C A N N O P Y
Art is True North
JJ Wilde’s Top Ten Albums
Best of Me Ep Cover by Bree Fish
Ahead of a busy summer of festival appearances, the Canadian alt-rocker reflects on the albums that keep her moving while on the road
Words by Michael Zarathus-Cook
ISSUE 13 | HOMEGROWN
Originally hailing from Kitchener and now based in Nashville, JJ Wilde─the stage moniker of Jillian Dowding─is embracing the serial EP model with Best Of Me (Part 1). With this five-song EP, the alt-rock artist sets her sights on a summer of back-to-back concerts and festivals, featuring appearances on both sides of the 49th parallel. Highlight festival appearances in Canada this summer include Quebec City’s Festival D’Été, Tall Pines Music & Arts Festival in Gravenhurst, Minnedosa’s Back To The Farm Festival, and Ottawa’s Bluesfest. Amidst the bustle of taking to the road for a busy summer, Wilde joins Cannopy for a list of the ten albums that inspires the best of her.
Latest Release
CANNOPY x JJ Wilde
1) Del Water Gap
His self-titled album and I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet are up there with my all-time favourite albums. The writing hits me right in the feels with the self-deprecating tendencies and honesty that somehow feels sad but also kind of badass. I relate to that style of writing a lot where it’s almost an admission and self-awareness of one’s flaws and using that to either work through those things or just to get it out. I find myself writing in a very similar style using my life experiences and shortcomings to make something beautiful out of it.
2) Surrender - Maggie Rogers
Surrender is the album I would put on and go rollerblading to every morning for a good month while I was living and writing in Nashville. Something about the choice of sounds, whether that is guitars twisted with delay and effects to create something completely different, it caught my ear immediately. I find Maggie’s writing also inspiring because she to almost treat the songs like a run-on sentence cramming them with as much information and emotion as she can. “Overdrive” might be my favourite song on the album. Her melodies reminded me that singing in a high register can still be powerful.
3) Indiana - Briston Maroney
This was my getting-ready-for-the-studio album. I’d put it on when doing my makeup almost every morning for a good two weeks during my summer stint in LA this past summer. I love the guitar tones they chose for this record, warm and crunchy, with a live sound that makes you feel like you’re at a show. The energy of the whole EP made me fall in love.
4) Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess - Chappell Roan
This album is my go-to workout album. The way Chappell crafts her songs is very inspiring to me. The softness of her high register and power all at the same time is awe inspiring. I fell in love with the clever lyrics and the honesty that came out of this album of finding her sexuality. The lyrics are intense and honest, showing the true power of a woman’s sexuality and that it’s not something to hide or be ashamed of.
5) Blondshell - Blondshell
This self-titled album is dark, sarcastic, and oozing with angst. Her soft-spoken voice allows space for the dark instrumentals to complement each other. The lyrics in this album are also the kind of self-aware but also self-deprecating truths that, in my experience, can only be found by getting yourself into trouble. Soft can be strong and I think this album shows that.
6) Norm - Andy Shauf
This album is my go-to album while driving, a very different swing from my usual listen. The subtlety of this album is really what got me hooked on it. Each part is so cleverly written that there is just enough of what you want. Each riff is exact. Each melody is just enough of what you need. The humour in the writing also caught my ear. It’s almost as if he’s talking through his day. His vocals remind me of Chet Baker in a way, with the smooth jazz tones and light push that he gives. It inspired me to remember that, when writing, sometimes less is more. And he proves that.
7) Medium Build
I discovered Medium Build when I moved to Nashville and one of my friends had shown me a song they wrote together. The power and raw emotion of his voice is so captivating. I also really enjoyed the bluntness of what he was singing about. The way his voice breaks perfectly on those big crashing parts of the song spoke to me. There’s so much to choose from in his music between catchy melodies with pop tendencies to broken-down acoustic songs that make you want to cry. “Rage” might be my all-time favourite song of his, or “I Love Cherry” [Wild, 2019]. Two very different songs.
8) Still Woozy
My drummer introduced me to this artist and I am so grateful. I love the funky laid-back vibe of his songs and writing styles. Every note is exactly where you want it to be making his music the truest form of ear candy. The R&B pop vibe, with slick guitars and moving bass, makes it impossible not to dance to. This music would be my I wanna feel confident and sexy music. It inspires me to cross genres when writing and think out of the box when it comes to melodies and the pace of lyrics.
9) Yessie - Jessie Reyez
This record demands your attention from start to finish. Her confidence, which pours from each word on this album, is so inspiring. From the dramatic start of the first song, this album took me on a journey of genres, languages, flows, styles, and everything in between. The flow of her lyrics, and how each song feels like a poem, almost reminds me of Bob Dylan's “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. There’s so much information that comes so quickly at you and, somehow, so easily digestible.
10) Women In Music Pt. lll - HAIM
This record is one that I keep coming back to over and over again. The way this record was mixed is one of my favourite things about it. The choice of particular voice notes, clocks, and other non-traditional sounds was so interesting to me. The effects on their vocals shift from song to song creates a space where anything goes. I continue to be inspired by this band.