Each week, Mixtape Magazine assembles a playlist of songs connected by a common theme, designed to kickstart your weekend and get you movin’ throughout the day.
For this week’s instalment of the Friday Mixtape, we thought we’d take a look at the power of “light” in Canadian songs. While they’re varied in style and meaning, each song mentions “light” in their titles and lyrics. Enjoy!
Bahamas with “Lost in the Light”
Finnish-Canadian Afie Jurnaven has been releasing music under the name Bahamas since 2009. Since then, the Barrie, Ontario-bred songster has quickly become recognized as a Canadian gem, supporting such acts as Wilco, Feist, and Elvis Costello. The track below appeared on his 2012 album, Barchords, which earned him a nomination for Songwriter of the Year and an award for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards. This summer, Bahamas appeared at the Ottawa Bluesfest and the Calgary Folk Festival, and he’ll spend the fall touring Europe and United States.
Cold Specks with “When The City Lights Dim”
“The night is young, I will not wait / we’re thick as thieves in second grade,” sings Ontario-born, England-based frontlady Al Spx on this track from Cold Speck’s 2012 Polaris-shortlisted debut. The album, titled I Predict A Graceful Explosion, is at once brooding and beautiful, muddying the lines between old gospel, soul, and atmospheric folk-rock, while leaving room for Spx’s brilliant, otherworldly vocals. This summer, Cold Specks hop-scotched across North America, appearing at folk festivals in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Newport, Rhode Island. You’ll get to hear Spx’s vocals on Moby’s upcoming album, Innocents, due in October.
Rose Cousins with “This Light”
“This Light” is the poignant, tender centrepiece from Rose Cousins’ 2012 release, We Have Made a Spark that inspired the album’s title. The album was awarded a Juno Award for Solo Roots / Traditional Album of the Year, and Cousins was recognized as Contemporary Singer of the Year at the 2013 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Next month, the P.E.I. native will head to Nashville for the American Music Festival and Conference, before returning for a string of shows in Canada and northern United States. Cousins has just released a new video for her track, “For The Best.”
Great Lake Swimmers with “New Light”
This summer, Ontario folkies Great Lake Swimmers have been on the road for shows throughout Ontario and in Alberta for the Canmore Folk Music Festival in support of last year’s release, New Wild Everywhere. The album was the five-piece’s first time recording in a traditional studio, with earlier efforts recorded in such unconventional settings as a grain silo, a legion hall, and a lakeside church. The Neil-Young-channelling track below, “New Light,” appeared on their 2009 album, Lost Channels. Great Lake Swimmers plan to release a new album in 2014, while frontman Tony Dekker will release his solo album, Prayer of the Woods, on October 8th.
Chad VanGaalen with “Molten Light”
The oldest, darkest, scariest song in the list, “Molten Light,”comes from Chad VanGaalen’s 2008 album, Soft Airplane. The album was a huge step forward for the former Calgary busker, earning him short-list placement for 2009’s Polaris Music Prize, and the #2 spot on Exclaim’s “Top Albums of 2008.” VanGaalen recently appeared at this year’s Sappyfest in Sackville, N.B., where he released an exclusive tape, available only for the festival weekend. VanGaalen is currently working on his own animated film, Tarboz, and has finished work on a new album to be released in 2014.
To hear the entire playlist, check out our YouTube Channel.
Words by Geoff Tobin
Photo: Supplied