Friday, February 22, 2013

Blinker The Star - Truly Back

Last year year Blinker the Star leader Jordon Zadorozny came back with his first album in 9 years "We Draw Lines". The album was a fine effort and made my top 25 of the year, a partial return to the Power Pop sound he debuted in the the classic album "August Everywhere", one of the best single releases of the 90's. Also in 2012, Zadorozny finally released his long standing duo project with fellow Canadian singer Sofia Silva entitled Abbey. The Abbey effort sounds very much like Blinker the Star featuring a female singer and is well worth checking out.

This year, Blinker the Star has already released yet another album though this one is actually a set of new and old b-sides. The album, "Songs From Laniakea Beach" mixes b-sides left off of last year's "We Draw Lines" with older demo tracks from as long ago as 1999. Many of these were available for download on an earlier version of the band's website. I compiled many of these tracks in an earlier compilation and they still stand up extremely well. I recommend that you pick up classics like Persia, The River and Flex Your Little Claws. The new mixes sound great in high bit rate downloads from Bandcamp.

Here is a collection of even more rare b-sides not on any official release. Let me know if you have any rare tracks I'm missing and go out and support Jordon Zadorozny. He's truly back.

1 Take Your Love - Unreleased demo from "We Draw Lines"
2 By The Light of a Magical Moon - T-Rex Cover
3 Brown and Furry - Demo with guest vocals by ex-Medicine vocalist Brad Laner
4 Last Night's Parade - Demo by side project Abbey, using similar chord changes to "Take Your Love"
5 Sous Les Portes Coulisantes - B-side. A French language version of "Below the Sliding Doors"
6 Misunderstanding - Genesis Cover
7 Crazy Eyes - Demo of "August Everywhere" track
8 Transona 5 - B-side from 1996. Stereolab cover.
9 Strange As They Say - Live version of "Below the Sliding Doors" track
10 Live By The Gun - Live version of track from "Still in Rome"
11 Below the Sliding Doors - Live version
12 Protection - Dance track from a recent Jordon side project