WOW.
That was the first thought I had when this track started up midway through John Moreland's latest album, LP5 (coincidentally his fifth). "Terrestrial" just unfurls over the course of its near-four-minute runtime, beginning with an acoustic guitar alone before it's joined by the bass, drums, electric guitar and a piano.
OH THAT PIANO.
So wonderfully recorded - you get the warmth of the low notes and the sparkle of those chords the right hand is forming. Focusing on just the piano on this track is a rewarding exercise, particularly when it goes on a little vamp at the 2:41 mark in the upper registers of the keyboard. Plus there's friggin' percussive clapping flitting around those notes.
AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED ABOUT MORELAND'S VOICE.
Did you ever have an old blanket that was thick, a little bit coarse and not the best to snuggle up in but damn if it wasn't the perfect thing to pull over your legs on a cool evening outdoors? Maybe you kept it in the trunk of your car for a picnic or an emergency? That's Moreland's voice - it's not fleece soft, but it is secure and comforting nonetheless. I can picture taking a drive out of the city, pulling out that blanket to cover up with my back against a tree and a view of the stars in the night sky with "Terrestrial" wafting out of the open window.
This is one of those perfect songs and is a front runner for my favourite of 2020.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Friday, January 31, 2020
Testiculo Y Uno - "Wasabi Terraces"
Honestly, the entirety of Two, by Testiculo Y Uno is worth a listen, but if you need a taste of the beat-tape before you consume the entire thing, start with "Wasabi Terraces." It's from the first half of the album, produced by Twit One.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Immaculate Beings - "Come In (Space Control)"
I'm not sure which of The Immaculate Beings - Trevor, Griffin, Joe, Christian, Casey, Staurie or Michael is the one singing this song, but what a great showcase for their voice. Particularly when they ascend on "I'm an extra-terrestrial human" and during the scoop and drop on "come in space control / is there anybody there." It's a gymnastic line they hit like Simone Biles.
The entirety of Mental Space is worth a listen as the band "promote the importance of self-love, self-care, and self-validation through their music" and "create a safe space that reuminds you how much you matter in this world. You are so loved."
As I post this, the day happens to be a corporate-sponsored national discussion of mental health in Canada, but as I am learning, every day is the right day to talk about these things and this record might help.
The entirety of Mental Space is worth a listen as the band "promote the importance of self-love, self-care, and self-validation through their music" and "create a safe space that reuminds you how much you matter in this world. You are so loved."
As I post this, the day happens to be a corporate-sponsored national discussion of mental health in Canada, but as I am learning, every day is the right day to talk about these things and this record might help.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Veronica Fusaro - "Rollercoaster"
The nice thing about taking a break over the holidays is coming back to the station and finding some great new tunes in my inbox as I play catch-up.
Swiss songwriter Veronica Fusaro's Sunkissed EP is pretty solid front-to-back, but lead off track "Rollercoaster" is an inside-the-park homer. It's just so ebullient and speeds along at a pace that will take your breath away.
It's a contemporary recording that draws on the classic sound of soul music in a way that Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse have achieved and you can practically hear the smile on Fusaro's face as she belts her way through the song.
Swiss songwriter Veronica Fusaro's Sunkissed EP is pretty solid front-to-back, but lead off track "Rollercoaster" is an inside-the-park homer. It's just so ebullient and speeds along at a pace that will take your breath away.
It's a contemporary recording that draws on the classic sound of soul music in a way that Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse have achieved and you can practically hear the smile on Fusaro's face as she belts her way through the song.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Top 20 of 2019
So....
about the longlist.
Normally I do several posts detailing the entirety of the longlist of albums I considered for my year-end Top 20, but I'll be honest, the demands on my time over the holidays was just too much to carve out time for the entire 180 that were great but not-quite greatest. I did post about the ones that were cut last (and clearly from the title, hoped to chronicle the rest).
I was also away over New Years' so I failed to post my Top 20 in concert with the countdown show on UMFM, so here now is the rundown/recap:
*** IMPORTANT UPDATE ***
I shared my longlist with longtime friend Donna Lowe and she created a Spotify playlist so even though there's no blog entries for the entirety of the albums I considered, you can (provided you use Spotify) listen to selections from all the titles that are available within their service.
about the longlist.
Normally I do several posts detailing the entirety of the longlist of albums I considered for my year-end Top 20, but I'll be honest, the demands on my time over the holidays was just too much to carve out time for the entire 180 that were great but not-quite greatest. I did post about the ones that were cut last (and clearly from the title, hoped to chronicle the rest).
I was also away over New Years' so I failed to post my Top 20 in concert with the countdown show on UMFM, so here now is the rundown/recap:
20. Hania Rani - Esja
[Gondwana]
19. Ryan Dugre - The Humors
[Birdwatcher]
18. The Quiet Temple - The
Quiet Temple [Point of Departure]
17. Carlton Jumel Smith - 1634
Lexington Avenue [Timmion]
16. Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz
[Self-Released]
15. Aldous Harding - Designer
[4AD]
14. Moonchild - Little Ghost
[Tru Thoughts]
13. Ryan Porter - Force For
Good [World Galaxy]
12. Bedouine - Bird Songs Of A
Killjoy [Spacebomb]
11. Theo Croker - Star People
Nation [Sony Masterworks]
10. Helado Negro - This Is How
You Smile [RVNG Intl]
09. Jamila Woods - Legacy!
Legacy! [Jagjaguwar]
08. The Comet Is Coming - Trust
In The Lifeforce of The Great Mystery [Impulse]
07. Sharon Van Etten - Remind
Me Tomorrow [Jagjaguwar]
06. Andrew Bird - My Finest
Work Yet [Loma Vista]
05. American Football - LP3
[Polyvinyl]
04. Royal Canoe - Waver
[Paper Bag]
03. Julia Jacklin - Crushing
[Polyvinyl]
02. Resavoir - Resavoir
[International Anthem]
01. Maggie Rogers - Heard It In
A Past Life [Capitol]
*** IMPORTANT UPDATE ***
I shared my longlist with longtime friend Donna Lowe and she created a Spotify playlist so even though there's no blog entries for the entirety of the albums I considered, you can (provided you use Spotify) listen to selections from all the titles that are available within their service.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
2019 Longlist Part 1
It's that time of year again. I just finished whittling an extremely long longlist down to my Top 20 albums - which I'll be revealing on December 31st on UMFM as part of the 15th annual countdown show that Station Manager Jared McKetiak and I host.
But before that, I'll be posting the rest of the albums I considered before arriving at that Top 20. Pivoting from how I've done it in prior years, where the longlist has been somewhat randomized, or alphabetized, the first post this year carries a touch more weight than the rest. THESE are the final 10 records I removed from consideration. And while they are not presented in a rank order below, if I was doing a Top 30 these are the titles that would occupy the 21-30 spots. I was particularly hard-pressed to cut these ones and it came down to the wire.
Consider these my most honourable mentions.
**Where possible I have linked to the Bandcamp for these artists so you can support them directly if you dig the preview tune. Not every artist has a page though, so you'll get the occasional Soundcloud and Youtube link.
Tiny Ruins - Olympic Girls [Milk! Records]
The Cactus Blossoms - Easy Way [Walkie Talkie]
Haviah Mighty - 13th Floor [Self-Released]
Sudan Archives - Athena [Stones Throw]
Emma Elisabeth - Melancholic Milkshake [Ferryhouse]
Black Pumas - Black Pumas [ATO Records]
Joel Ross - KingMaker [Blue Note]
Durand Jones & The Indications - American Love Call [Dead Oceans]
SPAZA - SPAZA [Mushroom Hour Half Hour]
Sarah Tandy - Infection in the Sentence [Jazz re:freshed]
But before that, I'll be posting the rest of the albums I considered before arriving at that Top 20. Pivoting from how I've done it in prior years, where the longlist has been somewhat randomized, or alphabetized, the first post this year carries a touch more weight than the rest. THESE are the final 10 records I removed from consideration. And while they are not presented in a rank order below, if I was doing a Top 30 these are the titles that would occupy the 21-30 spots. I was particularly hard-pressed to cut these ones and it came down to the wire.
Consider these my most honourable mentions.
**Where possible I have linked to the Bandcamp for these artists so you can support them directly if you dig the preview tune. Not every artist has a page though, so you'll get the occasional Soundcloud and Youtube link.
Tiny Ruins - Olympic Girls [Milk! Records]
The Cactus Blossoms - Easy Way [Walkie Talkie]
Haviah Mighty - 13th Floor [Self-Released]
Sudan Archives - Athena [Stones Throw]
Emma Elisabeth - Melancholic Milkshake [Ferryhouse]
Black Pumas - Black Pumas [ATO Records]
Joel Ross - KingMaker [Blue Note]
Durand Jones & The Indications - American Love Call [Dead Oceans]
SPAZA - SPAZA [Mushroom Hour Half Hour]
Sarah Tandy - Infection in the Sentence [Jazz re:freshed]
Thursday, December 5, 2019
ephemerals - "Electricity"
This second taste of forthcoming LP The Third Eye from European duo ephemerals has a beautiful feeling of yearning as singer Wolfgang Valbrun intones "if you want it to be" repeatedly as the music fades out.
Looking forward to hearing the rest of this when it drops on Jalapeno Records on January 10th, 2020.
Looking forward to hearing the rest of this when it drops on Jalapeno Records on January 10th, 2020.
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