Not to immediately dive into Tributaries, the new release from Saint John quintet The Backstays, with needless ambiguities, but this is an album that travels on vibes. Co-produced by Romesh Thavanathan of Hey Rosetta!, Tributaries is a big mood album, better gulped than sipped. The band kicks off with a sense of brooding, dominated by Keith Whipple’s bass and Serenna Chapman’s keys, for a slow burn spanning not just songs but the entire album. Continue reading The Backstays Go from Brooding to Bubbly with Experimental Sounds on ‘Tributaries’
Tag Archives: Saint John
Brent Mason on How Bob Dylan’s Birthday Became a Saint John Tradition
On May 24, 1941—a day that has undoubtedly entered into the canon of folklore in some circles—Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota. Several fruitful decades later, having become one of the most iconic and influential songwriters of his generation during that time, the event of Bob Dylan’s birth would come to be celebrated as an annual tradition in Saint John, New Brunswick, largely thanks to the efforts of two men. Continue reading Brent Mason on How Bob Dylan’s Birthday Became a Saint John Tradition
Apryll Aileen Shares Her Love of Atlantic Canada with Big ’90s Vibes on ‘Home’
Apryll Aileen may have played stages from Hollywood, California to London, England but, of all places, it’s the natural beauty of her home in Atlantic Canada that she’s celebrating with her latest single, “Home.” Aileen breezes from the anthemic straight into these gloriously fun ’90s pop-inspired beats and back again for what might be her greatest track yet. Continue reading Apryll Aileen Shares Her Love of Atlantic Canada with Big ’90s Vibes on ‘Home’
Tomato/Tomato Turn Car Singalong Into a Live Cover of Buddy Holly’s ‘Everyday’
In September 1957, Buddy Holly released his hit single “Peggy Sue” along with its B-side track, “Everyday,” and then, a short 18 months later, he plummeted from the skies over Clear Lake, Iowa. He died in that plane crash and, at least according to Don McLean, took the entirety of music along with him. This is precisely why I never listen to Buddy Holly while travelling anywhere. As a wise man once said, “I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.”
That’s not enough to daunt the husband and wife duo of John and Lisa Mclaggan, better known as Tomato/Tomato. While recording their latest album in Nashville, the pair took to singing “Everyday” in their car until it wound up on the album’s tracklist. Continue reading Tomato/Tomato Turn Car Singalong Into a Live Cover of Buddy Holly’s ‘Everyday’
The Backstays are Probably Hiding History Somewhere on ‘Aquarius’
The Backstays continue to tease out their upcoming album, Tributaries, with bits of their bread and butter: moody slow burns and the history of their hometown, Saint John, New Brunswick. Their latest single, “Aquarius,” belongs squarely in the former category but is it possible that the band has broken tradition on the latter, and it might simply be a coincidence that the song shares a name with the former longstanding pub on the city’s west side? Continue reading The Backstays are Probably Hiding History Somewhere on ‘Aquarius’