MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: TERRA SPENCER & BEN CAPLAN - OLD NEWS

First, it's a fascinating collaboration. These are all Spencer's songs who, in her short career, has already proven to be a writer of substance and rich emotion. Caplan, with his dramatic, Waitsian deep voice, is well-cast as lead singer on a couple of the songs requiring an older male, and as a duet partner elsewhere. He's also the album's producer, a first for him in that role.

Second, it's tremendous. Spencer has outdone her previous gem, 2020's multiple award-winner Chasing Rabbits, her songwriting even more outstanding. One beauty follows another, no two are alike musically or thematically. She has a wonderful perspective on people, a huge tenderness, and seemingly limitless empathy. Yes, it's sentimental as all get out, filled with old people, old dogs, old teachers, and lovers parting as friends, but the songs will melt the hardest hearts. 

Caplan sings "VHS," a widower revisiting his box of tapes, finding the wedding day video. On "Harry," goes wonderfully over the top as a crooner paying tribute to "A good boy, Harry, a real good boy," as he bids him farewell when he enters the nursing home. It's the same character as we met in "VHS," a lovely touch. Spencer takes the mic back for "At Your Service," sung from the perspective of a funeral director, about meeting another widower, and later burying him. It's matter-of-fact in its delivery, just the meeting and the funeral, but it tears at your heart in the best possible way.

Later on, Caplan returns for a couple of duets with classic themes, performed in classic styles. "Maybe" sees two parting lovers debating meeting again, and the perils of such: "A wound is all that deeper when inflicted by a friend." Sung with only Spencer's piano for accompaniment, it could be a missing Rodgers & Hart show tune. "Good Friends" also has that Great American Songbook quality but is a cheerful buddy number, complete with a Dixieland horn middle. This one has a chance to be in the next great Doris Day-Rock Hudson movie.

I suppose both Spencer and Caplan are throwbacks, two songsmiths who strive to get as close to your heartstrings as possible while relishing the craft of it, the performance, the arrangement, and the invention. Funny how it all sounds so fresh and important. I think we'll always need good friends like this.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: KRISTEN MARTELL - EVERY SEASON

Nova Scotia's Martell has expanded her folk-pop sound since her ECMA-nominated 2020 debut Coming Home, thanks to a fruitful partnership with fellow songwriter Gabrielle Papillon. The pair co-wrote five of the nine cuts here, with Papillon producing, engineering, playing, and singing. She doesn't dominate though, it's still Martell's quest, her soothing, rich, acoustic songs now thickened with vocal layers, subtle strings, and satisfying keyboards and programming. Three other cuts with the redoubtable Daniel Ledwell at the helm accomplish the same and match the rest of the production seamlessly.

Martell's songs are gently empowering, embracing fears and insecurities, questioning directions, and letting us all know it's natural. "Should I Run" is a lovely bit of atmospheric folk, both catchy and moody, blissfully hypnotic? "Here No More" is one of two cuts making excellent use of Old Man Luedecke's banjo, a bright counterpoint to the melancholy. "Every Season" has a Europop breeziness, the verses straight out of a film set in '60s Paris.

Martell has a batch of album launch shows coming up around Nova Scotia. You can find her:

 

Saturday, Oct. 15        West Brooklyn Speakeasy       West Brooklyn

Thursday, Oct. 20       The Carleton                             Halifax

Friday, Oct. 21            Kings Theatre                           Annapolis Royal

Saturday, Oct. 22        Union Street                              Berwick

Friday, Oct. 28            Petite Riviere Winery                Petite Riviere

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MELANIE PETERSON - WE GOT THIS - SIDE TWO

In these confusing times for music, the album seems to be dying in favour of releasing multiple singles over a period of months. Toronto's Peterson has come up with an alternative approach, releasing her latest in a series of two E.P. 's, basically half an album at a time. We Got This - Side Two continues her move toward bigger songs and production, with lots of edge to contrast her sweet voice. 

It adds a fun layer to her smart folk-pop. On "Passenger Seat" pretty verses with chiming guitars give way to power chords and drums as it turns into a story of "a couple of wild ones in love." Sharp guitar and swirling organ adds the needed gravitas to "One Tequila," a drinking-to-stop-thinking tune: "He was my favourite song/And I don't want to think about moving on."

Goodbye songs remain Peterson's specialty, and she always gets right to the heart of heartache. In "Ruined Lovin'" she perfectly describes that feeling when you watch your true love walk away: "You ruined lovin' anyone else for me." Hard stuff, not soft at all.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MIKE BRAVENER & BLUEBIRD - HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE STORY?

Happy New Brunswick Day! And what better day to feature the new collection of trad N.B. folk songs from Mike Bravener. His first, 2020's Depend Upon The Pay, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award, and once again he's dug deep in the province's history for more. The songs reach back to the early 1800's, and this time out Bravener has concentrated on story songs, those that tell true or tall tales. 

Given the rural and resource-based economy of the province at those times, most of the tales involve fishing, lumbering, river travel, courting songs, and knee-slappers. Bravener goes all-in on his searches for material, combing archives from here to Indiana, searching out rare field recordings and transcripts, searching graveyards for the resting places of the heroes mentioned, and learning songs from old-timers that might have been lost to history without this recording. 

The players and singers keep the music close to traditional, but occasionally they stretch out a bit. "Grace Darling of the Saint Croix, one of the few 20th-century tunes, gets the most modern treatment, starting simply enough but turning into a Gospel-flavoured singalong, Fredericton's vocal group Les Chanterelles shining. Wisely Bravener sticks to the English-language folk songs of the era, rather than trying to dig into the province's well-documented Acadian traditional material. These songs have been largely neglected for decades except by folks in the Miramichi folk music community, and Bravener's enthusiasm is an important cultural statement.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MICHAEL DARCY & THE ATLANTIC TRAMPS - DOWN TO THE ROOTS

An Irish import to Toronto, Darcy's first album, Simple Drop Of Rain from 2019, was more of a singer-songwriter set. For this, the electric instruments and drums were dropped, in favour of his all-acoustic, trad backing band The Atlantic Tramps, and a full-on roots set. It's a fascinating blend, definitely Irish but with some North American flavour sneaking in via the banjo and fiddle. Darcy does a couple of well-known traditional tunes ("Wild Rover No More"), and modern favourites (Richard Thompson's "Beeswing"), but mostly these are his own tunes, highlighting his excellent wordsmanship. 

"The Ballad Of Uncle Frank" is an evocative family tale, a classic leaving Ireland story from the 1860s, certain to resonate with any fans of seafaring folk. "Sweet St. John's" is a tribute to the first place an immigrant lands on his voyage to North America, a most glowing report: "Oh sweet St. John's, when the time comes to leave you/just like your Atlantic waters, I'll be left so blue." Ron Hynes would approve.

In the '60s and '70s Irish bands were a dime a dozen in these parts, and left a rich legacy. It's great to hear someone updating that connection, and adding well-worthy songs to the canon. Darcy and the Tramps are launching the album on Thursday, July 21 at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto. 

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE BURNING HELL - GARBAGE ISLAND

It's probably the wackiest apocalyptical collection ever written. P.E.I.'s fun-loving, DIY team tackles global collapse in 12 deceptively fun tracks. They are delightfully quirky, strangely dark, and populated by mostly seabirds and a few stragglers that survive, providing the optimism. 

It's the sort of storyline that comes into your head when you're isolated on an island during a pandemic. Mathias Korn got to thinking about the trash that washes up on the beach, the Pacific Trash Vortex (that massive floating island of plastic and other waste out in the ocean), and what life would be like if that was humankind's only home after we screw it all up. Birds apparently rule, and there's not much to do except poke around the old garbage of our past lives and watch the birds. 

Being The Burning Hell, this is all delivered to us in catchy, bouncy pop. Their guitar-and-harmony fun is accentuated with chirpy keyboards, homemade clinks and plunks, and actual field recordings of birds and garbage, whatever sounds garbage makes. It's filled with strange tales, and great lines you want to rewind and hear again. On "The Last Normal Day," we find folks sitting at home, casually viewing the apocalypse on their screens: "Watching things get destroyed/a brand-new schadenfreude." If the world does go down, pray it's this much fun.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LIVING ROOTS FESTIVAL FEATURES T. BUCKLEY, KRISTEN MARTELL, OLD MAN LUEDECKE AND MORE

Fredericton's Living Roots Music Festival starts June 2, and runs until Sunday the 5th at various venues around the city. I was chatting with a friend this week about finally getting back out to crowded music shows of late, and he mentioned he hasn't always enjoyed being out among people in the past, but it sure feels great now. I agree, I have much more patience for crowds and strangers these days. Eek, am I becoming an extrovert. 

Anyway, the Living Roots fest is growing stronger, and features a diverse lineup of international, national and local roots performers. with solo and band shows. There are even some punk and rock shows if that's your scene. There are curated stages with three or four acts on the bill, plus a few single-act coffee house shows as well, a strong mix. Plus the ticketing options are smart, you can go to one or a couple of shows, buy in advance or at the door, or do the whole pass structure. All the options are out there, from daytime shows to late night. And they've kept prices affordable, even free in some cases, with most gigs $10 to $15.

Highlights include the hot Newfoundland trad group Rum Ragged kicking things off Thursday night at Grimross Brewing. That banjo bigshot Old Man Luedecke from Nova Scotia is headlining Friday night at the same venue. Meanwhile, a cool indie-rock singer-songwriter from Australia, Anna Smyrk is playing at the Tipsy Muse early Friday evening. Saturday is jam-packed with outdoor patio shows daytime and indoor ones later, including Canadian Folk Music Award-winner Alicia Toner, who I featured in my last column. As well, alt-country faves The Divorcees lead the pack at The Broken Record Saturday night. Sunday I'm hoping the weather holds well for an afternoon at the Cap patio, with another show by Smyrk, along with PEI's Nikki Gallant, and local stars Kylie Fox and The Montgomery St. Band.

Here are a couple of others to check out:  Alberta's T. Buckley is touring his latest album, Frame By Frame, an album about community and connections, friends and family. Buckley's a current favourite writer of mine, able to craft a profile in a line: "He had a mouth just like a sailor, and a poet all the same." He's got the right voice to make those characters touch your heart as well. He's around for solo shows Thursday at the Tipsy Muse and Friday at the Cinnamon Cafe.

And Kristen Martell from Nova Scotia is in town to launch a new single from her album Every Season, which is coming out in the fall. "Should I Run" is a lovely bit of atmospheric folk, both catchy and moody, and blissfully hypnotic. Check her out at The Thirsty Muse Saturday at 7 pm.