JEEN/Gord Downie
JEEN
JEEN // Independent
Thoughts I had while listening to JEEN’s self-titled album on my commute home from work:
1. Oh damn, why have I never listened to Jeen before?
2. How do I learn how to play the drums like that? How do I play the drums?
3. JEEN is badass. How do I learn to be badass like that?
4. Oh shit, I’m already home.
JEEN is the kind of album that you listen to when you’re about to do something you really don’t want to do but need to do it anyway, and need that extra push of motivation – like commuting home from work during rush hour. It actually made commuting home in rush hour pleasant (read: PLEASANT). I wasn’t mad that there was unexpected lane closures three separate times. That’s the magic of JEEN – to put it in so many words.
The artist’s latest LP is comprised of 12 masterfully produced tracks written and co-produced by JEEN herself, and does not fall short in bringing in the big guns to create this well-rounded storyboard. With Ian Blurton on lead guitar (and co-production credits) and Brendan Canning on bass later in the album, not only do we get perfection track after track but we get a diversity in sound that still brings all the pieces together. It’s enough to keep you on your toes during your commute, yet brings you into this flow state that you can’t break out of (but don’t worry mom, I’m still focused on the road).
JEEN moves from guttural, grungy tracks like “Harbinger”, to indy-pop synths on “Idols”, to a “Slow and Low” Beastie Boys cover that rivals the original without missing a beat. She makes it all make sense while making you want to go run around in a field and just stop caring for a second. What really makes JEEN great is how full it leaves you feeling at the end. “Molotov” is the final powerful note in an album that has filled you up to the very brim, but has one more drop left to give, letting everything spill over; that sweet release.
JEEN is a great album. Go ask your mom. She will say the same thing - mom’s are smart.
JEEN Pairings – A Synopsis
Perfect to listen to while: Stuck in rush hour traffic
Best enjoyed while eating: A banana (very easy to eat while driving)
Pairs well with: Whiskey Sours (not while driving)
Next Steps: JEEN’s 5 previous projects. Because you’re going to want more.
- Carly Weiler
Gord Downie
Away Is Mine // Arts & Crafts
There have been so many great albums released in 2020. Released in the heart of a pandemic. There was one album that has moved me so deeply to the depths of my heart and soul. It comes to us from the man who walks among stars... Gord Downie.
Canadian poet/musician/activist and legend gives us one final recording. A final gift from beyond the stars and ether. A release that comes almost exactly a year after his passing. It was all in the divine time.
“This won’t be his last release, but these are the final ten songs Gord sang before he passed away. The last time he ever sang into a mic.” Patrick Downie wrote in a statement about the albums announcement.
Nyles Spencer, Josh Finlayson, Travis Good, Lou Downie, and Dave Koster came together with Gord to record these last ten songs at Bathhouse Recording Studios in Bath, Ontario. Produced by Nyles Spencer and executive production by Patrick Downie. Mastered by Eric Boulanger at The Bakery in Culver, California. Take note of the beautiful artwork on the cover of the album. The original artwork was done by Willo and Clare Downie, Gord’s children. How beautiful they were included in the making of this! I felt it was important to share who helped bring Gord’s vision to life. I also want to mention how they allowed him to just be free in his expression through this recording, and never once did they mention him being ill through the process. They never spoke a word of it. Thank you for the friendship, kindness, and compassion you showed to Gord in those final moments. You allowed him one last time to do what he loved best. What a blessing. Thank you for that. Gord sings “I write about words”, but be wrote about more than that. I hope you can feel the significance of his words and be just as moved by it as I was.
This final offering comes with two versions of his final ten songs. One is a haunting electric version that carries an other worldly sound... from the future. Experimental effects and playing with the timing. Slight delays in drum beats and vocals. The vocal effects, harmonies and echos truly give it that vibe that Gord is singing to us from the other side. It’s as though Gord has opened a portal and you can hear the sounds of interference, frequencies, and voices of where he is...walking among the stars.
The second version of these ten songs is a stripped down and bare acoustic version that carries that other dimension feeling right through. Experience these final words and thoughts. The pondering of a total genius in his final moments. You can hear all the raw emotion and you can literally feel it too. It’ll hit you right in heartstrings. It can only be described as a heavenly acoustic dream.
“We feel so blessed for this opportunity. Simply described as gratitude. Grateful for another gift from Gord. A gift that has been our beautiful companion and an unintended source of solace in the face of life without him.” Josh Finlayson and Patrick Downie share.
If you have an opportunity to listen to the album with headphones I think you will get to appreciate this fully and completely for the masterpiece it is.
As soon “Hotel Worth” begins you feel that distance. You hear footsteps and soft sounds from the ether. When the guitar chimes in and you finally hear Gord’s vocals be prepared for goosebumps, chills, and tears. There’s a vastness and a sadness to it Really.... It’s larger than life. Can I just reach through the portal and shake your hand and give thanks to you Gord? But I did... in my mind.
“Useless Nights” has an eerie quality. Delayed drum beats or maybe it’s just how it rings out and echoes. Hidden harmonies slip in you may notice. The feelings.... it combines them all. The happy, the sad, the joy, and the madness. How quickly these feeling can become overwhelming. I think “Useless Nights” is when your awake in bed and your brain won’t shut off. The endless loop of thoughts that invade your mind. This is why he needed to be writing. For his own release. He asks “Please be good to me.” Maybe broaden those words and let’s all be good to each other.
“About Blank” moved me like no other. It moved me right to my core. It’s an uptempo foot stomping fiddlers dream. An electric bluegrass number from the beyond to swing your partner round and round to. I imagine it as a huge, heavenly shin-dig in the sky. The layers of sounds give it a futuristic fullness. Travis Good lends his fine fiddling skills for this one. Throw in a country drum beat and some fancy guitar pickings that remind me of Corb Lund (another Canadian favourite) and you have what I feel is the best song on the album. I love and appreciate them all but it’s this one that I keep coming back to. Gord penned some of his best words in this one...
“I’m in awe of no one anymore. I have none of your fear.”
You hear his voice and these words doubled in an eerie pitch that fully encompass the other side vibe. “About Blank” is a full on celebration of Gord. Celebrating his life, his words, his work, the awareness he brought to others. Celebrating all of him!! We should celebrate him and honour him.
Last I want to mention “Untitled.” Gord tips his hat and bids us adieu. Till next time my friend. He slowly fades away. The portal door is closing he says his final goodbyes and says....
“Goodnight Darling.”
“Don’t give into the sads though.”
Despite the darkness and the reality of what Gord was facing. He fought through his illness with courage and honour. Take this final offering from Gord and let his spirit guide us to be good to one another and to keep fighting the good fight. He awoke a nation and brought light to the darkness and horror of what residential schools did to the indigenous people of our country. He gave a voice to Chanie Wenjack so his spirit could finally rest. What the man did for music, the environment, and humanity should be recognized. If anyone deserves a statue... please let it be for thee Gord Downie.
“May it lift you up and carry you onwards and upwards always and forever.”
“Away is Mine. Away is Yers.”
Thank you for this gift Gord. It’s going to move many hearts. I also want to thank you for taking the time to read this review. I hope you take a quiet moment to enjoy and reflect on this gift. Music is medicine.
Love Always,
Green Noreen
