Kate Maki is set to release her sixth album Head In The Sand later this week, but before it arrives, Exclaim! is giving you the chance to hear it in its entirety.
The new LP was produced by Maki and recorded by Fred Squire, using a vintage eight-track tape machine, a 1980s recording console and a borrowed spring reverb unit. Drummer Nathan Lawr held down the beat behind the kit, while Maki herself and Squire played the rest of the instruments.
The songs embrace relatively simple instrumental lineups, consisting of bass, drums and guitar (with an occasional touch of piano and organ), but there's a beauty in the simplicity of the new tunes.
Tracks like "Keep Right," "Nobody's Queen" and "Let It Run" give Maki's crystalline yet warm vocals room to float above the instrumentation, keeping the background from ever sounding too sparse. "Before It Began," "September Sun" and "Dark Water" show off a slightly twangier side to the singer-songwriter's sonic style, while closer "Mother Ship" beautifully wraps up the whole thing with gently distorted guitars, harmonica and Maki's enchanting drawl.
Though recorded just last year, majority of the songs on Head In The Sand were written in 2009 during a particularly "tempestuous" time in Maki's life, and the resulting lyrics explore a range of elements of the human condition like "infidelity, defeat, loneliness, acceptance and atonement."
Hear it all come together by giving Head In The Sand an early listen in the player below. The album is officially out on May 20, and it's available for pre-order here. You can also find Maki's upcoming live dates listed below.
Tour dates:
06/03 Sudbury, ON – Cosmic Dave's *
06/11 Toronto, ON – The Dakota Tavern *
07/09 Sudbury, ON – Northern Lights Festival
* with Fred Squire
UPDATE: This stream was available for one week only and is no longer available.
The new LP was produced by Maki and recorded by Fred Squire, using a vintage eight-track tape machine, a 1980s recording console and a borrowed spring reverb unit. Drummer Nathan Lawr held down the beat behind the kit, while Maki herself and Squire played the rest of the instruments.
The songs embrace relatively simple instrumental lineups, consisting of bass, drums and guitar (with an occasional touch of piano and organ), but there's a beauty in the simplicity of the new tunes.
Tracks like "Keep Right," "Nobody's Queen" and "Let It Run" give Maki's crystalline yet warm vocals room to float above the instrumentation, keeping the background from ever sounding too sparse. "Before It Began," "September Sun" and "Dark Water" show off a slightly twangier side to the singer-songwriter's sonic style, while closer "Mother Ship" beautifully wraps up the whole thing with gently distorted guitars, harmonica and Maki's enchanting drawl.
Though recorded just last year, majority of the songs on Head In The Sand were written in 2009 during a particularly "tempestuous" time in Maki's life, and the resulting lyrics explore a range of elements of the human condition like "infidelity, defeat, loneliness, acceptance and atonement."
Hear it all come together by giving Head In The Sand an early listen in the player below. The album is officially out on May 20, and it's available for pre-order here. You can also find Maki's upcoming live dates listed below.
Tour dates:
06/03 Sudbury, ON – Cosmic Dave's *
06/11 Toronto, ON – The Dakota Tavern *
07/09 Sudbury, ON – Northern Lights Festival
* with Fred Squire
UPDATE: This stream was available for one week only and is no longer available.