CJLO 1690AM presents "YOU'RE RELATED" Vol. 1: Montreal Artists Covering Montreal Artists
Hello friend,
When we geared up for our first fundraising campaign, I wanted us to do something a little extra, a cool added bonus, and that's where the seeds for the idea behind this compilation were planted. CJLO 1690AM and its volunteers have always been strong supporters of the great local talent we have, and we thought this compilation would be an amazing way to pay tribute to both the music Montreal has produced and to Montreal in general. We've always had this joke at the station that anyone who's ever worked for CJLO 1690AM (a CJLOxican) is always part of the "Extended Family", a once-you're-in-you're-never-out sorta thing, and I think that's partly why the title of this comp, CJLO 1690AM's first foray into compilation fun, works so well. Named after a song by Montreal's own Doughboys, "You're Related", while being a subtle reference to this being a covers compilation, can also be taken as a reference to these bands being part of the CJLO 1690AM family.
Hi fives to all the band managers, representatives, and labels for helping us get this off the ground. CJLO 1690AM-related Hi fives to our GM Steph for letting me go crazy with this, to our production team especially Lachlan for mastering the comp and Marco for helping engineer some of the recordings, to Alex for helping with the tracklist sequencing, and to Angelica for making this digital booklet look super sweet. And of course, huge hi fives to the bands who I cannot thank enough for donating their time, effort, and more importantly, their talent to this comp. Every one of these covers came out spectacularly and every band put their own distinctive spin on the original songs. Lastly, on behalf of everyone at CJLO 1690AM, who has every worked at CJLO 1690AM, and who puts in the time and effort into this little campus/community radio station that we all believe in so much, thank YOU for supporting CJLO 1690AM.
Consider yourself part of the family too, now. See you at the reunions.
-Omar (Head Music Director, Host of "Hooked on Sonics")
CJLO 1690AM presents "YOU'RE RELATED" Vol. 1: Montreal Artists Covering Montreal Artists
Below is the compilation's tracklist as well as some questions we asked each band (you can find these in the digital booklet that comes with the compilation download). We have attached, when possible, a video of the original track as well as the iTunes or bandcamp of the original artist. Enjoy!
SOLIDS “Fleeting Memories”
Originally recorded by Hawkes from the CD-R MMVIII (Oeil du Tigre, 2008)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? We are a two-piece band focusing on sounding as full as possible. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Because we love Hawkes and think everybody should know about them. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Both of us are from Montreal. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Summer. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? We just can’t think of any good reason not to.
HAWKES - http://www.mediafire.com/?wgz2ylkkgmz
ROME ROMEO “Saturdays in Silesia”
Originally recorded by Rational Youth from the album Cold War Night Life (Yul, 1982)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? We are a 4 piece that plays music... And we are better at playing it than describing it! WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? We all agreed on doing a song that didn’t have a major broadcast. So many bands wrote great songs that never came to our ears, we thought “Saturdays in Silesia” was one of them. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? If we make an average of the members it would be about 10 years. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? We can afford to live in the city! And the music scene is amazing. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? It’s actually CJLO who supports the bands, and for that we are very grateful!
RATIONAL YOUTH - iTunes
PASSWORDS “Heartbeats Accelerating”
Originally recorded by Kate and Anna McGarrigle from the album Heartbeats Accelerating (Private Music, 1990)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Not sure how we sound anymore. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? It’s a great song! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Most of us were born and raised in Montreal. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Cheap rent, european vibe, late night bars, bagels. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? They’re being nice to us!
KATE AND ANNE MCGARRIGLE - iTunes
RED MASS “Mon violon”
Originally recorded by Jesuslesfilles from the album Une belle table (Self-Released, 2010)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? dark and psychedelic ...we sound like Red Mass WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? ive wanted to cover this since i heard it and this was the perfect occasion to do it,,the original recording is a huge walllll of sound with catchy pop melodies that stick out ,,some melodies just get you,,this one had me hooked the first time i heard it HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 16 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? my home WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? people do college radio coz you love the music... ian, paul and everyone ive encountered there have been really supportive and helpfull.
JESUSLESFILLES - bandcamp
video of song unavailable
SILVER DAPPLE “Ravale ta saison”
Originally recorded by Le monde dans le feu from the album Sur le bord de l’absolument fantastique (Méga Fiable, 2008)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? We love hotdogs and sound like fuzzy pop WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? I love to listen to this song on repeat and it gave me a chance to actually learn all the words. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? From 5 to 12 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? I love that Montreal is a big city and we get all the perks of festivals and events that happen in a big city, but you never feel like you live in a BIG city. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Independent radio and broadcasting is important. There is enough commercial radio out there and sometimes its just nice to hear something unexpected.
LE MONDE DANS LE FEU - bandcamp
YOUNG LUNGS “The Clap”
Originally recorded by The Unicorns from the album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? (Alien8 Recordings, 2003)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? An amalgamation of genres!! Take some indie rock, add in some garage, a dash of hardcore, a sprinkle of post-punk and a pinch of surg and you get Young Lungs. Needless to say, it’s somewhat of a complicated recipe. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? The Unicorns were basically the soundtrack to our high school years, they were a great a Montreal band...we mourn them. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Born and raised. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Thing?! MORE LIKE THINGS!! Between smoked meat, hockey and our affinity for tradition and old buildings, Montreal goes pretty hard. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? If it wasn’t for us meeting the cats at CJLO we don’t know where we’d be as a band. We have a symbiotic relationship - they are the Hall to our Oates.
THE UNICORNS - iTunes
PREVENGE “Rooftops”
Originally recorded by The Frenetics from the album These Mistakes Took Years of Practice (Union, 2001)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Punk songs for the kids who were picked last in softball. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? We all loved the Frenetics. Like, a lot. They were also a band that we felt shared our sensibilities and approach to music. This song is excellent, and fairly well recognized thanks to the music video and it’s appearance on one of the State of the Union comps. This cover is also a gift for our pal Malcolm, who wrote this song. We hope he likes it. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? We’ve all been living in and around Montreal our whole lives. Wherever any of this takes us, we’re always excited to come home. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL?Lafleur’s poutine, samosas and empanadas at Dad’s Bagels, Foie gras poutine at Pied de Cochon, burgers at Mr. Steer and Gourmet Burger, the Mirror, “The New Noise,” and CJLO. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? College and independent radio is important because it is the last bastion of real people playing music they love and think that you’d love too.
THE FRENETICS - iTunes
GLASS PASSENGER “Avalanche”
Originally recorded by Leonard Cohen from the album Songs of Love and Hate (Columbia, 1971)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Glass Passenger is a roots-rock band equally comfortable with minimalism and maximalism. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Songs of Love and Hate is Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece. It is a consistent body of long, lyrically dense and moody works, which is why it’s an album you rarely hear a cover from. When the album came out, people putting it on for the first time would hear in Avalanche, the opening track, another side of Leonard Cohen. It’s his first truly angry song, the first appearance of a grit in his voice that would become an integral part of his music from that point on. Not only is it a song we all love, but it’s also full of empty space. In this song we found the opportunity to create a dark, dense texture with just the four of us in a room together. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Well there’s four of us. I’ve been living here for 2 years, while Dave and Rachelle have been here significantly longer, and Rob was born here. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Leonard Cohen. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? The first time I went into CJLO’s studio the first thing that I thought was “This isn’t a college radio station,” and in every way except for the obvious one, that’s true. The standards of quality and professionalism at CJLO are more than impressive. As proven by shows like Edge of the City and The Go-Go Radio Magic Hour, it’s not only the best station in Montreal, but one of the best I’ve ever heard.
LEONARD COHEN - iTunes
ADAM & THE AMETHYSTS “Drinking in L.A.”
Originally recorded by Bran Van 3000 from the album Glee (Audiogram, 1997)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Psychedelic folk-pop WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? It speaks to something a lot of young expats in Montreal can relate to: you’re chasing the dream in a glamorous far-away creative hub, and suddenly you realize that all you’re really doing is wasting time and getting drunk. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Rebecca was born and raised here and Adam has been living in Montreal since 2003. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Summer picnics in Parc Jean-Mance. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Community radio is vital to a musical community.
BRAN VAN 3000 - iTunes
AIM LOW “Black Cars”
Originally recorded by Gino Vannelli from the album Black Cars (Polydor, 1985)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Loud, swirly, fuzzy...like a warm blanket that causes heat exhaustion WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Somehow this song came up in a conversation while on the way to Toronto to play a show and we thought it’d be a great song to cover, turning a conventional 80s pop-rnb classic into a doom n’ gloom dirge. Plus, Gino Vanelli’s Black Cars was the first record Lachlan bought! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 1/3rd - 4 years via Vancouver/ Chicago, 1/3rd - 11 years via Brampton/Toronto, 1/3rd - born & raised FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? It’s home WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? It’s what brought us together (cue touchy-feely music).
GINO VANNELLI - iTunes
SNAILHOUSE “It’s OK”
Originally recorded by Land of Talk from the album Some Are Lakes (Secret City/Saddle Creek, 2008)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Contemporary song. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? - It is an amazing song by an amazing songwriter. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 11 years. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Freedom! WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? How could I not?
LAND OF TALK - iTunes
Originally recorded by Lhasa from the album Lhasa (Warner Music, 2009)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Bluesy-chill-swamp-rock WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? My manager showed it to me a few months back and I fell in love with it right away. It’s so powerful and beautiful and incredibly dynamic. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Since last August FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Everything! It’s a gorgeous place to live and a wonderful place for artists. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Because it’s a great station that supports local talent!
LHASA - iTunes
ECHO BEACH “Dangerdangerdanger”
Originally recorded by Rae Spoon from the album Love is a Hunter (Saved by Radio, 2010)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Doom Wave/ Dark Wave drone WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? I think Rae Spoon is an amazing artist, and wanted to pay homage to them with this version of their song. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 2.5 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? The music community WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? I think the programming is fantastic, and you can’t beat the support of the djs!
RAE SPOON - iTunes
FREELOVE FENNER “Mint”
Originally recorded by Chevalier Avant Garde from the cassette Postcards (Fixture Records, 2008)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? concise, tape-y. mildly psychedelic, mid-south atlantic guitar pop WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? It was in our heads. Filip and Dimitri are great songwriters. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Peter and Caitlin: nearly a dozen years / Mike: about 8 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? the Agora at Viger Square WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? amplitude modulation signals of 1690 kilocycles per second were deemed auspicious by our guru.
CHEVALIER AVANT GARDE - bandcamp
video is unavailable
ELGIN-SKYE “(Not) Superstitious”
Originally recorded by Snailhouse from the album Lies on the Prize (Unfamiliar Records, 2008)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Lo-fi indie folk. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? I saw Snailhouse play this song during a performance in the back of a van last summer. It cheers me up when I think of all of us crammed in that tiny space, hanging off every chord! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 4 years. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? My backyard and the 13 cats that call it home. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Because CJLO is the best! Everyone I’ve met who is involved with the station is super nice, they do great work supporting local musicians, and they welcome music enthusiasts to join their community. I have a total station-crush on CJLO!
SNAILHOUSE - iTunes
HEXES AND OHS w/ CAMAROMANCE
“Your Ex-Lover’s Dead”
Originally recorded by Stars from the album Set Yourself on Fire (Arts & Crafts, 2004)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Hexes & Ohs is a pop band. We used to be a duo, we used to be more electronic. Now we have 4 people with us on stage, there are more guitars and boy-girl harmonies. You wouldn’t be able to tell on this cover song though, it’s a bit of an exception. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Martine (from Camaromance) and I have wanted to do something together for a while. I was asked last April to do a live acoustic cover of a local Montreal band for a video for the online mag The Rake, so I got Martine in on the action. We enjoyed it so much that we thought it would be cool to do a studio version for this CJLO comp. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Heidi was born here, and I’ve been here since 1985. Which is practically like being born here. I love this city, still. I’m no globetrotter, but I’ve certainly been to my fair share of world class cities, and Montreal is still tops to me. A great balance of culture, food, arts, career. Some seriously talented folks in these parts. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? The people, the food and the independent spirit. Everyone’s doing SOMETHING here but they still know not to take themselves too seriously. For the most part. There are plenty of assholes too. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? We do stuff like this. We’ve played a handful of benefits for them too. Good peeps these CJLO dudes.
STARS - iTunes
2600.1 “East Hastings”
Originally recorded by Godspeed You! Black Emperor from the album F#A#8 (Constellation, 1997)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? 8 bit noisy electro glitch WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? The song is called East Hastings, which is a street in my hometown of Vancouver. It is also featured in one of the best zombie movies of the modern era, 28 Days Later. I know it was crazy to choose this song, since Godspeed! You Black Emperor is such an amazing and fantastical band, but I thought I would give it a shot, a glitchy electro shot... HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 2.5 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? The musicians, and proximity to so many other cities! WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? The variance in shows is great, I love many of the djs, it is good to have on any time of the day!!
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR - iTunes
THISQUIETARMY “Chimeras”
Originally recorded by Tim Hecker from the album Harmony in Ultraviolet (Kranky, 2006)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Experimental guitarbased one-man project, revolving around improvised ambient/drone with elements of shoegaze & doom. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Tim Hecker is one of my favorite ambient artists and I consider him to be somewhat of an influence. Considering that his entire repertoire consists of abstract pieces of music, the idea of a cover is a completely ridiculous concept. None has ever been made to my knowledge, so that was the perfect reason for me to try and attempt it. “Chimeras” is one of his most recognizable pieces, at least to those who are familiar with his work, so I hope our cover is recognizable as well. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Born & raised (yes, one of the rare ones in the Montreal music scene). FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Montreal is a small world, but it’s big and diverse enough if you need to disappear. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Because they’re awesome.
TIM HECKER - iTunes
ARCHERY GUILD “Shot to la Parc”
Originally recorded by Tonstartssbandht from the album Now I Am Become (Arbutus, 2011)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? Archery Guild is a rock band that presents dynamics from the soft bows of a violin to the screeches of a cheap electric guitar. Their overall sound varies from chaos to concurrence with direction from a variety of players in the band. As their group grows in numbers so does their sound in style and personality. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? Tonstartssbandht’s song “Shot To La Parc” has a psychedelic, violent cavern that A.G. wanted to recreate with each other as a band, screaming and kerfuffling. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? Some members have lived in Montreal forever while others have been living here for three years. FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? Everyone is beautiful in Montreal. It’s close to home, but far enough away to call it a new home. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? CJLO promotes the underdogs in the music scene because they are the underdog in the radio community. They are a family of like minded people who are willing to take in anybody who has an interest in what CJLO does and they manage to give so much with what they have to offer.
TONSTARTSSBANDHT - iTunes
THE CITY STREETS “Cum Hear the Band”
Originally recorded by April Wine from the album Stand Back (Aquarius, 1975)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND & SOUND? The City Streets are an independent power pop/rock/folk/punk band that covers a lot of sonic territory with their arrangements and songwriting. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SONG? We grew up in an era where classic rock radio was ubiquitous and bands like April Wine were playing when our parents were getting ready for work, in the car or in our heads intermittently throughout our childhoods, consciously or not. This particular song was not as big a hit as some of the other singles from the same album, but it’s a charmer, well constructed and reminiscent of other great power pop bands from the 70’s like Badfinger, Big Star and The Raspberries. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN MONTREAL? 2.5 years FAVOURITE THING ABOUT MONTREAL? The Women. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT CJLO? Because college/independent radio is increasingly the only way to hear new, interesting music.
APRIL WINE - iTunes
credits
released 20 April 2012
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Curated by Omar Husain for CJLO 1690AM
Additonal tracklisting by Alex Rabot
Mastered by Lachlan Fletcher
Design by angeli.ca
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