'Pacer' filmed and recorded live of the floor at Studio Saint Zo in Montreal QC
Band members: Marlaena Moore (vocals, bass,) Scott 'Monty' Munro (guitar, synth,) Andy Mulcair (drums)
Director: Sasha Khalimonova
Cinematography: Evangelos Desborough
Sound Engineer: Rena Kozak
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Stream "Pacer" - smarturl.it/MMpacer
Website - www.marlaenamoore.com
Facebook - / thisismarlaen. .
Instagram - / marlaenamoore
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Lyrics:
What good is self control
If your soul’s just no good
I stood up at the part where
Your heart’s understood
I am a pacer
I am a messenger
I can’t stop
And I’ll never keep it down
Shouldn’t have to know much better
Don’t wanna win
I don’t wanna live forever
I just wanna swim
They’ve been out taking yours
And begging for belief
I will never be good enough
That’s such a great relief
I am a pacer
I am a messenger
I can’t stop
And I’ll never keep it down
Shouldn’t have to know much better
Don’t wanna win
I don’t wanna live forever
I just wanna swim
I am a chaser
I am a passenger
I can’t quit
And I’m always looking out
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You'd be hard-pressed to find another artist with as brilliantly clear a trajectory as Marlaena Moore. From her earliest bedroom recordings, through the maximalist sonic explorations of her last album Pay Attention, Be Amazed, to the laser-focused sound of her newest work, charting a course through her career to date is about as tangible as it gets.
Originally hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, and currently based in Montreal, Moore has become one of Canada's preeminent songwriters and performers, recognized for a commanding, yet inviting stage presence in tandem with her superbly crafted and emotionally direct brand of songwriting (to wit, Consequence of Sound praised her “powerful vocal range and sturdy songs...her music did more than charm.”). She's shared stages with acts such as Angel Olsen, US Girls, and Jennifer Castle, and Exclaim! listed Moore as an “Artist To Watch” in de 2020.
After gaining traction in the late '10s with her celebrated album Gaze, Marlaena Moore joined forces with Sub Pop recording artist and cherished indie iconoclast Chad Van Gaalen and drummer/producer Chris Dadge (Alvvays, Samantha Savage Smith) to record her next album Pay Attention, Be Amazed. Where Gaze favoured a stripped-down sound, her last offering enjoyed a lengthy gestation period, honing the songs and arrangements with Dadge before entering Yoko Eno, Van Gaalen's funhouse of studio in Calgary. Moore and her crew of collaborators - including Scott Munro (Preoccupations) and Ryan Bourne (Ghostkeeper) - painted an undeniably widescreen interpretation of her songs, including pleasingly direct rockers ('I Miss You') alongside more ornately configured productions ('Xmas Oranges'); synth-heavy fantasias ('Please Don't Cut My Garden'); and exploratory, full-band epic 'Better Than Me'.
If there is a theme to Moore's latest batch of songs, it would be one of openness: in life, in music, and in one's approach to viewing the world around them. One of the tracks from her new album, tellingly titled 'I Love Everything', opens with the line “you can do anything, you can go anywhere”. But, these seemingly positive affirmations didn't arrive in a gleam of bright light; Moore admits that “the record was written at a time where I was equally the most sad and most happy I have ever been in my life”, battling the polarizing notion that “both nothing and everything is possible”. These dichotomies could have resulted in stagnation, or - even worse - giving up entirely, but Moore rose to the occasion and has crafted yet another surefooted, engaging set of songs.
Produced by multi-instrumentalist and engineer Scott Munro - who Moore refers to as “the life blood of this record”, and is one of Canada's most impressive musical forces - the new album positively glows thanks to a further delving into the world of synthesizers, drum machines, and a recent fascination with the music of '90s icons Portishead and Björk, and Tango In The Night-era Fleetwood Mac. Keep your eyes peeled for the new album early next year on Victory Pool Records.