Beams is a psychedelic folk-rock band that formed in 2011 in Toronto, Canada. Pairing the stunning harmonization of female voices with the shimmering textures of telecaster and vibraphone, they have been described as “darkly spellbinding” (American Songwriter) and have been compared to artists ranging from Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush to Low and Fiver.
Beams will be performing at Wavelength Summer Thing: Scarborough Edition on July 19 at Prairie Drive Park. In anticipation of the show, Beams has put together a playlist of singularities: choice cuts from bands that are uniquely themselves. Listen to the playlist here and read about the reasonings behind their choices:
Caroline – Total Euphoria
Back in 2021 we received an e-mail asking “can you help Caroline with Toronto accommodations?” Unfamiliar with the band, I put a track on and was immediately smitten. It felt like the post-rock/emo stuff coming out of Chicago/Louisville I was obsessed with when I was fourteen, yet fresh and non-derivitive.
A few months ago they released “Total Euphoria” as their lead single and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It really gives me that feeling of being in your early 20’s in summer and being joyful and overwhelmed with all of the possibilities that lie ahead.
– Mike
Hen Ogledd- Trouble
When I first heard Trouble by Hen Ogledd I thought “this new young Scottish band just wrote the perfect pop song.” Well turns out they are not Scottish (from Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK), not young (even older than me!) and all come from experimental/folk backgrounds (what I thought was guitar is actually harp). This song is an ode to their black cat, Trouble and it brings me joy.
Last July we had to unexpectedly put our own black cat, Prometheus down. En route to the appointment I got a call from our landlord saying that the heavy rains of the day were flooding our rehearsal space and I needed to get there immediately. After saying that painful goodbye, I got in the car and listened to this song on repeat, singing and crying all the way to rescue our rehearsal space.
– Mike
Prewn – Woman
We came to know of Izzy Hagerup and her band Prewn through our work with Kevin S. McMahon. They collaborate on each others’ work. She is an enigmatic vocalist in his band Pelican Movement, but last year she released an album of her own songs and they are visionary and singular for their storytelling, their sound design, and their strangeness. “Woman” is a fun A/B structured tune that flips character halfway through. Prewn are also great to watch – they give me that “life is incredible for letting these folks find each other” feeling.
-Anna
Horseface- Sanakirjin Takana
This was a pandemic algorithmic recommendation. Horseface is from Sweden, though sing in Finnish (minority language, just like French in Canada). Sanakirjin Takana builds on simple repetitive melodic and percussive motifs to create a serene and immersive polyrhythmic soundscape that reminds me of walking through a forest and just listening to all of the naturally occurring bird, tree and animal sounds all sing together in disjointed harmony. I hope one day they’ll get to grace Toronto with their presence and one of my top ten bands to see before I die.
– Mike
Finom- As You Are
When Beams was first looking to play Chicago way back in 2015, a friend mentioned we might be kindred spirits with “Sima and Co”. Though that connection wasn’t made at that moment, it would be two years later when Finom (then known as Ohmme) played with Jeff Tweedy in Hamilton and we received a few messages asking if we knew of them. Since then, we’ve seen them many times, have crashed at each other’s places and we played our last show before our son was born supporting them at Baby G. They are also playing at Wavelength Summer Thing: Downtown Edition on the same bill as Anna’s other band Ace of Wands and you should also definitely go to that show.
“As you Are”, is the last song on their fantastic new album Not God and it’s melancholic, triumphant and nostalgic at the same time and as a man with complicated hard to parse feelings it just hits the spot.
– Mike
Flutronix & others – Rubix I: Go
Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull are virtuosic flutists that showcase flute in a way that I think is quite unique. I met Nathalie when she was the faculty in residence when I was doing a residency at the Banff Centre. She creates with a spark of joy that shines through all of her work (and her persona in general), and this collaborative tune that features Flutronix is no exception. Being in a band formed around friendship, Beams has also spent time showcasing unlikely instruments, and I enjoy hearing others do it as well.
-Anna
Lung – The Swimmer
We met Lung when we saw three cool-looking folks crossing the street with a cello in tow at SXSW 2018. We’d been recommended to check them out, so we recognized them and excitedly said hello. We fell in love with their music and, over the pandemic, Kate started acting as my vocal coach over Skype. Lung stand out from the crowd for their recontextualization of classical elements (operatic vocals, cello) into a heavy punk sound, and for their commitment to fierce artistry. “The Swimmer”, from their most recent album The Swankeeper, is a beautiful song and a great demonstration of their sound.
-Anna
Bullies
No one does a better job of writing songs that make the mundane magical, and the specific universal than Richard Dawson. While his new album is full of songs that occur across generations, Bullies hits me the most, especially as a new parent. It tells the tale of someone who was severely bullied in school to the point he was a shell. One teacher took him under her wing, encouraged him and reset his course in life. Now a parent, he gets a call from his kid’s school while on a work Zoom. His son is a bully and broke another kids jaw and he doesn’t know what to do. He seeks out out his former teacher that provided guidance, but she’s on a “well deserved leave of absence.”
– Mike
My Brightest Diamond – Fight the Real Terror
Shara Nova, AKA My Brightest Diamond, is a singular voice – raw, real, and dripping with emotion. It often seems to float with such ease, and then other times she reveals its power, almost like a wraith spinning into existence from a roaring fire. She’s been a strong voice calling for the freedom of Palestine and encouraging listeners to dig deep, find their own strength and value, and fight against oppression. Heather introduced me to this brave, stunning track.
-Anna
Dondestan
Robert Wyatt was a drummer in the Canterbury psych scene before falling four stories out of a window and breaking spine leaving him a paraplegic. This lead to him picking up other instruments and starting a very long and successful solo career. This song is the title track off his fifth solo record released in 1991. I’ve always loved how Wyatt manages to write songs that are political, but also playful, humourous and absurd. The repetitive piano and lyrical phase “Palestine’s a Country, or at least used to be” works as a mantra that continues to gain weight, especially since this song is pushing 35 years now.
– Mike