Marlaena Moore / Tiny Horse / Bobby Dove
Marlaena Moore
You’d be hard-pressed to find another artist with as brilliantly clear a trajectory as Marlaena Moore. From her earliest days of solitary bedroom recordings through the maximalist sonic explorations of her last album Pay Attention, Be Amazed, to the laser-focused sound of her newest work, charting a course through her career to date is about as tangible as it gets.
Originally hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, and currently based in Montreal, Moore has become one of Canada’s preeminent songwriters and performers, rightfully recognized for a commanding, yet warmly engaging stage presence in tandem with her superbly crafted and emotionally direct – even disarmingly so, at times – brand of songwriting (to wit, Consequence of Sound praised her “powerful vocal range and sturdy songs…her music did more than charm.”). She’s shared stages with acts such as Angel Olsen, US Girls, and Jennifer Castle, and Exclaim! listed Moore as an “Artist To Watch” in 2020.
After gaining traction in the late ’10s with her celebrated album Gaze, Marlaena Moore joined forces with Sub Pop recording artist and cherished indie iconoclast Chad Van Gaalen and drummer/producer Chris Dadge (Alvvays, Samantha Savage Smith) to record her next album Pay Attention, Be Amazed. Where Gaze favoured a stripped-down, no-frills rock trio sound, her last offering took full advantage of a lengthy gestation period, honing the songs, demos, and arrangements with Dadge before entering Van Gaalen’s funhouse of studio, tucked away in northwest Calgary. Moore and her crew of collaborators – including Scott Munro (Preoccupations) and Ryan Bourne (Ghostkeeper) – painted a sparkling, multi-faceted, and undeniably widescreen interpretation of her songs. Sitting alongside pleasingly direct tracks such as lead single ‘I Miss You’, ‘Imposter’, and ‘Love As Is’ were more ornately configured tracks like the cello, pedal steel, and trombone infused ‘Xmas Oranges’; keyboard and synth-heavy fantasias ‘All Alone (Full of Love)’ and ‘Please Don’t Cut My Garden’; and full-band rager ‘Better Than Me’, complete with a winding, psych-leaning improvised ending.
If there is a theme to Moore’s latest batch of songs, it would have to be the notion of openness: in life, in music, and in one’s approach to viewing the world around them. Indeed, one of the tracks from her new album, tellingly titled ‘I Love Everything’, opens with the line “you can do anything, you can go anywhere”. But, these seemingly positive affirmations didn’t arrive in a gleam of bright light; Moore admits that “the record was written at a time where I was equally the most sad and most happy I have ever been in my life”, battling the polarizing notion that “both nothing and everything is possible”. Where these dichotomies could have resulted in stagnation, or – even worse – giving up entirely, Moore more than rose to the occasion and has crafted yet another surefooted, engaging set of pop/rock gems.
Produced by multi-instrumentalist, producer, and recording engineer Scott Munro – who Moore refers to as “the life blood of this record”, and is one of Canada’s most consistently impressive musical forces – the new album positively glows thanks to a further delving into the world of synthesizers, drum machines, and a recent fascination with the music of ’90s icons Portishead and Björk, as well as drawing inspiration from the detail-oriented sounds of Tango In The Night-era Fleetwood Mac. Keep your eyes peeled for the new album early next year on Victory Pool Records.
https://www.marlaenamoore.com/
TINY HORSE
Tiny Horse is here, you won’t believe your ears. Their upbeat tunes combine style, humour, sincerity, and damn catchy melodies. Their soft rock sound references a range of musical influences from Big Thief to the Barenaked Ladies, Taylor Swift to Paul Simon. Tiny Horse’s live performance is not to be missed delivering 70’s rockstar energy, electric tambourine solos, achievable dance moves, and songs that will refuse to leave your head. If you’re looking for something a little bit different, come join the Tiny Horse rodeo.
BOBBY DOVE
Walking with the tall shadows of their honky tonk heroes, the Montreal-born singer-songwriter Bobby Dove conveys a big presence and voice, with songs fresh off the heartworn highway.
Bobby Dove’s sophomore album, Hopeless Romantic (2021) includes some of the finest musicians on the Canadian Country music scene, including a duet with Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy. The record was hailed by Saving Country Music as “…Some of the most authentically-rendered and true-to-inspiration country music you can root out…”
In 2022, Bobby toured East to West in Canada and went on their very first European tour. In 2023, Bobby is set to produce new music and continue to troubadour at festivals and venues in North America and beyond.
