“Open Heart” by Rae Spoon

Rae Spoon is back with a new album Not Dead Yet. The songs revolve around their experience with a cancer diagnosis, and the treatment that followed, through a system they went out of their way to avoid.
The first single is “Open Heart” and of it, Rae says: “I was hospitalized for over a year with complications from cancer treatments. The beginning of my time there was very difficult because a lot of the people who worked there didn’t know much about trans/non-binary people or trauma-informed care. I tried to get to know my nurses, doctors, and care aids as they got to know me. Over time, many of them changed how they were treating me. This song is about hope for change in oppressive systems through relationships.”

Christine

“Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)” by Elisapie

“Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)” is the third song Elisapie has released off her upcoming covers/reimages album Inuktitut, and I am loving each new song more than the last.

Much like her versions of Blondie and Cyndi Lauper, the decision to translate a Metallica song came from a special memory, specifically the time she interviewed Kirk Hammett in the early 90s. Elisapie explains:

“When I was 14 years old, I applied for a job at TNI, the first Inuit TV-radio broadcaster, and I was thrilled when I was chosen for the position! Everyone at the station dreamed big, and they put in a request for an interview with Metallica. The band was so loved in Salluit that we had to give it a shot. Metallica accepted only two interviews on their Québec tour, and TNI was chosen. In my boys' eyes, I was the coolest!
As a teenager, I only wanted to hang around the gang of boys in my village. We would all go to my cousin's house and smoke weed while listening to Metallica. The band's music allowed us to delve into the darkness of our broken souls and feel good there. Men's roles in our territory had been challenged by colonization, and it had become confusing what life was supposed to look like for a man. My boys were seeking new roles, and subconsciously, I allowed them to be my bodyguards so they could feel strong. Looking back, I was trying to give them the strength to find their place.”

Inuktitut is out September 15th, and includes covers from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and more!

-Kirk

“Fuck Yourself” by Fast Romantics

The fact that the video doesn’t even appear down below because of age restrictions is beyond hilarious to me.
So was opening my email last week, only to see a song titled “Fuck Yourself”. I laughed pretty hard.
And while it’s all kinds of amusing, Fast Romantics created a very catchy, anthemic song, with a great sing-a-long chorus.
Lead singer Matthew Angus says: “This started out as a song about a very specific person, but as I wrote, it kept shapeshifting into being about a whole spectrum of human dumpster fires. By the end -- as so often happens -- the target turned out to be myself. Now that it’s finished, your guess is as good as mine as to who it’s really about, but it feels really fucking good to sing and that’s all that matters to me.”

The video, which they (accurately) described as “Full House meets Battlestar Galactica meets The Trueman Show”, is definitely worth the watch - so click through to it below.

Christine