This Friday, Mixtape continues our geographical take on our weekly playlists and are happy to present you some music coming out of the city that separates the prairies from ribbions of boreal forest – Winnipeg.
Most people know that The Weakerthans are from Winnipeg, because they wrote a radio-hit admitting their true feelings for their hometown. But Winnipeg is full of artists and musicians, and today we have selected five that we think you should get to know a bit better.
In fact, currently heating things up on a national level and catching a lot of attention from music fans across the country is Imaginary Cities. The band came to be after a chance meeting between Marti Sarbit and Rusty Matyas (of another Winnipeg band, The Waking Eyes) at a local bar called The Cavern. From there, it’s been pop-rock heaven, creating sounds that are generally positive and whimsical and drawing upon a number of musical influsence including old school Motown, blues and soul.
The Winnipeg music scene isn’t just about singer/songwriters and pop-rock, it also has a fairly vibrant hiphop scene. Something clearly demonstrated in the reggae-inspired, funky grooves of The Lytics. The crew is made up of three brothers, their cousin and one other fella who might as well be another “adopted” brother – all of whom have been exchanging beats and words since they were kids. What you get out of this family is a unqiue sound that forces you to move your head in that slow-bop that makes you feel and look like the chillist muthaf*!@er out there.
Another sound Winnipeg is good at creating is a soft, folksy one. And Christine Fellows has been around making these sounds for quite a while. Known for incorporating a variety of instruments into her arrangements, Fellows is actually most known for her voice – she makes singing sound so damn easy and natural. Lately she has been collaborating with husband and Weakerthans front-man John K. Sampson. Here’s a classic of hers (and one of our favs):
Taking post-punk to a glamerous level, The Hisses, are creating a sound that could work perfectly in a soundtrack for a spy movie. Their sophmore album Anhedonia is self described as a “highball of blood and glitter,” and celebrates lead singer Julia Ryckman’s haunting vocals with catchy drum lines and ripping guitar riffs. This trio are the perfect fit to showcase a gritter side of Winnipeg.
The Ripperz bring a country-rock sound that is inspired by the soft / hard duality of Canadian bands like Attack in Black and Japandroids. Letting their music build towards a climax of rock porportions this trio channels some old school punk while they are at it.
To listen to this week’s play list in full, check out our YouTube channel.