Articles tagged with Said the Whale

Said the Whale – “Heavy Ceiling”

January 27, 2012
Said the Whale
I was at Said the Whale’s very first show almost five years ago, so it has been pretty exciting to follow the band’s rise. Its latest single is a Tyler Bancroft-sung number that’s one of the band’s most straight-up rockers to date.

Die-hards may remember that this is actually a rewritten version of a prior non-LP track, although this version is a little heavier on the guitars and lighter on the synth.

This comes from the band’s excellent forthcoming LP Little Mountain.


 
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Said the Whale – “New Brighton”

November 14, 2011
Said the Whale
Vancouver’s Said the Whale has always specialized in organic-sounding folk and breezy pop rock, but this latest tune just might be the band’s most intricate yet. Recent EP title track “New Brighton” contains the usual chiming guitars and honeyed melodies we expect from Said the Whale, but there are also some prog-tinged scale-ups and -downs, and one hell of a dissonant chord right around the one-minute mark. Adding to the song’s off-kilter charm is the fact that the lyrics are apparently sung from the perspective of a microbialite in BC’s Pavillion Lake.

Of course, there’s also a killer, harmony-laden chorus hook. Duh.


 
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Said the Whale – “Lines”

October 4, 2011
Said the Whale
Two days, two much-loved Vancouver acts. Following yesterday’s track from Dan Mangan, here’s the latest single from Said the Whale. It’s called “Lines,” and it comes from the upcoming EP New Brighton, due out through Hidden Pony on November 8.

It contains cyclical guitar riffs and ’60s-tinged “ooh la la la” vocal harmonies that capture Said the Whale at its most catchy and pop-friendly. This first appeared on CBC Radio 3 last week, and is now available to stream below.

Go to Exclaim! to learn more about the EP.


 
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Let’s not worry for a bit

August 16, 2011
I was gonna do a photoshoot but then I got high
Sunny Pompeii is led by Said the Whale drummer Spencer Schoening. Hear the climactic acoustic rocker “Who Knows Who Knows” below. Said the Whale fans will enjoy this if they like a dash of Fleet Foxes and the Flaming Lips in with their catchy pop rock.

This comes from the oh-so-punny EP Breakfast of Champignons, due out August 26. Go to Exclaim! to get the scoop.

On a different note, I saw this today.


 
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Holly, far from home

March 15, 2011
Members of the Hollerado-Tang Clan
A few weeks ago, I went to the launch party for Teen Daze’s Cultus Vibes label. I lost my scarf at the party, and Teen Daze helped me to track it down a few days later. Thanks for being thoughtful, Teen Daze!

Here’s his latest remix. It’s for Vancouver’s Said the Whale. He turned the band’s acoustic ballad “Holly, Ontario” into a banging electro track.

Go to Exclaim! to read my write-up about the remix (and here for my article about Said the Whale getting its gear jacked).


 
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Seasonal cuisine, finest of them all

December 23, 2010
Orange wristbands for everyone
For the fourth consecutive year, Said the Whale has released a Christmas EP. It’s only got two songs (one of which is barely a minute long), so it’s really more a single. But it’s free, so who’s complaining? I interviewed singer Tyler Bancroft about the new EP for a brief piece in the Georgia Straight.

You can pick up both tracks for free over at the band’s official site. My favourite of the two is the silky “Brightest on My Street,” which you can download below. With its falsetto harmonies and swirling organ, this is halfway between Bon Iver and modern R&B.

MP3: “Brightest on My Street”
 
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Thought my water weight was fine

November 19, 2010
Stimulus overload!
Last night, Kyprios won the Peak Performance Project. Go to Exclaim! to read my story about the finals, which also featured performances from runners-up Said the Whale and Vince Vaccaro. The weirdest part about the night was that I somehow ended up standing around for five minutes holding Said the Whale’s novelty cheque for $75,000.

Speaking of Said the Whale and last night (segue), here’s the band’s new song, “Last Night,” which was released for free via the Peak’s website. It a synth-y, electrified rocker that recalls the new wave stylings of Metric.

The photo to the left was taken by Leigh Eldridge.

MP3: “Last Night”
 
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With your heart in your pen

February 16, 2010
So, you band is called Sand the Whole?
Said the Whale’s first ever release was a mostly-acoustic EP, Let’s Have Sound, which was home recorded by songwriters Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester. The band returned to its roots for the iTunes-only EP Bear Bones, which was recorded in Worcester’s bedroom, and features stripped-down instrumentation and bite-sized track lengths (”Pretty City” clocks in at under a minute).

“A Song for Me” is a gorgeous love song, Worcester’s guitar and voice by subtle keyboard tinkling and falsetto harmonies. Like much of the band’s recent (and awesome) Islands Disappear, the tune appears to have been written on tour, as Worcester refers to the prairies, mountains and Great Lakes while pining for a lover back home.

I recently spoke with Tyler Bancroft about the EP for the Georgia Straight.

MP3: “A Song for Me”
 
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I can’t stop the blushing

February 14, 2010
What do you mean you hate my embroidery?
February 13 is a bad day for a breakup. Not really worse than any other day of the year, I suppose, but I’m using it as an excuse to substantiate my hatred of Valentine’s Day.

Then again, maybe Valentine’s Day isn’t all bad. It recently inspired Vancouver singer-songwriter Hannah Georgas to record a love song, “The Right Time,” which she has now released as a free download just in time for the big day. It’s a sugary piano ditty, featuring Tyler Bancroft of Said the Whale on vocal harmonies, and its charmingly romantic lyrics make it perfect for your Valentine’s Day playlist.

Amor eterno, you guys.

MP3: “The Right Time”
 
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Squishing pennies and kissing girls

January 20, 2010
The group therapy sessions were a failure
In December, Vancouver’s Said the Whale took home a Bucky Award in the category of Most Canadian Song for the tune “Emerad Lake, AB.” A joyous romp about lake hunting on a summer’s day, it begins with jazzy, syncopated verses and a pared-down chorus of “What a fine life we are living.” This refrain eventually explodes, with thundering drums and droning horns propelling it to a euphoric conclusion.

I recently caught up with songwriter Tyler Bancroft, who explained how the funk rock outfit Hey Ocean! inspired “Emerald Lake, AB.”

CH: Where and when was the song written?
TB: Written in my bedroom just a few days after getting home from a summer tour with our friends Hey Ocean in 2008.

CH: What inspired the lyrics?
TB: The aforementioned summer tour with friends Hey Ocean was the inspiration for the song—that and the overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness that comes along with travelling in a van with a group of amazing friends, playing music, and just enjoying life in general.

CH: The first verse mentions the names Jimmy and Dave. Who are they?
TB: Jimmy was the nickname given to Hey Ocean drummer at the time, Dan Klenner. Dave could be either the bass player [Dave Vertesi] or guitar player [David Beckingham] of Hey Ocean.

MP3: “Emerald Lake, AB”
 
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