The songs of The Usual Angst
Posted: March 5, 2015We’re excitedly counting down the days to our album release party, this Saturday, March 7, at the Railway Club! Just thought we’d share a few pieces that have been recently published about us.
First off, Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun has named The Usual Angst Album of the Week, calling it “an infectious batch of rock” and it “should easily find a rightful home in your car stereo and at the local watering hole.” Read the entire review here.
As well, music blog The Snipe News did a feature on Tim and his cats as part of their “Bands With Cats” series. This is a fun read and you get to learn all about Tim’s cats, the music they like and more! Check it out here.
We also thought we’d share a bit more about the songs on The Usual Angst. But first off, where did the title come from? Here’s what Tim says: “I was wracking my brain trying to think of a title for the album so my wife Sarah asked me what the overall theme of the album is and I spontaneously said, ‘oh, the usual angst.’ We both thought it was funny and appropriate for the title so we went with it.” Mystery solved!
The songs on the album cover a wide range of subjects, from the seemingly endless cycle of global geopolitics (“It’s Happening Over Again”), the hardship of poverty (“Corner of Gore and Pender”) to a fanboy tribute to the late singer and guitarist Steve Marriott (“Humble Pie”). There are also songs about the good and not-so-good times of being in a long-term relationship (“October Mansion,” “Let It Out,” “Sorry for Everything”), the perceived cruelty of an old friend who’s made it big in music (“My Pal Dan”), a road trip that went awry (“It Seemed Like a Good Idea”) and just general angst (“Pay to Play”). But overall, things are not so bad, as “The Happy Song” pays a straight up tribute to the beautiful city of Vancouver.
Speaking of Tim’s wife, Sarah Gee Miller, her beautiful paper collage piece, “Night Vision,” graces the cover of the album. And our drummer, Kevin Dubois, contributed the art for the back cover, which is a pastel drawing called “Hot Kit.”
The Usual Angst front cover, art by Sarah Gee Miller, “Night Vision.”
“Hot Kit” by Kevin Dubois
We hope you can join us at our album release party this Saturday night, March 7, at the Railway Club. It will be fun and we’re pleased to have Danny Echo, the Spheres and Black, Red & Blonde join us in the festivities as well. Thanks again to I.M.U. Productions for putting this all together!