Royal City B-Sides and Rarities Collection On the Way

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Mar 30, 2009

Few careers have been as short and sweet as Royal City's. In a four years, the Ontario outfit squeezed out only three full-lengths before they called it a day, eventually inking a deal with Rough Trade, collaborating with future stars like Feist and Owen "Final Fantasy" Pallett, and recording one undisputed classic, 2001's Alone at the Microphone. And while such a brief career may have not given us much time with this band, soon we'll have a chance to get to know Royal City a bit better through a new rarities collection.

Simply titled Royal City, the odds'n'sods comp is due to shine a second light on this dearly missed band on June 23, when it gets a Canadian release through Outside and one in the U.S. courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty. The record includes 12 tracks, most of which have never before been released and only a few previously popping up on the odd comp, such as the group's cheeky take on the Strokes "Is This It?" (which they recorded with legendary Orange Juice singer Edwyn Collins).

According to a press release (which, for the purposes of full disclosure was written by Exclaim! assistant editor Vish Khanna): "Some of these songs came and went from their repertoire, others were revisited again and again, but each was necessary to the whole. Royal City was always a package deal, a real band that grew ever tighter together, and these songs encapsulate their wondrous progress from beginning to end."

Here's the tracklisting for Royal City:

1. "Here Comes Success"
2. "Can't You Hear Me Calling"
3. "Postcards"
4. "A Belly Was Made for Wine"
5. "Dog Song"
6. "O You With Your Skirt"
7. "Bad Luck"
8. "The Nations Will Sing"
9. "I Called But You Were Sleeping"
10. "They Came Down"
11. "Is This It?"
12. "In the Autumn"

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