to Ontario, I had a really specific idea of what it would be like to live here. Like I’d feel more Canadian somehow. I remember hearing postal codes from Ontario at the end of TV shows I’d watch as a kid. I used to think those that started with N and M were so exotic. Much better than boring ol’ S. Now that I’m here, I feel a pull to head even further East because that’s clearly where the magic happens.

Anyway, I love Hello City both for its references to Halifax and its musicality. BNL are much more than a gimmick band with one hit. They’re accomplished musicians and vocalists. Somebody from America once asked me how embarrassed I was that the Barenaked Ladies were from Canada. After I stopped choking to death, I was all “What the what?” Why would I ever be embarrassed of the Ladies? It’s not my fault America turned them into a one-hit wonder. One Week isn’t TERRIBLE, but if you ask me, Stunt is where it all starts going wrong, mostly because other people found out about them. See? I jealously guard my favourites. I should’ve stayed a little closer, I guess, because after Steven Page left the band, I don’t know if they’ll ever be the same. I miss their earlier music, which you can buy on iTunes and Amazon.

On the other end of this equation is The Parkas. On the edge of being known beyond their southern Ontario beginnings (and Emmet’s blog), they are good. Really, really good. Their lyrics are clever, their song titles are witty, their music is dirty, country/rock-tinged fun and you should buy their albums. I’m partial to their song My Life of Crime from the album Now This is Fighting (on sale now at Endearing Records), because it is full of references to Guelph. Yep. The Parkas are good little Royal City rock and rollers who name check Goldie Mill, the Speed River AND St. George’s Square. But the lyrics are only part of the reason I love it. Right at the heart of the song, there’s this sparse bit populated by just a lonely bassline and that urgent, growling vocal. The moment is broken by a guitar riff straight off the Dazed and Confused soundtrack. The song slowly builds back up into a whirling, sorrowful dirge that laments their lack of funds and wasted ambition.

The Parkas are releasing their third full-length album later this month in Toronto. If you’re in the T dot on Saturday, July 25th, head down to the Silver Dollar and check out The Parkas play a raucous show with Whitebelt Octopus. Get it while you can. From the latest state of the nation on their website, it sounds like they might be getting ready to take an extended break.

 

 Joel Plaskett - It's Catchin' On: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - True Patriot Love : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - Love This Town: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - Through and Through and Through: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Barenaked Ladies - Hello City: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Parkas - My Life Of Crime: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Barenaked Ladies, Canada Day, Canadian content, Guelph, Joel Plaskett, Saskatchewan, The Parkas