Dominionated: Free Album! Canadians Cover Canadians

In time for Canada Day, Quick Before it Melts has launched a free download of Dominionated, 22 songs created by Canucks and covered by Canadians. My favourites so far are The Provincial Archive`s G Turns to D (Sloan), Canvas doing Zuckerbaby`s Andromeda, and LeE HARVeY OsMOND`s Black Velvet (Alannah Myles).

Canvas - Andromeda


DOMINIONATED TRACK LISTING:
THE ALMIGHTY RHOMBUS Violent Dreams (Thrush Hermit)
ARCHERY GUILD Hold Tight (Gino Soccio)
CANVAS Andromeda (Zuckerbaby)
EXPWY featuring Julia Pessoa All Uncovered (The Watchmen)
FARRAGOES Lust For Love (Images In Vogue)
GDANSK All the Things I Wasn’t (The Grapes of Wrath)
KASHKA Curious (Sandbox)
LEE HARVEY OSMOND Black Velvet (Alannah Myles)
JERRY LEGER Wonderin’ (Neil Young)
[MP.G] The Criminal (Sons of Freedom)
EAMON McGRATH Young Offenders (Constantines)
MEEKO CHEECH Two Lips, Two Lungs and One Tongue (NoMeansNo)
OLD ENGLISH featuring MERIVAL Coming Back To You (Leonard Cohen)
PENNY BLACKS Tinfoil (Limblifter)
THE PROVINCIAL ARCHIVE G Turns to D (Sloan)
NO ALOHA Fountains (The Nils)
SOME MINOR NOISE Broken Bones (Love Inc.)
STONETROTTER Eyes of a Stranger (Payola$)
TWIN LIBRARY Doesn’t Really Matter (Platinum Blonde)
TIMMINS&BLOOD The Ballad of Jacob Peck (John Bottomley)
VENUS SANS FUR Behind the Garage (Eric’s Trip)


 Here's a few of the tunes from the original artists, if you have forgotten.

 Limblifter - Tinfoil

Neil Young - Wonderin' - One of my favourite videos of all time.

 Constantines - Young Offenders (Live)

The Watchmen - All Uncovered


Sons of Freedom - The Criminal

Sloan - G Turns to D

The Grapes of Wrath - All the Things I Wasn't

Sandbox - Curious

Images in Vogue - Lust for Love

The Payolas - Eyes of a Stranger

Platinum Blonde - It Doesn't Really Matter

The Juno Awards - Best New Band Over the years

The Juno Awards are happening in Winnipeg this year, and Robin Thicke was supposed to come but dropped out at the last minute. A fellow I know tweeted, "Thicke's absence opens the door for 13 Engines". I wish.

I went swimming through some history on the Juno Awards, mostly on the category which began as Most Promising Group and morphed into Best New Group/New Group of the Year/Breakthrough Group of the Year. It's easy to find fault in hindsight, but I still think there have been a few odd choices. Some nuggets for ya:

 In 1977, Burton Cummings won for most promising male vocalist. One of the his competitors? Winestoned Plowboy Nestor Pistor.


In 1980 and 1981, Bryan Adams lost out for most promising male vocalist, to Walter Rossi in '80 and Graham Shaw in '81.

Graham Shaw is pretty good though.


In 1998, Age of Electric received a nomination for Best New Group. The band had been releasing albums since 1990. Strangely enough, AOE members Ryan and Kurt Dahle formed a side project called Limblifter, put out a self-titled album in 1996, and managed to get nominated for the Best New Group award - the year BEFORE their old band did.

Age of Electric


Limblifter


1983 saw Rational Youth, The Box, and Images in Vogue lose out to Idle Eyes for Most Promising New Group.

Rational Youth




The Box




Images in Vogue


In 1979, Max Webster lost out for Most Promising Group of the Year to some group called Hometown Band.

Max Webster


Martha & the Muffins and Red Rider lost out in '81 AND '82. One year they lost to Powder Blues Band.

Martha & the Muffins


Red Rider


In 1991, Spirit of the West, Crash Vegas and National Velvet lost out to Leslie Spit Treeo.

Spirit of the West


Crash Vegas


National Velvet


Have the Junos ever gotten this award right? Maybe. Like The Stills and Wintersleep, for example. Rush, Skydiggers, The Hip and The Payolas won, so I am sure some people feel that there have been a few worthy wins.

The Stills


Wintersleep


Skydiggers



However, in 1986 Chalk Circle went up against Cats Can Fly, Eye Eye, One to One, and Glass Tiger. Chalk Circle was robbed, robbed I tell ya.

Chalk Circle
 

Ryan Dahle is the new deal

I've been trying to get around to posting about Vancouverite Ryan Dahle. He recently released his first solo album, Irrational Anthems, and now there's a new video for Beta King Stilts. Dahle may still be better known for his time in Age of Electric (remember Remote Control? Ugly?) or his time fronting the under-appreciated Limblifter, but his new record is a different animal. (An aside: a relative of mine once appeared in an Age of Electric video swinging her red tresses around shamelessly; were any of you in that one too?) More art-rock or quirky pop than his other vehicles, some of the songs are reminiscent of a a bizarro-world New Pornographers, which is interesting considering that brother Kurt also played in Age of Electric and Limblifter before hooking up with the New Pornos. I'm not big on video, but the song's a fine example of the new Dahle (New Deal?); an arrangement that lets each instrument have its own space (dig those trumpet sparks!), vocals that seem wickedly strong and preciously fragile in the same breath, melodic bassline, perfectly underplayed piano, propulsive without going over-the-top geetar...Scruffy eats this up.


Find more videos like this on R Y A N D A H L E


I don't think this is an official video, some fan just posted it on YouTube. Neverthess, Chop Chop is a good indicator of the kind of sleeper Dahle seems to be able to write in his sleep. I can imagine him waking up with a fully-realized track in his head, and the more he tracks in the studio, the more it hits the bullseye. "Okay, just THINK of Keith Moon, don't play exactly like him...brighter guitar sound, check, exquisite backing vocals, check, clearly-audible inscrutable lyrics, check..." Listen to it three times and it will live with you forever.



Limblifter - Vicious (download mp3 here)


Limblifter - Ariel vs. Lotus (download mp3 here)


Limblifter - Drug Induced (download mp3 here)


If you're quick you can win signed vinyl and a nifty tote bag by going here.

http://www.ryandahle.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ryandahle