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Best tunes of 2013: #22 The Veils “Another night on Earth”

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At the end of last year while counting down my favourite albums of the year, I noted that there wasn’t nearly enough references to and content devoted to The Veils, and that I really wanted to rectify that situation. Well, as luck would have it, the next song up on my list of favourite tunes from 2013 is by the very same band.

I had been following the London, England (by way of Auckland, New Zealand) -based band for almost a decade already by the time their fourth record came out. I’d loved every single song I’d heard by The Veils. There just weren’t enough superlatives in the English language to describe their style, the battle of darkness and light, the theatricality, the imagery made palpable by sound, and above all, the passion and emotion of their frontman, songwriter and principal vocalist, Finn Andrews. He was a storyteller in the vein of Lou Reed and Nick Cave, but for some reason, I connected with him much more than I did the other two.

“Time stays, we go” was in no way a letdown from the previous three. It’s front cover was an arresting image of a familial home consumed by fire. The title was an encapsulation of one of Andrew’s oft-explored existential themes. The songs were by turns intense and light in sound but told stories and expressed feelings to which all of us can relate, like it or not.

The penultimate track on the album is this super upbeat number that starts off with a piano line that seems to be dancing away from its player. The drums, when they appear, are snappy and full of confetti. The guitars serve up a breeze to get everything fluttery and then carry upwards the exhaling trumpet sounds. It’s all a shade, however, because “Another night on Earth” is really a sad song posing as something happy, espousing the many ways the world can drag you down into the depths and pondering the worth of it all.

“I hope I don’t go ’til I’ve seen everything
I hope I don’t go ’til I’ve felt everything”

After it all, though, our hero Finn Andrews isn’t quite ready throw in the towel… and neither should any of us.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2013 list, click here.

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Best tunes of 1993: #5 Teenage Fanclub “Hang on”

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I’ve previously shared words on how I discovered Scottish alt-rock quartet Teenage Fanclub while watching music videos on CityLimits back in 1991. It wasn’t long after this that someone in my group of friends picked up a copy of the band’s third album, “Bandwagonesque”, and I was able to record a copy to cassette for constant consumption in my walkman. To say that I became a fan of the fannies was only putting it mildly*. And I wasn’t the only one, obviously, because the album actually did surprisingly well here in North America. And although their success continued afterwards in Europe, interest mostly waned after ears were mostly tuned to everything coming out of Seattle.

For my part, I was practically foaming at the mouth when word came of the impending release of “Thirteen” and I wasn’t disappointed in the least**. I purchased it on compact disc as soon as I was able and put it through its paces, not caring in the least that the raw and often shambolic messes from the previous record had been cleaned up some, the juvenile pranks replaced by well-crafted pop songs, each tip-toeing along the razor wire between rough and smooth sounds. I caught these differences right away, with track one, “Hang on”, a beautiful (almost) ballad penned by Gerard Love.

“Been bought and I’ve been sold
And I’ve forgot what I’ve been told
And now I need someone”

Those are the words that kick off Love’s crooning. But before that, we are awoken by a muscular guitar lick and punishing drums to match. It builds in power, threatening some metal antics, drumming becomes rapid fire and guitars speed up towards thrash zone. And then suddenly, it all melts away into Beatle-esque heaven, complete with angelic harmonies to Love’s own soft touch. The muscular guitars are still there but they just a backdrop and then, when the flutes kick in towards the last third of the song, it doesn’t seem out of place at all. You just close your eyes and get lost in the melody.

*Indeed, it’s still my second favourite album in a great year for music releases.

**I also jumped at the chance a ticket to see them live for the tour for this album, with Yo La Tengo opening, my second ever concert!!!

For the rest of the Best tunes of 1993 list, click here.

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Tunes

Best tunes of 2020: #16 Dehd “Haha”

<< #17    |    #15 >>

Dehd recently announced the upcoming release of their fifth studio album, “Poetry”, due out in May. Some very welcome news for fans of their energetic blend of surf, post-punk, and garage rock.

I only came across Dehd with the release of 2020’s “Flower of devotion”, but that was actually their third album, after forming five years earlier. They are the trio of Emily Kempf (bass guitar, vocals), Jason Balla (guitar, vocals), and Eric McGrady (drums), based in Chicago, which surprises me every time I remember this fact. Because for some completely irrational and unknown reason, to me, they sound like they should hail from the UK.

And though I’ve not heard anything prior to it, I felt completely at home with “Flower of devotion” when I first heard it upon its release in July 2020. It felt alive and raw and vibrating with nervous energy, though from all reports it’s shinier and cleaner than its predecessors. It was exactly the kind of music that we needed as we were coming into the first summer of the pandemic, very much like an invitation to go outside and play.

“How does one get here?
When did we cross the line?
When it comes to falling, yeah
I’m falling all the time“

My favourite tune on “Flower of devotion” was track three, right from the very beginning. “Haha” was never released as a single but it certainly sounds like it could’ve been one. It is just over two minutes of jangly guitars, a hopscotch bassline, tongue clucking, and he said/she said, call and response vocals. With its staccato and twitchy chorus but fun feel throughout, it all seems so simple. But sometimes simple is exactly what you need for a perfect pop gem. And yes, that title makes me laugh every time.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2020 list, click here.