Alphabet Soup Week 10: The E Tracks

Lots of Canadian artists in this week's installment, eh? Yeah, no, for sure! And, for the first time this year, artists begin to make their second appearance in the series.

Welcome to week 10 of Alphabet Soup, I’m so glad you’re here!

As I’ve mentioned a couple times previously, as 2023 rolled over into 2024, after pondering how I wanted to move this newsletter forward, I settled on the idea of this weekly playlist series. One of the drivers of that decision was a desire to find something bite-sized and manageable, while also seeking an outlet for my writing which afforded some variety and provided an opportunity to share myself and my love of music.

Over the first nine weeks of the year (how is it March already?!), I’ve found myself spending an increasing amount of time on each installment. As a result, the estimated reading time has increased, from an average of 7 minutes in weeks 1-3, to 11 minutes in weeks 4-7, to what feels like an unreasonable 15 minutes in weeks 6-9. This week’s entry (I write all the track blurbs before writing the intro and closing) is already sitting at an estimated nine minutes.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be trying to slim this newsletter down a little bit, both out of respect for my reading audience and to reduce the time I spend researching and writing each week to a more manageable level. Please bear with me as I work to tighten up and further refine this playlist series. (note: I ended at 11 minutes, an improvement)

This week is dominated by Canadian bands, which represent fully half the entries, and also represents the first time an artist has made it onto Alphabet Soup for a second time. We have three artists making their second appearance, all of which, coincidentally, debuted in the Week 2 playlist.

Okay, let’s do this!!

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ALPHABET SOUP WEEK 10: The E Tracks

TRACK: “Eyes of a Stranger” from Oh What a Feeling Vol. 1 (1996)

ARTIST: Payola$

This is quite possibly the only track I’ve ever heard by the Canadian band Payola$, but it’s a banger of a track to start off this week’s playlist. Eyes of a Stranger was the lead single from their sophomore album No Stranger No Danger and the highest ever charting single for Payola$, hitting number 4 on the Canadian rock charts. The song, which appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Valley Girl and also featured on an episode of Miami Vice, earned the 1982 Juno award (see below) for single of the year.

This track is drawn from Disc 2 the 4-CD compilation Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music, released in 1996 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Junos, the awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. If you’re ever looking for an amazing primer on Canadian music you can’t go wrong with this fantastic compilation, along with Volume 2 (2001) and Volume 3 (2006).

Most of the tracks from the compilation series have been gathered into a Spotify playlist, which can be found here.

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TRACK: “Eleutheria” from Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993)

ARTIST: Lenny Kravitz

After nine previous installments of Alphabet Soup, we finally hit the first artist to have two tracks included in the series. Lenny Kravitz is the first of three second appearances this week and I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear from him again before the year is out.

It’s hard to fault any of the incredible trio of albums that launched the career of Kravitz whose career is still going strong 35 years later after the release of his 1989 debut Let Love Rule. While his second album Mama Said will always be my favorite of his, one which merits strong consideration for a Desert Island Disc, the follow up Are You Gonna Go My Way, from which Eleutheria is drawn, is also an excellent album.

Kravitz will be gracing us with another album later this year with the May release of Blue Electric Light, his twelfth studio album and first since 2018’s Raise Vibration.

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TRACK: “Elephant Woman” from Misery is a Butterfly (2004)

ARTIST: Blonde Redhead

I first heard Elephant Woman during the closing scene and credits of the harrowing, compelling and utterly engrossing 2005 film Hard Candy. I’d been on the edge of my seat for much of the film’s 104-minute runtime but this track, which was is about as perfect a closing track as you can hope for, grabbed my attention. I immediately sought out and purchased Misery is a Butterfly, Blonde Redhead’s sixth studio album released in 2004.

While I’ve found their entire catalog, particularly their earlier releases, to be a little hit and miss for me, their last two albums, 2014’s Barragán and last year’s Sit Down for Dinner were both honorable mentions in my annual AOTY ranking.

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As you make your way through this week’s playlist, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do any of these tracks really stand out for you? What do you like? What don’t you like?

Please click the button below to leave a comment.

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TRACK: “Enemy” from Days Of The New II (1999)

ARTIST: Days Of The New

Enemy is drawn from the second of three eponymous albums released by the American rock band Days of the New. I’d never heard of the band, and it was my wife Tina who brought the “green” album (aka Days of the New II) into our joint CD collection.

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TRACK: “Every Dirty Word” from Every Dirty Word (1997)

ARTIST: Mollie's Revenge

I’m not quite sure where or how I heard of Mollies Revenge, the short-lived Vancouver-based band that had one stellar release with 1997’s Every Dirty Word. I was back in Bermuda by the time the album was released, only returning to Halifax very briefly for my spring graduation ceremony and it’s unlikely I would have encountered the album there. There’s very little information to be found on the worldwide web outside of the brief bio/discography on CanadianBands.com.

It’s disappointing that the band only managed to stay together for one album, as it’s a fantastic release and I wonder where they might have gone next. Yet another band that caught lightning in a bottle with an amazing album never to be heard from again.

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TRACK: “Elmo” from Stuff (1997)

ARTIST: Holly McNarland

Not long after I met the beautiful, engaging and absolutely sexy woman that would later become my wife, I found myself part of a music appreciation “club”, a loose association of melomaniac friends and acquaintances from the coffee shop I frequented. On the few occasions we actually managed to organize a gathering, we’d each alternate playing five of our favorite tracks for the group’s enjoyment, with the goal of spreading the musical gospel of a favorite artist, album, or genre.

At the first such event, I brought Stuff, the debut album by Canadian musician Holly McNarland, and although I can’t remember what track I played (it was over 25 years ago!), it was the mere fact that I brought such a seemingly obscure album that piqued the curiosity of my soon-to-be-beloved. “How could this cute guy from Bermuda even know about this rockin’ and super cool badass Canadian singer?” Is that what she thought? Perhaps. All I know is that my life had already been irrevocably changed by this dynamic and exciting whirlwind of a woman; within 18 months we’d be married.

Elmo was the second single from the album, earning McNarland a Juno for Best New Solo Artist and a nomination for Best Alternative Album (won by Bran Van 3000’s Glee of Drinking in L.A. fame). The album cover for Stuff was included in Pitchfork’s feature The Worst Record Covers of All Time. Sadly, McNarland’s Jack Russell Terrier Owen never got over this slight; he refused to appear on any future album covers, became a recluse, and was rarely seen in public again.

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TRACK: “Everything You've Done Wrong” from One Chord To Another (1996)

ARTIST: Sloan

The second appearance for Sloan on Alphabet Soup as they appeared on the first installment (a double feature covering the first two weeks of the year) with their track Autobiography from the same album, 1996’s From Once Chord To Another. Everything You’ve Done Wrong is the second single released from the album, which earned the band their only Juno Award (Best Alternative Album) in 1997.

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TRACK: “Echoes” from Island of Echoes (2012)

ARTIST: The Wilderness of Manitoba

Toronto-based indie folk band The Wilderness of Manitoba have released six albums and three EPs since forming in 2009. I’ve listened to and enjoyed a few of their releases, but Island of Echoes remains the pinnacle for me.

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TRACK: “Everything Has Changed” from Goodnight (2006)

ARTIST: William Fitzsimmons

I’m not sure exactly when or how or William Fitzsimmons popped up on my musical radar, but it was most likely a recommendation from YouTube based on whatever I was listening to at the time. I yearn for those days, before the enshittification of the social networks to which so many of us are connected, when YT was fairly good at feeding me new music recommendations I’d actually like. Goodnight, the album on which Everything Has Changed appears, was released in 2006. I’ve enjoyed a few of his albums over the years but haven’t spent much time with his music since 2014’s Lions.

I’m not sure whether the lyrics are autobiographical (quite possible given the reference to the guide dog as both his parents are blind), but I’ve always been entranced and deeply moved by the song’s lyrics:

Today I saw my father standing in the graveyard Looking very somber looking for his mom When he finally found her he said that it was different Everything is different nothing's really changed

My brother would remember sitting in the hallway Waiting for my father both of us were scared When the doorknob turned we took off for the stairway Looking for some cover trying to get away

A guide dog had to serve the role that you would not let The mother of your children every really play The office was a dungeon where you hid your fears of What would really happen if no one ever came

I wonder if you blamed yourself for when she left you By closing up the garage door and turning on the car Your father must have lost it your sister couldn't help you But dad if you were lonely you had no where to turn

Oh father can't you see the pieces that have fallen on the ground When you and mom decided nothing could be saved inside this house

Everything has changed Everything has changed

Last night I had a dream that I was in the graveyard Looking at my father buried in the ground I'd swear that I could hear him tell me he was sorry He told me he was sorry and everything has changed

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TRACK: “Exit Music (For A Film)” from OK Computer (1997)

ARTIST: Radiohead

I may be taking the easy way out by selecting Radiohead’s Exit Music (For A Film) as the exit music for this playlist, but it’s an incredible song which certainly deserves a slot on this week’s installment. Radiohead last appeared in Alphabet Soup in Week Two with Airbag, also from OK Computer, one of my favorite albums by the band (it’ll always come down to OK Computer and The Bends for me). While I’ve never made an effort to rank my favorite Radiohead songs, this one would likely sit in the top 5.

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Life in the key of E: Evolution

As I look back with the benefit of hindsight, it’s immediately apparent how much my life has been shaped by my choices and decisions, both large and (seemingly) small. From deciding to make a change after reaching rock bottom in my alcohol and drug addiction almost 30 years ago to a chance decision to go on my first a long-distance walk in 2011, my life’s trajectory has been altered in meaningful way by taking action.

The imperative to surrender and reach for sobriety was a no-brainer. At that point in my life, my future outcomes were limited to jails, institutions, or death; I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made it to 30 if I hadn’t escaped the insanity of active addiction. The decision to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England, while a much more mundane choice, has also had far reaching and life changing implications. Since 2011, my wife and I have been enjoying 3 or 4 walking vacations every year and we’re planning to retire to the UK in the coming years to fully engage our love and passion for walking.

It’s clear that my life has been significantly enhanced by a desire to evolve and an ability to embrace evolution. At the times in my life when a change was required (whether I knew it or not), the open-mindedness and willingness to embrace that change has been one of the most powerful driving forces of my life.

We’re never stuck. There is always a path forward and quite often it’s never the obvious or easy one. In the inimitable words of Robert Frost:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

That wraps up this week’s edition of Alphabet Soup. Thanks, as always, for being here and I’ll see you next week!

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Here’s the running playlist which will be updated on a weekly basis as each new installment is published.

Tracks missing from the Spotify playlist:

• Allegory by Murray Attaway (Week 02)

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Thank you for reading Joy in the Journey, I appreciate you being here! If there’s someone in your life you think may enjoy this post, feel free to share it.