Music Mondays #7 - Aidan Knight

By Adam Fuhr 

Aidan Knight first came to my attention as "a guy that used to tour with Dan Mangan." I had watched a video of his (the attached one) and showed it to some friends - but that's basically all that I knew about him. A month ago, I bought a ticket to see the Polaris Prize winning band Karkwa - and noticed that Aidan Knight was the opener. The show was last week, I can honestly say that his performance affected me in a way that no other has ever done. I'm glad to say that I now have a signed copy of this month's Music Monday's album, Versicolour.

ARTIST: Aidan Knight

ALBUM: Versicolour

DESCRIPTION: Experimental Folk

BACKGROUND: Hailing from Vancouver, Aidan Knight was until recently known as a "good guy to have as a backup musician". Now, that is changing he has begun to garner well-deserved recognition for his own musical career.

REVIEW: Aidan Knight's live performances are enthralling partially because of both his unassuming demeanor and that he doesn't really look the part of "musician". These factors, of course, aren't directly influential over the quality of the album, but they're nice to keep in mind. Versicolour feels fresh and new or old as the hills, depending on where you drop the proverbial needle (or actually drop the needle, in my case) which makes for a particularly expansive range of experimental folk. "Experimental" and "folk" are not two words that classically go together, and his freedom to explore this genre while sometimes stopping to reign it in that helps keep it interesting. His voice is a force to be reckoned with - like his lyrics, it is so innocent but so powerful. You can listen to (and download) his whole album by setting any price you wish at http://aidanknight.bandcamp.com/album/versicolour.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Knitting Something Nice for You, Jasper

Music Mondays #6 - Library Voices

By Adam Fuhr

In July, my band Eeper Weeper was asked to play a show with a group called Library Voices. Because of various scheduling conflicts, we were forced to decline. Two weeks ago, I decided to check them out anyways - something I consider to be a very good decision. The band is Library Voices, and the album Summer of Lust.

ARTIST: Library Voices

ALBUM: Summer of Lust

DESCRIPTION: Catchy Saskatchewan Indie Pop

BACKGROUND: Regina natives, Library Voices is a seven piece band known for catchy tunes and clever lyrics.
 

REVIEW: You can tell from listening to the first ten seconds of the album that Library Voices are a wonderfully odd group of people - it starts with a John Cleese-like voice informing you that you are beginning the album (a convention that is sustained at the end of the side [vinyl] and then again at the end of the album). The quirkiness is in the lyrics too - there are at least a couple of phrases in songs that would get stuck in your head without the aid of catchy melodies ("reluctant readers make reluctant lovers"). But I think what is most refreshing about this band is that you get the feeling that they are really smart people. The lyrics come of as well traveled, well read, and well cultured, and I enjoy that some of the references go way over my head. I enjoy it because it means no one made them dumb their music down. Overall, this album is catchy, complicated, and Canadian, so you should probably listen to it.


FAVORITE TRACKS: Reluctant Readers Make Reluctant Lovers, If Raymond Carver Were Born in the 90's

Music Mondays #5 - Dan Mangan

by Adam Fuhr

I first heard of Dan Mangan when I listened to part of a Polaris Prize sampler last year, but the one song that I heard (Robots) didn't make much of an immediate impact on me - I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be humorous or was just weird. Fast forward about half a year. I'm looking through a stack of records I've never heard of at a local record store, and am taken in by the striking silhouette of a young Queen Elizabeth on a baby blue background. I purchase it on a whim. I took it home and fell in love with the music - the artist was Dan Mangan, and the album was Nice, Nice, Very Nice.

 

ARTIST: Dan Mangan

ALBUM: Nice, Nice, Very Nice

DESCRIPTION: Charming singer-songwriter/indie folk

BACKGROUND: A Vancouver native, Dan Mangan has been recording music since 2003, but really only began to be noticed in a major way after his nomination for the 2010 Polaris Prize.
 

REVIEW: This album is magical. Mangan's lyrical genius and knack for simple melody shine strong throughout this album - which is well and good, but it's his super-awesome rough-but-smooth voice that takes it over the top. The songs are sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, but always truly honest. This album altered the way that I think about (and write) music - the honesty was shocking and refreshing - and I can't wait for his next album, Oh Fortune, scheduled to come out this September.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Road Regrets, Robots, Sold

- Adam Fuhr

Music Mondays #4 - "Broken Social Scene"

Hey, it's Adam Fuhr again.

Most Canadians have heard, in passing, of Broken Social Scene (I think - after a while of listening to a band it's hard to tell who else knows of them). Today I'm going to write about their self titled album (I guess I'm on a self-titled streak). It is probably the most widely reviewed album that they've had, but it will always be my favorite.

ARTIST: Broken Social Scene

ALBUM: Self Titled

DESCRIPTION: Melodious meandering

BACKGROUND: Broken Social Scene is a Canadian band with as little as six and as many as nineteen members. Many of them are famous for other work - k-os and Fiest have been contributing members - but they refuse the term "Supergroup".

 

REVIEW: First off, I know that this album may not be the definition of accessible. It's melodies are complicated, it's range is wide, and everything within that range is deeply complex. With a closed-minded first listen, one might even call this album messy. But it is anything but (that is a wierd sentence). This album's untidiness doesn't result from a lack of musicianship, but rather from a supreme level of artistic freedom which shines through everywhere. They aren't afraid to experiment, and wonderful things happen because they do. The track "7/4 (Shoreline)" is, yes, in the time signature of 7/4 - which is odd to say the least, but it works. Music of the masses? Maybe not, but that's the fault of the masses.

FAVORITE TRACKS: 7/4 (Shoreline), It's All Gonna Break

Sample or BUY IT:   iTunes  Amazon

Music Monday #2!

by Adam Fuhr

I've been listening to Hey Rosetta! for a couple of years now, and they recently came out with a new album, Seeds. And it is wonderful - so I'm going to share it with you this week!

ARTIST: Hey Rosetta!


ALBUM: Seeds


DESCRIPTION: Newfoundland indie magic


BACKGROUND: "Hey Rosetta!" is a six-piece indie rock band from Newfoundland. They use lots of different instruments to achieve their distinct but accessible sound.


REVIEW:  By layering strings and piano into the generic formula for rock music, Hey Rosetta! has always broken the long-existing rock mould and made fantastic music. But with Seeds, they begin to break their own moulds that they themselves formed with previous albums (which are all great, by the way). Many songs start slow and then explode into spectacularity (not sure if that's a word) as per true Hey Rosetta! fashion, but others break free and either stay mellow or go for gold right off the bat. Worth as many listens as you have time for.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Yer Spring, Welcome

Sample or BUY IT:   iTunes  Amazon

Music Monday #1

Hey everyone! 

It's Adam Fuhr here. On the first Monday of every month, I'm going to be sharing music with you guys. Hopefully it will be fun, and maybe it will help someone out there discover something new. On the inaugural Music Monday post, the album is All Alone in an Empty House by a band called Lost in the Trees.

ARTIST: Lost in the Trees

ALBUM: All Alone in an Empty House

DESCRIPTION: Lovechild of the Folk and Classical genres

BACKGROUND: 

Lost in the Trees is a "Folk Orchestra" from North Carolina. It started in the latter half of the 2000s as a solo project, but has ballooned into a near-symphonic band, using a wide range of instruments from guitar to glockenspiel.

REVIEW:

I purchased this album after hearing a song of theirs on a sampler, and was pleasantly surprised. I heard something rare: an album that flip-flopped from a distinctive sparse sound to heavy orchestrals without loosing it's magical coherence.

Some tracks are thorough in their sparsity, while others weave a tapestry of pleasant hollowness and heavy orchestration. Two tracks are full-on baroque pieces, composed by the band's frontman and mastermind, Ari Picker.

This diversity makes for a compelling musical experience when you take the time to appreciate it. You really need to listen to the whole thing through while alone to get the full effect - which is fitting, considering the title of the album.

FAVORITE TRACKS: 2, 8

Sample or BUY IT:   iTunes  Amazon