On Friday, Francis of Delirium released their debut EP, All Change, on Dalliance Records. Described by our writer Craig Howieson as ‘coated in the grungey tar of the Generation X bands of the Pacific North West,’ the EP is not just a thoroughly enjoyable listen in its own right, but whets our appetite to hear more from Jana Bahrich and Chris Hewitt.

In the meantime, the duo have filled us in on some of the music, films and literature that make them tick, as they talk us through their picks for the latest edition of Sound & Vision.

Three favourite albums

AGE OF ADZ – SUFJAN STEVENS

Sufjan Stevens’ entire discography has been incredibly formative for me. Listening to his albums was the first time I really understood what it meant to make an album versus just a collection of songs. Age of Adz was so different from anything else I had been listening to and it opened up a world of possibilities when it comes to music, in that you can really do whatever you want as long as you believe in it. His albums tend to be so focused and have such a clear sense of identity that it’s really easy to inhabit those spaces so you can put so much of your own life into them. When you return to those songs after a long time it’s as if the life you put into them still exists there which is really cool, sort of like a sound palace instead of a mind palace. With all of his albums, I would listen to each one in such a concentrated period of time, so when I listen to them now, I’m transported back to that concentrated time which is one of my favourite things about music in general but also specifically my experience with his albums.

TWIN FANTASY – CAR SEAT HEADREST

It took me a while to really get into Car Seat Headrest and then once I did, I really did. Twin Fantasy feels like a punch to the gut and makes my chest burn. Will Toledo’s delivery and performance throughout this album is really good and he does such a great job of taking your typical ‘rock’ sound and then flipping it on it’s head. Plus there are so many great one liners. My mom and I always sing Bodys around the house.

TELEFONE – NONAME

I found Noname through her Tiny Desk and then Telefone became pretty much the only album I listened to during the Summer of 2017. I would bike at sunset every night and play this album on repeat on my phone speakers in my backpack. It’s such a sad album, but sonically it’s so lighthearted which makes it even more sad. Her writing is just insane, it’s so confessional and beautiful and there’s such a brightness in her delivery and cadency. I also have a deep obsession with vocal harmonies and the harmonies on this album are unbelievably good, you feel it in your stomach.

One film I love

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

There are a few things I watch every year. I watch Little Miss Sunshine, this video on YouTube of Rosie Thomas, Sufjan Stevens and Dennison Winter playing Paper Doll live and and each Christmas I watch all three Lord of the Rings movies. The soundtrack is likely the best soundtrack written specifically for a movie to exist ever. Then the character of Gollum in this movie in the trilogy in particular is so unbelievably good, it’s largely the reason why I love these movies and books. They do such a good job of making you love him, despise him and feel bad for him, everytime I watch it, it’s like the first time. Plus it’s just a beautiful movie to look at.

One book I love

A LITTLE LIFE – HANYA YANAGIHARA

I really liked A Little Life. I read it awhile ago, but a few days ago I was talking to my friend about it and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed it. We were discussing how we were unsure if we’d ever recommend the book to anyone because of the heaviness you have to carry around with you after and while you’re reading the book. Mainly just because it’s emotionally draining for the reader. It’s nice to cry though, if you need to cry then you should read this.

One Song That’s Important

JEREMY – PEARL JAM

I was around twelve when I first saw the music video for Jeremy and heard the song. The tone of the song and music video had a really profound effect on me. I can’t even really pinpoint exactly what it was about that song, but it felt like a monumental discovery. I found it right around the age when you start making decisions for yourself and deciding what you like on your own. We grew up listening to Nirvana, R.E.M and the Beatles in the car which was great and I loved it, but I didn’t choose to love it, it was just on all the time. So Jeremy was me returning to rock music on my own terms. It also made me realize the importance of meaning in song, the reason that song has stuck with anyone for so long is because of its subject matter and the empathy it allows for.

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