Journey vol. 1

listening to Banned from Atlantis

So me and Alpha made a deal to listen to only Canadian music that we haven't listened to this week. I mean let's be serious people, there's a wealth of musical talent in Canada. The only reason some of these artists haven't ever made it big is because they're in Canada. Most Canadian artists that do make it big are the ones that move to the U.S.. It certainly requires a little bit more work to find the good Canadian musicians, mostly because a lack of publicity, but the results can be quite rewarding. Right now I'm listening to a great punk band from Winnipeg called Banned from Atlantis that existed briefly in the mid-nineties. The drumming is pretty hectic and often way off, but that just serves to capture something of the essence of punk, something that it lost some time ago due to excessive spit and polish. 

listening to The Besnard Lakes: Volume 1

Next up on todays fantastic journey through awesome Canadian music is the strange yet beautiful The Besnard Lakes. With this band, much more so than Banned from Atlantis, you can really feel the Canadianess. It has hints of other ethnicities, but there is a very distinct sound that's unique to Canadian music that they've captured. There's something that reflects the vastness and the wildness of this country that shouts out "THIS IS A CANADIAN BAND". It has echoes of Matthew Good and some of the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, but from the later it still maintains a vast chasm. In the end it's both starkly unique and profoundly Canadian. A good mix if you ask me. Today is a sunny day, one of those days that's perfect for basking in the heat still present under the newly verdant foliage. I'm going to go find somewhere to climb trees and then make my way out to Langley for the evening. Happy Victoria day tomorrow. Celebrate by finding a new Canadian band. Keep it pregnant.

Will