Picked last in gym – er, indie music class

Regina musicians absent from CBC’s top indie songs of summer

Paul Bogdan
A&C Editor

CBC’s R3-30 podcast put out a list of the top Canadian indie songs of summer on the R3-30 Fun Club Facebook page, where people voted on a list of songs, and the top ten were played on the podcast. The list was filled with tons of great tunes, but unsurprisingly, absent from the list was new music from Regina.

Given that Regina is now a prominent, high-profile Canadian city (I mean, we are getting a new football stadium after all), the folks at CBC surely couldn’t have forgotten about or skipped over Regina while compiling the list of the best new indie music. But, the fact that Regina may have been overlooked doesn’t mean that there was no awesome new music coming from Regina.

Quite the opposite is true, actually. Numerous artists from Regina released new material this summer, be it a single, EP, or full-length. The following is a list of some of the highlights from Regina music this summer, and you can go to our super-awesome website, carillonregina.com, to check out the songs.

“I Could Tell You I’m Sorry” – Rah Rah
Beginning the “Best of Regina: Summer 2012” playlist is new Rah Rah. I don’t really think I need to say more.

“Last Request” – Royal Red Brigade
Proof that 6/8 time was meant for more than ballads and swing tunes. Royal Red Brigade’s debut LP definitely finishes strong with this track.

“Brawlers” – Belle Plaine and the Lazy MKs
That last bit wasn’t to say that slow country songs in 6/8 are a bad thing, and aside from being a good ol’ country tune, this drunkenly slow ballad tells the story of a Lazy MKs bar fight in small town Saskatchewan.

“Close Your Eyes, My Lovely” – Snake River
The shimmering, reverb soaked guitars paired with Chris Sleightholm’s dry baritone vocals are just about enough to make a tumbleweed materialize in front of you.

“Don’t Be Cruel” – Devon Floyd
Devon Floyd’s lyrics may not always be the cheeriest, but I’ll be damned if you’re not smiling when the chorus melody kicks in.

“In Memoriam” – Indigo Joseph
Admittedly, I’ve found myself indifferent to most Indigo Joseph songs, but “In Memoriam” has a simple chord progression that really sticks with you and is definitely the most interesting Indigo Joseph song I’ve come across.

“Soiled Hands” – These Estates
This technically was released this past February, but the actual release show wasn’t until this summer, so I’m counting it — especially since guitarist John Cameron basically physically assaulted an audience member with his guitar during the noise solo at the release show.

“Ex-Staffer” – Architects and Builders
Closing the playlist is now defunct Architects and Builders who released their final album, The Joy of Cooking, this past August. This song probably could be swapped with anything off of The Joy of Cooking, but what’s not to love about political songs that are as catchy as they are pissed-off?