soso describes songs on his new album Tinfoil on the Window.
Rubber Rings
The album opens with a field recording of migratory birds that arrive every spring and congregate on the North Saskatchewan River. I lived relatively close to the river for most of my adult life and you can hear these screeching birds at all hours of the night. It’s quite a magical experience to be close to the chaos… the ending of the song juxtaposes my only memory of my paternal grandfather with one of the most traumatic memories of my own father from my childhood. As I get older I find myself re-considering the life of my father in an attempt to gain some insight into my own experience as an adult male.
Company of Chairs
I was working at a pub to supplement my meagre income as a record shop owner and a strange girl who had listened to my music told me “I know all your secrets.” Scott Da Ros did the drums on this track and they sound fucking dope.
All The Useless Things These Hands Have Done
The title of this song is borrowed from a Leonard Cohen track. I think his version is an honest to good masturbation reference but I was thinking of it in terms of the art projects and other activities I’ve undertaken in a never-ending effort to make sense of the world and my place in it. Art itself can seem like a futile activity – you take personal risks and invest time and money into making objects that do not have any sort of proper function…. with out any sort of assurance that the work will succeed on a technical or conceptual level or that it will even be seen by anyone. I’m not sure I’ve gotten past not knowing. This song also contains a field recording captured during a walk I took with my mom on the first day of snow in November of 2005.
The Names of all the Trees
I think the naming of plants is a perfect example of the human drive to organize and identify the natural world in order to exert our control over it and improve our understanding of it. The process of naming these things is fascinating to me… I’m also aware of the relationship between people and the land and the names of indigenous plants frequently come up in poetry produced here. My dad is a landscaper and tree enthusiast and he knows the names of all the trees… I feel like this little reference places this song in a very personal, geographically-specific place. The body of this song was written after a funeral I attended for a young man who died due to an ugly drug addiction. I knew his mom and felt a bit guilty about writing this song. It’s interesting how we can know so much about the natural world, yet we are completely vulnerable.
Your Mom is in the Next Room
I like how the melody/instrumentation bring a cute playfulness to an otherwise brutally honest punch in the stomach type song.
Floorboards and
I recently moved into a house that is owned by my brother. The old tenants were upholding every hillbilly stereo type possible – NASCAR flag in the window, giant pick up truck with two sets of wheels in the back, a fat wife and a skinny husband with some sort of facial hair, couple of dirty kids. They ducked out on their rent after 8 weeks on some midnight move shit. The place was filthy and they abandoned an old, beat up piano on their escape. I guess it must be difficult to move a piano at 2 am. This track is a recording of me picking out a little melody on the abandoned piano with the sound of the creaking floorboards interspersed. I think this track nicely sets up One Eye Open, where I refer to this old piano and my move into this new house.
One Eye Open
The application of tinfoil on the windows to control sunlight is a classic expression of indifference, ingenuity, poor taste or being broke in my part of the world. After the first night in my new house with a new girl we applied two crude layers of tinfoil to the bedroom window because the sun was so bright it made it impossible to sleep… my life reached humorous new lows. Over one year later, I am still with the new girl.
For a Girl on a Faraway Hill
The federal government of Canada conducts business on “Parliament Hill.” It is often referred to simply as “the hill.“ This song describes the end of a long-term relationship, when my partner moved across the country to Ottawa to pursue a Master’s Degree and work on Parliament Hill. I’ve never felt so unstable and crazy. Those days are over now…I hope (chuckles).
How did you enjoy your last European tour?
It was a great experience… it was my first time in Europe and I was excited to take it all in. It was also charged with expectation… as if Europe would be some exotic and mysterious place filled with delicious new foods and a progressive world-view. Although I didn’t spend enough time to fully experience the different cultures, I did meet some great people who also love this music/art we participate in and the generosity and kindness I experienced gave me slivers of optimism. I am excited to reunite with my friends and can’t wait to return in November!
Why is the album released on Endemik insted of Clothes Horse?
As I become increasingly busy with music and to a greater extent, life outside of music, I find my enthusiasm for the business side of things waning. I had developed a personal and business relationship with Scott from Endemik through the operation of my online record shop, Phonographique.com. Scott shares many of my values and I respect his judgement. He has been bugging me for a while to release something in cooperation with his label and I decided that it might be in my best interest to get some outside help. Scott has a ton of experience and works his ass off… I really respect him for that.
What do you think of the end of subversiv*rec and Hausmusik?
Independent music can be a thankless and exhausting grind and I respect any artist who is willing to step up and take their licks. I think its unfortunate that subversiv*rec is winding down their operation but I’m sure they will continue to contribute as individual artists, producers, what have you. They can take great pride in their catalogue of releases and I admire their courage for releasing vinyl in an increasingly digital world. Regarding Hausmusik… this period of incredible instability in the music industry presents huge challenges to not only the big labels but us little guys as well. It’s disheartening and sad to lose an integral part of the mechanism that supports independent music but we have to be creative and stubborn and try to remain optimistic.
