Recent releases have been dropping faster than I can pick them up.
It’s been a busy month for the music scene, with live music events dominating the Kingston calendar. Whether it was Nervosa for all you metal heads on Oct. 9, good old-fashioned rock and roll by Carnelian on Oct. 3, or some piano-man gravel with Michael Zuzek on Oct. 4, it’s been hard enough to keep up with what’s happening on our doorstep, let alone exploits from further afield.
However, as always, I’ve plucked a few tunes from the noise to let you know what’s hot.
Song: “Bon Voyage,” Allie X
As a longtime lover of everything ’80s, there’s something in this song that satisfies my craving for a time machine. To me, this track is as if Kate Bush’s vocals somehow made their way onto “Blue Monday” by New Order, toting something darker, a la Bonnie Tyler’s Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire.
Canadian artist Allie X’s soaring, lamenting vocals are punctuated by a spoken section urging her lover to stay behind and let her go. The unrelenting bassline propels an urgency to the song’s dreamy atmosphere, getting the heart thumping, and making the October wind-chill blow a little colder. There’s just something about it that makes me feel like a dramatic, windswept heroine, and that’s a daydream I can get behind.
Album: Dance, No One’s Watching, Ezra Collective
Ezra Collective consistently produces music that reminds me of my love of jazz. A genre I often catch myself casting aside for what’s more clickable, Dance, No One’s Watching is a masterclass in modern jazz that’s seriously groovy top to bottom.
I was first introduced to the band through their rendition of Fela Kuti’s “Lady” back in 2023. Kuti’s musical talents aside, the Mercury prize winning quintet proves in this album that their originals burn bright on their own. My highlight is “The Herald,” whose singing trumpet and afrobeat-calypso infusion proves you don’t need lyrics to tell a story. “No One’s Watching” takes a mellow turn, with smooth vocals from rising star Olivia Dean. “Streets is Calling” brings in elements of R&B and shows the group’s versatility.
Forget what you think you know about jazz—give this one a listen, it might change your mind.
Artist: Griff
If you were to peek at my Spotify “on repeat” this week, Griff’s “Miss Me Too” would be hovering near the top of the list.
The success of her latest single, along with her viral pared-back cover of Charli XCX’s “Apple,” which highlighted the song’s poignant lyrics often overlooked in the high octane original, has solidified Griff as an artist I’m excited to watch grow. The artist’s ability to maintain her lyrics’ meaning without sacrificing their significance for sound is impressive.
The young artist recently supported Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay on tour, but I don’t think she’ll remain an opener for much longer.
From the vault: Arrival, ABBA
If you’re a student at Queen’s, your experience with ABBA might be limited to house-adjacent club remixes of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” and “Dancing Queen.” Despite what the song says, we’re not 17 anymore, and today’s a reminder to grow up and enjoy ABBA in their original form.
On this day in music history, in 1976, Swedish group ABBA released their fourth studio album Arrival, lifting them to another level of success that breached Europe’s borders. The group, now iconic, made up of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad created some of their most recognizable hits on this record.
As well as “Dancing Queen,” take another listen to “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “Money, Money, Money,” and “Why Did It Have To Be Me?” today. Who knows, you might be inspired to wear bellbottoms and a too-deep V-neck on your next night out—don’t blame me, it’s the ABBA talking.
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Music, music column, Recommendations, soundcheck
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