Anyway, that was a long-winded welcome/bienvenue à la Feuille d'érable, a new! regular/irregular column featuring the beautiful songs and sounds of the True North strong and free (I may or may not feel the need to salvage my country's dignity after those ridiculous and embarrassing Opening Ceremonies...o_0). Canadian indie is like one big happy family (there's a joke about the population of Canada being in one giant band) and now you, cher lecteurs, can be a part of it. We don't discriminate. Come on in and warm up, eh?
My first post proudly presents Southern Souls, a recently inaugurated gem of a site that is basically our version of La Blogothèque. I don't think I can offer a better description than the one on their website:
"Southern Souls collects performances of the most prolific active musicians from Southern Ontario in out-of-character locales. Every street, park, or city bus is a potential venue. Inspired by La Blogoteque's Take Away Shows, and Just So's Black Cab Sessions- it aims to show that music (and its makers) are everywhere."
Voilà donc. J'ai choisi 2 clips pour le plaisir de vos yeux (et oreilles !), mais il vaut bien quand même découvrir le site vous-mêmes : www.southernsouls.ca
Well, it doesn't get much more Canadian than this: snow, plaid and brilliant music. The Elwins are adorable and polite, chirping away cheerfully as ice skaters and snowflakes swirl around them - this video is like a cute indie snowglobe or some kind of musical holiday card. Their sound is upbeat and bubbly, like a catchy 50's jingle (the track Larry Pastorus is complete with requisite whistling) with endearing harmonies between lead singer Matthew and Heather who makes a guest appearance (the band is normally composed of just the three guys). There's definitely something oldies about The Elwins' simple melodies, they kind of remind me of Voxtrot or Math and Physics Club with a touch of The Shins. Hailing from Newmarket (just outside of Toronto), these friendly folks have yet to be signed but the future is looking as bright and happy as their tunes!
This one is for Paul (it also happens to be my favourite Southern Souls video for the moment). The Rest is an important band for me; not only because they’re from my hometown of Hamilton but they were my first REAL concert; we go way back... At that show, I heard the original EP version of Innocent Fools and something just happened, something clicked and I understood. This one is undoubtedly one of The Rest’s quieter songs and so it’s a bit misleading (frontman Adam Bentley is especially known for really belting it out) but please enjoy the video anyway ; it’s all about the atmosphere…
1 commentaire(s):
So I've really been thinking about Paul's previous post (why Canadian songs are so full of life) and it really is a kind of common theme - I know he was only talking about The Rural Alberta Advantage, but this part really got to me... "Les titres les plus épiques de Hometowns sont joués comme si le Canada menaçait d'être rayé de la carte dans la minute qui suit... "
Now, there is nothing epic whatsoever about this track by Octoberman: http://radio3.cbc.ca/play/band/Octoberman/51 but I *just* realized it's pretty much the literal manifestation of that feeling; i.e. Paul was kind of right on when he made that observation... no one likes to admit it, but it really IS a part of Canadian identity (it might sound like paranoia, and everyone kind of jokes about it but underneath all that I think there is a real, deep-seated fear...) and maybe it *does* come across in the music...
I have never really thought about this before and the whole idea is simply FASCINATING to me!!
And I really like the song, too. Thoughts?
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