274: Nap Eyes // Whine of the Mystic
Whine of the Mystic
Nap Eyes
2014, Plastic Factory (Bandcamp)
Can’t speak to the sound on the original 2014 pressing of this guy from Plastic Factory Records, but the 2015 Paradise of Bachelors/You’ve Changed edition sounds pretty revelatory to me—kudos to the folks at the plant, and to Mike Wright and Peter Woodford for the mixing and mastering. Talk about Nap Eyes tends to quickly descend into the Nigel Chapman show—the vocalist’s laconic cadences and ambling lyricism offer plenty of grist for a critic to chew on, but here on the LP the rhythm section is mixed loud and way up front so that the insistent throb of Josh Salter’s bass becomes as difficult to ignore as the pounding of your own pulse in your ears when you’ve run too hard. Whine of the Mystic was recorded at Drones Club in Montreal back in 2013, which is basically just a none-too-large loft apartment in my current neighbourhood where they do raves sometimes, and the record sounds just like listening to the boys play while wearing good custom-fitted ear plugs. That rawness does a band who can flirt with a nutritious beigeness a lot of good—the guitars singe and flare, the amps sizzle, and the feeling of this band as a slack psych live force comes through.
I’ve been a huge fan of Nap Eyes since I caught them in Ottawa back in 2014, and people generally dig them when I recommend the record (with the exception of my pal Meghan, who despises them with the grumpy exhaustion that comes of seeing a band you don’t like constantly opening for bands you do). As such, Whine of the Mystic has been with me through a lot—the best songs (like “Dark Creedence,” and the last four) make a shimmering soundtrack to existential hangovers; walking toward some workaday Calvary in the rain; handrolling cigarettes badly; pining for girls if only to keep in practice; not getting a master’s; being 27 as hell for many years. It’s full of little touches that still delight me, like when they kinda morph into the Proclaimers for a bridge on “The Night of the First Show,” or the way the raincloud pacing of “Dreaming Solo” finally cracks open into the most amiable outro jam imaginable.
Giving your record a punny name is a risky choice, and as a phrase Whine of the Mystic skirts the edge of dorkiness. But in the end, I come down on it as an apt synopsis of the album’s charms. Chapman’s plaints linger on the humdrum, yet they paint the experience as intoxicating, Halifax as the backdrop for an ancient mystery cycle that repeats itself wherever life’s taking place. It brings to mind an exchange from Louis Malle’s The Fire Within, a superficially dull but emotionally feverish movie I haven’t thought of in ten years. The main character, a suicidal alcoholic who feels drained by what he perceives as the world’s absence of meaning, talks to an old friend, who has settled into a steady life as an academic and a husband. I don’t remember much of what they talk about, besides this:
Alain Leroy: Dubourg, what will you do tonight?
Dubourg: Tonight, I'll write a few pages on my Egyptians, then make love to Fanny. I fall into her silence as into a well. At the bottom is a great sun that warms the earth.
All life is quotidian, but the primal and transcendent lies within that quotidian life, if you can truly immerse yourself within your own. Good luck.
274/365
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THE PR PRESS PREMIERE: REENY SMITH - “AMBER LIGHTS
In doing so, it’s very illustrative; captivating in how her message is delivered. Smith, who is also credited on keys and production, collaborated with her brother Wallace Smith Jr. (drums and bass) on the new single. “I [wanted] to mix old school soul elements with [a] modern RnB melody,” she shared. The live instrumentation employed feels organic, like a ‘live off the floor’ performance.
Her gospel roots shine with the background vocal accompaniment and affirming of beliefs, lyrically. A seasoned musician with her musical upbringing, Smith’s voice is exquisite – playing both the softer-spoken guarded optimist, and the upfront ‘I can’t say that I feel the same way’ partner clear in their mindset.
She commands focus with a single “listen,” adding personality while expressing regret over any disappointment and hurt caused. However, the power belongs to Smith in the way she carries herself with integrity and awareness. “Amber Lights” has a distinct pulse in its warning attempt, and the Halifax artist continues to be a vibrant force.
Written by: Chloe Hoy
Photo credit to: Meaghan Downey
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🎶👍😀Tartan Day in North America is Celebrated on Saturday April 6th 2024.
It was founded in Nova Scotia, Canada, as an annual celebration of Scottish culture and heritage, and has grown more popular every year.
In the US, it was declared 'Tartan Day' by the US Senate in 1998 to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish Americans to the United States. Alexander Graham Bell was Scottish in Heritage and inventor of the telephone.
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/tartan-day
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World Fiddle Day
Schedule a lesson or find a performance to enjoy one of the classic instruments of the working class, the fiddle. Or sit down to watch Fiddler on the Roof!
World Fiddle Day is an annual music celebration day celebrated on the Third Saturday of May. This year it will be observed on May 19. Even though World Fiddle Day was created in 2012, it gained popularity all over the world within a few years. It was created to celebrate and to teach the playing of bowed string instruments throughout the world by conducting participatory and inclusive events. The fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, used by the players in all genres including classical music.
World Fiddle Day happens once a year and is meant to celebrate everything that everyone loves about the chirpy, fun and feisty art of fiddle music. You’ll see it being celebrated on the third Saturday of each May. The fiddle is always known to be something positive, with all the songs and notes it produces high energy, entertaining, and bringing something positive. Making the room dance, wherever the sound of a fiddle is played.
Around the world, this day is celebrated with dancing, music, and of course plenty of fiddle playing!
History of World Fiddle Day
Before we speak about the day, it may be best to get a better idea of the Fiddle that is being celebrated! The fiddle is a four-stringed musical instrument of the string family, also often referred to as a small type of violin. Like the violin, it is also played with a bow. The terms fiddling or fiddle playing actually refer to a style of music, most commonly folk music. The origins of the name ‘fiddle’ are not known but is believed to be derived from an early violin or the Old English word ‘fithele’. The fiddle is common to English folk music, Irish folk music, Scandinavian music, Austrian, French, Hungarian, Polish, American, Latin American, African, and even Australian music. There is no difference between the fiddle and small violin aside from the name and type of music the instrument is used for.
A fiddle has many parts including the neck, fingerboard, tuning pegs, scroll, pegbox, bridge, soundhole, strings, fine tuners, tailpiece, bass bar, soundboard, chinrest, button, backplate, and bow. The earliest fiddles (or violins) were derived from the bow instruments from the Middle Ages.
When it comes to building a high-quality fiddle, it can take as many as 200 hours for craftsmen to handcraft a professional fiddle, showing that for a relatively simple looking and fun instrument, a lot of craft and workmanship has to go into building one.
Traditional fiddle strings were made of pig, goat, horse, or sheep intestine. Today they are made from steel or aluminium over a nylon core. Now, the last fiddle fact that you may want to take down for your next game of trivia, is that the fastest fiddler/violinist on record is Ben lee who played ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ in just over a minute in 2010. He played an average of 13 notes each second for a total of 810 notes in all. Now that is pretty impressive, so now the fiddle has been explained, what about the day?
The day was founded in 2012 by one Caoimhin Mac Aoidh, a professional fiddler from Donegal in Ireland. The day was birthed from a deep respect for one of the most expert and revered violin makers in history.
This month was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the death of the Italian violin craftsman Antonio Stradivari’s way back in 1737.
Stradivari is today considered the most significant creator of violins in history, with his surviving instruments today seen as the most prized and finest ever created. Although he also made the larger string instruments cellos and violas, it’s the violins that he lovingly crafted that he is most well-known and remembered for.
Though only a couple of hundred of his works still exists, they have been known to capture some huge prices at auction and are especially sought-after amongst professional violin players.
How to celebrate World Fiddle Day
If you ever learned how to play the violin in school, or you frequently play it either for pleasure or for work, today is a great day to get out your fiddle and play a couple of tunes! Perhaps play a little for friends or family, or show your children how to play some simple themes. If you do not own one, or do not know how to play it, then this could be a great time to learn. It is always fun and engaging to learn a new musical instrument, so why not start to learn the art of the fiddle, and maybe at next year’s celebrations you can play to the world what you have managed to learn!
If you aren’t lucky enough to have learned how to play this string instrument, you can celebrate its day by listening to some of the fantastic performances by string artists easily found on Youtube or Spotify. Add a spring to your daily commute with some Mozart, Barber or Brahms!
And if you’ve always fancied trying your hand at the violin, perhaps today you could take a trial lesson learning how to play? Who knows – by the time the next World Fiddle Day comes along, you could be able to play along with everyone else who is fiddling away!
Whatever you get up to, have a great World Fiddle Day!
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Song of the Day: Wonder - Classified
Song of the Day: Wonder - Classified
Canadian rapper and producer CLASSIFIED‘ single ‘Wonder,’ which features fellow Canadian native singer-songwriter Ian Janes, paints a picture of an individual grappling with personal loss, societal challenges, substance use, and questions about identity and existence. It’s a profound reflection on life, questioning the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of reality and trying to find meaning amidst…
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