RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #11
If you’re feeling the November chill, there are few better ways to warm your winter-wary bones than to cosy up with a hot cup of Canadiana. The best new bands and balladeers of Canada continue to throw out little sonic gems and, once more, we find ourselves spoilt for choice as we bring you the latest cluster of musical magic that is the Maple Leaf Roundup.
We begin with the irresistible skiffley loveliness that is Midnight Vesta, whose terrific new single ‘Complicated Pony’ dresses an upbeat, acoustic shuffle in Dylanesque harmonica and positively Darlingsidian harmonies. The Toronto-based band are currently touring Canada’s east coast before unleashing their brand new album. And if you can’t wait that long, may we recommend a dip into the band’s equally good back catalogue.
Over in Vancouver, Laura Reznek reveals herself to be a singer-songwriter in a class of her own with the sumptuous ‘You Are Bad’ - and a song so dripping in regret has surely never sounded so delectable. Reznek’s vocal is particularly haunting here and the piano-led waltz is adorned with clacky percussion and an inventive string part in an exquisite, delicately-held arrangement. And yeah, the video is pretty cool too, though once you’ve seen it pears may never taste quite the same again.
For something altogether more retro, three-piece Most People are on hand with their latest single ‘Need A Little More’, which is a smooth, saxophone-sodden, Hall & Oatesian delight… if you like that sort of thing (which I do). Not since the heyday of Bonnie Tyler have we seen so much dry ice in a music video, so we advise you to approach the accompanying clip with caution. The band released their Call Me Up LP last month, which promises yet more precision fluff for the eighties-obsessed among you.
Photo by Dom Monicka
At the bouncier end of things we find the band Jackie and their latest single ‘Lifetime In A Touch’, the fizz and catchiness of which put me in mind of Paramore’s wonderful After Laughter album. The song, drenched in synth bass, handclaps and sizzling guitars is produced by Hawksley Workman (whose own work I don’t quite get) and he’s earned every cent of whatever he was paid for the gig; it’s a cool pop masterpiece.
Photo credit: Corey Isenor http://coreyjisenor.com/
There’s a hillbilly charm about Union Duke’s new banjo-toting single ‘Atlas of Love’, which I can best describe as Tom Petty fronting Sister Hazel. The veteran band describe themselves as “five ninths city, four ninths country” and there’s an audible chemistry and effortless feelgoodness to what these guys do which is downright infectious. What’s more, - and this is a Maple Leaf first - they are actually coming over to London for the AMA-UK Conference in January, so you needn’t take our word for how cotton-pickin’ good they are.
Photo credit: Robbie Jeffers
Following the Americana thread, we cannot leave without telling you about singer-songwriter Sam Weber, who released his new album Everything Comes True on October 25th and is just finishing up a tour supporting Terra Lightfoot. The album was produced by Tyler Chester and single ‘Blackout’ is a fuzzy comfort blanket of country-flavoured warmth that put me in mind of the mighty Drew Holcomb. The record’s piano-led title track shows another side to the man and together both songs make a strong case that this is a record that really ought to be on your Christmas list.
Alas, dear readers, that is where we must leave things. Hopefully, though, that’s taken the edge off the cold for now at least. Thank you for reading and do be sure to join us next time for another parade of Canadian sounds.
The Maple Leaf Roundup is a Rich Barnard production for Red Guitar Music.
And we’re back! “From whence?” I hear you cry, in your florid way. Back from Canada, of course. We swam all the way, on our backs, our music-loving arms filled with a freshly picked bunch of hot new songs, gifted to us from our creative compadres ‘cross the waves. Imagine that. And we did it all for you.