You might think Yukon Blonde is a tasty yellow potato. You'd be wrong, that's actually Yukon Gold. Despite the name, they're not from the Yukon. They're actually from Kelowna B.C., much like Ladyhawk. Not Ladyhawke the New Zealand singer, but Ladyhawk the indie rock band. Now this is getting REALLY confusing. That's just how things are down there in Kelowna. Although, I think they officially live in Vancouver now. Yukon Blonde used to go by a different name, although I don't remember what it is. This blog is wonderfully informative.
ARGH!!
Anyway, this album is really solid. It isn't their first, but it seems like it should be, considering it's self-titled. Then again, Wilco didn't release a self-titled until only last year, so I guess they're still doing pretty good. "Yukon Blonde" was published by Bumstead records, which was founded in Edmonton by Larry Wanagas, who you may (or probably won't) recall represented K.D Lang on her rise to stardom. Larry was on the radio the other day talking with Peter North on his "Points North" show, and it was really interesting. They talked about all kinds of things. It was cool. If you ever get a chance, listen to "Points North", it's a great show. Tuesdays at 6pm MST on CKUA.
What was I talking about again? Oh yeah.
Yukon Blonde's style feels (to me) very much like Canadian Indie in the vein of Great Lake Swimmers mixed up with Oasis and a bit of Steely Dan. Maybe kind of a weird combination, and maybe I'm totally wrong about that (I probably am), but I guess I'm entitled to my opinions. The point I'm trying to make is that despite being clearly "Indie", they definitely have their own sound, and it's really enjoyable. I would consider the strongest songs on this album to be "Wind Blows", which has a very Great Lake Swimmers kind of feel to it, and "Brides Song", which has a great opening riff and a wicked guitar solo. Even though I say that those songs are the strongest, the whole thing is actually really good and I recommend giving it at least a few playthroughs just to let it all sink in.
Now, if I can focus long enough, maybe I can find some YouTube links for you!
Wind Blows:
Brides Song:
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