Buried deep in Montreal’s lingering winters, a trio of musicians sat in a room together. Used to the crazy pace of working in the city’s hyperactive music industry, they might have been unconsciously looking to do something slower, calmer, and free from commercial constraints. Looking at the snow battering the wide windows by the train tracks, they spent the afternoon playing around with what was in the room: a slide whistle, a Juno, and some guitar pedals. The table was set for what would become Caméra. They eventually spent more time together, finding sounds, exploring bizarre ideas, but always seeking beauty.
The song “Carrousel” from new album, Caméra, was composed in one snowy afternoon; it’s a picture of a moment that the trio spent together. It was actually the first song written together as Caméra. The band sat in a room not really expecting anything to happen. After a fun afternoon of playing around with bits and pieces of melody, this song came to life. It felt like they were digging up something that has always been there.
The three musicians had collaborated before in different contexts, but they wanted to try and see what would happen if they pooled their visions together. The Caméra LP was the result of meeting sporadically over the course of three years, when time allowed, and simply playing around with some ideas. Everything was self-recorded and happened on the spot when the idea arrived. It makes this work “imperfect,” but the band felt that there was no other way to capture the vibe.
FKB is a high-energy, four-piece, indie pop band based in Nashville, influenced by the mystique, glamour, and excess of the 1960s-1980s entertainment business. Formed in Bonnyville, Alberta, the band is fronted by JUNO Award-nominated songwriter (2019) Drew Shalka and features Travis Topylki (lead guitar), Derek Chalut (drums), and Alex Fedorouk (rhythm guitar).
FKB’s nostalgic, reflective single, “Mirror on the Ceiling” is co-written and produced by Shaun Frank (The Chainsmokers, Dua Lipa, Liam Payne). “‘Mirror on the Ceiling’ is about the innocence of youth and wanting to live in those moments forever,” says Shalka. “Sonically, we wanted to express a feeling of longing by combining a variety of influences from different eras like Prince, The Killers, and Bruce Springsteen.”
“Mirror on the Ceiling” tells the story of a summertime road trip and a relationship that is intense but short-lived. The song reflects on being able to go back to relive that moment in time with the mirror being the object that brings back those memories. The song title came from old nostalgic motels and the feelings of adventure and longing they bring up. There is something about seeing something seemingly frozen in time like those old roadside motels that makes you relive memories and think about your life and where it has come from.
“The song was written and recorded in 15 hours over two days at Noble Street Studios during Canadian Music Week in June 2023,” explains Shalka. “We had just won the Jim Beam National Talent Search and the winner would be writing and recording a song the next day as part of the week’s itinerary. So the way it played out was that we performed our Jim Beam show at 9pm, found out we won at 11pm, then had another show down the street at 1am so we immediately got into an Uber to get there. Then the next morning at 10am we met Shaun and wrote and recorded the whole song from scratch.”
Born to a French/Vietnamese mother and a German father, singer-songwriter Nathalie King‘s music is noted for its cinematic electro pop and trip hop style, while her sound expresses deeply rooted themes like mental health and emotional life experiences. The Toronto-based artist is known for her sultry smooth low voice reminiscent of the true artists of the vintage jazz era and an upper range that is soft and melodic.
Her new song, “More,” is about the sentiment that there is always more expected from a person, more from that crazy intoxicating feeling at the beginning of dating, and nothing is ever enough. Ironically, Nathalie explains that the feeling of filling your own heart with love can not be provided by another person except yourself. So whatever “more” you want from someone else, it will never be satisfying.
“We are not our emotions and thoughts,” Nathalie says about the inspiration behind the song. “To strive for a healthy mind is to not get addicted to our feelings and thoughts.”
Erik Lankin of Montreal (Tiohtià:ke) is revealing the second classical composition taken from his forthcoming debut album, The Icarus Album, a reinterpretation of the myth of Daedalus which Lankin has used to grapple with the death of his father, who he lost to suicide.
In both the original myth and Lankin’s reinterpretation, Daedalus constructs the wings used in his failed lift off out of feathers and wax.
The composition “Feathers and Wax” unfurls with rich anagrammatic piano melodies and guiding strings, growing into tormented sound design which flows into the beginning of previously released first single, “Daedalus Requiem.”
“We had to choose between recording the track on a half million dollar Fazioli piano or my dad’s baby grand Yamaha which he left me when he died. In the end we made the sentimental choice,” Lankin explains.
Jason Bhattacharya is a multi-dimensional creative whose main focus is production, songwriting and recording. Bhattacharya has been featured on umpteen records as a session musician and producer, and creates solo works under the pseudonym Granny Smith. The past 3 years Bhattacharya has also worked in the music department for Netflix, Sony Pictures and Paramount Television Studios.
Originally, the songs from his new EP, River of Memory, like “River of Memory ii” were recorded as a score to the Dylan Mitro short film, Ripples. In the end, Dylan used music not from these sessions for the film, so Bhattacharya wanted to find a way to share this soundtrack with the world.
This is the first instrumental piano music he’s released, and it was all improvised while watching the film – inspired by the way a river flows naturally. The only instruments heard on the recording are an acoustic piano & a Juno Synthesizer.
The titles represent the natural flow of time and space. “Ripples” are the ebbs and flows of life and the “River of Memory” is the continuous looking back on an ever-changing self. “Pastel” is the many colors that we have in our palette to decorate the shifts as well as the way we remember them. The album concludes with “River of Memory ii” where all systems are a go and the flow is fully in motion.
“I’m trying to make the most organic music I can make,” says Jason Bhattacharya of Granny Smith. “I don’t like to edit very much & I’m trying to put out the most honest versions of the expressions I’m creating.”
Renowned composer and keyboard player Peter Calandra’s latest album “Spirit” is a captivating blend of his unique musical style, bringing together 10 original compositions with 3 cherished covers from earlier repertoire.
From the introspective melodies born during the pandemic era to the nostalgic tunes reminiscent of his youth, Calandra’s album promises a rich and varied listening experience.
The album ranges from tender folk-inspired piano solos to more expansive, soul stirring compositions enhanced by ethereal synthesiser textures. Through singles like “Spirit” and “Night Sky”, listeners are treated to glimpses of Calandra’s atmospheric piano compositions, each track offering a serene oasis amidst the noise of the world. His music serves as an invitation to pause, reflect, and find solace in moments of quiet contemplation.
Peter Calandra has had an illustrious career as both composer and keyboard player in New York City’s vibrant music scene, with a prolific output.
With over 100 film scores, thousands of compositions for TV and film, and notable contributions to major events and networks, Calandra’s impact on the industry is undeniable. Recognition from esteemed institutions like the Independent Spirit Awards further solidifies his status as a respected and influential artist.
We caught up with Peter Calandra to get the lowdown on the inspiration behind the beautiful new music video for title track “Spirit”:
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?
This song, like every song on the album, came from one of the 65 Saturday Night Live Streams I broadcast from my studio during the pandemic. I set up a droning sound using a Moog app on my iPad and improvised the rest of the song. I did have a concept of what the song should express. I tried to use musical language I associate as a cross between ‘Americana’ and Irish Folk music.
This would be some of the sounds created by classical composers like Aaron Copland and also some of the musical feeling from the piano music of Bruce Hornsby and Lyle Mays as well as the melodic feel used by many Irish folk songs. I did not copy any song, just some of the feeling these musical materials can convey. I also wanted there to be some space in the music and this is where the droning sound on the iPad helped out. It achieves the kind of effect that the droning reeds on an Irish bagpipe does by giving you an inspiring bed of sound over which you can improvise.
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
The main part of the video is taken from the live performance of the music played in my studio during the broadcast. I wanted to contrast that with other visuals I captured in New York City. I also contrasted the live playing, in black and white with the visuals which are in color. The music is peaceful and heartfelt and the scenes captured show that there can be those same moments found in a bustling city if you know how to look. The video clips were taken in Union Square, on the Highline and in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
What was the process of making this video?
I started out by mixing and editing the musical performance as the original version was almost 10 minutes long and while fine for a live performance, had too many spots where there were too many notes being played by the pianist (that would be me lol). Once I did that and edited the video to match, I decided to look through my catalog of visual content created from my travels and came up with about 10-15 film clips to choose from. At this point contrasting between the Black and White performance with the colorful and Slo-Motion video content from NYC seemed like a good way to enhance and create a compelling story. Then it was just a matter of choosing and editing the NYC content with the live performance.
“We live in turbulent times where success is measured in clicks and quite a bit of online content is limited to 60 seconds or less. All of this comes together to create a reality that flies by at an alarming rate where you can get swept up in all this and feel like you are on an out of control roller coaster ride. There has to be a place for music and art that moves people and tells a story and develops over time to help slow down the pace of life. That is the essence of what my goals are for the music I create. Telling stories in sound that touch people’s hearts.”
Modern Mystery 