NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES

By Terry Paquet

Five New Artists to Discover

“May you live in interesting times”is a curse disguised as a blessing that seems to be hovering over our collective psyche these days. With the U.S. elections, riots, Covid-19 pandemic and financial turmoil we’re seeing on a daily basis, music is one of the few panaceas for these times. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by Chopin and Philip Glass to Hans Zimmer and Elton John, she has composed an impressive repertoire that is minimal, emotional, contemplative, and, most of all, cinematic. It’s not so surprising, therefore, that her songs were featured in the movie Dallas Buyers Club, and on two highly successful HBO miniseries, Sharp Objects (starring Amy Adams), and Big Little Lies (starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman). Pianoscope, Stréliski’s 2010 debut album was independently released and universally loved, amassing 15 million streams. Her most recent record, 2018’s Inscape, racked up 100 million streams, sold 97,000 albums in Canada, earned three Félix awards (Quebec), three JUNO nominations, including Best Album in 2019-20, and an Album of the Year accolade at the Canadian Independent Music Awards.

the madness, then prepare to escape with this month’s selection of artists from the worlds of neo• Plus tôt from Inscape (2018) series soundtrack) (2018)

classical, pop, blues, country, and old-school funk.

ALEXANDRA STRÉLISKI

Billboard magazine heralded Montreal native Alexandra Stréliski as one of the foremost new stars in modern classical music despite having only two albums under her belt. Lofty praise, indeed, but it doesn’t take many listens to realize the acclaim is

With influences that run the gamut from Frédéric

“This album is an attempt for me to capture what a human life transition sounds like, with all its fragility, vulnerability and imperfections,” Stréliski says.

All of that is to say it’s worth a listen. Or three. Especially as the days get colder and the sun shines less. Consider this your musical equivalent of a warm and cozy sweater.

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT

• Blind Vision from Inscape (2018) • Concerto in D Minor (After Alessandro Marcello)

BWV 974: II. Adagio from Sharp Objects (HBO well deserved.

• New York from Pianoscope (2010) • Berceuse from Pianoscope (2010)

BAHAMAS

Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) was born in Toronto and raised in Barrie, Ontario. Musically speaking, he’s had quite the run since he first hit the scene in 2008. He’s opened for Robert Plant, recorded with Robbie Robertson, and played with Feist and the Lumineers.

From the start, Jurvanen’s biggest fan was none other than Jack Johnson. In a 2014 interview on KCRW radio in Los Angeles, Johnson said, “He is definitely one of my favourite people in the world to play music with. He can play any style; that’s why his restraint is also so impressive.” Johnson was so enamoured with Jurvanen’s breezy, chilled vibes, he signed Bahamas to his own label, Brushfire Records.

His first two albums (2009’s Pink Strat and 2012’s Barchords) were critical successes and produced two perennial fan favourites: “Whole Wide World” and “Lost in the Light,” a song about the death of a relationship. As Jurvanen told Spin magazine, “On one hand, you mourn its loss. On the other, you celebrate all that was good about it while acknowledging all of its flaws. It’s about acceptance and revelation.”

That kind of yin and yang runs through a lot of his music. His lyrics are both simple and complex, highlighting all the things that connect us and sometimes tear us apart.

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT

• Trick to Happy from Sad Hunk (2020) • Way With Words from Earthtones (2018) • Little Record Girl from Bahamas is Afie (2014) • Montreal from Barchords (2012) • Whole Wide World from Pink Strat (2009)

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

Joanne Shaw Taylor is making the music you thought they weren’t making anymore but always hoped they would: vintage blues with sultry, smoky vocals, and crunchy, raunchy guitar riffs. This isn’t overly polished, studio-enhanced, radio rock. It’s real. It’s tight. It’s raw. Think Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt. Stevie Ray Vaughn. Think cigarettes, whiskey, and dingy, smoke-filled bars. That’s where her repertoire lives

Discovered by Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) at the age of 16, Taylor has released seven albums and regularly appears on the Billboard Top Ten charts in the U.S. Better than that, she’s earned high praise from the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox.

Her musical tastes and influences range from Aretha Franklin and CCR to Albert Collins and the Fabulous Thunderbirds – and throughout every album she’s created, she hasn’t been afraid to show it. On her 2013 album, Songs From the Road, she pays homage to Jimi Hendrix with a rollicking version of Manic Depression. It’s 7 minutes and 37 seconds of guitar wizardry that the master would be proud of.

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT

• In the Mood from Reckless Heart (2019) • Nothin’ to Lose from Wild (2016) • Tried, Tested & True from The Dirty Truth (2014) • Who Do You Want Me To Be? from White Sugar (2009) • Manic Depression

From Songs from the Road (2013)

VULFPECK

While their name conjures up images of four skinny guys sporting black turtlenecks and wire-rimmed glasses, playing electronic dance music in a dark and smoky bar in Munich, the reality is they’re a funk/ jazz/R&B/pop/soul group from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Despite the diversion of their nomenclature, this is a band that can hold their own.

Jack Stratton, founder of Vulfpeck, envisioned the band as the German version of Muscle Shoals, Funk Brothers and the Wrecking Crew – the legendary session players from the ‘60s who worked with all the greats, including Bob Dylan and Smokey Robinson.

With a rotating cast of vocalists, musicians and creative collaborators, Vulfpeck produces music that’s hard to pin to any particular genre. It’s everything and the kitchen sink. You’ll hear traces of Steely Dan, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, William DeVaughn, the Jackson 5 and the Bee Gees, but in a way that’s totally Vulfpeck’s.

Founded in 2011, the band has six albums, 4 EPs, and several singles in their catalogue. Their recent concert record (2019’s Live at Madison Square Garden) is a 19-song collection of their best tunes, and shows just how much fun you can have when you’re doing what you love.

Vulfpeck creates joyful, toe-tapping music that’s perfect for this era, from musicians channelling inspiration from another time.

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT

• 3 on E from The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate (2020) • Back Pocket from Live at Madison Square Garden (2019) • Love Is a Beautiful Thing from Hill Climber (2018) • Business Casual from Mr. Finish Line (2017) • Funky Duck from Thrill of the Arts (2015)

BRENT COBB

In 2016, Brent Cobb drew raves with his debut album Shine On Rainy Day. The work earned Cobb a Grammy nomination in 2018 for Best Americana Album, alongside the likes of Gregg Allman, the Mavericks, and Iron & Wine. Despite losing to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the recognition was enough to win the respect of contemporaries including Chris Stapleton, with whom Cobb has toured regularly.

He’s since released four albums and several singles and has been relentlessly touring, building a fan base from his home state of Georgia all the way to Manchester, U.K. Without any help from mainstream country radio, he’s laying the bricks for a long career.

This is honest, down-home country music that frames Cobb’s twangy voice in the most perfect way. It’s Southern rock meets funky country meets ‘70s pop.

As Cobb describes it, the secret is being authentic. In an interview with Soundandsoulonline.com, he said, “I want everything to be honest – and that’s maybe the most character-defining quality I have in my music. I’m not really a powerful singer, I’m not an amazing guitar player on the side. So I try to have something that sets me apart from everybody else.”

In a world of Auto-Tuned songs and manufactured stars, that’s an approach we can all use a lot more of.

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT

• Diggin’ Holes from Shine On Rainy Day (2016) • Black Crow from Shine On Rainy Day (2016) • Dust Under My Rug from Keep ‘Em On They Toes (2020) • Sucker for a Good Time from Providence Canyon (2018) • Bar, Guitar, and a Honky Tonk Crowd from No Place Left to Leave (2006)