Sound Salvation Army

Oh my goodness you guys. I’m am so excited right now. This is the third time I’ve fallen totally in love with Basia Bulat and I’m falling hard this time (wait, it’s the fourth time; I almost forgot the Sam Cooke cover).

Just look at that video. So intimate. Her performance low-key but impassioned before an unyielding, unblinking camera. Her voice elegantly quivering, the melody patient and earnest. The hammered harp is the perfect accompaniment, its percussive tone just unfamiliar enough to the ear to keep it captivated while still carrying a bright but spare melody. This is a torch song for the ages.

That video was recorded roughly two years ago, when Basia Bulat’s new release, Heart Of My Own was likely just a flicker of a future possibility. She was in the midst of touring North America (and eventually much of Europe) playing and promoting her debut, which you might recall was lauded on these pages. All things considered, though, it shouldn’t be surprising that Bulat has had a gem of a song like this in her back pocket for a while. In an interview conducted a few months back with JAM she explains her process a bit: “I like making challenges for myself. It takes a while to know what a song is about because it has a life of its own. It takes a while for their meaning to develop. I need an audience.”

Hopefully the new album will help expand that audience. Having listened to Heart Of My Own dozens of times in the three days since it was released it would seem all of her time on the road has done her a lot of good. The album is more forceful, more propulsive. It just sounds stronger and there’s more in the mix to help reach that goal as well, including electric guitar (although I’m pretty sure that’s just one song). That might not seem too revolutionary, but the whole of Bulat’s debut was crafted with an exceedingly-acoustic aesthetic. To put it in the parlance of that debut, this record is more “I Was A Daughter” and less “Before I Knew,” with faster-paced numbers like “Go On” and “Gold Rush” setting the tempo in the early offing and eschewing the lilting, gentle sounds that marked much of her first record. The latter number serves as the album’s first single and for good reason; the strings that open the track give way to cascading cymbals, galloping toms, and a constantly-building instrumental track that matches Bulat’s strongest vocal performance on record to date. The song apparently triggered the only mosh pit in the history of her career, according to one interview. Several tracks are also punched up with very complementary string and horn sections that sound like they were arranged by Barry Gordy himself. Perhaps it’s a tribute to the AM radio that Bulat has stated was a major influence in her home as a child.

But obviously, based on the above video, she hasn’t left behind her gentler side. “The Shore” is the standout ‘quiet’ song here, but there are other contemplative numbers as well. “Sugar and Spice” is a mournful lament on past mistakes with a lovely string arrangement. “Sparrow” is a spare ukelele piece with a lyric as fragile as the instrumentation. “I’m Forgetting Everyone” is nearly as sparse musically, seemingly focusing on the the lingering effects of a couple of years on the road. These songs succeed because of their simplicity and their reliance on Bulat’s incredibly expressive and emotive voice.

I’ve read a review or two that make loose comparisons to Neko Case, and I suppose fans of one could likely gravitate to the other. Musically the two are not entirely analogous, but as with Case there is an undefinable quality to Bulat’s voice that is completely disarming and impossible to ignore. I wish I could explain it. If I could I’d probably be a lot better at this whole music critiquing thing. All I know is it’s impossible to listen to Heart Of My Own and not be totally enraptured and enamored (for me, anyway, but like I said; I have a huge crush on her).

I mean, just look at that video up there at the start of this post. I think at our very core humans are simple creatures; I could be wrong, but I think we all just want someone to sing us love songs. And that is a goddamn gorgeous love song.

 

 Basia Bulat - Gold Rush [3:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - the Shore [4:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - Touch The Hem Of His Garment [1:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can purchase Heart Of My Own from Secret City Records (in Canada), Rough Trade (UK etc), and iTunes.

I’ve been looking forward to Bulat’s upcoming Saskatoon show since summer, when she was the first main stage performer of the entire Regina Folk Festival. Her presence was simultaneously demure and authoritative, her voice carrying over the fenced-off park and drawing those that had arrived early closer and closer. I can’t wait to experience the intimacy of her performance from a tiny stage instead of a grand one. Canadian tour dates follow!

Feb 02, 2010 - Kingston ON
Wed Feb 03, 2010 - Peterborough ON
Thu Feb 04, 2010 - London ON
Fri Feb 05, 2010 - Orillia ON
Sat Feb 06, 2010 - Guelph ON
Sun Feb 07, 2010 - Hamilton ON
Wed Feb 10, 2010 - Halifax NS
Thu Feb 11, 2010 - Halifax NS
Fri Feb 12, 2010 - Montreal QC
Sat Feb 13, 2010 - Ottawa ON
Thu Feb 25, 2010 - Winnipeg MB
Sat Feb 27, 2010 - Saskatoon SK
Tue Mar 02, 2010 - Calgary AB
Wed Mar 03, 2010 - Edmonton AB
Fri Mar 05, 2010 - Vancouver BC

Pat entries acoustic, Basia Bulat, Canadian content, crushes, folk, love songs

Regardless of your opinion on the line-up this year (and it was a good one), the 40th edition of the Regina Folk Festival will go down in history as the most successful edition of Western Canada’s longest-running music festival yet.

The first inklings came in right away. The much-adored-by-us Ontario singer/songwriter Basia Bulat was the weekend’s first headlining act and her performance hinted at the brilliance that was to come. She’s a tiny, charming woman and her personality was on full display as she took the stage without any accompaniment, leaving her band at home for this trek. She opened with an acoustic guitar that was nearly the same size as her, playing the title track from her forthcoming brand new album (!), Heart Of My Own (out October 6th). The tone of the song fit seamlessly with the cuts from her debut, a wounded but optimistic, folky number that pushed her vocals to the fore.

She played some of the highlights from her first record, including “In The Night” and the proper full-length version of “Before I Knew.” Those songs featured the autoharp, an unusual instrument that is just one of her trademarks. While the cross between an accordion and a harp looks somewhat awkward to play, it was an interesting element that the audience embraced. I’ll admit to an embarrassing act of fandom during “Before I Knew”; given that she didn’t bring a band with her, I decided that someone should provide the syncopated handclaps that are so prominent on the sparse album version of the tune. My brother and several others in the area immediately in front of the stage and Bulat seemed genuinely tickled by the enthusiasm from a crowd that was still trickling into the park.

In all she played three new songs during a set that seemed entirely too short, 45 minutes passing in what seemed like 25. It left me with high hopes; not only for the forthcoming new album but also for the tour date she promised to return to Regina for this fall. I’ll give you three guesses as to who will be the bald guy standing at the front of the stage clapping his hands.

Immediately after her set concluded, the evening’s MC announced that the night’s passes were officially sold out. A cheer went through the crowd, one that would be repeated the following night as well when the same announcement was made. This is noteworthy, as the festival has apparently never sold out two nights in the same weekend. There have been rumblings that Sunday eventually sold out as well, but there’s been no mention of that on the festival’s website.

After a bite to eat (and some drinks to drank) at my current favourite Regina eatery/drinkery we ventured back to the park as the strains of http://www.plantsandanimals.ca/current/?p=5Montreal’s Plants and Animals. They seemed to be extremely well-received by the now-bustling audience, one of the more rock and roll acts tossed into the mix amidst more acoustic/folk performers. They sounded extremely tight over the course of the few songs I caught and definitely lived up to the expectations created by their excellent album Parc Avenue.

Iron & Wine co-headlined Friday night and got a huge response from the capacity crowd, enjoying a cooler summer evening after the sun’s retreat. Sam Beam also wandered out onto the stage with nothing and no one but his acoustic guitar, playing his entire set solo. He seemed to be in good spirits as he opened with the Postal Service cover he’s best known for. He seemed mildly surprised more people weren’t singing along, although a slight call to action took care of that problem very quickly. From where I stood it looked like people were too busy being in awe of him to sing.

His set was lengthy, made more so by the fact that he truncated a lot of the songs, eschewing intros or lengthy bridges and focusing on the lyrics and vocals. He seemed to drift in and out of a constant tempo on several numbers, especially the lengthy “the Trapeze Swinger.” That might’ve been the track I was anticipating most and it didn’t disappoint, Beam’s voice and tempo swelling and contracting to build up the tension provided by the extensive backing band found on the studio version. It was a spare and haunting performance amplified by the smoke/steam/whatever drifting across the stage from its rear. It also showcased one of the most surprising elements of his set: the dude can sing. I’ve always retained my perception from his earliest four-track recordings, that he half-whispers all his songs because he can’t belt it out. That’s decidedly untrue; the guy has a beautiful voice when he sings out and he has even better control over it.

Like most “big” artists that pass through our city, Beam commented on having never been to Regina before. During one of his many tuning breaks between songs, he talked about walking around the city during the day. Heading into one track he stopped abruptly, looked up, and said, “I smell funnel cake.” As the crowd laughed, he seemed genuinely tickled by the development, commenting that usually he only smells pot coming from his audiences.

He played a lot of songs from all aspects of his catalogue in his hour, including “Sodom South Georgia,” “Upward Over The Mountain,” “Woman King” and “Cinder and Smoke.” A sudden decision to play “Radio War” came at the behest of a fan up front, but another call for “Resurrection Fern” fell by the wayside (much to my dismay). He wrapped up with an extremely wonderful take on “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” (my personal favourite), strumming his guitar only occasionally and letting his glorious falsetto ring out over the city’s downtown. It was a powerfully intimate set, the only misstep being a hookless new song that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sadly, that was pretty much the bulk of my Folk Festival experience. I did manage to catch a few tunes from the Deep Dark Woods after my work shift Saturday. They played one of the free “stages” to a crowd I can only describe as huge. Compared to last year’s free performance on the same day by Old Man Luedecke where there was 30 people, the couple of hundred that jammed in between the trees in Vic Park’s north-east section seemed like a veritable ocean of humanity. It was nice to see; those guys deserve it.

For perspectives on the rest of the festival, you can check out the local paper, the Prairie Dog (though a proper review will likely appear in their print version), and CBC3’s coverage. If you catch any other reviews out there, be sure to let us know in the comments.

 

 K-Os - I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman [3:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Plants & Animals - Bye Bye Be [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Iron & Wine - Upward Over The Mountain [4:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Once again, click the link that is the specific artist’s name for purchasing links. Also, visit the Folk Festival’s website for more on the best weekend of the year every year.

Pat entries Basia Bulat, Canadian content, Iron and Wine, K-Os, Plants and Animals, Regina Folk Festival, Socalled, Volcanoless in Canada

Get psyched Regina! It’s the greatest time of the year once again, our extremely wonderfully-booked and comparatively-tiny Folk Festival is moving in on the park near my house again!

Live reviews will follow for the next couple of days (mostly the smaller, free shows since I could only afford passes for Friday’s main stage show), but here’s a run-down of where you need to be and when in order to see the acts I’m anticipating most!

For easy reference I’m cribbing from the festival program: free stages are annotated as #1, #2, and #3. The first is in the south-west quadrant of Victoria Park, the second is in the north-east, and the third is actually outside the park on the Scarth Street Mall. Let’s go!

Basia Bulat
The Ontario songstress is big in Europe (as far as I know) but she’ll be a big presence in Regina this weekend. Check out our review of her debut album, Oh My Darling, right here. One of the best releases of last year and, according to Tanis, she’s a pistol in a live setting.
Free stages: songwriter showcase on “Songs of Home”, 1:30pm Saturday (#3); songwriter showcase on “Travel Songs,” 3:15pm Saturday (#2)
Main stage: Friday, 7:00pm

the Deep Dark Woods
Yeah, these guys are going to be tired by the end of Saturday night. They’re playing THREE shows on the free stages in the afternoon and a teaser set on the main stage and then another full set at the after-party. Seriously, don’t miss these guys. They’re world-class songwriters hiding in our own backyard. More on their latest album Winter Hours in this post.
Free stages: songwriter showcase with Saskatchewan artists, 12:4pm Saturday; songwriter showcase on “Travel Songs,” 3:15pm Saturday; full set, 4:30pm Saturday (#2)
After party: 12:30am Saturday night/Sunday morning, the Legion on Cornwall Street
Main stage: teaser set, 9:10pm Saturday

Ghost Bees
They may not be telepathic, but as we’re both twins I feel a certain psychic connection to the Lightman sisters (not really). Regardless, these two make sounds that are as creepy as they are beautiful. Mandolin alert!
Free stages: songwriter showcase on “Broken Love Songs”, 4:00pm Saturday (#3); full set, 1:45pm Sunday (#2); songwriter showcase on “Story Songs,” 2:45pm Sunday (#2); songwriter showcase on “Water,” 4:00pm Sunday (#3)
Main stage: teaser set, 6:50pm Saturday

Matt Goud
Regina’s version of a hardcore hero turned acoustic troubadour. If you haven’t already he’s worth hearing.
Free stages: full set, 11:30am Saturday (#3); songwriter showcase on “Broken Love Songs”, 4:00pm Saturday (#3); songwriter showcase for local artists, 12:45pm Sunday (#3); songwriter showcase on “Making a Stand,” 2:00pm Sunday (#1)
Main stage: teaser set, 6:50pm Sunday

Iron & Wine
Duh. Come on. Co-headlining Friday night. Check this post for more on Sam Beam, from which you can listen to “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” the single most-played track we’ve ever featured on this site. Yes, it probably is because of Twilight.
Main stage: Friday, 9:45pm

Dave Lang
A wry, tongue-in-cheek singer-songwriter and local musical magnate that doesn’t play often enough for my liking. Emcee on the main stage Saturday, but catch him doing a songwriting showcase on Sunday for nothing at 3:15.

Andy Shauf
Modesty is a curious thing. It comes to some as second nature, and Andy Shauf is a great example of that. The dude was writing songs for like six years or something before he even bothered to tell anyone. Now he’s got his first LP up for sale across the world and it’s good.
Free stages: songwriter showcase on “Songs of Home”, 1:30pm Saturday (#3); full set, 3:15pm Saturday (#1); songwriter showcase for local artists, 12:45pm Sunday (#3); songwriter showcase on “Making a Stand,” 2:00pm Sunday (#1)
Main stage: teaser set, 9:55pm Sunday

Socalled
This dude is crazy. He’s a Quebecer that can and has done pretty much everything there is when it comes to music and I’m not exaggerating. He programs MIDI instruments and plays accordion with equal fervor. Free shows: Remix 40 set, 11:30am Saturday (#1); songwriter showcase on “Radio 3 Wishes,” 2:45pm Saturday (#3); songwriter showcase on “Fat Beats and Funky Rhymes,” 11:30am Sunday (#1); songwriter showcase on “Global Electronica,” 4:00pm Sunday (#2); magic show on the kid’s stage, 2:30pm Sunday
Main stage: 8:15pm Sunday

Volcanoless In Canada
One of Saskatchewan’s best-kept secrets. Triple-guitar’d, energetic pop rock that spans a ton of genres. Super-tight! Just released a new album to boot.
Free shows: songwriter showcase for local artists, 12:45pm Saturday (#2); songwriter showcase for local artists, 12:45pm Sunday (#3); full set, 1:45pm Sunday (#3)

the Wailers
My biggest regret! If I could afford to get a weekend pass I would’ve just so I could see these guys. We may not do a talk a lot about reggae on this site but you can’t argue with the legacy of this band.
Main stage: 10:40pm, Saturday

 

 Andy Shauf - Your Heart [2:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Deep Dark Woods - the Gallows [4:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Volcanoless In Canada - She Moves [2:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Dave Lang - I Like Roads [3:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - I Was A Daughter [2:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So much awesome! Click on band names for purchasing links!

Pat entries Andy Shauf, Basia Bulat, Canadian content, Dave Lang, Folk Festival, Ghost Bees, Iron & Wine, Matt Goud, Regina, Saskatchewan, Socalled, the Deep Dark Woods, the Wailers, Volcanoless in Canada

There are always too many options at Canadian Music Week and SXSW and NXNE, but don’t worry.

You’ve just gotta explore your options, look at what you think you want, then throw yourself at it in the hopes that it’ll be good. I learned a valuable lesson at CMW this year: with Elliott Brood on the bill, you never have to hope.

They performed a CMW showcase at Lee’s Palace last Saturday and put every other act on the bill to absolute shame. So much so that headliners Cuff the Duke apologized in advance for not being as awesome as Elliott Brood. OK. Not quite. But Wayne Petti did thank the “extrememly hard to follow Elliott Brood.” For their part, Cuff the Duke played extremely well. They’re almost ready to release a new album and I’m gonna be right there to buy it. That said, it was just Elliott Brood’s night.

It was ridiculous - no, INSANE - they way they brought the house down. From the second Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet and Steve Pitkin bounced onstage to play their set of country death metal songs, we were at their command. They just killed it. Just put their heads down and bashed out a solid set of murder ballads, angry, scratchy country laments and plain ol’ rock n’ roll.

Back in the day, Pat and I were roommates in Brandon, Manitoba. He rescued me from a hellishly hot, stanky attic apartment that I shared with at least one mouse. When we moved in together, I was taking part in a mix tape exchange. For one exchange, I made a disc of murder ballads and got Pat to pose for my CD cover.

Thanks, Pat! Mighty fine blood you got goin’ on there.

Elliott Brood’s Mountain Meadows is an album of murder ballads based on the Mountain Meadows Massacre of Sept. 11 1857, when the Mormon militia, disguised as Natives, attacked the Fancher-Baker emigrant wagon train in the Utah territory.

Mark Twain wrote about the massacre in Roughing It: “The whole United States rang with its horrors.” 

A large party of Mormons, painted and tricked out as Indians, overtook the train of emigrent wagons some three hundred miles south of Salt Lake City, and made an attack. But the emigrants threw up earthworks, made fortresses of their wagons, and defended themselves gallantly and successfully for five days! Your Missouri or Arkansas gentleman is not much afraid of the sort of scurvy apologies for “Indians” which the southern part of Utah affords. He would stand up and fight five hundred of them. At the end of the five days the Mormons tried military strategy. They retired to the upper end of the ‘Meadows,’ resumed civilized apparel, washed off their paint, and then, heavily armed, drove down in wagons to the beleagured emigrants, bearing a flag of truce! When the emigrants saw white men coming they threw down their guns and welcomed them with cheer after cheer….”

And then, they were slaughtered. About 120 men and women were executed there, their bodies left out in the open, their bones scattered across the plains.

I’ve always had a fascination with death. Maybe that’s where my love of murder ballads comes from. The militia left about 17 children from the group alive. They were raised in the Mormon faith, where it was assumed they would not remember what happened. Elliot Brood’s Mountain Meadows doesn’t really get into the gory details of this fight. But it wonders what happened to the survivors. There’s talk of bones and graves and schoolyards and memories. All things you need to write really good murder ballads.

Beyond that, these guys have something else going for them: Showmanship. They dress in dark suits and collared shirts. They remind me, simultaneously, of morticians and gangsters; Proper, but foreboding. It’s like going to a raucous funeral.

Casey Laforet, wearing head-to-toe black, sat crouched on a stool and launched into a song, punctuating his frantic, furious guitar-playing (and he’s doing double duty on bass pedals) with wild headbanging, shouts and yelps. Steve Pitkin storms in and keeps things chugging along with meaty thumps and stomps. Meanwhile Mark Sasso (who, it must be said, bears an uncanny resemblance to Stephen Harper with dark hair) stood, tall and intimidating, strumming the banjo, the guitar and yes, the ukulele, and letting loose with an unholy wail of a voice that sounds like Brian Johnson ate Bryan Adams and washed it down with a glass of Tom Waits.

Near the end of their set, they handed out baking sheets and wooden spoons and encouraged the crowd to bang on them at the appropriate moments. Those moments came during the song Write It All Down For You and people pounded along and it all sounded so fine. The evening coalesced right then. It was the perfect moment. Everybody was along for the ride for their entire set. I only wish it had went on longer.

Basia Bulat played the bill at Lee’s last Saturday too. She had a lot of technical difficulties, especially with a troublesome ukulele. It was a sweet, small little thing, perfectly made and nice. Just like Basia Bulat. But when she went to plug it in, it wouldn’t work and she started losing the crowd. Enter Elliott Brood’s lead singer, Mark Sasso. He gallantly let her borrow his ukulele. (I know. Two groups with multiple ukuleles. It’s way better than I’m making it sound.) She picked it up. It was bigger than hers, rough and black and scratched and nicked. It looked dirty and broken, but it sounded sweet when she played it and it worked perfectly for her. You can draw your own conclusion here, but I’ll draw one too: Elliott Brood may not be pretty or perfect-looking, but they are not fucking around. When they play, shit does not dare go wrong. YOU HEAR THAT UKULELE?

Often, the most morbid tales are the ones told in a fast-paced, energetic way. You can’t listen to Ralph Stanley croon Pretty Polly or Johnny Cash romp through Cocaine Blues without learning that. Like the man in black himself, this band lays down some potent music that stays with you. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since I saw them.

They play like the hounds of hell are on their heels. They’re taking you down dark, twisty roads and they’re taking you there at a dangerous, breakneck pace. It’s breathtaking and exciting.

It’s like waking up in the middle of the night when you’re camping and you really have to pee and you play that game with yourself where you tell yourself there’s nothing out there in the woods. You can totally get up and take a piss real quick, then be back in your warm sleeping back before you even know it. Except in Elliott Brood’s songs, there IS something out there. It’s crouched in the brush and it can’t wait to gut you. It’s licking a knife right now…

I have a hard time making best of lists and stuff, but Mountain Meadows is on my list of best albums of 2008, so you should buy it and try to see this band live if you can. They’re at SXSW this week before they head back to Canada for Juno Fest in Vancouver on March 27 (They’re nominated for best roots/traditional album and best CD design) They’ll be back in their native Ontari-ari-o May 1 for a gig at The Gig Music Hall in Kitchener.

Elliott Brood albums can be purchased at Six Shooter or their personal website. You can also listen in at their myspace.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

EDITOR’S NOTE: I love these dudes. So much so I added another song, the amazing first track “Fingers and Tongues.”

Tanis entries Basia Bulat, Canadian content, CMW, Elliot Brood, Junos, murder ballads, SXSW, Toronto

12. Shad - the Old Prince
Was 2008 a banner year for Canadian hip-hop? I don’t know. I don’t know what it would take for Canadian hip-hop to have a good year, but I suspect that the simple fact that at least five rap albums were released over the year would show that it was a pretty good one. While former Pitchfork writer Rollie Pemberton’s Cadence Weapon project got most of the attention and acclaim, more consistent and entertaining artists like Buck 65 and Shad fell somewhat by the wayside. Shad made a play for attention by inexplicably remaking the intro to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with his excellent single “the Old Prince Lives At Home.” That track is a bit of an anomaly though, as the number of love-lorn, world-weary, introspective think pieces on the album are far more prevalent. For me the standout is “I Heard You Had A Voice Like An Angel/Psalm 137,” wherein a sombre, almost defeated-sounding Shad laments the impact of the music business on talented black performers. The gorgeous musical arrangement (featuring Shad’s underrated guitar playing) fits perfectly with the heartbreaking and understated delivery, a perfect example of the depth and candor he’s capable of. The two tracks are excellent counterpoints and in a year where mainstream hip-hop was virtually non-existent (aside from Lil’ Wayne) it’s artists like Shad that make me hopeful for the future.

11. Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
This terrific debut LP from the Ontario singer-songwriter with the unusual name struck a chord with me from the first time I heard the opening track. While “Before I Knew” was later reprised in it’s full, expanded form on a 7″ single (with a great Sam Cooke cover on the A-side), the version that opens this album is the perfect introduction to an artist the entire nation has slept on for too long. Leading into “I Was A Daughter,” without a doubt one of the finest tracks of the year, shows the value of attentive sequencing. After that one-two punch you’re hooked and you won’t want to stop listening until the end. While it may seem like folk artists have exhausted the genre’s ideas, songs as well-constructed as these aren’t rote by any stretch of the imagination.

10. Hold Steady - Stay Positive
They may never again reach the dizzying heights of Boys and Girls In America, but this bands second-best is still superior to most of what’s out there. While choruses are more prevalent and Craig Finn is even taking singing lessons, the changes are subtle enough to make for a smooth transition. If you can get past “Constructive Summer” without smiling, playing a little air guitar, or sing-talking along then you may not have a soul.

The Old Prince is available at your local music store (if you’re Canadian), sometimes through CDBaby, and iTunes.
Oh, My Darling is available through iTunes and Rough Trade
Stay Positive exceeds the hyperbole; find it on the web and iTunes

Pat entries Basia Bulat, Best of, Buck 65, Cadence Weapon, folk, hip hop, Hold Steady, indie rock, rap, rock, Sam Cooke, Shad, Stay Positive, the Old Prince

 Come on Canada; stop listening to that goddamn Colbie Caillat song. Just because Universal Music Group thinks she’s marketable doesn’t mean she’s good Can/Con. You need a woman with real talent singing real songs that mean something. You need Basia Bulat.

The Canadian music scene is an a really weird place right now in a lot of ways. One of them is outlined in this excellent Exclaim! article called, “Importing Our Own.” The genesis is this: at a time when the world is paying more attention than ever to Canadian (independent) music, the instances of home-grown success stories are few and far between. Nine times out of ten, noteworthy acts are technically being imported into Canada because we don’t have a comparable label/distribution sector to the UK or U.S. so we end up having our most revered groups signing there. Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Born Ruffians, Junior Boys, Germans, and Tokyo Police Club all now fall into that category (though TPC did get their buzz up via Paper Bag Records, a Canadian label). In the case of Junior Boys and Born Ruffians, those groups were getting offers from UK labels while at the same time being completely ignored by the Canadian industry. The Ruffians couldn’t even get anyone to put out their first single. Then they signed to one of the UK’s biggest labels.

Basia Bulat falls into the same category. She recorded her first LP, Oh, My Darling, last year in Ontario with no label support or interest. Her producer sent a copy to Geoff Travis, head of London’s Rough Trade label/store, usually considered one of independent music’s more influential labels. He signed her immediately. Only a few months after that happened did Canada’s Hardwood Records come sniffing and the record was put out last year.

Oh, My Darling is bookended by shorter songs that strip bare the instrumentation that fills out the songs in between, both introducing and cementing the real selling point: her voice. Slightly flinty and sultry, lilting and gentle at times but capable of largeness when needed. “I Was A Daughter” is the standout of the record in my mind, where a galloping rhythm of drums and handclaps races alongside Bulat’s autoharp (you might recognize it from the Carter family recordings if you’re not a huge folkie), culminating in a dizzying, swirling, melodic climax marked by insistent violins and soaring vocals. A gorgeous opening hat trick is completed by the sparse and somber, “Little Waltz,’ carried by a simple acoustic guitar figure and a sorrowful string section. The piano-driven “Snakes and Ladders” and the upbeat “In The Night” are also highlights, and the entire second half is weaved together masterfully.

Her low profile seems odd to me, given that Canada generally embraces folkier acts. The Great Lake Swimmers, the Hidden Cameras (also on Rough Trade), Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson, Chad VanGaalen (at times)…all have achieved some level of notoriety and acclaim by working within the Canadian system. But Bulat’s material is equally as engaging and gorgeous, and in some cases (see below) even more accessible and “pop” than most of those group’s material. But I guess every once in a while those that are deserving of our attention and praise fall through the cracks.Hopefully that won’t happen to Basia Bulat. Do your part by checking out these songs!

 

 Basia Bulat - I Was A Daughter [2:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - In The Night [2:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A startlingly good debut album that can be purchased from:

iTunes: with exclusive bonus track
Beggars USA: for Americans
Canada: Hardwood doesn’t have a real website, even…so maybe amazon or a local store?

Pat entries Basia Bulat, Canadian content, foreign labels, pop music