“When The Storm Has Passed”

With ten albums or so under their indie folk belts, The Great Lake Swimmers have consistently been one of the most arresting affecting and spellbinding bands around. The Canadian outfit introduced themselves to the world with their self-titled 2003 effort and since then
have put out classics like New Wild Everywhere, The Waves, The Wake and the Juno-nominated Lost Channels, which was also shortlisted for the Polaris Prize. Sonically, the band bring to mind everyone from R.E.M to Teenage Fanclub to Miracle Legion. And throughout their songbook, singer Tony Dekker’s poetic lyrics form a literate blend of ecology, environmentalism and good old fashioned romanticism. He’s a potent triple threat. The band have also put out four live albums, four EPs and a covers album that features takes on numbers by The Rolling Stones, Tom Waits and NeIl Young and John Cale. Oh, and Dekker also has a marvelous solo album called Prayer of The Woods. The point here is that there’s a healthy crop of Great Lakes Swimmers material for you to plunge into. But the music you’re hearing on the program today is the band's first new music since 2019. It’s been a while. But they're back and they’ve never sounded better. Their two new tracks—“When The Storm Has Passed” and “Moonlight, Stay Above”—feature Dekker’s trademark poetic finesse and penchant for writing some of the catchiest and heartfelt songs on the planet. We’re glad they’re back!

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Stereo Embers The Podcast 0319: Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers)

"A Master Class In Songwriting"

Jad Fair is probably best known as one half of Half Japanese. Formed with his brother David in 1974, the Maryland by way of Michigan outift remain one of the more curious entires into the pantheon of rock and roll. Their songs are jagged and battered mini-anthems about broken hearts, monsters and...broken hearts and monsters. As Jad Fair once said, their songs are either love songs or monster songs. And there are a lot of songs. For example: the band's sophomore effort was a triple album, some records have 45 songs all under two minutes. Some of the tracks are barely one...Half Japanese have quite a discography, including classics like Music To Strip By, Charmed Life and The Band Who Would Be King. Over the course of their idiosyncratic, non-traditional career, they've counted the Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker as a member, put out albums on Penn Jillette's record label, opened for NIrvana, and collaborated with Daniel Johnston, Kramer, Steve Fisk, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith Teenage Fanclub, Yo La Tengo, The Pastels, Jason Willett and John Zorn, and were chosen by Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum to play the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he was curating. Half Japanese are underground heroes, who broke every rule of modern music and then broke the rules they broke. They remain a dynamic, artistic and powerful creative endeavor. As for Jad Fair, he's done anything but slow down. Aside from putting out a handful of solo albums, as a visual artist Fair's artwork has yielded several books and museum shows across the world. His papercut style is singular and charming, but also rife with a simple complexity. It's really staggering stuff. Also staggering: his new album 100 Songs (A Master Class In Songwriting). It consists of, you guessed it: 100 songs. Impressed? Well, his other new album Film Music has 150. Filled with swerving low-fi bliss, there's not a false note to be found on these records. But of course there isn't: it's Jad Fair. And Jad Fair operates from a cosmos of creative impulse. And that impulse is as pure and driving as it gets. 

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Stereo Embers The Podcast 0388: Jad Fair (Half Japanese)

These lyrics tell the story of a girl named Bonnie who used to have big dreams and a bright, shining spirit but lost her way after going through tough times and heartbreak. The repeated line, "Oh Bonnie, where did you go?" shows the sadness and longing for the person she used to be. Bonnie was once full of light, "shining like the sun," but now she's just a shadow of her former self. The song is a mix of remembering who she was and hoping that she can find her way back and bring that light back into the world. Fans of Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, Big Star, and The Posies will recognize the blend of jangly guitars, emotional storytelling, and melodic indie rock influences that define this track.

Bonnie was a girl with stars in her eyes
She dreamt of flying high in big blue skies
But life had a way of bringing her down
Till she forgot the girl that used to be found

Oh Bonnie, where did you go?
Don't you remember the dreams that we know?
You used to shine like the sun in the sky
Now you're just a shadow passing us by

Bonnie loved with all her heart, but it was in vain,
Her dreams shattered by love's cruel game,
Now she walks alone, lost and in pain,
Hoping one day, her heart will find love again.

Oh Bonnie, where did you go?
Don't you remember the dreams that we know?
You used to shine like the sun in the sky
Now you're just a shadow passing us by

Bonnie, come back to us, we need you now
The world's a little darker without your light around

"Bonnie" Written and performed by Northern Sky

Bonnie

1. God Knows It's True 
2. So Far Gone
3. Alcoholiday (favorite)
4. Long Hair 

Sourced from Vibracobra23 on Youtube. 

Teenage Fanclub (Peel Sessions 1990)

Hosted by Alex Green, Stereo Embers: The Podcast is a weekly podcast airing exclusively on Bombshell Radio (www.bombshellradio.com) that features interviews with musicians, authors, artists and actors talking about the current creative moment in their lives. 

A professor at St. Mary's College of California, Alex is the Editor-In-Chief of Stereo Embers Magazine (www.stereoembersmagazine.com), the author of five books and has served as a Speaker/Moderator for LitQuake, Yahoo!, The Bay Area Book Festival, A Great Good Place For Books, Green Apple Books, and The St. Mary's College Of California MFA Reading Series. 

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Northern Sky is a Detroit/London-based collaborative formed in 2021, crafting ethereal music that blends dreamy soundscapes with cinematic depth. Their music strikes a delicate balance between melody, emotion, and magic, influenced by timeless artists like Nick Drake and Norah Jones, as well as modern acts such as Beach House and The National.

At the heart of Northern Sky is Rose White, whose voice, like a soft breeze at twilight, guides the band’s sound with transcendent beauty. Supported by Eric Stajda, Dan Kendall, Steve Baker, and Andrea Di Fiore—who weave intricate layers of guitar, bass, drums, piano, synth, cello, and violin—the band creates soundscapes that are both fragile and infinite.

Northern Sky’s songs are vignettes, like postcards from distant places, carrying echoes of fleeting yet eternal memories. Tracks like "Paper Flowers," "Swimming in the Rain," and "Aurora" explore love, loss, and the bittersweet passage of time. Their music reflects the profound beauty found in life’s quietest moments, drawing inspiration from films that capture the magic in the everyday—Cinema Paradiso, Stolen Kisses, Sleepless Night in Paris, and Before Sunrise.

Northern Sky invites listeners to step into a world where music is not just heard, but felt deeply, offering a soundtrack for introspection, inspiration, and everything in between.

New tracks tagged #teenagefanclub