New Sam Roberts - "The Gate"
Hopefully Chemical City (out 5/16) will do more for Canada's Sam Roberts than his debut full-length We Were Born In A Flame. When I first heard that disc's greatest moment, "Brother Down," I spread the MP3 like mad. A guitar-driven pop hook so simple often makes for the most infectious tune...
Sam Roberts - "Brother Down" (MP3 Link Expired)
...but of course, it didn't make Roberts a household name.
Now, from City, the singer/songwriter is offering up a free MP3 of the album's opening cut.
Sam Roberts - "The Gate" (MP3)
Will it bring him attention beyond Juno voters? Who knows. But we'll be listening.
Posted at 3:09 PM in MP3
I hope you in the States realize you are making an equally egregious oversight by not giving love to The Joel Plaskett Emergency, an amazing rock band who make the same kind of unassuming rock that Roberts does, only better - and more consistently. See his album "Truthfully, Truthfully" or "Down at the Khyber."
Please spread the word, Joel's a treasure.
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The Stills actually sing back up on that song. And Sam plays guitar on The Stills song "Shoplifter".
Good Canadian lovin'.....
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sam was getting some pub when that record came out and I checked it out but was not sold on it, maybe this one will put me over the top
but I will second the joel plaskett thing, that thing hit me like a ton of bricks (like the Luke Temple did but he's not canadian)
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Sam Roberts got plenty of attention in Canada, they're just like most Canadian bands who never make it in the states.
I guess this isn't so much taken for granted anymore since the great Montreal indie explosion, but it's still the trend if not the rule.
And really, I loved the Inhuman Condition EP, but thought the LP was a much sketchier affair.
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I think i'm inlove with sam roberts
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So is the podcast broken? Or is my iTunes broken? Because it hasn't worked in a few weeks and I'm way too lazy to listen to these songs unless they automagically show up in my library.
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I came in very late to Sam Roberts just got "Flame" last year on recomendation from a friend in Toronto and I have been wearing it out ever since, "Brother Down", "Rarefied", "Hard Road", "No Sleep" and "Dead End", really good stuff. Hope the new album brings him to Austin so I can catch the live act as well.
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Sam is one of the few artists who makes a point to come back here to St. John's (Newfoundland) on every Canadian tour. Puts on a great live show, and loves his Jack Daniels.
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Oh yeah, and I third the Joel Plaskett recommendation. Another guy who's been really generous to St. John's with a great live show and some really killer tunes (like "Clueless Wonder," "Light of the Moon" and "Lonely Love").
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yep. actually, i believe Sam got more than enough attention with the Inhuman Condition EP that preceded that debut, which was launched thanks to the excellent Brother Down. that song buzzed the Canadian airwaves that summer.
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nice to see stereogum give sam some love. strangely, though, i haven't seen too much publicity up here in canada for sam's new record... or maybe it's just me. the first single suggests sam is picking up where he left off with that record, and so no surprises. i'll have to check the record out in its entirety though.
oh, and joel plaskett is pretty awesome, though oddly unknown (at least compared to sam), even in canada.
and completely off-topic (sorry): 'lawyerlike'... cool site. i too am a ubc-law grad, originally from calgary. go flames!
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And Sam's a soci*list (like all true Canadians)!
Speaking of little-known Canadian bands, in what country did The Trews (see ad to the right) have six Top 10 singles? Canada? In the "rock radio" category? Oh. That explains it.
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Had to use the * because otherwise the post got rejected as "objectionable content". I am not kidding.
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The new album takes a while to get use to but after having it for a week I really like it. This album, in my opinion, walks away (sorry I had to) from the main stream rock vibe of Brother down and falls somewere in the rhelm of the Canadian Dream. Great album glad to see sterogum giving him the recognition he deserves
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Chuck... I didn't know you read Stereogum. Good to have more than one Newfoundlander represented! Sam Roberts & Joel Plaskett are both great.
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it's too bad most canadian household name bands dont really make it in the US.
Sam ROberts is HUGE here in Edmonton.
i dont think i can go a whole day without hearing one of his songs on the radio.
speaking of one cool cat that's starting to gain some momentum in the US. Edmonton's very own Cadence Weapon. he even played SXSW, and gets plugged frequently on fluxblog.
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That song sucks...expected a lot more from Sam, especially after his first album
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too bad he bitched out on baltimore... it's alright, the Stills still tore the house down and soiled the virgins.
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too bad he bitched out on baltimore... it's alright, the Stills still tore the house down and soiled the virgins.
http://spitfirepress.blogspot.com
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Fourth the Joel Plaskett. He was also the main songwriter in Thrush Hermit, another underrated, great Canadian band.
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I am a huge fan of Sam's. I have to admit, upon first listen to the new album, I wasn't really feeling it. But with each subsequent listen, the entire album grew on me more, and now I'm completely addicted! It's the only thing I've listen to in a week. Seriously.
A few friends have had the same reaction. So try listening a few more times before you write it off. You won't be sorry. :)
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It is a shame that some really great music isn't appreciated in The States (I know, I live in Florida now). I'm a full-blooded American, though, and I've only stumbled onto Sam Roberts because they toured with The Hip--my second favorite band (only beaten by Aerosmith, the best rock band ever). Sam Roberts puts on a deadly concert! They were so good live I bought their album. Then when the second one came out, I got it before it was technically supposed to be sold in The US (in New England, it came out on its Canadian release date) I didn't like the first track, but I LOVE the CD. I wicked recommend it to everybody. My favorite tracks are "Bootleg Saint," "Uprising Down Under," and "Mystified, Heavy." Rock on Sam! Come south on your next tour, will ya?
Much love to the Canadian bands (esp. from Quebec, my heritige!)
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