Thereās going be quite a few maybe itās just me reflections in this newsletter, so buckle up/Iām sorry. Maybe itās just me, but do you ever get a new notebook and stare at the first page unable to write anything because no matter what you write, itās going sully an otherwise perfect notebook? Anyways, this is my seventeenth attempt at starting some kind of music-related writing project and Iām just going to metaphorically scribble on the metaphorical first page so I can get started.
š Goings On About Music
Let us take a look at some new(ish) albums and singlesā¦
šæ Albums
Born Ruffians - SQUEEZE
When I was younger and big into the emo/punk scene, there were a bunch of bands that I couldnāt get in to. Bands that I knew of - and probably liked - but was worried that they were too cool (or I was not cool enough) to claim to be a fan of theirs. Similarly, as I dove into the Canadian music scene later in life, I noticed the same tension. Born Ruffians fall into that group. Red, Yellow & Blue came out as I was eye-ball deep in Cancon. It was well reviewed and I even saw them in concert but they never made it into my regular rotation. Six albums later - and TWO this year - and I am comfortable saying that I am a Born Ruffians fan. Maybe Iām wrong, but the thing I like about a Born Ruffians album is that you put it on and before you know it, youāve listened to the whole thing. Itās not that there are no standout tracks, itās that each album has a consistent sound thatās just easy to listen to and flows from track to track. Iām a sucker for Hannah Georgas so Waylaid is my standout track.
Plants and Animals - Jungle
I could just write, āSee aboveā and pretty much cover Plants and Animals but itās a bit more complicated than that. I still listen to Lightshow on a regular basis. Itās a great song. If anything, my love of that song has made it harder to enjoy anything else from Plants and Animals because I just want it sound more like that song. I came late to this band and canāt recall listening to most recent album, Waltzed in from the Rumbling, but I know enough to know that their sound is easily described as eccentric. Maybe itās a regional bias only my part, but I could hear some Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade (yes, I know), influences in a few tracks. Regardless, without the baggage of a track I knew inside-out, I enjoyed going on the sonic journey from start to finish on this album.
šµ Tracks
Born Ruffians - Waylaid (Feat Hannah Georgas)
Maybe this is cheating because I already said I like this song. I think my favourite part of this song is how similar, at least through the first few notes, their two voices sound. When they eventually start singing together you can hear the differences but that back-and-forth switch in the first verse caught me. In case you zoned out during the first half of the newsletter, this song is on their most recent album, SQUEEZE.
Hannah Georgas - Pray It Away (Feat Matt Berninger)
Why not? Why not have Hannah Georgas sprinkled across the newsletter? And for even more tie-ins, I thought Matt Berninger - based on name, only - was the keyboardist in CHVRCHES. I looked it up and itās not even close. No idea why. Theyāre the singer of The National, a band that I eventually realized I really liked but originally thought were way too cool for me. This song is slow without being boring or repetitive. Itās simple but still has a lot going on if you really pay attention.
Dan Mangan - Losing My Religion
I like Dan Mangan. I liked to tease my best friend/man that he was just a lesser Dallas Green but that was only because City & Colour occupied 85% of my head space. This is a cover, obviously. I have to imagine itās hard to cover a song that has a really distinct sound but I liked this. There are enough nods to the original arrangement but itās not a copyā¦ and more importantly, itās not some absurd remake that is bending over backwards so it sounds nothing like the original version. Itās from an album of covers and thereās a 100% change the album is on a future newsletter.
š§ In My Queue
If you stick around long enough, youāll come to learn that inspite of the listing above, my musical tastes include a lot of pop music and a lot of female-led bands. Iām a sucker for some electronic music as well. When I saw Kiesza and deadmau5 on a track I knew Iād like it. Iām also a sucker for covers. Thatās how I came to learn about Reuben and the Dark (they covered Bobcaygeon). When I noticed a new song in one my playlists I couldnāt skip it. Toss in a couple of tracks from albums mentioned above as well as a few that the algorithm sent my way, and voila - hereās the first In My Queue playlist.
Dan Mangan - Have A Little Faith In Me
MONEYPHONE - Faith
Reuben And The Dark - Change
Plants and Animals - House on Fire
Born Ruffians - Waylaid (Feat Hannah Georgas)
Phoebe Bridges - Kyoto
Charlotte Jane - Get It Right
347aidan - Dancing in My Room
deadmau5 & Kiesza - Bridged By a Lightwave
Check out the playlist on Apple Music. Check out my profile on Apple Music.
And, I guess, check out the playlist on Spotify if youāre into companies that are doing their best to destroy the open podcasting world.
š¤.