Album Review: Invader by Danielle Allard

Twitch streamer and Ottawa-based international singer-songwriter, Danielle Allard, just dropped her new album Invader.

In July, I was fortunate enough that I got to participate in the filming for one of the companion music videos. I had to drink and have a good time at a bar for that. Not just any bar, but one that has been a home to many local musicians: Live on Elgin.

Below are my thoughts on the major album tracks. I strongly recommend listening to any music with a good set of headphones because speakers miss many of the subtleties that bring a richness and depth to the listener end. They don't even have to be the highest end headphones to transform your listening experience. I have some Sennheiser HD201s that I think I bought for around $69 about a decade ago that completely rock my world and have an added benefit of weighing only about 165g, which is important when you've had the kind of neck injury that I have had.

Please note, as part of her community, I've heard many of these songs before, but I haven't heard them fully produced as they are on the album. I believe it's important to experience Danielle's music in all the spaces she's in because each is a unique experience.

All right, time for the album review.

Garden - Yes, please invade my brain.

Falling Into Place - This song is one of my favourite Danielle Allard songs of all time and I'm still processing it.

Vapour - Wowee. I'm blown away by the everything and I want to be vapour.

Secrets & Songs - I quite enjoy the jazzy beat to this one.

Invader - Pure bliss.

All the Things - This song has always had a profound effect on me. The album version makes me weep.

Between many of the songs on the album are transitional tracks, which blend everything together seamlessly and add to the atmosphere of this album.

Invader blends synthesizers and traditional instrumentation in such a lovely way that I feel changed after listening to it. I'm forever altered just as we've all been since the pandemic, only this is a truly healing change after such a scary time. Her often ethereal sounding lyrical voice makes this an album that is truly out of this world.

You can find Danielle via her website at: https://www.danielleallard.com/

2024 - Week 5

It was still January for most of this week, a.k.a. The Neverending Month. Then it became February! Each month, I do pull a card from my Music Oracles deck. Last month was Bob Marley. February's card is Nina Simone. A piano playing rebel & multiple genre legend will hopefully make for a phenomenal month ahead. I still haven't done a goals post for 2024. January was a lot. My goals for this year are: - Complete Sparker and query agents. - Complete The Curse of... and submit it to a screenplay contest. - Complete the declutter of Tiny Condo. - Blog at least once per week. - Cross train for curling and softball. - Learn piano. - Self-care with crafts, reading, gaming, and sports. I've tweaked my schedule to make this happen. I'd also like a partner, but I feel weird about setting it as a goal.

Frisky Friday - Maple Syrup Porn

[caption id="attachment_10523" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] While delving into some Canadian film history this week, I learned that there is a thing called Maple Syrup Porn. I laughed when I read the term. I thought, "Is our adult film industry really called Maple Syrup Porn?" It's not. Some is Canadian, but it mostly refers to getting around censorship of sex. It was not only common in Quebec due to religion, but several places in the US. You can read more about it here . If you're looking to heat things up this weekend, consider a sweet old film from the early days of the sexual revolution. Maybe even drizzle a little syrup on your partner ;) Guid cheerio the nou, R~

2024 - Week 43

Arts & Crafts I started a summer quilt. I got the fabric a long time ago and it was a straightforward quilt as I just had to join the 20 fat quarters together. I'll need a backing fabric and a border to complete it, but I figured it's worth doing while the weather continues to be summery. I'm thinking a white backing and pink for the border. I've made progress on my Fairy Cross-Stitch, but there is a lot to go yet. Decluttering & Minimalism I started the week by working on the space to sand my shelf. I didn't get through it all on Monday with work and everything else that day, but it was closer than it was before. Tuesday was curling, so I couldn't the shelf done then. I was really tired on Wednesday because I'm not used to curling being so late yet. Thursday was the last day of softball. It was Friday before I could really work on the shelf, though I kept working on the workspace. The packed weekend left me no time to do this, but I realistically ...

Rae Roy

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