Tag: Murray Lightburn

2015

m-lucien

Hi everyone, sorry for the long absence. I have about as rock-solid an excuse as it gets: becoming a parent. Only days after the release of our “Pam Pam” single and our Toronto show this fall, our son came into our lives and we have had our hands pretty full ever since.

Of course how this will impact the WP is not yet clear. All I can say is that I am still actively writing songs and scheming up plans for the future. Then there’s the small matter of the batch of songs we recorded last year. We worked again with producer Murray Lightburn, who endeavoured to combine the classic WP sound (if you missed the synths on the last record, they’re back in full force) with more refined song structure befitting our veteran status in the pursuit of pop perfection.

The tunes are all mixed, mastered and ready to go, and I’m very happy with them. It’s just a matter of figuring out what makes the most sense as far as a release format and strategy. Not so simple these days. But I’m working on it.

I don’t have a list of favourite shows from 2014, as I have in previous years. Shonen Knife at Pop Montreal was pretty much the best hands down, with a special nod to Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars in the category of “shows I never thought I’d see.”

We also did a few WP shows that were very fun and memorable, and where we got to play with some inspiring artists. So to Blake Hargreaves, the folks at Passovah and Wavelength, and all the bands we played with: thank you. You gave us a much-needed and much-appreciated renewal of musical faith.

And if you’re reading this, thanks for caring. I appreciate that a lot too. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

 

 

Our New Single & Video

The new video for “Pam Pam” is directed by our longtime friend and collaborator Kara Blake. Katie Ward did the choreography. Chilly Gonzales plays piano on the track, which was produced by Murray Lightburn.

 

If you like the song, you can download it for free from our Bandcamp or Soundcloud pages. You can still also purchase it as part of this compilation of local Montreal bands, with proceeds going to the Ange-Aimée Woods memorial bursary.

Scenes from the Studio

We recently finished recording some new WP tracks, produced by our good pal and collaborator Murray Lightburn.

People have been asking me what the new stuff sounds like, and I’m not sure what to say. It’s sounding good—more or less classic WP style with perhaps a more refined songwriting approach.

I couldn’t say just yet when or in what form these will be released, but I will be sure to let people know when it happens.

In the meantime, here are some photos from the sessions. The B&W, analog (aka good) ones are by Murray, the others by me.

m-guitar-1

IMG_1989

The essence of the "classic" WP sound: Yamaha PSR-12 and Ace Tone.
The essence of the “classic” WP sound: Yamaha PSR-12 and Ace Tone.
IMG_2060
Our guest Coco takes the opportunity for some chill time.

studio-acetone

Stacey in her finest Canadian winter recording outfit.
Stacey in her finest Canadian winter recording outfit.
Murray practicing the art of mic placement.
Murray practicing the art of mic placement.

studio_wide_m-s

Murray lays down the all-important tambourine track. But, should it be half-time or double-time? Sexual metaphors were soon to follow.
Murray lays down the all-important tambourine track. But, should it be half-time or double-time? Sexual metaphors were soon to follow.

 

View from the vocal booth.
View from the vocal booth.
Tracking done.
Tracking done.

 

 

 

Musical News

I’ve been in the studio recording new WP tracks. So far we have one song in the can, another almost done. I feel good about these tunes, and I look forward to sharing them.

In other musical news:

WP producer and occasional band member, The Dears frontman, and multimedia auteur extraordinaire Murray Lightburn has a new single, “A Thousand Light Years,” coming out. He’s releasing a self-directed video (which I’ve seen, it’s very cool) in a most unusual way: at least at first, it’s screening only at appointed times next Sunday, February 9. More info here.

You can also listen to this very cool remix by Sebastien Grainger right away:

 

Looking further forward into 2014, I recently got word that Mocky, the enigmatic producer/songwriter/musical genius best known for his work with Feist and Jamie Lidell, is releasing a new album on June 18. He describes it as the “sonic heir” to 2009’s Saskamodie, which is one of my favourite records of the century so far, so I am pretty stoked. It’s being released on his own Heavy Sheet label and that’s about all I can tell you… keep your ears to the ground.

Standing in the (back) spotlight

I have a new gig as a backup vocalist for Murray Lightburn’s Mass:Light.

mass-light

As some of you may know, Murray produced the last WP album, History of Pain, as well as recording and mixing the most recent Lion Farm EP, and has performed as a member of the WP band at our last couple of shows. So we have gotten to know each other pretty well over the past few years.

All the same, I am also a big fan of his work, so it’s a thrill to be part of his show. It’s been described as an “electronic pop opera,” which is as accurate a description as I can imagine but still doesn’t quite capture the experience. It’s a lo-fi sci-fi multimedia musical, all held together with Murray’s usual mix of conceptual grandeur, heart-on-sleeve sincerity and amazing vocal powers.

I am singing backup. It’s the first time I’ve been strictly supporting someone else’s musical vision since being part of the Feist touring band back in the day. Then as now, it’s a great experience to simply learn my own parts and not worry about all the other details. But the parts themselves are a big challenge. The harmonies are complicated, and push the limits of my vocal range at both ends. But it’s a challenge that’s been great fun to take on.

The project had its debut a couple of weeks ago at Pop Montreal, and we are playing Toronto on October 12. Details here. If you’re in town, I recommend coming to check it out.

After that, the project is up in the air as far as I know (though there’s talk of a performance at the M for Montreal fest in November). But I’ve got a lot of other irons in the fire—including some brand-new WP tunes I’m pretty stoked about, that we plan to record this winter and bring to the world in 2014.