The Gems Behind the Single

Sometimes, the unfortunate thing about releasing singles is that that’s how far some music listeners will go in terms of liking a band’s music. They’ll hear the song and think yah, I like this but once the song is over… so is that immediate obsession. And its understandable that this happens because let’s be honest, it takes a lot of work to become a true fan of a band. You first have to like that initial song enough that it not only stays in your head but that it also compels you to download/buy it rather than wait around for a station to play it again. Then, once you’re buying the song you feel the need to investigate other songs on other albums with the hopes that you find other musical gems. And once that happens you start to get curious about the actual band—who they are, where they’re from, how they met, what their inspiration was behind each album etc. etc.

So keeping all this in mind, it can be a hassle to really go beyond that radio single that’s caught your attention, especially when a station has overplayed it to the point that they’ve ruined it completely. This particular situation has happened quite a few times with City and Colour songs.

It all started with his first single, “Save Your Scissors.” I believe it was Dallas’s intimate, sweet voice that drew me in and kept my attention on the first listen. He hit every note perfectly and delivered every lyric with so much passion that it almost instantly broke my heart. But, it was that same day when various radio stations played the single close to five times every hour that made me over it before I even had a chance to miss it. Sadly, it got even worse with his second major single, “”Sleeping Sickness.” Because it featured Gord Downie, the adored front man from the Tragically Hip, stations like the Edge ate it up and played the single as if it was their theme song.

Though, with his latest album, Little Hell, I had the chance to get to it before the airways and officially begin my love affair with the album and with Dallas Green himself.

So, what was the song that transformed me from an occasional listener into a full-fledged fan? The eighth song on the album-- Weightless.

As much as I adore his signature soothing acoustic style, this particular song shook up the album and made it fierce thanks to its different but solid rock and roll/bluesy type sound. He introduces this new sound to us slowly as he debuts himself playing the electric guitar, yet after a strum or two we are comforted to hear that gentle voice of his croon, “Come close….lay next to me..” There are then moments of silence until boom! at 0:21, the heavy drums kick in and the rock and roll vibe is in full force. Dallas’s voice, though known to be soft and sweet meshes perfectly with this harsher tune. He belts the lyrics out a bit harder, a bit louder, yet we’re still able to get a sense of his beautiful vulnerability.

Within the first verse, we are able to see how Dallas has this unique ability of writing simple, straightforward lyrics yet allowing his voice to fill them with so much emotion and intensity that they come off as pure poetry:

“It’s your eyes that I don’t believe,

And my heart I know, you will deceive.

Do you know the consequence,

That comes with such confidence?”

It’s lyrics like these that hit home the most. These are not abstract, obscure lyrics that dance around the topic of love. They are real and relatable, which gives us listeners the opportunity to see how he has fucked up feelings, doubts and concerns just like the rest of us.

And at 1:11, the first chorus, every instrument intensifies; we hear Dallas’s voice raise a notch, creating a sense of anger and frustration, which has us holding on to his every word as we try to indentify with his pain. After the short interlude at 3:03, we are smacked with the most passionate part of the song, where he takes every note a touch higher and belts out:

“Breathing all the strength from my life, then you turn and you run away from me.”

 And just like that, all instruments come to a halt, leaving us with the sense of relief that he probably feels after unleashing such heavy words and emotions.

So, why has this song changed my life? Very rarely do I find artists that feel how I feel when it comes to certain topics. With most, I look at them and their music and think, your song is great but I don’t for a second think you really get what I’M feeling. Yet, with Dallas Green, he exposes so much vulnerability and passion that it not only feels like he gets what I’m feeling but almost like he’s feeling everything for me. He’s genuine and so are his lyrics. He expresses the little hells and heavens we all go through so accurately that I treat his music as my own therapy.

So, bottom line:

1. His angelic voice will not only cradle you through the song but will cradle you through the album and console you like a best friend whenever necessary.

2. Listen to the song… it’ll change your life.

I'll Cover You

I don’t think I ever really realized how much one instrument could change an entire mood of a song.

Until recently, I never even paid attention to what instruments were being played in songs. I just allowed the sounds to cloud my head, and if I later found myself humming it, then I knew I liked it. I also rarely (if ever) considered things like what a song would song like live or acoustic. Now, maybe that’s because I don’t play an instrument, so it would be difficult to see how the addition or subtraction of one would enhance or develop a song more. Who knows!

But, I’ve just never listened to a song and considered how with a different instrument, the song could morph itself into a completely different genre than it originally falls under.

Though, it was when I heard Ellie Goulding’s cover of Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World” that I truly understood the importance of sound in songs, and how changing one instrument could give that song a brand new meaning.

When listening to the original of “Only Girl in the World, “ it’s not easy keeping your attention focused on the lyrics and on finding that main message. The song is packed with various beats and synthesizers that it completely overshadows Rihanna’s raw talent and the story she’s trying to tell.  I personally just look at this song as a good ‘pump me up’ tune to play, as I get ready to go out. I dance around and belt the lyrics but I never really stop to think about what it is that I am actually singing; I like to think it’s the overpowering, body pounding beats that prevent me from doing so.

I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing though. I may be responding to the song the way Rihanna intended for her audience to… to see this song as something fun to dance around to.

But, once I had the pleasure of hearing Ellie Goulding’s rendition on BBC’s Live Lounge, I was able to see that this song actually had a point to make; it had a message. If it weren’t for both versions having the same title and lyrics, you’d think it was a completely different song, and it’s all because of the way Ms. Goulding altered the sound by introducing new instruments.

This English singer/songwriter took this song, stripped it naked of its processed production of sounds, and gave it a complete make over musically.

Using a combination of string quartet, a piano, and an acoustic guitar, she managed to transform the original, mind numbing, dance poppy number into something sophisticated, beautiful and something filled with meaning and emotion.

At the beginning of the song, we hear a few simple chords on the guitar, and within seconds it’s accompanied by the clean-key sounds of the piano. It’s at this same moment that we are also introduced to Ellie’s soft, trilling voice as she recites the first few lyrics clearly but with a whole lotta passion. And so, with not even 30 seconds into the song, her sound as well as those of the instruments have already created a more classic, more intellectual feel to the song.

It’s at 0:48 in that we really get a chance to hear how an instrument can completely transform a song. It’s the addition of the graceful strings along with the beautiful harmonies that give this song some true emotion. This version gives us listeners the opportunity to hear and comprehend the lyrics like, “Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world, like I’m the only one that you’ll ever love, like I’m the only one who knows your heart...” and see that this is actually a legitimate song about love.

And, it’s at 2:38, the true orgasm of the song, that we can really look at it and see that it is now a song of substance and a song that has the potential to affect us emotionally. We hear the harmony kick in at full force while the strings are powerfully being picked and all you can think to yourself is “wow… this is simply gorgeous.”

It is no longer a song that goes in one and ear and out the other but now a song that has the ability to comfort you, console you and give you some major goosebumps, and its all due to the stunning orchestral sounds and yodeling voice of Ellie Goulding.

So, how has this song changed my life?

The truth is, I never really understood the point of cover songs. Why try and revise something that’s great in its original form? It wasn’t until Ellie’s version of “Only Girl in the World” that I realized covers are necessary. A song can sound amazing in its original form, but there are artists like Ellie who look at an already publicly approved piece of music and see that there’s still so much that can be done with it; there’s so much potential one has with the lyrics of a song. She has taught me that cover songs are not performed because some artists are too lazy to think up and write their own music but rather they’re done so that audiences can see an artist’s creativity by presenting the lyrics in a different light.

Bottom Line:

1. Ellie Goulding, I think you're fabulous

2. This post was not supposed to bash Rihanna... because I back her too.

Oh and 3, listen to this song… it’ll change your life.

I Got What He Needs

Joshua Radin. This singer/songwriter stud caught my attention in 2006 with the romantic duet “Paperweight,” but stole my music loving heart during his performance last night in Toronto. Maybe it’s because he so kindly dedicated a song to me, or maybe it’s because he treated us audience members as friends rather than just paying customers who are making him money.
A musician’s stage personality, especially during song breaks is crucial to the success of their show as a whole. Some musicians get on stage, play a song or two, and then use those few seconds while they change instruments to say something like “Hey Toronto, nice to be here” or “Hi Toronto, Canada’s cold”… just something dull and irrelevant. And, the audience of course will respond with a cheer because it’s still pretty fucking cool that they’re watching one of their favourite artists perform live.

But then we have these musical artists that engage with the audience the way the Mr. oh-so-fabulous Joshua Radin did. His show wasn’t filled with stupid jokes and one-liners during song breaks; instead, he used that time to share his personal stories and feelings about the song he was about to perform next. He was charming and sincere, and because of that it produced such an intimate feel to the show. He welcomed us audience members and gave us a chance to see who the man was behind the love lyrics and acoustic guitar, which I believe is so necessary for an artist to reveal at a live performance. The stories and the emotions he associated to each song made the crowd see that he is one of the few artists these days that makes music for the right reasons. We got to see how every song he sang was as important as the next because each one of them were his words, his feelings, and his soul that he is bearing to the world.

So, what song changed my life from last night’ show? Well, I’m biased with this song choice seeing as how this is the one he heard me belt out as a request and then dedicated it to me… but regardless, it’s none other than “You Got What I Need.”

His new album “The Rock and the Tide” may have taken a more upbeat rock n’ roll route, but he still manages to return to his roots with this soothing sweet number. He starts us off with a simple romantic melody on the guitar that puts us in this instant state of comfort. Shortly after this intro, at 0:17, we hear his rock-a-bye, delicate voice whisper out:
“Baby you…you got what I need.
Baby you… you got my sunshine…”

Those words alone could make any girl’s heart melt and lustfully beat out of control at the same time. He recites these lyrics over again at 0:32, this time with the addition of the drum and the choir’s “oooh’s” in the background. It’s at this point that our bodies get hit with this feeling of love that he is emitting through his lyrics and melody.
His raspy voice then continues to croon out sweet lyrics until 2:36 (the last chorus), where we then get a hint of the power of his vocals. He doesn’t show off with it. He chooses the words he wishes to sing passionately, only romanticizing the song more.
He then wraps up this short heartfelt song by softly reciting the lyric “you got my sunshine.”

This particular song performance and Josh’s show as a whole will be one of most memorable music experiences. Not only did I leave the concert feeling more connected to this song, but I also left feeling like I knew Josh a bit better than I did walking into that concert hall.

So, bottom line?

1. Josh, if you’re reading this… let’s get married.
2. For all the hopeless romantics out there, this song’s got your name all over it.
3. A special shout out to Anya Marina. This fabulous lady rocked the opening act spot and I’ve been a fan of hers since Miss Halfway. So it was a treat to hear her new stuff, which is simply fantastic.
Oh and 4, listen to this song… it’ll change your life.

Some live action for ya:

For the Early Morning Risers

I’m the type of girl that needs to play music to wake myself up in the morning. It can’t just be any song though. Choosing my early morning wake up song is a serious decision.

If I choose something too mellow, it’ll make me want to crawl back into bed or it’ll put me in a somber, zombie like state for the rest of the day. If I choose something too loud, it will just irritate my ears and leave me with a daylong headache. There are very few songs that have the ability to put me in a “feel good, I’m ready for the day” kind of mood.
If it wasn’t for my dear friend Tali bringing home new fantastic music from Australia, I would have never found what I consider to be one of the top 5 songs to play before 7:30 a.m., and that is “Teenage Crimes” by Adrian Lux

This Swedish artist who started his career as a dancehall reggae DJ has gained a reputation for successfully meshing “minimal and grandiose sounds” in his music. His perfect balance of sounds has won over the hearts of music listeners around the world; it has even attracted the non house/techno music listeners (like myself) to not only bear this particular song but to love it to the point that it now holds a spot on the everyday playlist.

It’s the first few seconds of the song that make us reconsider whether this song should actually be labeled under the “dance/techno” genre. What initially throws the listener off is the introductory strumming on the guitar. That mixed with the incessant clapping produces this light and positive sound; it almost resembles what you would hear on an Edward Sharpe track (you know, where all you want to do is bounce your head back and forth to the catchy beat.)
At 0:15, this sound falls to the background as the pretty, female voice emerges and sings, “we don’t sleep when the sun goes down” in such a natural and effortless tone.
So already, just 15 seconds in, the song has you hooked because you have this simple, pleasant tune filling your ears from the moment you open your eyes… which I believe is much better than having your mother belt out your name numerous times from the top of the stairs.

Then, at 0:30 we begin to hear the techno beats creep in and intertwine with the guitar, almost making it seem they were there pulsating in our ears the entire time. As the lyric “we don’t sleep till the sun goes down, we don’t waste no precious time…” stays on repeat, the beats begin to rise causing every limb in our bodies to wake up. And finally, at 0:46 we are hit with a high voltage of sound screaming from the mixing boards.
It’s at this point that you realize why this is a perfect song to wake up to in the morning. The techno beats are bubbling in full force but they’re not overpowering the calmness of the female voice. The sweetness of her voice keeps you relaxed while these beats react to your body, providing it with the energy it needs to actually get out from under the covers.

And it’s from 1:20- 1:38 that we are awake and on such a high that we want to dance it out. Every beat is now unleashing on us, swirling in and out of the speakers, pumping up our energy while somehow mixing perfectly with the soft whimsical voice that’s singing “doooon’t goooo awaaaaaay.” At 2:31, the sweet female voice fades out as does the intense beat cycle and all we hear are those pleasant guitar chords drifting into silence.

So, how has this song changed my life? For starters, it pulls me out of my usual “mega grumpy, don’t want to speak a word to anyone” morning mood. And secondly, I have now acquired a taste for dance/techno music. But, it’s only because of the way Adrian Lux lays out the beats. They don’t hit you the second the song does, nor do they bombard your head making it impossible to hear yourself think. Instead, he slowly introduces them and only adds more once we are comfortable with the basics. He combines foreign sounds with ones that we could very easily hear on the radio, which makes any kind of music listener interested in this song.

Bottom Line:
1.    A big thank you goes to Adrian Lux for giving me another music genre to love.
2. This song can also be used as a good pre drink pump up.
And 3. Listen to this song…it’ll change your life… or at least your mornings. 

I Can Teach You How to Dougie

Happy New Year Friends!
Due to technical difficulties you need to click on this link to see the video: 
Teach Me How To Dougie- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwPIC2HchpQ


I, along with many others like to go on vacation for the “obvious” reasons:

1.    To get a seriously needed tan (so that I’m no longer mistaken for Casper)
2.    To relax and clock in some “me” time
And 3. To treat myself to some delicious food a.k.a P.F Changs

But, I’ve also found that vacationing is a great way to discover new music as I spend that time mixing with different cultures, and becoming acquainted with their musical tastes.

It was my most recent trip (a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean) that gave me the opportunity to explore new musical genres. More importantly though, it allowed me to see that a song doesn’t necessarily require breath-taking vocals or genius musical beats for it to be considered a ‘great’ song. Rather, it can rely on other factors, like the dance moves and rhythm that people bring to it for it to be great.

We all remember the early 90’s hit song, the “Macarena”, right? Well, I’d find it hard to believe if someone said they liked the song because of its vocals and meaningful lyrics. No. This song had a presence on the music charts and became a staple on every party playlist because everyone loved the line dance associated to it.
And, I think it’s this addition of catchy dance moves to certain songs that has provoked me to fall in love with “Teach Me How To Dougie” by California Swag District.

As most of my friends know, when it comes to music, Rap/R&B is not really my genre of choice. That’s more Maggie’s thing (Maggie= my dear friend who dies for this genre and one day hopes to marry a Black man.) It wasn’t until my two friends and I walked in to White White Heat, the boat’s disco, and heard this song that I gained a newfound appreciation for this type of music.

See, the majority of White White Heat goers were of the African American race. And when this song came on, they flooded the dance floor and immediately started dancing the official “Teach Me How to Dougie” routine. Me, being unfamiliar with this song, stood on the sidelines only to be mesmerized by the way they performed these moves in unison. When the words “teach me how to dougie, t-teach me how to dougie” were heard, every guy and girl would begin to move with such swagger… a step to the left, a step to the right, two steps back to the left, while combing back a side of their hair.

Now I don’t want to put this type of line dance (or this song for that matter) on the same level as the “Macarena’s” because it’s not. It’s way cooler. I was truly envious of every person on that dance floor as they all followed the steps yet managed to add their own individual flavor to it.

To paint a better picture: you know the scene from Dirty Dancing, when Baby carries a watermelon to the staff club and stands still, jaw dropped in awe of everyone dirty dancing? Yeah…that’s forsure what I looked like. Next thing I know, my friends and I are dragged on to the dance floor and are now attempting to copy these steps in the effortlessly cool way everyone else is performing them.

It only took that one listen for me to every night after, jump up and rush to the dance floor with the rest of the crowd when this song came on.

So, after a drawn out story, how has this song changed my life? I think it allowed me to see Rap/R&B in a different light. When this song came on in that disco, it didn’t matter where anyone was from or what color someone was. Everyone just congregated on the dance floor and danced it out. I think that was my problem with this genre. I rarely listened to it because I just never thought I could find a way to relate to it musically or lyrically; this particular song isn’t musically unique and I don’t think everyone can connect to the lyrics “Can u teach me how to dougie? You know why? Cause all da bitches love me.” I mean I don’t have a clue as to what the word “dougie” means. But, it’s this dance routine associated to this song that has allowed all types of people to connect with it or at least just enjoy it. 

So bottom line?
1.    As Lisa would say, “I left this cruise with rhythm.”
2.    Watch this video below. “Wobble with Me” another great song with catchy dance moves. I wish I was at that party.
And 3, these new dance moves will change your life.