The Sound Affect: Recent Episodes
Tom and Dave
In a world of downloadable singles, our hope with this podcast is to look a little deeper at what influences musicians and see the impact an album (as opposed to a single) can have on an artist’s work. The Sound Affect is about discovering (or re-discovering) a record that has influenced a musician. You tell us the record. We will do the legwork to investigate the record and tell the listener some of the basic information. Then we invite an artist in to chat with us about that record. This is the artist's opportunity to "geek out" and have some fun.
On the dawn of his latest album, Last Dance at the E Room, Toronto troubadour John Borra joins the Sound Affect to talk about Toronto, post punk, and The Waterboy's seminal classic "This is the Sea".
Released in September 1985, This Is the Sea is the third studio album by the Waterboys. It’s widely considered their breakthrough record and the pinnacle of their long and distinguished career. Blending rock, folk, and Celtic influences with a spiritual and emotional intensity, This Is the Sea was quintessential to what leader Mike Scott called their “Big Music” era…a sweeping, anthemic sound characterized by grand arrangements, spiritual themes, and a sense of transcendence.
Montreal's Mooch pick the stoner-rock/Desert Rock classic "Welcome to Sky Valley" by Kyuss!
Despite breaking up in 1995 Kyuss impacted the 1990s musical landscape in so many ways.
"Welcome to Sky Valley", Kyuss’ third studio album demonstrates a much more psychedelic and mature sound that has influenced a slew of bands including Black Thorne Productions recording artist Mooch.
Ben Cornel (guitar , bass, vocals), Julian Iac (guitar, vocals, bass), and Alex Segreti (drums)join us to discuss their love of the record.
Be sure to check out their latest release "KIN".
MOOCH have just wrapped up an extensive tour of Canada that was highlighted with a performance at the Yellowknife’s Folk On The Rocks Festival
CLEM LEEK is a British born musician and composer, hailing from Kent, England. He studied performing arts and composition. For the last 10 years, he has produced music professionally for general release, film, TV and is a seasoned performer. His modern classical and ambient soundscapes take inspiration from his surroundings and the experiences that have shaped his life.
However, they also take inspiration from fellow Englishman Matthew Nicholas Hales AKA Aqualung, whom Clem discovered through a 2002 VW Beetle TV commercial featuring the song "Strange and Beautiful".
The Chicago-based Leek’s latest ep signs is out now.
Gavin McLeod is a 22-year-singer-songwriter from Milton Ontario. Gavin’s raw guitar-based sound is rooted in classic rock and blues as well as the modern sounds of Sam Fender and James Bay, but is - obviously - also influenced by the sounds of Neil Young.
He joined the Sound Affect to talk about the impact of Neil's 1974 On the Beach, his fifth studio album and the second in his so-called "Ditch Trilogy" in which he grapples with feelings of alienation and melancholy. Listen and hear how his Grandfather propelled this album to mythic proportions.
Toronto's legendary Change of Heart are back baby! After 27 years, the members of the post-Smile line-up of the band have a new album, In the Wreckage, and are hosting two shows at the end of the month in Toronto!
To celebrate this, bassist/lyricist Rob Taylor and Guitarist/Singer Ian Blurton joined us to discuss one of their early influences, The Days of Wine and Roses by California's The Dream Syndicate.
Kitchener's I, the Mountain, pick an album by their kindred souls, Toronto's The Strumbellas.
Formed in 2009, they soon picked up residencies at legendary Toronto clubs like The Cameron House and The Horseshoe Tavern before releasing their debut albumMy Father and the Hunter. They then signed with Six Shooter records and brought on The Lumineers’ producer Ryan Hadlock to make their sophomore releaseWe Still Move on Dance Floors
Join us as we chat with I, the Mountain, about The Strumbellas, The Red Dog in Peterborough, and community.
25 years ago, the Toronto and Canadian music landscape was turned on its ear with the release of The Russian Futurists’ internationally acclaimed debut, The Method of Modern Love. The album is an unabashed confession of romance built on a bedrock of thrift-store toy keyboards and cheap guitars recorded on a porta studio. The Method of Modern Love won fans in R.E.M's Peter Buck, former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, and filmmaker Jason Lee.
The Magnetic Fields' first two albums, Distant Plastic Trees and The Wayward Bus, were the template for The Russian Futurists and a change in the direction of Canadian indie music!
We at the Sound Affect hope you had a wonderful 2024 and we wish you a great 2025!
This episode lists some of of our faves of the year!
In the early days of the new millenium Toronto was alive with new innovative music. This new indie music revolution was spearheaded by one band in particular: Broken Social Scene. And, now, almost 25 years after it began, they are the subject of a documentary.
Stephen Chung's IT'S ALL GONNA BREAK unearths the intimate behind-the-scenes footage that shows the creation of Canada's indie-darlings of the early aughts, Broken Social Scene.
Founding member and Toronto-indie-rock-darling Brendan Canning joins The Sound Affect to discuss the movie and the band's legacy.
NRTHRN is the solo project of composer and producer Felipe Elioenay. He started playing hardcore in 2002 in his hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His ever-evolving music style explores the Cinematic powers of the Guitar.
His love of Post-Rock music stems from his first listen to San Marcos, Texas band This Will Destroy You and their debut album Young Mountain.
Toronto’s Alex Southey has a penchant for indie folk. His sound encompasses various styles, making him a popular minstrel in the Toronto indie scene. He is a staple in bars across Toronto, and his latest EP, Entertainers Bring May Flowers, is out now. He is also the host of the podcast “Your Worst Song” which is a great listen when you are not listening to The Sound Affect.
Alex joins us to discuss George Harrison's debut album All Things Must Pass.
Hello!
We have been on a summer hiatus but are returning with an amazing episode featuring Kingston, Ontario's The Meringues' picking The Hives' Tyronnosaurus Hives.
The Meringues have a new album out on September 16th and their live show is something to behold! So, listen to the podcast. Then listen to The Meringues and The Hives.
Then go see them and support indie music!
The Flaming Lips have established themselves as one of the most important alternative acts of the 21st Century! So, why did it take us until season 4 to finally discuss them and their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots?
Mindblowing!
Alas, here we are...
Ottawa's Lives Like Skyscrapers have a lush sound that is full of layering and powerful musicianship. Their debuted album At Dawn We Said Goodnight is out now! Go and buy it!
Toronto's The Anti-Queens have just released their latest album, Disenchanted on Stomp Records!
Their heavy punk is a perfect blend of pop mastery and gritty aggression! And, as you will learn in this episode, they come by it naturally! Lead vocalist and guitarist Emily Bones and lead guitarist Valerie Knox join us to talk about Brody Dalle and the Distillers and the impact of her on their sound and the sound of many young women in punk music.
This week we are joined by Toronto's pHoenix Pagliacci who is here to talk about everyone's favourite Stevie Wonder record...The Woman in Red soundtrack.
Weird choice?
Well, before you judge hear her thoughts on the song "Love Light in Flight", sampling, and challenging her artistic self on her latest single "Close to Me".
2024 marks the 20th and 30th anniversary of many iconic Canadian records. Today we are going to look back at one such record: Thrush Hermit’s debut EP Smart Bomb.
As the Halifax music scene was beginning to surge 4 very young men came onto the scene with a penchant for pop and classic rock. Smart Bomb instantly made young music fans pay attention, and over the next five years, Thrush Hermit would release several classic Canadian albums. Let's sit down with Joel and Ian and take a trip back to 1994!
Sometimes we cut things out of the podcast that should really be heard. Here's what Jaguar Sun had to say about his excellent version of For What It's Worth.
Well, now for something completely different. The charming country sounds of Spencer Burton obviously have some country and folk influences, but on the making of his latest record, North Wind, Spencer found his biggest inspiration was nature. Secluded in northern Ontario, Burton tapped into the world around him and created a stunning album of elegant wonder.
Whether you love or hate them, the impact of Coldplay on modern music is undeniable. And, their impact on Dreampop musician Jaguar Sun is equally undeniable.
Join us as we chat with Toronto's Jaguar Sun about the importance of Coldplay's X & Y on his layered pop masterpieces.
Seattle, Chicago, and Vancouver combined to create Autogramm. A pure power-pop masterclass, their new album "Music That Humans Can Play" brings their love of everything 80's to an epic crescendo!
In this episode, Autogramm's Lars Von Seattle joins us to chat about hometown Seattle heros The Heats and their debut album "Have an Idea".
Kitchener's Rachel Hickey kicks Dave and Tom out of their comfort zone and sends them flying all the way back to 1997's where they will revisit the absolutely massive hit album Come on Over by the pride of Timmin's Shania Twain.
Don't know Rachel HIckey?
Check her out wherever you get your music. Or, better yet, catch her live on Saturday, November 18th at Quinn's in Ottawa, or Saturday, December 8th at The Transac Club in Toronto.
https://www.racheljhickey.com/
Toronto's electro-pop-rock band Rise Carmine have a slew of influences, but for lead singer and guitarist Liam Colbert one stands above the rest: Radiohead's The Bends.
This summer, we have seen the passing of several legendary musicians.
We want to take a few minutes in this pop-up episode to look on the music of two of these legends: Sinead O'Connor and Robbie Robertson.
Take some time and wander with us down this "crazy river" as we look back on "the last days of our acquaintance" with Sinead and Robbie.
Matt Rhode is the bassist for Vancouver’s progressive-indie band Bend Sinister. Their latest single Price You Pay and Hot City, was released on July 14th, 2023 and they are currently working on their next album release in early 2024. And, when we asked Matt what album he wanted to chat about he answered Styx's Paradise Theatre. Yup. Styx baby! So, hop about the Sound Affect time machine to the AOR years when radio was filled with big bold poppy-proggy-jazzy-rock n' roll!
WOW, it's our 50th episode!
Kilometre Club’s Daniel Field describes himself as someone “who has entirely too much time on his hands”. However, this abundance of time has allowed him to create some of the most interesting ambient and electronic music coming out of Canada. Fields joins us to discuss his love for Hayden's 1998 album The Closer You Get.
Marc Byrd is one half of American ambient/post-rock band Hammock who formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2003. The band consists of composers and instrumentalists Marc and Andrew Thompson. Hammock's music is characterized by its ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes, lush melodies, and emotional depth.
The Cure are...nevermind, you all know the Cure.
Listen to hear the best "album discovery moment" on our show's history and relive the glorious mid-eighties when the Cure could do no wrong!
Sorry for the delay on this episode, but we wanted to make sure we got this pop-up episode right. The loss of the reat Tina Turner is a hard pill to swallow. Dave and Tom reflect on their love of the Queen of Rock n' Roll and all that she did for the music industry. Rest in Peace Queen.
For over 30 years, Stuart Chatwood has been 1/3 of Canada's legendary Tea Party. He has also garnered great attention as a soundtrack composer for video games like Prince of Persia and the recently released Darkest Dungeon II. Whether it is as a member of The Tea Party, in his role as a music producer, or his soundtrack composing, Chatwood pushes the sonic landscape to create a musical aesthetic like few others. His choice of album is Echo & The Bunnymen's classic Ocean Rain, and album well worth a visit.
This week Canada and the world lost the legendary Gordon Lightfoot. His music touched the souls of so many.
It was only suitable to spend a few minutes reflecting on his passing and his enormous impact on the music world.
Brent Smith arrived in Ottawa in the late 1990s and brought a penchant for pop music! That pop music is the root of his latest project Tin Constellations. Joined by Andrew Robertson on violin/mandolin, Brennan Plikington on drums, and Rob "Chops" Snasdell-Taylor, Tin Constellations' debut EP A Cosmonaut's Lament is a daring narrative-folk record that distinctively fuses pop sensibilities with folkish flair and creates a sound that is both comfortable and original. The Tin Constellations take to the road in May to play Ottawa (Live on Elgin), Waterloo (The Dive Bar), and their Toronto debut at The Dakota Tavern.
We are going back to Toronto in the late nineties, and two albums that shaped the Canadian indie music scene. On the heels of his new album The Best That I Can Be, Sunnsetter joins us to chat about all the importance of Charles Spearin and Kevin Drew's KC Accidental, and how this album came to shape Broken Social Scene, the Canadian music scene, and his latest record!
After joining the Barenaked Ladies in 1995, Kevin Hearn has released innovative solo records and collaborated with everyone from Ron Sexsmith and Mary Margaret O’Hara to The Violent Femmes and Lou Reed, for whom Hearn acted as a musical director and keyboardist from 2007 until his passing in 2013. Hearn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018 as part of Barenaked Ladies.
Canadian violinist Hugh Marsh began playing music professionally in the late 70s. Although he began playing Jazz, he branched off by joining Bruce Cockburn’s band in 1979. Marsh was a founding member of the band Nick Buzz. But, throughout his distinguished career, he has also played with Loreena McKinnett, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Robert Palmer, Hans Zimmer, and most recently, the Rheostatics.
These pillars of Canadian music have released Dreaming of the Eighties, a celebration of a decade that we either love or hate. After listening to Hugh and Kevin's record, I think you'll agree that they have tapped into that love!
Formed in 2012 by Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, Toronto’s July Talk has spent the last ten years building up an incredible following based on an energetic live show and three stellar albums that won them the Juno award for Best Alternative Album. They have just released their fourth studio album, Remember Never Before, on Six Shooter Records. They are about to hit the road on a massive tour that begins with two shows at the legendary Massey Hall before crossing Canada and forging into the US!
The two of them wax poetically about Leslie Feist's 2017 album Pleasure, an album that Leah and Peter would agree is almost perfection!
In what very well might be the most entertaining interview (at least for us) in the show's history, we are joined by Ottawa's Jim Bryson to discuss Grandaddy's album "Sumday". This may very well be our last episode, as Jim decided halfway through the interview to take over the show. I think he was okay with us joining him, but by all accounts, this is his podcast now. So, listen to Jim Bryson's The Sound Affect. I hope you find it as entertaining as we did making it!
These guys sound sketchy - Jim Bryson
For the first episode of our third season, we are so excited to be joined by Glenn Milchem. Most of us know Glenn as the drummer from Blue Rodeo a band he joined in 1992 after cutting his teeth with Groovy Religion, The Plasterscene Replicas, Vital Sines, and of course, as the drummer on Change of Heart’s Smile. Throughoutthe 1990s and 2000s, he played with the Swallows, Starvin' Hungry, Holy Fuck, Luke Doucet, Andrew Cash, and a slew of other great Canadian bands.
Join us as we discuss The Silver Jews' album "Natural Bridge".
As we wrap up 2022 - and our second year on the air - it is time for us to look back on the year that was! A special thank you to all the amazing guests we had this year and an extra special thank you to Ian Blurton, Bucky from Royal Canoe, Abigail Lapell, Dave from the Golden Dogs, and Manfred from Elephant & Stars for sharing with us some of their favourite albums for 2022. Listen in to find out our favourite moments, our favourite records of the year, and why it is that Darryl Hall topped Dave's favourite singles of the year! That's right, I said Darryl Hall.
Edmonton’s Eamon McGrath has been making a name for himself since releasing his debut Wild Dogs in 2008. Ever since then, McGrath has been a non-stop touring machine playing both stripped-down folky solo shows and upbeat punky rock with his band. His 11th record Bells of Hope was released earlier this year. And when he is not recording music, he has also published two books. He is just coming off a tour of Japan and will no doubt be back on the road delivering a hearty blend of Springsteen & Neil Young folk and rock to fans in 2023. A perfect guy to speak passionately of his affinity for Black Love by the Afghan Whigs.
The aggressive sounds of IDLES have turned them into one of the world's premier rock acts! So, it should be no surprise that Montreal's post-indie darlings Family Man has chosen IDLES' 2017 debut album Brutalism to chat about.
Since we began this little podcast over 18 months ago, we have always wanted to try and pull it off live. Well, this past weekend, we did just that!
At Together We're Bitter Brewing in Kitchener, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marcus Addams from Hyness! And, wouldn't you know it, he picked one of Tom's favourite records, Teenage Fanclub's Grand Prix. Special thanks to David Harnes at Midtown Radio for mixing the chaos on the fly.
And, a special thank you to everyone for showing up and listening!
Strap in and listen to our live episode in its wacky glory. And be sure to let us know if Dave is right or if Tom is right.
Vancouver's Dan Mangan has gotta be Canada's nicest guy! So, can we even possibly come close to explaining what an honour it was to have him join us on The Sound Affect? No, we cannot...and wait, what? He picked what album? Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot! So, why am I still reading this and not listening already?
The Beatles White Album is so gigantic that we needed two episodes with Dave Azzolini from The Golden Dogs! So, join us for part two of our chat about one of the most essential albums of all time!
This episode includes an excerpt from John Cage's - Radio Music
Remember to check out our playlist with the songs we play on the show!
So, today we are talking about a little band called The Beatles. And, we are talking about a little album called The White Album (maybe you've heard of it). So, needless to say, there is a lot to chat with the great Dave Azzolini of The Golden Dogs about. As such, we are posting this as a two-parter. One this week and the follow-up next week. We hope you enjoy Part 1. Share it on your social media, and be sure to include The Golden Dogs and The Beatles. The latter needs a push right now!
And remember, all the music we discuss and play is on our Spotify playlist!
The guys discuss a couple of their favorite Greatest Hits Albums. That's all...
Dave - If you aren't tapping your toes by the end, you aren't human.
Tom - What the hell was that?!
If you know Jose Contreras and By Divine Right, Jose is a huge music lover. As such, it should be no surprise that the Candian Indie Rock All-Star couldn't pick just one record to chat about on this week's episode. So, join us to hear what Jose says about Neil Young's Tonight's the Night, Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence, D'Angelo's Black Messiah, and Kraftwerk's Radioactivity. Whether or not you hear these sounds on By Divine Right's latest record, OTTO MOTTO, is one thing, but there is no arguing that the guts these icons showed on these records are truly inspiring!
Toronto's effervescent and ultra-cool Domanique Grant is a Pop-Soul Singer/Songwriter with a penchant for empowering music! Named one of Buzzfeed's top 20 artists to watch, her EP Queen/Dom is a "fusion of feel-good pop, moody R&B and soul". It should come as little surprise that her music has been influenced by 90s' icons TLC. In this week's episode, Grant joins us to chat about the influence and the message behind TLC's third album Fanmail.Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow our Spotify Playlist!
Toronto's Kiwi Jr. has released their newest album Chopper on Sub Pop Records. Jeremy Gaudet joins us to chat about a strange band and an equally strange album that he was listening to a lot when making this record. So, sit down and relax with Ween's 1997 album The Mollusk. From the very start to the very end enjoy the strange ride of #tensionandrelease that make up this wonderfully strange ride!
Stranger Things has brought Kate Bush back to the Top 40! This is not the first time a TV show has relaunched a song! So, Dave and Tom talk about the Stranger Things Effect and songs that they have discovered (or rediscovered) because of TV!
He was our first official guest, and on the dawn of his latest release, he joins us once again to talk about an influential album on Second Skin, Ian Blurton's Future Now's second album! Except, it is not just one album! Not two! Ian has picked five albums that have shaped this newest record! So, get comfy and listen to one of Canada's enigmatic rockers talk about The Damned, Voivod, King Crimson, Motorpsycho, and Max Webster. Yup. That's right. Max Webster.
Toronto's Elephant and Stars are a hard-working and hard-rockin' band with a penchant for a variety of great rock music! Citing loves from as varied as KISS, The Dead Kennedys, and the Goo Goo Dolls, to CANCON royalty like The Doughboys, Change of Heart, and Lowest of the Low, Elephants and Stars bask in their love of all things rock n' roll! Their second EP Last Chance Power Drive (due to be released July 22)is produced by past (and future) Sound Affect Guest Ian Blurton, with artwork by the Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low! In this episode listen to their always gregarious and charming frontman Manfred Sittmann as he tells us about the inspiration of Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American on his music.
With this week's pick, Beck makes it to a very special club (the only other artist in the club is David Bowie) here at the Sound Affect: The second album club. Like Beck himself, Winnipeg's Royal Canoe has made a career of pushing the line of contemporary indie rock and pop.Lush production and musicianship are cornerstones of this album and have proven a cornerstone of Royal Canoe. So, it should come as no surprise that a band like this would choose Beck's seventh album, 1999's Midnite Vultures.
First off, excuse the horrible production here. This is in no way up to Dave's standards. But I figured with him being out of town, I could go after two of his favourite things. We can talk about his love of bent baseball caps another time.
Edmonton Alberta’s IAMHILL is a experimental pop/r&b/alternative musician and producer. She released her debut album in 2018, found herself nominated for a Juno Award in 2019, and just this past week has released her latest album SELLOUT (co-created by Mike Schlosser). She tells us the impact Banks London EP had on her as an artist.
The Beastie Boys' 1989 masterpiece Paul's Boutique is a legendary album that changed how the world viewed the art of sampling. Who better to talk about the album than Polaris Prize-winning hip hop artist Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton). And, when you are done listening be sure to get to your favourite local book store to grab Rollie's brand new book Bedroom Rapper!
Remember to follow our Spotify Playlist.
Here in Canada the summer unofficially begins this weekend! It is time to head up to the cottage, the firepit, or the patio, and turn on the tunes. So, let us help you with your May 24 playlist. Here are our picks to keep you company as you sit around the fire and enjoy a few wobbly pops!
And, remember you can hear all of the songs on our show on the Sound Affect Podcast playlist!
It's a double shot of bitter, sardonic, and nihilistic Brit pop! Torquil Campbell the enigmatic lead singer of Montreal-based Stars joins us to talk about not one, but two albums (one songwriter) that shaped him as an artist. Tune in and listen to Torq's poetic diatribes on the role that The Auteurs and Black Box Recorder played in the shaping of the Stars sound and on him as an individual. There is some language in this one, so keep the kiddies at bay. On second thought, who gives a shit! Let them listen!
And remember, to follow our Spotify playlist to follow along with the songs we discuss.
We chat about some of our favourite last cuts on albums. What are some of yours?
Shoutouts to AC/DC, NIN, Stars, and many more!
Follow along on our Spotify playlist.
The angelic voice of Abigail Lapell is pure honey sweet! And, it is no wonder, given her love of Neko Case. Join us as we chat with Abigail about her voice and the voices that have shaped her career! Then, make sure you grab her newest album Stolen Time.
And remember that you can hear some of the music we play on our show on our Spotify playlist.
Happy Birthday to us! It has been a year since we debuted our little podcast! It's been an incredible amount of fun. Here's to another year of positive vibes, great conversations about old and newly discovered albums, as well as, to quote a friend, remembering the lyrics to YYZ in our old age.
Cheers to all!
These are the songs we are listening to right now!
Oh, and remember to check out our playlist after you listen!
Is there a better first song on an album than Sonic Youth's Teenage Riot? Join Cole Sefton from Toronto indie darlings Sham Family as we discuss one of the most important albums ever! That's right, ever! No hyperbole. Disagree? Listen to our chat and we think you will come around.
And remember to check out our playlist after you listen!
Back after a bit of a hiatus, we bring you another clip from our crossover episode with Mike and Mike at Mid-Credit Scene Podcast
In this one we discuss music used in a scene with clips from Rushmore and The Social Network.
Teagan Johnston - the artist formally known as Little Coyote - is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter with a penchant for melancholy melodies that sing from her piano. Jonhston's latest singles: "Blue Monday" and “Slash to hurt, Stab to kill” are dripping with dark imagery and are sure to be cornerstones of her upcoming album due to be released at the end of the month. Her despondent pop music puts her piano and her introspective vocals at its centre and judging by her love of Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, she comes by that sound naturally.
Be sure to check out our playlist on Spotify!
It's our first crossover episode!
We hooked up with Mike and MIke at Mid-Credit Scene Podcast to chat about the Oscars. The thing is that this fell into a 20-minute conversation about Bond theme songs. So, get the popcorn and peanut M&Ms, lean back, and enjoy.
Winnipeg's Alexa Birk, AKA Begonia joins us to chat about Erykah Badu's sophomore album Mama's Gun. Begonia's performances - like that of Badu - highlight her sincere voice, personality and humour. Begonia's love of Badu shines through with every word and her infectious devotion to the record is sure to have you heading out to your local record store to grab it.
This episode is brought to you by The Record Centre in Ottawa.
Our Spotify playlist is available here.
Well maybe not perfect as that's all relative. But on the latest pop up, the guys each pick a song that they would describe as perfect. No spoilers here, you'll just have to listen to find out what they are. Or catch Tom and Dave when they belt them out at the next karaoke night.
Halifax, Nova Scotia's pop wunderkind Rich Aucoin joins us just before hitting the road to talk about Air's Moon Safari. Released 24 years ago, Air's debut album was an interesting moment in music history. Aucoin, who was but a child when it was released, walks us through how he discovered the record and the influence the record has had on his career.
Also called the various mic quality episode.
Christy Hurn of Hamilton's purveyors of loud dream gaze Basement Revolver joins us on the dawn of their latest album to shed boatloads of love on MeWithoutYou and their album Pale Horses. There is nothing Dave and I like more than a surprise record, and this was a joyous surprise. So, put on the headphones. Tell everyone to give you 40 minutes and give it a listen...after you listen to this episode, of course.
It was an absolute honour and pleasure to have author David McPherson join us to discuss the Neil Young album Live at Massey Hall. David's latest book, Massey Hall, is out now and we chat about Neil, Massey and the legacy of the two that came together that one night to create an incredible performance.
Neil is having a beef with Spotify over some failed comedian so better check this one out before it's not available to stream!
Songs featured in the Episode
Don't Let It Bring You Down
Cowgirl In The Sand
Dance Dance Dance
Hey Tik Tok kid, remember You Tube? We do! It's still the best place for old and new live band clips. We chat about a few of our favs on todays Pop Up.
The Tea Party get Intimate and Interactive...that's copyrighted.
Holy Fuck make some beautiful noise.
Sylvan Esso just makes beauty.
This ain't no pop up! Time for the guys to go full geek on a couple of their favorite albums.
Dave - Scott Weiland 12 Bar Blues - Dave heaps praise on this highly underrated solo album from the Stone Temple Pilots front man.
Tom - Rod Stewart Every Picture Tells A Story - Don't it? Tom gushes about this influential album from Rod the Mod.
Find out which of these albums actually broke up a band! It's not the not you think.
New year, new playlist featuring tracks from this and future episodes can be found here
Apparently, our last hot takes were so well received we thought we would take on the ultimate in hot takes. We give our opinions on The Beatles Get Back documentary. First hot take, we still haven't finished it!!! Though, that's more of a revelation?
As always follow along with the Sound Affect Spotify playlisthere!
PS: Some quick non-music related hot takes
Dave:
The Simpsons are doing some of their best work right now.
The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars movie since Empire Strikes Back.
Tom
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is the best Marvel film.
Picasso was in fact an asshole.
As 2021 comes to a close, we are excited to look back on the year, the guests we had, and the music we listened to! Join us to salute our former guests and pick our favourite records and singles of the year. There may even be a surprise for one lucky listener!
A little Christmas pop up for ya! We let you know our favorite and least favorite Christmas tunes.
As always, follow along here!
Hey y'all! It's been a bit! We're back with a new episode and guest! Want to know what Lex Leosis first tattoo was? Better listen this week as she joins us to talk about The Cool by Lupe Fiasco. There's a lot going in in this one (Might have to save some extra for a pop up) and you can hear her smile the entire time and her love of this album is infectious. Check out Lex here and Lupe here As always, check out the tracks featured on the episode on our playlist! Until next time...
In today's episode we chat with Canadian Indie journeyman Stephen Ramsey of Light Conductor and the album The Expanding Universe by Laurie Spiegle. We find out what it has in common with Chuck Berry (other than both artists being featured on our show), talk synths, jamming and ...Phish? It's a noisy good time!
Check out The Expanding Universe on Spotify here.
The latest Light Conductor album here
As always, keep track on these and other artists featured on the show on the Sound Affect Podcast Playlist
Behold the brilliant banter that is our Pop Up Episode. This week featuring;
Spoon
War On Drugs
Don't Forget to follow our Spotify playlist here
Check out our new episode next week when we discuss one of the most...interesting albums yet.
To many, The Weber Brothers are the baddest band in the land. Over the past 16 years they’ve recorded 12 independent albums and toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe both as solo artists and as members of Ronnie Hawkins "The Hawks".
Fresh off the heels of their latest album "Choose Your Own Adventure" Ryan and Sam Weber join us to talk about Chuck Berry's album The Great 28, which chronicles his Chess Records years. The band tell us how this has influenced them, share some stories about meeting the man himself and eventually sharing a stage with him.
Check out the the Chuck Berry album here
Check out the latest from the Weber Brothers here.
As always, follow along on our Spotify Playlist to hear tracks featured on todays as well as previous episodes.
It's amazing what opinions come out in casual conversations about music. We give our hot takes on a couple of old albums.
Find out which U2 album Dave thinks is superior to their others, and which bands follow up project, Tom thinks is better than their most famous work.
Editors note: Either brain fart or early onset dementia, Dave kept calling U2's Zooropa, the incorrect name of Zoo TV. Zoo Tv was the name of the Tour, not the album. We punched in the correct name in multiple spots during the episode so perfectly, you'll never notice. (Sarcasm, you'll totally notice)
Don't forget to follow along on our Spotify playlist and listen in next week when we discuss the oldest album ever picked for the show!
Odonis Odonis is the Toronto-based duo of Dean Tzenos and Denholm Whale. Together they create varied music that verges on everything from EBM and Industrial to shoegaze aggression. Their sound has been described as “claustrophobic electronic music that sounds like the end of the world.” Their new album Spectrums (Editors note; Holy S!@t it's good) marks what they have called a “third chapter” in their career, yet, the release is still dripping in their noisy synth industrial history. In their words “We’ve finally found where we fit inside all of the noise”.
They picked Ministry's 1986 album Twitch. A "transitional" album that finds the band on the cusp of creating what would become the post punk/industrial sound that would take the world by storm in the early 90's.
Check out Spectrums here https://open.spotify.com/album/6IsXBYxnhKlFOwao9cTPCz?si=Knp8lLwQQbGfgY0d5mb2UA
Here's a list of the tracks from Twitch featured in today's episode.
We Believe - https://open.spotify.com/track/6LX9XZG2W6fo0hNcArSCOn?si=05a611b8133f4366
Where Are You At Now / Crash and Burn / Twitch https://open.spotify.com/track/6tSSX6POVOtBERSoUczTlc?si=6a184ebe204d4034
It's best to turn them up loud!
We've been busy as of late but time to take a sec and fill each other in on what we've been listening to.
Tom is checking out the latest release from Phosphorescent, a live collection from the BBC called, oddly enough, The BBC Sessions. Check out the classic Song for Zula at the link below.
https://open.spotify.com/track/580PEqk8r0dn6XKvFug8PQ?si=b847807a40fc44e3
Dave's prayers were answered with the latest release from the "ladies and gentlemen" of Placebo. New album coming soon but for now, check out the brilliant Beautiful James.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5Yw6htG6TZtkeMo9WLI0M7?si=6c6470bc04b44cd8
Thanks to Jessie Dangerously and the Mayor of Ottawa for listening!
We're back next week with our guests Odonis Odonis and their pick from the past! Check in next Tuesday to hear what they have been up to and what is still called upon.
On the heels of his latest album TAO, Canadian Hip Hop royalty Shad joins us to discuss Ms. Lauryn Hill's 2002 album MTV Unplugged 2.0. An interesting listen to say the least, but you come away with the feeling you heard something amazing that can never be replicated. Shad speaks to the influence this album had on him and the art of hip hop itself.
Links to songs featured in the episode.
Adam Lives In Theory - https://open.spotify.com/track/4ER4wjup2235bo63RU4KvS?si=b734d3ce89c341a0
Just Like Water - https://open.spotify.com/track/4GedwOz9QDga5UI6n1wUPW?si=4d1dda17f9184d38
Mystery Of Inequity - https://open.spotify.com/track/5KZwRD3KklSP73jnLoNWtF?si=f356a833c5734306
Check out Shads new album TAO out now - https://open.spotify.com/track/6jeBFt88RFiop3iSCSTb6W?si=7a0701d84c89493d
Follow us on Spotify to listen to these and pasts artists featured on the the Sound Affect
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4licXsVkBRGDjDcLFdp7GR?si=19b6263ab0e148aa
Our friends at CDNMelodies ( Instagram @cdnmelodies ) kindly asked us to pick a couple songs for them. We replied "Only Two?" They said "Yes". We said "Ok". True story! Check out their website and follow their socials at https://linktr.ee/CDNmelodies
Dave picked Love Becomes Electric by Strange Advance: https://open.spotify.com/track/25NJUzUeDWEj9xBBL2Y5Uc?si=1f4eb9983e124a00
Radio stations with names like Bob and Jack FM play the hell out Strange Advance songs like Worlds Away, She Controls Me and We Run, but the track Love Becomes Electric from the excellent album The Distance Between (which would be their last album for over 30 years) doesn't get much love. This is the band at their finest and while their early 80's stuff may sound a bit dated, to me this one still sounds fresh and that acoustic guitar at minute 3:03 gets me every time. How has this not been covered by someone?
Tom picked Years (By One Thousand Finger Tips) by Attack In Black: https://open.spotify.com/track/4D3m9El96TIwQVinUlgpwn?si=dee8ff58730b44b8
The lead off track from Attack in Black's third studio album, which goes by the same name. The band's catchy melody is a jaunty stroll down a musical path. A melody you can't help but whistle and hum as it progresses. Yet, Daniel Romano's pseudo-philosophical lyrics like "you have held one thousand years (by one thousand fingertips)" leave us in a state of contemplation.
We had a great chat with the wonderful Sam & Chris from Funeral Lakes about their pick, Arcade Fires 2007 sophomore album Neon Bible. We discuss sounds, churches, guitar choices, and once again Tom shows his age. tsk tsk.
Check out Funeral Lakes latest EP, the excellent Redeemer https://funerallakes.bandcamp.com/album/redeemer
List of songs featured in the episode.
Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues) - https://open.spotify.com/track/3TcmqdciWnQOXxYohhERbP?si=b4af111009c84679
Funeral Lakes - Place I Stay - https://open.spotify.com/track/0tZCGdaJyf9G1JULTQELpQ?si=9b173c50db2647d8
Arcade Fire - Windowsill - https://open.spotify.com/track/2XP4rhtpHlzJRUNhsD7eU3?si=45c5b20f2fbc4dda
Arcade Fire - Intervention - https://open.spotify.com/track/7Bl5Fqa2g1UFs2O1VJiKhb?si=b2f4ff5ad7ad4672
Was hard to get this one edited down we had so much fun talking with Jason from Vancouver’s brilliant, post-punk and new-wave quartet ACTORS. We chat Bowie, ACTORS new album (out Oct 1st) gear addiction, the divine and everybody's favorite horseman of the apocalypse...Spotify. Super fun chat.
Follow the links below to hear the full versions of songs heard in the episode:
Intro - Fashion w/ David Bowie 1980 interview clip
David Bowie - Teenage Wildlife - https://open.spotify.com/track/57NAaXLQGp5ZgEvpVOYtFe?si=9039882218cf433d
David Bowie - Kingdom Come - https://open.spotify.com/track/0GSDkjD1yuhM5YUICzQ2V5?si=e9e0557e2cb74cb9
ACTORS - Cold Eyes - https://open.spotify.com/track/7hGY9rATPv7Ca9OSUEkT9O?si=b977ad1d0b284b52
Outro - Scary Monsters Live 1996 Phoenix Festival - https://youtu.be/8gXu1pj1OEg
Off week this week but we still provide you with some mildly entertaining banter as we discuss what we've been listening to and what our "Summer Songs" were.
Full episode back next week!!
Follow the links below to hear the full versions of songs we previewed.
I, The Mountain - Wildflowers - https://open.spotify.com/track/4yzwImSw5m7wOQTu3PbaQt?si=730b62ea7cf94f36
Lindsay Buckingham - Scream - https://open.spotify.com/track/70ZbFIWCgJq6q2YBISDbhd?si=a61a1111035f4bc0
Indie rock journeyman Nathan Lawr joins us to talk about Jeff Buckley's Grace. We were worried we wouldn't have much to add as far as insight to such an iconic album...turns out we were wrong. It may not be insightful but we sure talked a lot.
Apologies for the weeklong delay but we are back for a special episode.We are pleased to have our first international guest, Sam Nicholson from Australia’s Quivers joins us. The band writes infectious pop songs that deal with dark subject matter while also prompting us to hum along with jangly hooks and sweet sweet harmonies! Despite having their 2020 US tour and NXNE performance cancelled due to COVID, Quivers found heavy rotation on KEXP and released their take on R.E.M’s Out of Time. We had a great chat with Sam where we discuss, Rickenbacker guitars, age differences, Mike Mills outfits and, Shiny Happy People.
Songs sampled:
R.E.M - Me In Honey - https://open.spotify.com/track/6MNzgVslfd54vz89uAMd7Q?si=282ce710b4904ff4
Quivers - Nostalgia Will Kill You - https://open.spotify.com/track/6DD4ibUSg5HXgW0SqWEmTE?si=afd6b3baddfb4981
Usually this is when Tom and I tell you what we've been listening to but in honor of the new Paragon Cause album Autopilot, which is what we've been listening to, Jay and Michelle tell us what they have been listening to lately.
You can check them out on our Spotify Playlist here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4licXsVkBRGDjDcLFdp7GR?si=2a786eb837924ca2 as well as purchase the album on Bandcamp https://paragoncause.bandcamp.com/album/autopilot
It's an honor to have Jay and Michelle from Ottawa’s own Paragon Cause join us over the web this week, as we discuss Lust Lust Lust by The Raveonettes. We find out how what it's like to work with one of your favourite artists and which question Jay hates the most. Spoiler, it's one Tom came up with.
Inspired by our previous episode with DijahSB and her pick, The Water (S), we discuss their favorite concept albums over the years.
Super excited to have Polaris Shortlist nominee DiJahSB join us to discuss Mick Jenkins 2014 album, The Water(s)
Hailing from Toronto, DijahSB began rapping professionally in 2011. In 2016, they released the EP Manic Luxury followed by their debut album, The Album, in the summer of 2020. April 2021, they released Head Above the Waters, which has been shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.
We discuss how The Water(s) still influences them, Twitter, Dave's lack of hip Hop knowledge and who should win the NBA championship. This was recorded before the NBA finals started so...listen in to see if we got it right!
This weeks pop up one off, we discuss our musical guilty pleasures. Is there such a thing anymore? Or has it morphed into something more insidious. Break out the hairspray and put on your dad shoes as we go deep into our darkest depths of musical love.
We had a fantastic time recording our 7th full length episode with Krief. For our first francophone album (Spoiler, Tom and I don't speak French) we discuss how Patrick still draws inspiration from this 1971 production. Thankfully he does speak French and was able to explain the lyrics to us. Wait...it's about what?!?
Like Moon and the Ox duking it out on the Leeds stage, we discuss our favorite live albums.
Bernard from Church Of Trees really let us have it about our dislike of David Sanborns Sax...but he was also kind enough to call us back and let us know what he was listening to. This guy makes this job easy.
Church of Trees is a Canadian synth pop band, led by Bernard Frazier, whose debut "Primitive Creatures" (2017) charted in Japan, the UK, and across Canada.
In 2018, they released "The Dark & The Light", featuring the #1 single "Like Gary Numan".
In 2020, they released their powerful/edgy 3rd album "New Bold Dawn" & 14-song retrospective "Progression".
2021 sees a new single w rock legend Carole Pope & a new EP, "PAUSE".
Bernard has the honor of being the first of our guest artists to pick a David Bowie album, as well as our first live album! Nice one!
Status/Non-Status is Anishinaabe community worker Adam Sturgeon. Formerly known as Whoop-Szo. His debut record Warrior Down was released in 2019. (You’ve Changed Records). Sturgeon’s music wrestles issues of colonialism, disenfranchisement, and the disconnection amongst generations of Indigenous people from their communities, languages, land, and identities. These issues are important to Sturgeon, whose grandfather, was required to give up his Anishinaabe roots to provide a better life for himself and his family. In doing so he was defined as “non-status” a term he has embraced in his moniker. His latest record 1, 2, 3, 4, 500 Years was recorded in Mexico and is a wild mix of psychedelia, moccasin gaze, with a political message of reclamation
Treephones is Waterloo’s Stephen Trothen. He is a multi-instrumentalist and his latest album Pink Objects was released on May 21st. He has picked Operation Infinite Joy by Martin Tielli.
What are we listening to?
What's the weather like?
Who's up on the next episode of The Sound Affect?
These are the questions we answer in the latest mini episode.
Surprise! Zoon takes over on this pop up episode to let us know what he's listening to.
Zoon is the musical moniker of Hamilton’s Daniel Monkman. Born in Selkirk, Manitoba, and raised in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Monkman saw the horrors of Canadian racism everyday. This sadly led to him abusing alcohol and drugs. However, Monkman found solace in his self-proclaimed “moccasin-gaze” a combination of 90s shoegaze with traditional First Nations music. His debut album Bleached Wavves, which was one of our favorite records of 2020, was recorded in his bedroom and his jam space, using only a Fender Deville guitar and DigiTech delay pedal. Zoon has chosen Becks 2002 album, Sea Change.
“the leaf blower-wielding performance artist reborn as heartbroken bohemian superstar.” - Stereogum
“Sea Change showed me what Beck was capable of”. - SPIN magazine
“being torn apart by idle hands” - Beck - Paper Tiger
It's our off week as always, music nerds never have a shortage of music to talk about. Here's some artists that we've had on repeat that you should check out. Oh and don't be a loser baby, find out who's on our next episode.
Episode 2 has us chatting with award winning singer songwriter Danny Michel who has chosen the 1985 Tom Waits album Rain Dogs to geek out on.
Tom Waits - "if we couldn't get the right sound out of the drum set we'd get a chest of drawers in the bathroom and bang it real hard with a two-by-four,"
It's an off week for the show but we have to do something so, here's some tracks that we've had on repeat that you should check out and find out who's on our next episode.
This week we are looking at Husker Du’s 1984 album Zen Arcade and our guest will be Canadian indie-rock royalty Ian Blurton.
For our first episode we are looking at the 1996 album First Band on the Moonby The Cardigans.
Our musical guest is Neil MacDonald formerly of The Candidates, The Machines, and Red Orchestra. His first two albums with The Candidates came out in the early 2000s and were perfectly situated to an era that included bands like The Strokes, The Vines, Jet, and Soundtrack of our Lives. Bands that firmly embraced their love of the past.