By Divine Right Covered by Arkells, Born Ruffians, Sam Roberts on New Tribute LP

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Feb 3, 2016

With an ongoing legacy extending back into the late '80s, it's about time Canadian indie rock vets By Divine Right get their own tribute album, right? Well, that's exactly what fans are in store for, with a new collection of covers on the way next weekend. Featuring contributions from Arkells, Born Ruffians, Sam Roberts and more, I Want Light: A Tribute to By Divine Right is due next Friday (February 12) as a free download.

The new project features 22 tracks saluting the long-running By Divine Right, led since 1989 by songwriter José Miguel Contreras. The set was curated by Dylan Hudecki (the Dill), and James Mejia (Hand Drawn Dracula/Mejia Design), and features cover art from Contreras's son Meesha Moon Contreras, which you can see up above.

Spread throughout I Want Light are artists including Jim Guthrie, Sam Roberts, Born Ruffians, the Luyas' Jessie Stein, Lily Frost, the Elwins, Golden Dogs, Shotgun Jimmie, Dearly Beloved with Eamon McGrath, and singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher with '90s outfit Furnaceface.

The details on the tracklisting can be found below.

The first taste of the set is a stream of Arkells' take on "Stella Heart Ocean," a track originally found on By Divine Right's 2001 effort, Good Beautiful Morning. You can hear the cover below via Indie 88.

"The first By Divine Right song I heard was 'Powersuit' from Good Morning Beautiful. Musically it was on par with Revolver era Beatles stuff, and the voice was soulful, rich, and completely unique," Arkells member Max Kerman said in a statement.

He added: "From there I discovered the rest of By Divine Right's material, and was blown away with how much quality lived in the songwriting and production. Jose [Contreras]'s work speaks for itself — it's heartfelt, funny, rocking, and sweet all at the same time."

Formed by Contreras in 1989, By Divine Right have issued several LPs over the years, last leaving us with 2013's Organized Accidents. Their ranks have included Leslie Feist and Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning, members of the Meligrove Band (who contributed a cover to I Want Light), Holy Fuck's Brian Borcherdt, Golden Dogs' Stew Heyduk, and onetime Rusty member Mitch Perkins, among others.

A foreword to the collection was written by Exclaim! Editor in Chief James Keast, who calls the group "one of Canada's great, unsung treasures."

I Want Light: A Tribute to By Divine Right:

1. Jim Guthrie "I Love Everybody"
2. Arkells "Stella Heart Ocean"
3. Sam Roberts "Medicine"
4. The Meligrove Band "Nothing AGoGo"
5. Shotgun Jimmie "Little You"
6. Golden Dogs "Kick This Bummer"
7. The Elwins "Come For A Ride"
8. Lavender Orange "Bigfoot"
9. The Shake Me Bake Me's "Bellyflop"
10. Andrew Roderiguez & the Good Bad Kids feat. Lily Frost "LDSC & 5 Bucks"
11. Jessie Stein w/ David Moore & Fjóla Evans "I Want Light"
12. Tim Vesley "Shine so Shine"
13. Jeremy Fisher & Furnaceface "Soft Machine"
14. San Sebastien "I Love A Girl"
15. Born Ruffians "The Slap"
16. Dearly Beloved + Eamon McGrath "Rock High"
17. Ryan Granville Martin "I Will Hook You Up"
18. Stew Heyduk "San Fransisco"
19. Thom Gill "Wheels Slow"
20. Hopeful Monster "Complicated"
21. The Très Bien Ensemble "Hugger of Trees"
22. The Dill "Listen to my Angels"

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