RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #19
As it’s the season for giving, we’ve put together a special bumper edition of The Maple Leaf Roundup, bringing you not five but ten - yes, ten! - new tracks from our copaines Canadiens. Think of it as an early Christmas gift - a mellifluous mixtape of must-hears you might not have otherwise met.
Let’s rock, shall we? Toronto’s David Newberry released his fantastic seven-song LP, As Far Away As You Can Go Without Coming Back, at the end of October and, though he didn’t find his way into our last roundup, the record has since become a slow-burning fast friend. From the blistering Killers-esque opener ‘Afterthought’, through the balladry of ‘Gone’, to the cinematic sprawl of ‘The Luckiest Man On The Face Of The Earth’, there’s a vitality and immediacy to proceedings. This is surprising when you learn that the record was recorded over a four-year period at a time when Newberry was convinced he’d retired. What a relief he turned out to be wrong.
And while those valves in the amp are still warm, let’s turn to Scenic Route To Alaska from Edmonton, Alberta, who may be known to regular RGM readers for their work as part of Colleen Brown’s Major Love. The indie rock trio have recently released their sixth LP, Time For Yourself, which is a barnstorming, guitar-jangling affair from start to finish. The single of the same name highlights the importance and benefits of self-care. We recommend you be good to yourself by checking out its gleefully immature video and then indulging in some dressing-up games of your own. Then, have a crack at the album, once you’ve stopped giggling, that is.
Speaking of child’s play, for the last fortnight my four-year-old daughter has done nothing but request repeat plays of ‘New Age Faces’, the latest single by Gabrielle Papillon (or, as we refer to her: “that lady with the purple hair”). The song explores the idea of the individual as distinct from the herd, neatly illustrated by the dance troupe in its accompanying video. And, from a purely musical perspective, you just can’t beat a bit of key-change magic. The track is taken from the Halifax-based singer-songwriter’s 2019 LP, ‘Shout’, a controlled but enchanting collection of smart-pop curios - imagine Suzanne Vega fronting Haim and you’ll be getting close.
We’re drawn across to Montreal next and the sublime, laid back folk coolness of Leif Vollebekk, who recently released a double single that couples an original ‘Long Blue Light’ with a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘29 #Strafford APTS’. The former marries Vollebekk’s own guitar and violin lines with Cindy Cashdollar’s exquisite Dobro to incredibly soothing effect, while the hazy hymnal of the latter foregrounds piano, thickly layered vocals and cuddly bass. You could waste time being jealous of such beautifully-honed multi-instrumental talents or you could just do what I’ve done - embrace him as your new favourite musical genius. I’m off to investigate the back catalogue…
Photographer: Simon Pelletier
Right. I’m back now, just in time to tell you about Toronto’s Loryn Taggart who, having already won awards and released her debut EP early in 2020, is now working on her first full-length record, due for Spring 2021. The rustic, acoustic strum of current single, ‘The River’, is pitched against shimmering strings and Taggart’s close, velvety voice, as she charts the rise and fall of a relationship. The big surprise is the contrast of the song’s eccentric, Feistian coda, with its repeated affirmation “I can swim without him”. It gives the song’s resignation a parting shot of hope and self-belief, elevating it well beyond your average tearjerker.
But while you have the Kleenex at hand, the heart-tugging country-pop trio Petric will make sure they’re put to good use. Their slickly-produced, pedal-steel-plastered single ‘If I Was Your Man’ features an obscenely huge orchestra, and has the words Nashville and megahit written all over it. Though the Manitoban band have been on the scene since 2014, their debut album, Flashbacks, is only due to emerge this coming January. But, with a string of chart hits and accolades already under their cowhide belts, the boys are surely poised for very big things; that is, once we’re all back in the habit of side-by-side stadium-swaying, lighters raised aloft.
Promo Photo by Emilie Hebert
Put your lighters away now and return with us to Montreal for some pop of a decidedly darker nature, courtesy of Emi Jeen. The arresting video for her latest single ‘Other Side’ is a companion piece to director Aude Guivarc’h’s similarly intense interpretation of ‘Holy Water’, released a few months back. Both are taken from Emi Jeen’s current five-song EP, which is packed with sharp-edged, dancefloor gothica. Rarely has the dissection of destructive relationships felt so euphoric and seldom does the excavation of emotion make one feel such an urgent need to bust a move. It’s to Emi Jeen’s credit that she has taken some years to find her voice as a solo artist, having enjoyed unexpected success with A.K.A. in 2012 when the band’s single ‘Hot For Me’ was included in the videogame Just Dance 4. I feel I must add that I only know what this is because I have small children.
PHOTO CREDIT: KATHERINE KWAN
Now, cast your mind back to 2019, you know, to the Before Times. Back then, in Winnipeg, acoustic singer-songwriter Dylan MacDonald (aka Field Guide) released a beautiful, four-song EP - Full Time - praise for which lies in the RGM reviews archive. Having snuck out another EP in the summer of 2020, Field Guide’s latest release is a similarly downbeat but equally disarming two-song affair. The close vocal and crumbling guitars of ‘If I Keep Seeing You’ lay at the centre of one of those smart, exposed arrangements where the drums only properly engage at the three minute mark, leaving McDonald’s heart-meltingly intimate delivery perfectly exposed. In contrast, the reflective ‘A Memory’ is more straight ahead but no less affecting. The tracks, representing the first releases from a recent fifteen-song recording session, promise much for the future.
If you find yourself in need of a bit of cradling - and let’s face it, we all do from time to time - then allow yourself to be gathered up by ‘In My Arms’, the latest single from Calgary’s S. K. Wellington (aka Sarah Kemmers). A warmer and more divine thing you will be hard pressed to find, unless, of course, someone has just handed you a solid gold flask of molten chocolate. Kemmers’ unmatchable voice soothes and soars on this lovingly, lushly arranged song, which celebrates the joy and security of holding tight while reminding us of the importance of letting go, when the time comes. Blimey, where’s that box of tissues gone? I think there’s something in my eye…
Sorry about that. We close now with the irresistible, easy-going guitars of ‘Troy’, the latest single from London, Ontario quartet Lost In Japan, who last visited us back in Maple Leaf #4. It’s a catchy musical snapshot encouraging us to live in the moment - with a tiny sprinkling of Greek myth for good measure. ‘Troy’ wins this edition’s prize for most infectious drum groove; it’s a prize I’ve only just invented but one that could well become a mainstay of the ‘Leaf. The song follows ‘Ego’, released earlier in the year, and the chaps are promising to follow-up their self-titled 2018 LP with a brand new five-song EP in the new year. So there’s a Christmas wish granted.
Phew, what a bulging sack of treats! 2020 would certainly have been bleaker (if that’s possible), were it not for the little musical love notes we receive from the songmakers of Canada on a regular basis. And for each and every one of them, we are most thankful. It’s such a pleasure to curate the Maple Leaf for you, dear reader, and it’s a comfort to know there’s plenty more to come in 2021. If you can’t wait that long, more Canadian goodness can be found in RGM’s reviews section, including extra-fabulous releases by Leith Ross, Scott Cook and Evangeline Gentle, among others.
The Maple Leaf 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.