Lost Channels
Encyclopedia
Lost Channels is the fourth studio album by Canadian folk rock
band Great Lake Swimmers
, released on March 31, 2009. It was recorded in the Thousand Islands
area near the New York
–Ontario
border and features several guest appearances by other artists, including Serena Ryder
, Bob Egan (of Blue Rodeo
), Erin Aurich (of A Northern Chorus
) and Paul Aucoin (of The Hylozoists).
, including Singer Castle near Hammond, New York. The band was originally invited to the Thousand Islands area by Ian Coristine, a historian and aerial photographer
from the area, after he heard the band on Stuart McLean
's radio program The Vinyl Cafe
. When Dekker and the band were prepared to record a new album, they accepted Coristine's invitation and asked him if there were any "interesting spaces in the area"; one of these suggested locations was Singer Castle. Despite a tight schedule and what Dekker called a "very limited amount of time and limited resources", part of the band managed to travel to the castle by boat and record the vocals and acoustic instruments for several tracks. Though most of the songs were already written by then, Dekker tried to "incorporate the mood and the imagery of the surroundings" and "capture a little bit of the energy of the place" into his songs; the track "Singer Castle Bells" actually consists entirely of the castle's hourly chimes. This incorporation was noted by Sarah Liss of the CBC, who wrote that "[t]he delicately layered banjo plucking and resonant Hammond organs that surge on the jubilant chorus of 'Pulling on a Line' draw you right into the room where the song was recorded."
The album itself is named for the Lost Channel, a spot in the Thousand Islands photographed by Coristine where a British naval boat with a crew of fourteen mysteriously vanished on August 14, 1760, because the band had "spent so much time [in the area], and made such an effort to record there". In addition to Singer Castle, the band also recorded in several locations in Ontario: the Brockville Arts Centre in Brockville, St. Brendan's Church in Rockport, the House of Miracles in London
, Halla in Toronto
, and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto.
Dekker has explained in concert that "Concrete Heart" was written for a project in which various Canadian musicians were asked to write songs about Toronto architecture, and "The Chorus in the Underground" was written about a concert by Canadian indie rock band A Northern Chorus
.
and The Georgia Straight
and "pleasantly inoffensive and well-constructed" by Toro
. The band's sound was compared to "the jangly folk-pop of Fleet Foxes
[and] hushed intimacy of Iron & Wine
".
One reviewer praised the album for "some standout songs" and the "obvious" talent of Tony Dekker, but criticized it for forgoing "much of the mystique that made its predecessor [Ongiara] so intriguing" and not having that album's same "lasting appeal". However, the reviewer at the CBC praised the album as being the group's best, saying:
The album was a shortlist nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize
.
iTunes
-only bonus tracks
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian band built around the melodic folk rock songs of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, the band is currently based in Toronto....
, released on March 31, 2009. It was recorded in the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
area near the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
–Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
border and features several guest appearances by other artists, including Serena Ryder
Serena Ryder
Serena Ryder is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter raised in Millbrook, Ontario.Ranging musically between folk, roots, country, and adult contemporary music, Ryder possesses a five-octave range...
, Bob Egan (of Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...
), Erin Aurich (of A Northern Chorus
A Northern Chorus
A Northern Chorus was a Canadian band from Hamilton, Ontario.-History:The band was formed in 1999 after the breakup of Stu Livingstone and Pete Hall's previous band, Datura Dream Defered. They have released four records on the Sonic Unyon label, Before We All Go To Pieces, Spirit Flags, Bitter...
) and Paul Aucoin (of The Hylozoists).
Background and recording
Great Lake Swimmers, who are "notorious" for their unconventional recording locations, recorded Lost Channels in a variety of locations in and around the Thousand IslandsThousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
, including Singer Castle near Hammond, New York. The band was originally invited to the Thousand Islands area by Ian Coristine, a historian and aerial photographer
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
from the area, after he heard the band on Stuart McLean
Stuart McLean
Andrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...
's radio program The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe
The Vinyl Cafe is an hour-long radio variety show hosted by Stuart McLean and broadcast on CBC radio, BBC Radio 7 and on several U.S. public radio stations. It airs on Sunday at noon on Radio One and Saturday at 9 a.m...
. When Dekker and the band were prepared to record a new album, they accepted Coristine's invitation and asked him if there were any "interesting spaces in the area"; one of these suggested locations was Singer Castle. Despite a tight schedule and what Dekker called a "very limited amount of time and limited resources", part of the band managed to travel to the castle by boat and record the vocals and acoustic instruments for several tracks. Though most of the songs were already written by then, Dekker tried to "incorporate the mood and the imagery of the surroundings" and "capture a little bit of the energy of the place" into his songs; the track "Singer Castle Bells" actually consists entirely of the castle's hourly chimes. This incorporation was noted by Sarah Liss of the CBC, who wrote that "[t]he delicately layered banjo plucking and resonant Hammond organs that surge on the jubilant chorus of 'Pulling on a Line' draw you right into the room where the song was recorded."
The album itself is named for the Lost Channel, a spot in the Thousand Islands photographed by Coristine where a British naval boat with a crew of fourteen mysteriously vanished on August 14, 1760, because the band had "spent so much time [in the area], and made such an effort to record there". In addition to Singer Castle, the band also recorded in several locations in Ontario: the Brockville Arts Centre in Brockville, St. Brendan's Church in Rockport, the House of Miracles in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Halla in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto.
Dekker has explained in concert that "Concrete Heart" was written for a project in which various Canadian musicians were asked to write songs about Toronto architecture, and "The Chorus in the Underground" was written about a concert by Canadian indie rock band A Northern Chorus
A Northern Chorus
A Northern Chorus was a Canadian band from Hamilton, Ontario.-History:The band was formed in 1999 after the breakup of Stu Livingstone and Pete Hall's previous band, Datura Dream Defered. They have released four records on the Sonic Unyon label, Before We All Go To Pieces, Spirit Flags, Bitter...
.
Reception
Lost Channels was called a "beautiful" album by both UptownUptown (newspaper)
Uptown is an alternative weekly arts and entertainment newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Like most alternative weekly newspapers in Canada, Uptown includes articles regarding the arts and entertainment, CD reviews, concert reviews, book reviews and extensive current events listings...
and The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
and "pleasantly inoffensive and well-constructed" by Toro
Toro (magazine)
TOROmagazine.com is an English language, web-only multimedia publication, billing itself as "the go-to destination for the discerning male." TORO uses state-of-the-art technology to examine contemporary society, with a humorous outlook on the best and worst of modern culture...
. The band's sound was compared to "the jangly folk-pop of Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
[and] hushed intimacy of Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine
Samuel Beam , better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album...
".
One reviewer praised the album for "some standout songs" and the "obvious" talent of Tony Dekker, but criticized it for forgoing "much of the mystique that made its predecessor [Ongiara] so intriguing" and not having that album's same "lasting appeal". However, the reviewer at the CBC praised the album as being the group's best, saying:
The album was a shortlist nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize
2009 Polaris Music Prize
The 2009 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2009 in Toronto at the Masonic Temple and broadcast live online for the first time in its short history...
.
Track listing
- "Palmistry" – 2:34
- "Everything Is Moving So Fast" – 4:19
- "Pulling on a Line" – 3:19
- "Concrete Heart" – 3:31
- "She Comes to Me in Dreams" – 4:03
- "The Chorus in the Underground" – 3:21
- "Singer Castle Bells" – 0:48
- "Stealing Tomorrow" – 3:47
- "Still" – 2:51
- "New Light" – 3:20
- "River's Edge" – 4:21
- "Unison Falling Into Harmony" – 3:25
iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
-only bonus tracks
- "It's Too Late" – 3:49
- "The Storms Are on the Ocean" – 4:05
Personnel
- Erik Arnesen – twelve-string guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, tenor banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... - Paul Aucoin – vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
- Erin Aurich – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, backing vocals - Tony Dekker – vocals, guitar, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Bob Egan – mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - Julie FaderJulie FaderJulie Fader is a Canadian musician, songwriter and visual artist, best known as a keyboard player and backing vocalist for Sarah Harmer, Chad VanGaalen and Great Lake Swimmers...
– fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, backing vocals
- Andy MagoffinAndy MagoffinJoel Andrew Magoffin, best known as Andy Magoffin, is a Canadian musician and record producer. He is the songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist for the indie rock band Two-Minute Miracles and the bass guitarist for Raised by Swans....
– Hammond organ - Greg Millson – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Justin Nace – dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
- Mike OlsenMichael Olsen (musician)Michael Olsen is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer and arranger living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.He has collaborated live on tour and on records with bands and artists such as: The Arcade Fire, K-OS, Jim Guthrie, Kevin Hearn, The Constantines, Gentleman Reg, Great Lake...
– celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Serena RyderSerena RyderSerena Ryder is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter raised in Millbrook, Ontario.Ranging musically between folk, roots, country, and adult contemporary music, Ryder possesses a five-octave range...
– vocals - Darcy Yates – bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, backing vocals