13 March 2022 - MONOWHALES - All or Nothing

I know I said this #MapleLeafMarch was not as much fun as last year.

Then I found the Juno nominees list. Americans - Juno Awards - they're like the Grammys but they give out bowls of poutine instead of little gramophones.  

Geez, people, I was kidding.  It's not poutine.

Meet 2022 Breakthrough Group of the Year nominee MONOWHALES.  From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, they've had some success on alternative radio in a country where they are required to play a certain percentage of Canadian artists on the radio.

That's true, by the way.  15%-35%, depending on the station's content.  Wanna know why we can fill a month every year with just Canadian music?  That's a large part of the reason why.

However, it doesn't hurt that a lot of the music is really really good.  You don't get nominated for awards as an independent artist if you are making crap.  And this song, full of emotion delivered by vocalist Sally Shaar, is anything but crap.  

MONOWHALES have a habit of performing an acoustic version of this song, and here is that.

If you saw my social posts, you saw that there was a little Canadian surprise at the end.  Here it is.  It's too short for Totally Covered, but I couldn't not share it.

12 March 2022 - Lights - Up We Go

Last June, I wrote the following:

"For years, I had kind of a blindspot to Lights - I had trouble getting into her music.  This is despite several friends of mine being huge fans, including the one who called her an "absolute queen".  When I was researching music for #MapleLeafMarch, though, I decided it was time to give her a second chance."

Well, if you look at my Spotify stats all time, in just one year, Lights is now my second-most listened to artist.  Ever.  There's no artist we've posted more in the last year than Lights (I guess I could have spaced that out a little more). Hell, we even made a Lights song post #1000 (which is where we got that quote from). So, yeah, I think I'm on board.  

This song, the lead single from the 2014 Little Machines album, represents one of the biggest hits Lights has had thus far.  The video is a one shot - single take.  No edits. 

Lights does an acoustic version of everything.

On a personal note, today is my birthday.   So, because of that, I'm going to share this INSTRUMENTAL version of the song.

11 March 2022 - Lights x MYTH - Dead End

Since I screwed with you all damn week, it seems only fitting that I end this week with an actual Lights song. 

This song, a 2020 collaboration with MYTH, was the title song and lead single from a album of remixes and new songs.

Lights & MYTH also performed a lot of the songs from this album, live at Joshua Tree in California.  I have taken the liberty of queuing this song up for you - but please, listen to the whole thing.  It's incredible.

10 March 2022 - Lights ft. Shad & Holy Fuck - Everybody Breaks A Glass

OK, we've screwed around with you long enough.  

Here's Shad, doing a live performance.

OK, OK, we'll stop. 

If you haven't noticed, this entire week has featured other Canadian artists collaborating with Lights.  And also, if you haven't noticed, we question your reading comprehension skills.

This song is a single, from her 2012 album, Siberia.  Like the rest of the album, it is fantastic.

10 March 2022 - Shad ft. Lights - Remember to Remember

Two days, two Canadian hip hop artists.  There's no other reason to include this post. 

From the 2013 album Flying Colours, the song is very much in your face.  It reminds me of a younger Kanye West, who has clearly had an influence on Shad's music.  The song is produced and co-written by Shad and Mike Tompkins.

Oh, there was a third songwriter, and she appears in the video.

9 March 2021 - Maestro Fresh-Wes ft. Lights - Desire

Straight from his Wikipedia page:

Wesley Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh-Wes.

He was born in Maple Leaf March, so how can we not feature him?  He's also one of the first Canadian hip hop artists to achieve mainstream success, so that's an achievement.   Originally from Toronto, Williams relocated to New Brunswick in 2020 - and who could blame him?

This 2013 single features vocals from another Canadian.

8 March 2022 - Felix Cartal ft. Lights - Love Me

Do we have a theme this week inside the month?

Yes.

It's clearly Canadian DJs, right?  

Let's talk about Felix Cartal.  This Vancouver-based DJ and producer is best known for his splashy collaborations, and this one is among his best known and most danceable - making a splash on the US Dance charts in addition to its Canadian Top 40 splash.  Although this single was released in 2019, the album on which it is features, Expensive Sounds for Nice People, was not released until 2021. 

Lyrically, it's about unrequited love.  It doesn't get much more straight forward than that. 

Live versions of this song exist.  This one is from a December 31, 2020 CBC broadcast, and features Cartal on bass. 

this also happens to be one of my favorite Lights songs and since she does everything acoustic here you go.