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You can’t catch a bus in Vancouver without tripping over a struggling indie musician trying to figure out how to turn the pain in their soul into 10,000 Spotify streams and a record deal…or even just a level of familiarity that means the Green Auto regulars are excited to see their name on the bill. We all start somewhere.
So, we’re collecting jams from local artists both small and not-so-small and giving them a spin each month. Maybe you’ll find your new favourite bop.
Buddie — Glass
The four-piece led by Philly ex-pat Daniel Forrest makes music that’s grungy and thrashy but also inherently catchy and melodic. The ’90s influences are obvious—think Alice in Chains and Weezer as a jumping-off point. But those comparisons don’t fully do the band justice either. Buddie’s third full-length, Glass, opens with “In the Glass Shell”, and Forrest doing his best Elliott Smith impression before the rest of the group joins him for a toe-tapping jam that has a lot to say about regrets and feeling scared of the world. The rest of the album continues that trend and dares you to not dance around while your brain absorbs thoughtful (and plenty sad) lyrics.
Elisa Thorn — xiik
The cover for Elisa Thorn’s xiik features the harpist sitting in a bathtub filled with Canadian $20 bills. The title itself is a reference to how much the record cost to make ($12,000). And I think we can all be grateful that an indie artist is willing to put their credit rating on the line like that to create something. With xiik, Thorn has done exactly that. The album is intoxicating both sonically and lyrically, as Thorn intersperses her dreamy vocals and lets Cupid’s favourite instrument do the rest of the work until you feel like you’re in a bathtub yourself.
Often Wrong — The Figs are Starting to Rot
Often Wrong’s four-song The Figs Are Starting to Rot EP is a hard-driving guitar-charged record that features lead singer Oscar McManus using the entire range of his deep voice. That includes some spoken word parts that work to great effect. “Slipping Under” is a dark, hazy, and turbo-charged Brand New-ish cry for help that is also just a lot of fun to bang your head to.
Computer — Station On The Hill
We regrettably missed Computer’s debut album in last month’s Van Jams, so we’re profiling the band’s October release, Station On The Hill, here. Computer, a seven-piece band currently blowing up in Vancouver’s indie scene, is hard to categorize as it hits on elements of Britpop, jazz, screamo, and really everything in between. The titual closer is arguably the band’s strongest song on the record, drawing comparisons to the likes of Black Country, New Road as the nine-minute track takes the listener on a journey all its own.
David Vertesi — Cardiography (Acoustic 15th Anniversary)
Vancouver indie vet David Vertesi (Hey Ocean!) is going back to the well, re-recording his first solo album, Cardiography, with an acoustic bent. This version doesn’t have the indie pop and electronic flourishes of its predecessor, of course. What it does have is Vertesi laying himself out there for all to see. We get a much more raw version of the musician on this one—the 15 years between the two versions adds a sense of desperation and knowing to the lyrics. Look no further than the ending of opening track “Mountainside”—on which Vertesi truly lets his voice (which is like a nice whisky—rough around the edges but goes down smooth) stand alone.
Scarlet Fever — Girl with Shank
Femme-fronted Scarlet Fever’s live shows have established the quartet as a must-see at DIY venues across town, but it was fair to question whether the four-piece’s lo-fi sound would translate well to an album. I’m happy to say it absolutely does. The nine-song LP, which features two short instrumental interludes, draws a number of comparisons, all of them favourable. “Sms” is a rollercoaster of emotionality that is still fun; “If U Want?” rides a wave of dream rock toward the entire band coming together in a frenetic finale; and “Change My Mind” announces the band as one of the city’s rising stars.
Sinéad X Sanders — THEM SHADOWS
Sinéad X Sanders’ first album contains many of the power ballads she’s become known around town for. Sanders is a bonafide performer and lets her big voice do the work on the Bob Dylan-esque “Not Your Gal” and the saloon-ready “Dogs in the Yard”. The album also features two show-stopping covers: Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere” and a modern-ish take on the Supremes’ “Let Me Go the Right Way”.
Rich Hope — Live at the ANZA Club
Man-about-town Rich Hope releases a collection of live performances at the beloved ANZA Club. If you’ve ever sat in Hope’s chair at Belmont Barbershop—yes, that’s his day gig—you know that the man is an entertainer. And he’s just as handy with a guitar as he is with a pair of scissors in his hands. The live album has Hope and co. running through some rollicking performances like the anthemic “It Come Alive” and the rootin’ tootin’ “Whip It On Ya”. Like a session with Hope at Belmont, it’s just fun.
Listen to the Van Jams playlist here:
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