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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.
Albums
Phuture Memoriez — The Greatest Jockey of All Time
Synthpunk rockers Phuture Memoriez’s latest release is a concept album that refers to the titular jockey, an athlete so mighty that the horse rides him. Phuture Memoriez specializes in making the kind of noisy, industrial dance music you might hear at an after-hours warehouse party, but with spice. Take “Tension is Building”, for instance, which could easily serve as a kickass soundtrack for a Sega Genesis game. (NC)
Duke & Goldie — Romance and Ramblin’
If country is your thang, you’ll likely be a little surprised to learn that Americana duo Duke & Goldie aren’t from Texas. Vancouver-based duo Eric Duquette and Jena Gogo began writing songs while living on pirate-themed Protection Island. But, on their recently released EP, they sound just as polished as anything you’d find off Nashville’s Broadway Street. The difference is that they sing about Montreal (“West End Queen”). (NC)
Ordinary Birds — Ordinary Birds
The genre known as “sparklepunk” isn’t known for taking up large swaths of space in your favourite record store. Props to Ordinary Birds, then, for inventing a Bandcamp tag that perfectly catches the sound of the quartet’s eponymous debut. The guitars of scene vets Joel Passmore and Leif Thorseth do indeed sparkle—giving standouts like “Part of the Noise” and “Portland” a starburst majesty. Remember when every early emo band on Dischord were in an effects-pedal arms race for world domination? That’s a good starting point for Ordinary Birds. Guitars are indeed back, even if they never even really went away. (MU)
Bludgeoned Pigs — Live At the Smilin’ Buddha, 1980
For a brief period during the early years of Vancouver punk, Bludgeoned Pigs were the city’s most notorious act, with that largely thanks to the antics of perpetually loaded frontman Al Jamieson. Some bands plug in and play. Bludgeoned Pigs—who never made it into the studio before Jamieson died young and too early—hit the stage like a drunken-fireball car crash. File this retrospective EP under “A mythical band finally gets its due”, with the six live songs bridging anarchy-in-the-U.K. punk with garage-grimed hardcore. Best of all is Jamieson, on a captivating mission to offend, well, everyone, starting with the punk poseurs in the Buddha’s front row. (MU)
Singles
Eamon Daly — “Something Else”
Originally from Northern Ireland, singer-songwriter Eamon Daly has brought not just an accent from his home country, but the sort of mysterious, whiskey-and-rain-soaked music that is, of course, welcome in his adopted hometown. “Something Else”—the second single off Daly’s upcoming album, which will be released in February—is an acoustic-heavy, driving ballad that is guided by Daly’s transportive lyrics and deep voice. (NC)
Rising River — “Perfect Mistake”
Rising River started as an eclectic cover band and now, upon the release of its first single, is just an eclectic band. The three-piece combines elements of smooth R&B and wholesome indie folk with some of its Latin influences, resulting in a fun, easy, and rocking ride, complete with big basslines and soaring hooks. It’s hard to pin down, probably by design, but enjoyable nonetheless. (NC)
Mya Lowe — “Pretty When I Cry”
In late November, night one of MRG Group’s ELEVATE project took to the Biltmore Cabaret. Unlike many “battle of the bands” nights, the six groups that graced the stage that night were all more than competent. It was hard, though, to pinpoint an act with more potential than Mya Lowe, the Vancouver singer-songwriter who has been slowly making a move toward more pop-centric tunes. As she heads in that direction, marked by rousing new single “Pretty When I Cry”, she still has the impeccable range and contemplative lyrics that form the foundation of her act. (NC)
Micae — “It All Looks a Little Different Now”
As life lessons go, it’s an important one, namely learning to accept that nothing lasts forever. On a base level Micae’s “It All Looks a Little Different Now” is a lilting, entirely lovely lament for a Burnaby where mom-and-pop shops are being bulldozed for towering concrete and steel condos. But even while unleashing her wistful inner heritage-building advocate, the honey-voiced singer suggests the future isn’t all bad, the back half of the song becoming a bright-eyed mantra with “I wish you could see me now”. Micae’s blend of soft-focus Americana and golden Laurel Canyon folk is beautiful, even if the residential towers that keep popping up on Hastings Street aren’t. (MU)
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