Alright, fuzz-heads, it’s time for another edition of 5 songs of the month! Let’s dig in.
1. Isabel Van Gelder – “Waiting For the Rain”
Genre: Pop
Do your ears a favour with this beautiful — I mean damn beautiful — song from Dutch singer/songwriter, Isabel Van Gelder, whose voice equally invites you in just as fast as it breaks your heart.
“I fall in love quite easily, maybe a little too bit easily sometimes” said Isabel during a live show at The Grace in 2026. “A while back I was solo traveling for the first time and I met this guy…we had this kind of very short lived romance, and then quite quickly he went back home and I went back home, and we were both supposed to kind of just move on with our lives and forget about each other, and he did…I was kind of just stuck with continuously thinking of him and thinking of all the memories we’d made together and all I really wanted was to just erase them…which obviously wasn’t possible, so I decided to write a song about it”.
And man did she ever write a song. Her vocals are stunning in this song. Warm, controlled, she moves up and down with phenomenal control. One can only imagine how many years of effort she put into harnessing this voice. And more than the singing, I gotta bring attention to the craftsmanship of the song. The lyrics, the beautiful acoustic guitar, the harmonies. All the little details that feel natural but speak to well intentioned, artistic design.
Isabel is a sure to be star for many years to come, and has a really fun and welcoming personality that she shows off on her socials. Check her song out and celebrate this absolute gift of an artist.
2. Georgia Harmer – Eye of the Storm
Genre: Indie
Based off the recommendation of a piano student of mine, I listened to Georgia Harmer and I can’t think of a better gift for one to receive, than getting to experience Harmer for the first time.
Her voice is vocal cashmere and makes you want to curl up with a glass of wine and a good book. Hell, maybe even a bad book, you won’t care, you’ll be too entranced in the almost hypnotic quality of Harmer’s songwriting.
Eye of the Storm comes off her second album of the same name, and sees Harmer maturing more into herself.
”With this album, I’ve been at the helm of it creatively. I produced it myself. I have made a bunch of music videos. I’ve felt super involved in the process of making vinyl art. I feel very confident about my instincts now compared to when I was releasing music for the first time” noted Harmer in a phenomenal interview with Matt Connor of analogue.io. “This album has also been collaborative, but I have felt stronger in my own choices and my ability to make decisions”.
And while the recorded version is looped on repeat for me, I encourage you to check out this live acoustic version of her on the Greenhouse Session.
If you want to support her live, you can visit her site here to see her upcoming tour stops.
3. Pura Fé – “Idle no more”
Genre: Blues
In a world where people gleefully jump to their knees to suckle at the toes of billionaires, and refuse to take stands as said billionaires rape lands, rights, and people, it’s refreshing to hear a song that champions rising up and uniting as a community to fight the forces of evil, which is exactly what Pura Fé does in this blues song from 2015.
Co-written with Cary Morin, this song, and it’s title, were inspired by the Idle No More Movement, a grassroots movement which began in reaction to proposed bills in Canada by the Stephen Harper Government in 2011 to remove protection from waterways and forests. According to idlenomore.ca the Idle No More Movement, “…Calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution which honours and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty and which protects the land, the water, and the sky”.
Great stuff!
And in regards to the artist and song, what a phenomenal blend of traditional Indigenous music stylings and blues music.
“The blues, for me, was very Indigenous. And people did not understand where I was coming from with that. And I’m like, ‘Don’t you hear it? Like, listen!'” said Pura in a 2021 interview with Andrea Warner of CBC Music.
Just listen to the first forty seconds of the song and you can feel the power of Pura’s voice. Her voice is distinct and soulful, and combined with the harmonic chanting, slide guitar in the song, it’s the perfect combination.
And while this version of the song doesn’t feature these lyrics, I had to provide the lyrics Carry Morin had for his version of this tune, because they’re just so good.
“The rich might eat the poor/And leave everything to waste/But my brothers and sisters/Are idle no more”.
Damn! Those are bars.
You can find any upcoming shows for Pura Fé here.
4. Lucky Chemistry – Saint-Joseph / Parthenais (feat. Darkus Millon)
Genre: Jazz Hip-Hop
Montreal’s gift to jazz hip-hop, this toe tapping bop is a gem. Featuring the instrumental talent of Chris Vincent and Jon Kaspy, along with the rap stylings of Montreal’s emcee, Darkus Millon, this tune to me is a positive celebration of hustle, community, and the love of creating art.
It strikes a phenomenal balance between instrumental musicianship and rap, and it speaks to a lack of ego, and a sense of presence and celebration of others.
Darkus even makes a nod to it, with the line, “That’s the family I chose. I can not rock alone. I stand on the bands shoulders”.
Brilliant.
Lucky Chemistry has played the Montreal Jazz Festival in back to back years, and is currently working on their EP. You can find more about what they’re up to here at their Facebook. Give them some love y’all!
5. Waylon Napadogan – 98 Pontiac Sunfire
Genre: Country
Featuring such lyrical gems as, “If she shoplifts at Canadian Tire she’s probably cheatin’ on you with your neighbour Kyle” and “98 Sunfire, rest assured hе’s gonna tell the cops that the drugs wеre yours”, this 2023 hit tune from Waylon about the perils of dating the owners of this compact car is a must listen to.
And if your instinct is “too hell with country music”, I challenge you to give this a try.
Formerly of Fredricton New Brunswick’s Midnight Ramblers, Waylon has carved out a great niche in the country scene writing a host of funny country songs that include “Lot Lizard” about gas station prostitutes and 2024’s, “No Frigs Left to Give”.
In a world that’ll charge you near twenty dollars for a milkshake, for under 3 minutes of your time you’ll get funny lyrics, and a catchy tune. Now that’s value y’all! Check him out!
And if you’re interested in a more indepth deep dive into the man behind the music check out from this interview he did with the The Strange Grooves Podcast which we’ve linked here.