Let's listen together: chapter 2
AudioHi, welcome back. Glad you’re here, and I’m especially glad you brought your favourite headphones because I’ve prepared a smorgasbord.
Shall we?
Walk off the Earth
I’d like to introduce you to one of my favourite bands. They’re Canadian, formed not far from where I grew up, and there’s a decent chance you’ve heard their breakout hit: this cover of Somebody That I Used to Know. It’s great, but let me show you the songs that built my appreciation for their range and spirit.
Stick Season was what caught my attention. It cemented my impression of the band as a source of witty lyrics, infectious energy, and a distinctive musical voice. The vibes are impeccable from the start, with uncomfortably self-aware lyrics steeped in a particular flavour of the suburban millennial experience that I suppose I’m primed to respond to.
But the way they play with rhythm and lyrics is more universally entertaining. Like how the end of “she forgot that I exist-ed” lingers like teenage hope, or how they paint a picture just specific enough—“Now you’re just tire tracks and one pair of shoes” —to make you wonder.
When Sarah Blackwood takes over at 1:11, the darkness in the lyrics is offset by the bouncy-ball bassline underneath it, keeping things light and easy. The bass is doing a lot of work in general in this mix, with some unexpectedly prominent synth stabs and rhythmic handoffs that toe the line between aggression and levity in an interesting way.
It’s the same punk/folk intersection that other bands inhabit, but the musical and lyrical wit sets them apart for me. It’s evident in other songs like Catching Feelings, or Mom’s Old Car, both of which paint a vivid picture with the same electronic-infused instrumentation and production polish that keeps things feeling modern.
Other times, they’re just having fun. Social commentary with a wink, as in Bless the Telephone. And just to bring things back to where we started, they’re still fucking amazing at doing covers. Take a listen to Take On Me, or my latest obsession, Enter the Sandman, each of which further showcases this band’s talents.
Soleil Bleu, Bleu Solei & Luiza
Shannon’s been learning French, and one of my favourite things about it is that it means we’ve suddenly got French radio, French books, and—you guessed it—French music in the house. She discovered this song a few weeks back and we’ve both been listening to it a bunch ever since.
Besides its poetic, dreamy lyrics, this song is just so damn groovy. Reggae-leaning rhythms bop along with an unreasonable amount of swagger. Wispy ping-pong delays toss percussion around your head, echoing like fun memories when you’ve had one too many.
This is carefree summer in a song.
Recuerdo de Ti, Geoffroy
Speaking of unreasonable swagger, this song is something else.
Geoffroy Sauvé, who I’d never heard of before, unleashes devastation with this one. And it’s done without relying on flashy production tricks or tons of layers. Simple ingredients, expertly combined. Laidback singing comes in over the plucked arpeggio. Suddenly we get bucket percussion, and then the bassline. That bassline! Punctuated by a perfectly dry and beefy kick and a mix drowning in lush delays.
Makes for a heady sonic cocktail.
ARC Raiders, Patrik Andrén & Johan Söderqvist
If you’re aware of videogames at all, you’ve likely heard of ARC Raiders. I haven’t been able to try the game yet, but when I saw who was on composing duty I knew I had to take a listen.
These two talented gents are known for their superb work on a number of the recent Battlefield games, which themselves boast enjoyable scores. Actually, you know what—
Battlefield V (Original Soundtrack), Patrik Andrén & Johan Söderqvist
Before we even get to ARC Raiders, I’m going to linger on Battlefield for a moment. You might hear that name and think “ok, mindless shooter franchise, probably not fertile ground for musical expression”.
Allow me to change your mind.
You know how every good war movie has That Theme™? The rousing, soaring, spirited melody that sends goosebumps dancing over your arms when you hear it over the end credits? Here’s Under No Flag. Like many of its kind, this theme introduces itself with quiet, aching strings, but the woodwinds give it wings, and by the time you reach the final statement it feels noble and inspiring.
Fans of the series will immediately jump a few tracks down to see what these two did with the iconic Battlefield theme, a 12-note motif that’s showed up in every game in the series. What can I say? They do it justice. But in fact it’s Spitfires, a few more tracks down the list, that’s my favourite rendition of the Battlefield theme on this album. It spins the familiar melody into the slightly off-kilter 5/4 time signature, which gives it a fleet-footed, propulsive feel that almost makes the original march feel ponderous.
Just goes to show how flexible a good melody can be in the hands of a good composer. It’s always a treat when you get both.
ARC Raiders, Patrik Andrén & Johan Söderqvist
Okay, back to ARC Raiders.
Now that you’ve heard what they can do, you have a richer perspective coming into this most recent major work of theirs. ARC Raiders is a bigger album all around. This game has a different voice, it feels more grand, more otherworldly (as it should).
Speranza is one of my favourite cues on the album. I’m always a fan of a satisfying build, and boy do we ever get one here. And then—wait for it—just as things seem to be reaching a climax, we get a synth handoff that takes your breath away. It’s unexpected but satisfying gestures like that one that set this soundtrack apart for me.
Speaking of rousing themes, we have City of Toledo. It’s not easy to find fresh ways to revisit familiar territory. This isn’t the first sci-fi shooter game, after all. But they manage it, and they weave together some very interesting instrument combinations to do it, including delicate bells, a large hybrid orchestra, a Bulgarian choir, and some masterfully-programmed and performed synth lines. What a feast for the senses, this album is.
Alright, enough about these two. You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m sponsored by them or that I even know them, but no, I just like their work. And now maybe you do, too!
Edge of the Earth, Skott
I guess I’m drawn to unusual origin stories because Pauline Skött’s certainly counts. She was born in a remote village in the Swedish forest, surrounded by her community’s musical traditions but entirely cut off from the rest of the world’s.
Those woods cultivated a hell of a talent, with a voice that mixes breathy intimacy with a purity and control that stops me in my tracks. She harnesses that voice to great effect to create vivid harmonic layers.
The first song of hers that I heard is called Overcome, which also describes my reaction to hearing it for the first time. When all the layers of her voice come in for the first time around the 0:48 mark, and especially when we slide down to that warm hug of a sub-bass note at 0:54, it felt as if I’d just been planted into the ground like a tree.
Whatever she’s yearning for, I feel it too.
OK that’s plenty for this batch. I hope you found something you enjoyed in there! And if you've had a song stuck in your head lately, share it with me. I'm always happy to get new music recommendations. 😊