19 March 2024 - Alanis Morissette - Reasons I Drink

It has been four years, and this is the FIRST time we're featuring Alanis Morissette in Maple Leaf March.  That's so odd to me.  

True story - I actually had an Alanis song slated for the very first day of the very first Maple Leaf March, but moved it (without regret) for a lesser known artist.  I did end up posting that song in another month. 

The lead single from her 2020 album Such Pretty Forks In The Road, the song was actually released in late 2019.  Co-written by Morissette and Michael Farrell.  It is at once a beautiful and obviously personal song about her life in the music industry - and let's be clear - she has really been working since she was single digits - so, 40 years.  

She was double digits when she got slimed, though.

It's also a really relatable song - who hasn't done something, like drinking or eating, emotionally? 

The video is simple, a support group in which Alanis is several of the participants. 

This is one of Alanis's most performed songs... and still performed, four years later.  Here she is, performing the song a few weeks ago, as a duet with Kelly Clarkson.  

The song shines most when it's just Alanis, though - like this, one of the very first public performances of the song from a 2019 performance at a Connecticut casino.

18 March 2024 - Sarah McLachlan - Building A Mystery

We've mostly avoided really big international artists during the last few Marches.  This week, we're not doing that.   

We start with Nova Scotia's Sarah McLachlan - who we did feature in our first Maple Leaf March, but not since.  And what a lot of people don't really realize when thinking about McLachlan, 1) she's Canadian and 2) this was her first really big hit - her first top 20 hit in the States (peaking at #13), and her biggest hit on the Canadian pop charts - her only #1 (for eight weeks!) in her home country, but also, the biggest hit of ANY song in Canada in 1997.  

In addition to winning Sarah a Juno Award for Song of the Year - one of four she won in 1998 (Album of the Year for Surfacing, Songwriter of the Year (partly for this song), Female Vocalist of the Year) (she had previously won a Juno in 1992 for "Into The Fire") - this song won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance the same year (she also won for Best Pop Instrumental Performance the same year).

Let's remember that this 2017 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee also brought us Lilith Fair.  She brought us a real life Sarah McLachlan School of Music - with three locations (Vancouver, Edmonton, Surrey BC).  She's truly amazing, and she shares her gifts with others so generously.

The song, written by McLachlan and Pierre Marchand, is about insecurities and building a facade.

The song holds another distinction.

When Steve Jobs intrioduced the very first iPod in 2001, what was the first song he played?

"Building A Mystery".

The song is at its most beautiful when performed just by Sarah on an acoustic guitar, as she did a few years after the song's release.....

.....and she did again in this 2019 performance (because she still performs, people).

She doesn't just perform the song acoustic, but also with a full band, like this performance from 2022.

She's even been known to perform the song with a full symphony orchestra, like this performance from 2011.

She's even been known to perform it with Shawn Colvin and Paula Cole at the 1998 Grammys.

17 March 2024 - Lu Kala - Hotter Now

A 2023 Juno Award nominee for Breakthrough Artist, Lu Kala is one of the more successful Canadian aritsts in that category - even appearing on the US Billboard Hot 100 in a collaboration with Latto.

This song was a top 30 hit in Canada in 2023 - her biggest hit to date.  The Congolese-Canadian singer (born in Congo, but raised in Toronto) has a bright sound and a bright future.  Her sound is happy, a throwback to an earlier era - with a pop/R&B confidence without disrespect.  

It's only a matter of time for her.

16 March 2024 - Men I Trust - Organon

Not gonna lie, but when I saw the title of this song, I thought it was a weird Kate Bush cover and was destined for the other blog.  

It's not.  Men I Trust, from Montreal, are nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year at this year's Juno's, and their music is truly original, reminding me of the Cocteau Twins a bit.  The trio are definitely in the dream pop sphere, bringing a truly great ambient feel.  

This song opens their 2021 album, Untourable Album,  and is truly punctuated by Emmanuelle Proulx's haunting vocals.  The song was written by the band.  It is Emma levitating.

Clearly the title of their album is ironic, because they're touring.  And performing these songs live. Beautifully.  Without levitation.  Here they are opening their set with it and going right into "Serenade of Water" in Barcelona.  

15 March 2024 - Jayli Wolf - Blood Orange

Honestly, I've been sitting on this song since last summer, when it was released.  It's amazing and it was really tempting to post it right away.  I held back.  

I'm glad I did.  Because today is the 1600th post on Wicked Guilty Pleasures, and there are few songs I'd rather such an odometer flip of a post would be about than this song.

The last few times I've posted about Jayli Wolf, I've very much leaned on her reliance on indigenous themes and how she's writing important music. And, let's be clear - she does - she has arguably done more for her Anishinaabe/Cree culture than anyone else in modern times - and she is making important, thought-provoking music.  

Not every great song needs to be deep and important.  "Blood Orange" is a great song that is just a great song.  It's not at all deep and important.  It's just about fruit.

“I wanted this song to boldly confront the themes of control, oppression, and societal standards, while also illuminating the courage to break free and reclaim one’s narrative,” - Jayli Wolf

No, of course it's not just about fruit.  It's a powerful song about standing up for yourself against your oppresors - whoever that may be - and claiming your own narrative. The first single from her highly personal EP God is an Endless Mirror, the whole set is introspective and filled with emotion.  She's left the city to buy and work her generations-old family farm in British Columbia, and that seems to be driving this direction in her music.

The video, written and produced by Jayli herself, has a lot going on - and yes, does feature a real blood orange (watch the upper right left corner).  

This song is also really great.  Doubtless.  

14 March 2024 - Tate McRae - exes

We're posting a THIRD Tate McRae post today for two reasons.  

1) These are among the last ones we're wriitng for this month - we're full up - and we feel badly about waiting so long to post her.

2) This is post #1,599, and we like odometer flips, so you know tomorrow morning's post is going to be a banger.

It does not hurt that "exes", the follow-up to "greedy", is pretty damned catchy.

Also, this is McRae's current single, and it's pretty successful in its own right.  

McRae also performed this song at the NHL All Star Game this year.

14 March 2024 - Tate McRae - calgary

Yep.

Two Tate McRae songs today.  This one isn't a single yet....

It's just another great song from Think Later that got a bit of a visualizer.

And, it's about Calgary.  C'mon, guys.  You know I love Calgary.

It's not really about Calgary.  It was co-written by McRae and is somewhat autobiographical. 

Also, there's an acoustic version of this one - from London, not Calgary, for some reason - and I really wanted to further back up my earlier claim that she can sing.