Rainy Day Ritual and post-internet music
Rainy Day Ritual is the brainchild of Samwauw, or just Sam, a young artist with a lot on his mind.
music
Building an inclusive space in music production
Despite recent strides, inequality and a lack of representation persist in the music production world. This field in particular is a very male-dominated space, with women representing only 2.6 per cent of producers credited on the highest-charting songs of the 2010s in America. Local songwriter, artist and producer Lana Winterhalt sees a complex history behind this issue.
The Weather Station, ‘How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars’ — 5/5 stars
How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars is indeed a more nocturnal, wistful record than the danceable, brooding Ignorance. The arrangements for these songs float, unmoored by time, carried largely by spare piano work adorned with pillowy ribbons of woodwinds and warm upright bass. This ethereal, minimal production establishes a very direct emotional connection with the listener, highlighting Lindeman’s voice.
A tribute to Dallas Good and the Sadies
Dallas Good, singer and guitarist of Toronto-based band the Sadies, passed away on Feb. 17. As described in the announcement, it was a sudden death of natural causes at the tragically young age of 48.
OMBIIGIZI, ‘Sewn Back Together’ — 4/5 stars
OMBIIGIZI, a new collaborative project from artists Zoon and Status/Non-Status, is about searching. Sewn Back Together, as the title implies, establishes that the pair has been broken apart somehow, left looking for their place in history, their identity, trying to mend themselves.
Basia Bulat, ‘The Garden’ — 3.5/5 stars
Basia Bulat, like many of us, spent the pandemic slowing down. She describes spending time in the garden, putting down roots and waiting for melodies and songs from her past to come back to her. The title track of her new record, The Garden, served as a guiding light for this process.
Sam Weber, ‘Get Free’ — 3.5/5 stars
Sam Weber, a Canadian-born, newly minted Angeleno, follows in a long line of SoCal folk-rockers. Echoes from Laurel Canyon resonate in his music: the sound of transplants from across the continent, like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, or the consummately pro singer-songwriters of the ’70s, like Warren Zevon and Randy Newman. But as Weber says in “Survival,” he’s “not looking for some ’70s revival.”
Ghostly Kisses, ‘Heaven, Wait’ — 3.5/5 stars
Ghostly Kisses’s work is overflowing with restraint. Singer-songwriter Margaux Sauvé and her partner Louis-Étienne Santais recorded her debut full-length Heaven, Wait largely at home, and the music reflects this with a whispery intimacy.
Chastity, ‘Suffer Summer’ — 4.5/5 stars
Suffer Summer is an album largely about happiness, but one that looks from the outside of happiness, wondering why it’s just out of reach.
The courage it takes to change worlds
Music has been always been a part of Raine Hamilton’s life. They began violin at a young age and were inspired by an early appearance by Yo-Yo Ma on Sesame Street to make music their lifelong pursuit.