Lately I’ve let things slide and it has never done me any good. It’s also super easy to let things slide and so hard to start again. Anyway, I’ll try to get back on this and start with a quick video post of songs that I love madly. Swiss folk band Black Sea Dahu led by songwriter Janine Cathrein has been one of my biggest favorites during the year. Their wonderful new EP No Fire In the Sand came out on the 27th of September on Mouthwatering Records and it’s filled with exceptional songwriting and beautifully arranged folk songs. These songs How You Swallowed Your Anger and Thaw have been here before, but not these particular videos. I could listen to these all day long. Poignant, mesmerizing and eternally beautiful.
Black Sea Dahu at Facebook
Black Sea Dahu Website
Black Sea Dahu at Bandcamp
Next we travel to Toronto and also make a partial step to the finest music of 2018 category. Songwriter Julie Arsenault is a big favorite of mine and her last couple of EPs have both been on my year-end top 10. Her latest EP Mom Rock came out in November 2018. For a music blog that might seem like ages ago, but these current short-living album cycles are complete bollocks. The music is relevant whenever it hits your heart and this one does every time you hit play. Recently Julie Arsenault worked with the already legendary archivist of Canadian music Southern Souls who captured a video session with two beautiful performances of EP songs Trouble With Men and Pro Choice. Watch Trouble With Men below and then visit the Southern Souls page for Pro Choice and tons of other wonderful video sessions.
Oh and here’s an older classic from her 2017 EP. I will always keep on returning to this one and this EP is probably the only 2017 release that has never left my iPod. Yeah, I still use such a thing and very regularly.
Southern Souls Website
Julie Arsenault at Bandcamp
Staying in Canada for the next one, but relocating to Montreal. The songwriter Tim Crabtree relocated there from the UK and has been releasing enchanting chamber folk under the name Paper Beat Scissors. His latest album Parallel Line came out on the 13th of September on Forward Music Group. One of the highlights of the album is called Shapes and Derek Branscombe made a perfect video companion to this wonderful song. Both would work on their own, but together they find even higher grounds. Watch it below and then hit the bandcamp player for another great song and buy/listen opportunity of the whole record.
Paper Beat Scissors at Facebook
Paper Beat Scissors Website
We wrap this little blog post with something that is Very Good or in fact rather spectacular. I just saw this video and heard this song last night and absolutely loved every second of it. Falling Dreams is the final single from Very Good’s album Adulthood that is coming out tomorrow 11th of October (or well today because I’m writing this after midnight). I’ll definitely need to spare an hour or two of my weekend for just laying on bed with headphones and listening to this one, because I have feeling that Sean Cronin and co have created something very special. Based on the three singles this is going to be unique, beautiful and colourful work of art. Here’s two of them, first the video and then the first single Ghost Warning. By the time you read this, the album is probably available too so follow my lead, hit that Bandcamp link and dive into the musical world of Very Good.