Every week, CKUA’s hosts submit their songs for our weekly House Blend playlist: an exciting new release, a beloved classic or just an old personal favourite. We mix it all together to create a sonic concoction that’ll help kick off your week. Check out what’s on this week’s playlist.
The Playlist
The Picks
Meg Wilcox: Robyn, “Hang With Me (acoustic version)”
With Robyn suggesting last week that a new album is in the works for this year, I couldn’t help but go back to Body Talk Pt. 1 in eager anticipation of the new music! While the full version of “Hang With Me” is pretty great, the acoustic version with those lovely strings is one of my favourites.
Orest Soltykevych: Miguel Baselga, “Diva sin par (Mazurka-capricho) T63″, Albeniz: Piano Music, Vol. 9
Isaac Albeniz was a late 19th-century, Spanish composer who started his career as a child prodigy pianist. As a youngster, he toured extensively throughout Europe. Albeniz wrote a great deal of music for piano, and many of his pieces were influenced by Spanish folk themes. Many of his works were transcribed for guitar, and a number of his works are among the most important works for solo guitar. This is a work which Albeniz dedicated to Adelina Patti. She was one of the greatest opera stars of the day.
Lisa Wilton: Split Single, “Untry Love”
Chicago-based musician, Jason Narducy, has been playing in bands since he was 10 years old. In fact, his pre-teen punk band, Verboten, inspired a young Dave Grohl to pursue music. Narducy now plays bass with The Bob Mould Band and Superchunk, but he also finds time to write and record songs for his solo project, Split Single. “Untry Love” is one of the more dynamic and melodic tracks from Split Single’s latest album, Metal Frames. It’s got a power pop heart but with more layers and textures.
Baba: Shred Kelly, “Jupiter (Any Other Way)”
Putting the banjo in it’s right place, up front and rock ‘n’ roll!
Bob Chelmick: Paul Simon, “Rene and Georgia Magritte With Their Dog After The War”
“A superb song-writer at the height of his creative power” (1983). But then, when is he not? The deceptively simple narrative is about the influential Belgian surrealist painter — think bowler hat floating in mid-air — Rene Magritte. The melody is perfectly suited to Paul’s gentle delivery, and the song itself becomes a surreal ode to a moment in time and a moment in history.
TD Mulligan: Madeleine Peyroux, “Instead”
Some would consider it an easy-going, throw-away, feel-good song, however, many I hope feel like me. When those first notes hit your ears, it’s not so much the song but what the song brings. To me, it represents the perfect song for Saturday morning in that it eases you into a day you likely have for yourself. It represents freedom which is a very strong reason to carry it with you. Now, imagine a song could make you feel that way every DAY. That is one great song. Plus the album carries you forward song after song. Have a great day!
Darcy Whiteside: I’m With Her, “Ain’t That Fine”
A collaboration between Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, and Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan of Crooked Still. Three incredibly-talented musicians in the bluegrass-folk scene that happen to be female from their recently-released album, See You Around. Honestly, any song from this album could be nominated.
Allison Brock: Western Centuries, “Wild You Run”
The label gave me this track to spin on Wide Cut Country as a Canadian premiere well ahead of the band’s sophomore album release. Songs From The Deluge doesn’t hit the streets until April 6th, but having heard the full album stream, it is already on the way to being a 2018 favourite for me. Western Centuries’ debut album, Weight Of The World, was in my top three in 2016. Cahalen Morrison’s voice is gritty, true and the top-notch band wraps around it perfectly.
Mark Antonelli: Leslie Norton; Nashville Symphony Orchestra; Giancarlo Guerrero, Horn Concerto 1: “Tintinnabulations” by Brad Warnaar
There’s something about the combination of bells and a French horn. I can’t explain it, but my ears always perk up. “Tintinnabulations” is also one of my favourite words! The composer is a horn player, a former member of The Boss Brass and it shows! I’d definitely like to hear more of Brad Warnaar’s music in the very near future.
Tony King: Rejjie Snow, “23”
There is something playful and seductive that makes this song feel very inclusive. It’s as though we have been drafted into a Douglas Sirk melodrama along the beaches of Santa Monica. Alexander Anyaegbunam is better known by his stage name, Rejjie Snow, a hip-hop artist and producer based in Dublin. Weaving together the themes of love and loss, he uses the sun as a metaphor for the heady days of a young love affair.
Grant Stovel: Caroline Rose, “Soul No. 5”
On her sophomore album, Loner, New York-based Caroline Rose has become a lot more sophomoric, a lot darker, a lot more fun, plenty more political and immensely zanier. In short, she’s just busting out all over with creativity. Often pigeonholed in the past as an Americana artist, this record introduces electronic textures, elements of punk rock and/or post-punk, hints of hip-hop, and brings some soul into proceedings. She’s a young artist going through plenty of changes — emotionally, musically and otherwise — and she invites us to take the turbulent ride with her. It’s a wild one. I love it.
Amy van Keeken: Franoise Hardy, “Le Large “
Franoise Hardy releases her 24th studio album on April 6th. The first single from Personne D’autre is “Le Large”. For such an iconic figure in music, art, fashion and film, Hardy is apparently very shy. In an interview in 2011, she says: “It is quite impossible to stand – to be admired too much – it is not a normal situation…I don’t like that at all…I am not comfortable with my professional life really, so the word ‘icon’ – it’s as though you were talking about someone else, it’s not me really…I feel happy when I’m on my bed, in my room with a good book.”