Our weekly (or however often) roundup of this week’s discoveries and old faves. Usually it’s friends of mine or just music I like. Now including “liner notes” to help guide you through this journey and hopefully introduce you to some new, great music!
CAROLINE SMITH –MAGAZINE
I think Caroline is most famous for having done a track with Lizzo before Lizzo was at the top of the charts. Anyway, I love this record. Very sophisticated songwriting. It reminds me of another era. Maybe it's that Minneapolis vibe! When I lived in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, that was our closest large American city so I paid a lot of attention to it.
DARCHAILD –REDEMPTION LOVE
Shareece is a friend of mine down in San Diego, California, and we actually wrote a song together that I’m hoping will come out next year. Anyway, as far as I know, this is her first release under this name and it’s a soulful R&B track. She’s got a great voice and is a great person too. I always enjoy our conversations!
THIS MAD DESIRE -PALE BLUE EYES
This is the classic Velvet Underground track done as a duet between me and Olenka Krakus and with Jim Perry (RIP) on hand drums. We tracked it live off-the-floor and then overdubbed vocals. I sang it once and she sang twice with one take for harmonies. I think my second verse was flat so I said just to drop me out of that verse and now it sounds great! Also, the guitar playing that sounds more like the original VU track is Olenka, not me. We also hadn’t practiced it or anything as we lived in different cities although Jim had probably played it live with me once or twice possibly maybe so that made the performance even more rare and magical! I have often liked going into sessions like that where the musicians have not had much time to overthink things and are really under pressure to do it so everyone's listening a bit more attentively and really in a more vulnerable musical place. Sometimes that can yield really inspiring results.
ARLO SUN -FORWARDS MOTION
I came across Arlo on TikTok and just love her voice. I think she's, like me, also based in the Toronto area. She plays really pretty alt-folk music, like this track!
LOW -DANCE SONG '97
Speaking of Minneapolis, I have been a fan of this Twin Cities act since 1995 when I saw them open for Soul Coughing at Lee's Palace in Toronto. That was a crazy night. Before the show, I ran into my friend Jon from Reykjavik who I had known from Winnipeg. Talk about random! Anyway, it was sad to hear of the recent passing of drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker. Much too young... This track is by Sleater-Kinney off a new tribute to their landmark release Dig Me Out.
LUSH -I HAVE THE MOON
Lush was the first band I ever saw in the Twin Cities as they opened Lollapalooza '92!
1000 HOMO DJs –SUPERNAUT
At Lollapalooza '92, I saw Ministry play this (and 1000 Homo DJs were a Ministry side-project). This version of the Black Sabbath classic has Trent Reznor on vox. (You might be able to see my train of thought in all this... lol)
FARQUAD -CHEAP BEER
I came across this in my This Mad Desire Radio on Spotify. They consider themselves "trash pop" from Louisiana. Cool track! To me it has a bit of a Smiths vibe.
BELLE HISTOIRE -BE ALRIGHT
This band is/was from Cincinatti, Ohio. Not sure if they are still around. I came across this song about 10 years ago on a part of the Alternative Press's website called Alternative Press TV. They remind me of bands like Rilo Kiley from the 2000s. Well-written indie rock.
KONGERO -KLING KLANG
Folk'apella from Sweden. I've met these Swedish singers a few times now over the years and really like them! All of their music is vocal so it's as unique as it is beautiful.
MARIA MOMARU -WHITE FLOWERS
Similar vibe to the last track except all of the vocals are Maria. I just came across her at Indie Week 2022. Definitely interesting music!
ALI WICK -I CAN'T FIX YOU
Another Indie Week acquaintance. This song has similar songwriting to Belle Histoire so probably they have common alternative pop influences. I think Ali is from Calgary (where I lived when I was little!) and writes her music with her brother (like Billie Eilish). Is that right, Ali? Let me know in the comments!
AERHART –CHOICES
Amelia Wellers is from NYC and ...also an Indie Week attendee! This track is slightly avant-garde art pop that makes effective use of strings. Great melody too. Very emotional. Excellent work!
DINOSAUR JR. -GOIN' HOME
Maybe because I just spent a day hanging out with animatronic dinosaurs, I had Dinosaur Jr. on the brain. I saw them in 1993 at the St. Paul Civic Centre in. .. the Twin Cities in Minnesota (just to get back to our unintentional theme) and while revisiting the album Where You Been, which they were promoting at the time, I learned the Expanded Edition includes the show I saw. Unbelievable!
BUFFALO NICHOLS -MEET ME IN THE BOTTOM
Buffalo is from Texas and kind of reinventing the blues plus he recently sang on a charity version of When The Levee Breaks with Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction) on drums and JOHN PAUL JONES on bass. I definitely think this guy is worth a listen.
THIS MAD DESIRE -NO SURPRISE
I wrote this in Guelph while working at CFRU. I was rehearsing it with Mike Trebilcock one time and he said it reminded him of Death Cab For Cutie which makes sense as bands like that were popular on college radio when I wrote this. The first line used to say “Do you want to know precisely how I feel with you tonight?” but the word “precisely” was edited out as my drummer Beate at the time told me she wouldn’t play that song if I sang that word again! Lol. It’s better without that word. Thanks Beate!!
And with that, this wraps up this week’s playlist. Hope you enjoyed it!!
If you like this playlist, please share it and follow these artists. Music is the fuel that fills our soul.
If you are an artist that would like to be included in the future, reach out anywhere and I’d love to check out your tunes!
Yours in music,
Mac