Kandle is licensed to kill on new 007 inspired single/video
Vancouver based singer-songwriter Kandle and London, UK producer Michael Rendall share a love of James Bond and those fantastically timeless theme songs that are such an integral part of the Bond experience. With an invite to actually record the theme song for a James Bond film about as likely as the latest film in the franchise getting released anytime soon they embarked on a journey to create their own, and the result is ‘Lock & Load’. They’ve also put together a video that perfectly captures the feel of an opening 007 credit sequence. Please read on to check out the video (essential for all James Bond 007 fans) while Kandle tells us a little more about the creative process.
This is the first song Michael and I wrote together. I decided to fly him out to Canada to create my new album with me. The recording session began in March, right at the outset of the pandemic. Making a record is normally an isolating experience, but as the world slowly began to shut down, things got increasingly weird! By the second week there were just four of us left and we basically went into self-isolation together.
The recording experience itself was magical, as we approached everything with a very old skool mentality. We already had the orchestral parts down so all we had to capture was the band, and they really took it to the next level. A lot of first takes made this record, and you can hear that authenticity on it.
I escaped from normality to write "Lock and Load," adopting an alter ego for this track's dark fantasy of forbidden love and betrayal. Michael and I want you to get lost in fantasy as you listen, just like we did during the writing of this song.
My dear, dear, neglected reader. It’s been an entire year since I last brought you news of the finest Canadian sounds around; a lapse for which I can offer no worthy excuse. There will no doubt have been truckloads of tunes that have passed us by as a result, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the musicians of Canada, it is that their riches flow ever in abundance. Just for you, I’ve scooped a few prize catches from 2023’s already quickening stream. These are songs I believe deserve to be held awhile in the light; to be marvelled at; to not go unsung into that digital ocean. So, boil the kettle, read on and get ready to make some new Canadian acquaintances.
Hello, dearest readers, and welcome one and all to the first Maple Leaf roundup of 2022, where we bring you a smorgasbord of new music from Canada. It’s a big old place, you know, and it’s bursting with musical brilliance. Here are eight of our favourite finds. We hope you find something to enjoy in amongst the pile.
The leaves have been falling for weeks and weeks, and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been rather neglectful with the broom. Still, it’s never too late for a bit of a tidy up. What follows is a selection of the most golden and honeyed Canadian musical beauties to have drifted our way in the last couple of months. Sorry it’s taken us so long.
Hello again, dear readers. The Canadian musical harvest has been as rich as ever this year and we’re here to share with you the best of a bumper crop. Take a seat with us at the Maple Leaf table and sample some of the lesser-known fare from over there in the Great White North. We do listen to music from all territories but, clearly, Ontario has had the best weather this year....
At the risk of repeating myself, I must say that there is an astonishing wealth of Canadian talent out there right now. I use the word ‘wealth’ there, in the Besos and Musk sense. Seriously though, Canada, it is a bit embarrassing. Unlike the uber-rich, here at RGM we believe that there’s more than enough gold to go round, so we make a point of sharing with you a regular selection of tunes that may not otherwise have reached your ears. I use the word ‘regular’ there, loosely of course (our Canadian office is woefully understaffed at present) but we do our best to see that these musicians do not go untrumpeted. We’re certain you’ll find something to dig here and, when you do, we hope you’ll tell your pals.
Welcome back to The Maple Leaf, RGM’s roundup of the freshest and finest tunage from Canada. By way of atoning for a longer absence than usual, we’re offering you a special double-helping of new music across the genres. Everyone is welcome here at RGM and we like to think we can spot a keeper, however it’s dressed. We hope you enjoy what you hear and that you’re inspired to take a deeper dive into some of this edition’s featured artists.
Spring is springing and the birds are singing. As, indeed, are the singers and songwriters of Canada. In this, the latest edition of the Maple Leaf, we take you on a short walk across this blossoming landscape, and invite you to enjoy some of the bright new shoots that have been emerging along the way.
Joni Mitchell, Daniel Lanois, Alanis Morissette… Justin Bieber. Canada’s rich and varied musical heritage clearly has a trickle-down effect, as music of a consistently high calibre pours in abundance from its shores. Here at RGM, we shine a light on the best new Canadian music we can find, not just in the hope we’ll unearth the next Sarah McLachlan but also because we believe there’s something in the water over there that makes the music extra special. We hope you find something here, in the latest Maple Leaf roundup, to love as much as we do.
Okay Canada, go easy on me. I somehow find myself in February 2021 trying to pick five chunks of hot new music for this feature, having amassed a ruthlessly edited shortlist of around 35. How did this happen, Canada? I can only account for the disappearance of an entire January by weeping before a hand-drawn graph of an alarming home-learning curve. You’ve made me choose, Canada, and it’s been hard. Nevertheless, here I am again, your most loyal of servants, educating the RGM readership on the subject of your latest and loveliest musical works of wonder.
As it’s the season for giving, we’ve put together a special bumper edition of The Maple Leaf Roundup, bringing you not five but ten - yes, ten! - new tracks from our copaines Canadiens. Think of it as an early Christmas gift - a mellifluous mixtape of must-hears you might not have otherwise met.
Crazies keep on crazying, Covid keeps on cavorting but, through it all, Canada keeps on calling. We get so much Canadian music in the RGM inbox it sometimes feels as if we’re being stalked by an entire nation. We are blessed with more than we can reasonably manage but, in our relentless quest for gems, we make sure we listen to everything and, in this, the eighteenth instalment of The Maple Leaf roundup, we share five of our finest finds.
And we’re back! “From whence?” I hear you cry, in your florid way. Back from Canada, of course. We swam all the way, on our backs, our music-loving arms filled with a freshly picked bunch of hot new songs, gifted to us from our creative compadres ‘cross the waves. Imagine that. And we did it all for you.