Single Servings, Aug. 3, 2021

By Jason Schneider

Among this week’s Single Servings, John Orpheus finds his inner Prince, The Wilderness Of Manitoba continues to push folk’s boundaries, and we finally get to hear Joni through Jimi’s ears.

Sate – When I Let You Go

Release Date: July 23

Label: CLK Creative Works

Whenever Toronto artist Sate unleashes her new album The Fool, it is guaranteed to set the Canadian rock world on fire. Until then, she’s keeping us on the edge of our seats with this track recorded for her previous album RedBlack&Blue, but not widely heard until now. Those already familiar with her Tina Turner-fronting-Black Sabbath attack will not be disappointed.

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The Hidden Cameras – Redemption

Release Date: July 23

Label: Independent

Not much has been heard from Joel Gibbs’ trailblazing indie collective over the past five years, but they’ve just announced that a new album is on the way in 2022, conceived and recorded in Germany. The brief, elegiac Redemption doesn’t offer much of a sense of what the overall results will be like, apart from Gibbs sounding in fine voice. I imagine more surprises such as this are still to come.

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John Orpheus – IG

Release Date: July 9

Label: The Confidence Emperors

The artist also known as Antonio Michael Downing has had a banner year, with his memoir Saga Boy receiving rave reviews and his music finally finding an audience after years of bouncing around genres. It’s all come together on the just released album Saga King, with IG showing off Orpheus’ fun-loving side through some uptown funk topped off with a few juicy Prince-esque guitar riffs.

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Neela – Let It Down

Release Date: July 28

Label: Neela Music

Toronto/Vancouver R&B artist Neela continues to build anticipation for her next EP, Prelude with this track made with renowned Canadian producer Chin Injeti. Her sultry voice is perfectly matched with Injeti’s intimate approach that oozes late-night vibes.

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The Glorious Sons – Hold Steady

Release Date: July 28

Label: Black Box Music

The Juno-winning Kingston, Ontario rockers are sharing another new track ahead of U.S. shows in December, to be followed by an extensive Canadian tour kicking off right after the New Year. Hold Steady finds them going in a funkier direction before it climaxes with one of their patented arena-filling choruses. Not exactly groundbreaking, but still super-charged enough to get you shaking your ass.

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Ada Lea – Damn

Release Date: July 27

Label: Saddle Creek/Next Door Records

There’s currently some hype surrounding Montreal singer/songwriter Ada Lea, who draws a lot of inspiration from the city for her latest album, out this September—the title of which is too lengthy for my lazy fingers to type out. Oddly enough, most of her song titles are only a single word, yet display her meandering use of language that is in sync with her easy-flowing musical approach on songs like Damn. Pleasant enough, but ultimately unconvincing.

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Dooms Children – Psyche Hospital Blues

Release Date: July 28

Label: Dine Alone Records

A couple of months ago, Alexisonfire’s Wade MacNeil shared a preview of this new project that also includes Daniel Romano and his brother Ian (both formally of Attack In Black). Psyche Hospital Blues offers further insight with its straight up hard rock framework, allowing MacNeil to tell a pretty gripping story that opens with the killer line, “My father cried when he dropped me off at rehab.” The debut full-length from Dooms Children is out Oct. 20.

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Leeroy Stagger – Does Anybody Live Here?

Release Date: July 30

Label: Independent

Like many artists based in western Canada, Leeroy Stagger has never received a fair shake by major media outlets across the country, although that hasn’t stopped him from consistently turning out high quality, emotionally resonant records. His latest, Dystopian Weekends, is out Oct. 1 and judging by Does Anybody Live Here?, it will be a heart-breaking affair in the finest Springsteen tradition.

Website

The Wilderness Of Manitoba – The Alchemist

Release Date: July 30

Label: Popguru Sound And Vision

Toronto-based The Wilderness Of Manitoba has been one of Canada’s more interesting folk-rock bands for some time, and they continue to push their boundaries on The Alchemist, the first taste of the album Farewell To Cathedral, due out Oct. 29. Building from a rather complex acoustic guitar riff, it builds to a majestic conclusion through some stellar production and the group’s haunting vocal harmony that manages to eclipse Fleet Foxes’ attempts at outdoing Simon & Garfunkel.

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Joni Mitchell – The Dawntreader (Live at Le Hibou 1968)

Release Date: July 28

Label: Warner Music Canada

It’s been one of the great rock and roll legends: When Jimi Hendrix played Ottawa in March 1968, he made a point of seeing Joni Mitchell, then in the midst of an extended engagement at Le Hibou coffeehouse. Jimi brought his tape recorder and captured the night, although his efforts somehow vanished soon after, eventually turning up in the collection of the late Ottawa music scene fixture Richard Patterson. The tape will finally be heard on the second volume of Joni’s Reprise Years archival series out this October, including this transfixing version of The Dawntreader, originally on her debut album Song To A Seagull. Thank you, Jimi.

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