Raine Maida, best known for his gig fronting iconic Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace, has branched off on his own and created the record he was always meant to make. The Hunter's Lullaby, set to hit on August 26th (Kingnoise Records) is a collection of 10 commanding songs that are poignant and lyrical, delivered in a style reminiscent of the 60's beat poets with hip hop influenced beats of today. A courageous album by an artist who is reveling in the freedom of creative and commercial independence.
The Hunter's Lullaby was created over the span of a year in
Raine's private studio. Recorded using purely acoustic instruments,
Maida gathered many of his nearest and dearest musician friends to help shape the record. His talented wife
Chantal Kreviazuk plays piano and lends her unique vocals to several of the albums tracks.
Victor Indrizzo (Beck, Gnarls Barkley) started the drum sessions with
Raine back in the summer of 2006.
Joseph Karnes(John Cale, My Brightest Diamond) contributed the stand up bass while
Randy Cooke (Dave Stewart) laid down the majority of the drums and percussion.
Album title The Hunter's Lullaby speaks to the fact that every person must ultimately venture out on their own to determine the meaning of life. Evocative and haunting track "The Less I Know" confronts religion and Raine's relationship with his own Catholic upbringing. The mesmerizing "China Doll" was inspired by Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." The lyric, "Sour Like Democracy," laced into the poetry of this particular track became the sub theme to the album, a sub theme that lays out Raine's love/hate relationship with politics. First single "Yellow Brick Road" is about mass consumerism and the changing priorities of society, the song sees him addressing a world that is beginning to prioritize material belongings before real change. Raine writes "I'm not exactly sure where my record fits in today's musical landscape, but I take comfort in that. I have two very young children who will one day judge me by this work."
Whereas Our Lady Peace found a home with Columbia, Raine has decided to forego the major label for this solo endeavor and will release The Hunter's Lullaby through his own label, Kingnoise Records. Eschewing the usual big budget video as well, Raine, a long time supporter of War Child teamed up with the organization to create a low budget mini-documentary for "Yellow Brick Road" that had him hitting the streets of Toronto, busking to raise $30,000 to help rebuild a school in Congo.
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