The band that Billboard has raved about: Yukon Blonde
By Nelson Daily Editor
Yukon Blonde & Library Voices
@ Spiritbar, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m.
Armed with a collection of songs written in the back of a van, in venue parking lots and on the open road, Yukon Blonde went into the studio in the summer of 2009 to record their first album – which was recently released in both Canada and USA by Bumstead Records, receiving rave reviews from such publications as Exclaim, Under The Radar and Billboard.
While touring with Jon-Rae Fletcher in the summer of 2008, the band – then known as Alphababy – used to write songs on the road, while driving from city to city, to make up for the broken tape player/radio in their van.
They would harmonize with each other and play guitars in the back seat, while tackling the long stretches of Canada’s Highway 1. It was around this time that they partnered with long-time friends Nevado Records and began working towards releasing an album.
After some set-backs that year, including the head-on collision that ended the life of their van (luckily the people were OK), which grounded them in their new home of Vancouver, the band finally aligned themselves with producer Shawn Cole (Bend Sinister, You Say Party We Say Die), and recorded 14 of the songs they had written.
Four of these became the bands debut EP Everything in Everyway (Nevado, 2009) which they released under the new moniker Yukon Blonde and took on the road for a 37-date mostly Canadian tour including stops at POP Montreal, Halifax POP Explosion and CMJ.
The remaining 10 songs were then released as the band’s debut LP, which they are now busy touring behind across North America – with three Canadian tours, three USA tours and one European tour – including showcases at SXSW, NYC, Chicago and L.A. – the band is busy supporting the album.
“Undiscovered band you NEED to hear now … leaning on well-edited art school essentials, from restrained flourishes of unadorned guitars to playful keyboards and cutesy boy-girl vocals.” — SPIN
“Library Voices — 10 members strong — may well appeal to indie music fans with a taste for the lighthearted, and, of course, hip bookworms who can appreciate the group’s eclectic assortment of literary shout-outs.” — The New Yorker
“…this EP’s multi-decade mash-up of pop styles feels warm, inviting and unrehearsed. While exuberant bounciness appears to be the ticket for the majority of the EP, the winner may be the most subdued track. The utterly charming Hunting Ghosts glides effortlessly on Brian Wilson-esque harmonies, a hushed female vocal and a skittery beat, and is in turns wistful, contemplative and comfortingly cryptic.” — Exclaim
“Their sound bridges your parents The Kinks & Roy Orbison albums with your big sisters Fleetwood Mac & Talking Heads cassettes and your weird older cousins Violent Femmes & Magnetic Fields CDs.” — Regina Folk Festival
“I found myself listening to (Step Off The Map & Float) over and over.” — Brooklyn Vegan
