This week, we offer a warm welcome to our dear guest Elan Noon. With releases spanning across experimental folk, lo-fi psychedelic, and baroque movements, each album by Elan Noon lends a new delight to discover.
Elan Noon joins us following his recent release of his self-produced Caricature. The album differs dramatically from Elan Noon’s previous work, particularly the album preceding this one, Colour Story (written and produced with guitarist Dave Parry from the band Loving). With its distortive playfulness, the experimentation within Caricature goes beyond outside of the box, leaving the canvas altogether.
Elan Noon’s selection
Sanity Band - Submarine
Elan Noon: ” An ‘oldie’ but a goodie! This HIT was written and recorded by my friend Logan Holmes (aka Sanity Band). We were both in the band Jons and got to share many fun times playing shows and travelling in our early-20s together. He’s got many great songs, but this one’s a special combo of heavy lyrics and heavy groove. I also briefly lived with Logan in the same house that he made both of his albums, so his music always takes me back to when we’d watch tv in the living room and chill on the front porch for hours. “
Niloo - Rivermouth
Elan Noon: ” This past summer I played a few shows as a keyboardist for my friend Niloo Farahzadeh. It was the first time that I’d played with a band in years and I’m happy to report that it’s still a blast! I was lucky enough to’ve been playing Niloo’s Juno 106, so I had lots of fun messing around with all its patches, filters, etc. Niloo has a truly insane voice and writes gorgeous melodies over shimmering extended chords. I honestly can’t say I know many artists that elicit the same atmospheric vibe as her, and being part of her band has been a dream. As I’ve heard others say in passing… its Sarah McLachlan meets Cocteau Twins.🎭 “
Troll Dolly - Pooly
Elan Noon: ” I met Jen Yakamovic (aka Troll Dolly) through playing together in Niloo’s band. Jen got a band together when opening for our friends, Loving, and the result was a weekend of rehearsals in her Vancouver studio that felt like a music summer camp (in the best way!) :-) This song, which I regretfully don’t know the exact narrative behind, has an earnesty in its lyrics and vocals that’s both calming, yet romantic/melancholic. Framed by the vivid keys and miscellaneous sounds flittering atop the placid drums, this tune is ripe for floating along to.
Honourable mention: pesewa – 4th member of “Niloo & The 90s Kids” ;-) “
Trevor Lang - Spotlight
Elan Noon: ” A beautiful and witty song by Trevor, who I’ve only recently gotten to know through playing alongside within Troll Dolly. Even more recently, Trevor and I travelled to a remote island for an “Intergalactic Space Rodeo,” where we both performed exaggeratedly country-ridden sets. Suffice it to say, it was a real jamboree… This song of Trevor’s has a class-act transition midway through; you can feel the spotlight swing over to reveal the lone cabaret singer in the dark! The song’s lyrics are cutting throughout and the analog keys are delectably clever and prominent. Complete with a space-age outro-jam… what more could you ask for? “
MailTape’s selection
Elan Noon - Patience (Waiting on a Thing to Arrive)
Sarah: ” This is my favorite track off of the Caricature album, a position not won easily, as every song offers a completely different listening experience. The slightly distorted effect, with the vocals sounding almost far away, coupled with such delicate keyboard progressions, shroud the song in a dissociative cloak. At the same time, there’s a curious hopefulness to the melody in its chord progression and lyricism. The verses are brilliant and brutally honest. As Elan Noon explains, expressing these intensities in the track honors what the feelings brought him. As the album’s name suggests, the many different movements we go through can both upset and distort our self-image, self-trust, and where we imagine time will take us. As Elan Noon explains, he found himself in a particularly disorienting place while recording the album, and felt as though in a pressure cooker during the production process. As he reflects, consolidating the “living chaos” he felt into this album helped him both process these experiences as well as honor them. A wonderful work :) “
Elan Noon - Tricky Mother Nature
Sarah: ” From Elan Noon’s 2020 album, Colour Story. Another fantastic listen, with beautiful guitar progressions from Dave Parry. Such a different feel from the Caricature album, in the most delightful of ways. Still, Elan Noon’s voice is unmistakable here, finding itself in the dizzying intermesh of guitar and keyboard spirals. “
Elan Noon - What Are Friends For?
Sarah: ” Another favorite track from the Caricature album, appearing in all of my playlists these days. I love the softness of this melody and Elan Noon’s humming. There’s something so calming and yet haunting about the progression, hovering in a sort of dissociation but still giving us so much to ponder. For me at least, this line sticks out like a thorn: “Don’t you know all your feelings are wrong, all your memories are nothing but daydreams?” Excited to see what Elan Noon releases next :) ”
That’s it for this morning! As always, thank you so much for joining us. Much love to Elan Noon these thoughtful Sunday selections, and many thanks to Camille Célestin for this episode’s stunning illustration !
