“The Act of Living” by Skye Wallace

Last Friday, Skye Wallace (finally!) released their latest album, The Act of Living, and celebrated with a horrific video for the title track.

Made in collaboration with Blind Luck Pictures, the video follows a blood-soaked Skye on a killing spree, surprising their bandmates while camping in the woods, perfectly fitting the manic energy of the song.

The murderous video also encapsulates the themes of life, death, and transformation on the new album, with Skye explaining, “I was always extremely afraid of death, couldn't look it in the eye. I’d be up at night when I was 5 or 6 years old worried sick that my mom and dad would die in a car accident, or that the return of the bubonic plague was more or less imminent. A few years ago, I was present for the death of my grandfather, with whom I was very close. But instead of the dreadful moment I was expecting, it was intimate, beautiful even.”

You can watch “The Act of Living” below, and should pick up the full album right now!

Kirk

“Awkward Connector” by Combine The Victorious

Fun new track from Vancouver’s Combine The Victorious (who just played a set at Red Gate in Vancouver this Saturday).

Of “Awkward Connector” they say:“Sometimes things don’t quite fit in life but we manage to find our way eventually .. it’s okay to be awkward and maybe we just need an adaptor.”

Really loving the harmonies on this one and hope to catch the band live again soon!

Christine

<a href="https://combinethevictorious.bandcamp.com/track/awkward-connector">Awkward Connector by Combine the Victorious</a>

“Silver Bullet” by The Matinee

Speaking of new releases out this past Friday, Vancouver roots-rockers The Matinee dropped their latest EP, End of Scene, a collection of B-sides recorded with their previous album, Change of Scene.

The EP includes their latest single, “Silver Bullet”, a perfect song for cruising around, as singer Matt Layzell describes as an ode to that ol’ reliable car:“If you've owned a vehicle so long that the driver's seat is finely contoured to the curves of your body and warmly wraps around you like your grandparents' chesterfield, if you aren't bothered by that clunk you occasionally hear when the transmission shifts going uphill, and if you have your dad's Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cassette stuck in the tape player on the dash, you probably know the feeling of talking to your ride like it just needs a little encouragement to keep going that extra mile. And it always does, somehow. It might not be the prettiest one on the lot, but hot damn, does it get you where you're going in style.”

Find the EP out now, and have a listen to “Silver Bullet” below!

Kirk

“Don't Let It Bring You Down (Live from The Hangar)” by Talia Schlanger

I always love when an artist selects a cover and really (like, really) makes it their own, and Talia Schlanger did just that with this Neil Young cover.
The guitar, her unique vocals (not to mention the range) and the fact that it’s also live off the floor all give “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” a brand new flavour.

The track comes from a new EP release Latent Lounge live from The Hangar - and includes two songs from her release this year, Grace for the Going, as well as the and another cover - “Chelsea Hotel” by Leonard Cohen.

The whole EP release is worth a listen (click here to hear all four tracks) and makes me want to experience her music live even more.

Christine