ACCLAIMED VICTORIA SONGWRITER WRAPS UP A YEAR OF INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM WITH THE NEW VIDEO FOR “WHAT LIGHT (NEVER GOES DIM)” SHOT ON AN ACTIVE SUBMARINE BY FT. LANGLEY
WATCH AND SHARE “WHAT LIGHT (NEVER GOES DIM)” HERE
NEW ALBUM, EACH OTHER, OUT NOW ON OUTSIDE MUSIC
“Breathtaking… a world-weariness that suggests a singer twice his age and experience.” - Uncut – 8/10
“another scion of Canada's alt-royalty...” - Q Magazine – 4/5
Each Other, is nothing short of hypnotizing” - Vancouver Sun Album Of The Week 4/5
“In just eight tracks he packs together the bittersweet melancholia of Sufjan Stevens, the lush arrangements of Andrew Bird and the wistful vocals of Jeff Buckley.” - Loud & Quiet – 8/10
“Each Other is delicate, intricate, and best enjoyed with a bit of care to do justice to its meticulous assembly.” - Exclaim! - 8/10
PHOTO CREDIT : Brian Van Wyk
Throughout this past year, the songs from Aidan Knight’s latest record, Each Other, have resonated here in Canada and with international critics a like. The Guardian called the album “...warm, beautiful, and multilayered,” while Q Magazine deemed Knight “another scion of Canada's alt-royalty.” At home, Exclaim! said the album is “delicate, intricate, and best enjoyed with a bit of care to do justice to its meticulous assembly,” while the Vancouver Sun claimed it “is nothing short of hypnotizing.”
The critical attention garnered overseas helped Knight bring Each Other to over 50 audiences across Europe including performances at Glastonbury, Bestival, Into The Great Wide Open, Orange Blossom Festival, and a UK tour with Mercury Prize winner Villagers. Songs from Each Other became a fixture at the BBC with features on Annie Mac and Lauren Laverne shows and an intimate conversation on the Tom Robinson Show. The videos which accompanied the album tracks received critical praise as well, with Ft. Langley winning the Video Director Of The Year Western Canadian Music Award for their work on “All Clear”.
Now, Knight is sharing the video for “What Light (Never Goes Dim)”, which was shot in the HSMC Victoria, an active Canadian Navy submarine, and plays on films like Multiplicity and Das Boot. Ft. Langley video director William Wilkinson says they were obsessed with the ‘Submarine Movie’ genre and watched all the greatest hits in preparation. “We love the style and tropes that come with the genre,” says Wilkinson. “Claustrophobic war films, almost always entirely shot in a single authentic location. While watching one it came up that our local Naval Base was home to a pair of old Canadian Navy submarines. We were due to make a video for ‘What Light (Never Goes Dim)’ and the ridiculous thought of ‘wow what if we could film something with Aidan on a submarine’ came about. On a whim we sent an email to the naval bases press contact, shockingly they replied, and it wasn’t an immediate no. Over a couple months we slowly worked our way through the ranks at the Navy, till eventually an Admiral at the very top gave it the go ahead. This was a big surprise, we had just assumed it would get nixed along the way. This is something they very, very rarely do. As far as we know we are the first film shot on a Canadian submarine.”
WATCH AND SHARE “WHAT LIGHT (NEVER GOES DIM)” HERE
Of the hits Wilkinson watched in preparation Crimson Tide is likely the most obvious nod, however, the lights necessary to achieve the colouring had to brought in and removed each day, to a very narrow, delicate set, with many eyes watching every move. “The crew were often just out of frame, watching the monitors and making sure we didn’t touch any switches we weren’t supposed to. We had to be accompanied at all times, be checked in and out of the base, and pass through checkpoints where often times they would initially reject us.”
Claiming the video shoot was a personal trial for himself as well, Knight went so far as to not cut his long, glamorous mane for the sake of the shot. “If your favourite aspect of ‘All Clear’ was my hair, as I assume it was for many people, I wanted to be that person who delivers every time for you,” says Knight. “During this shoot we walked for an hour through the woods with the camera gear, and my hair, to get the final shot of me on the desolate beach, washed up, with sand in my mouth. I say this because I want you to know that we are committed to telling you stories that delight and confront your humanity, and also how far I will go to get the part. I'm the Daniel Day-Lewis of Canadian Indie Folk Rock.”
Knight has spent much of this year across the Atlantic supporting Each Other. During his time overseas, “The Arp”, lead single from the album, became a mainstay at BBC Radio, while the album itself has been named BBC6 Music’s Album Of The Week. Uncut Magazine has called the sound “breathtaking”, and MOJO Magazine claims his songwriting to be “darkly magnetic”.
WATCH AIDAN KNIGHT PERFORM EACH OTHER ON CBC FIRST PLAY LIVE
WATCH AIDAN KNIGHT PERFORM ALBUM TRACK “ALL CLEAR” ON CBC q
Out now on Outside Music, Each Other was recorded at the Bathouse Studio, just outside of Kingston and home to Millhaven Maximum Security Prison, where the band sequestered themselves in the studio for over two weeks with producer Marcus Paquin (The National, Local Natives, Stars). Together with Paquin they were meticulous with each song, piecing together the raw energy of the live show along with the layered textures that could only be captured in the studio. An exhaustive process to say the least which Knight reflects on in saying, “Marcus, guided an unruly collection of ideas and a sometimes impulsive person (me) with remarkable patience (Marcus is also a new father).” Each Other was mixed over a very cold winter by Mathieu Parisian (Patrick Watson, Karkwa), a man familiar with intricately elaborate recordings.
MORE PRAISE FOR EACH OTHER
“Affecting and poignant… Inventive time signatures, hypnotic guitar lines and dark brass contributions combine to forge a multi-textured bed for a lyrical set that’s wistfully observational. The whole thing is painted with a deliciously gentle melancholy.” - Guitar & Bass – 9/10
“Darkly magnetic” - MOJO – 3 Stars
“Knight’s sombre, brooding vocals are elevated by soaring reverb-heavy electric lines, thundering drum fills and dramatic piano breaks, which make the album’s more intimate moments all the more effective.” - Total Guitar Magazine 4/5
“Knight’s third album will appeal to those who like their music languid and delicate - sign up if you’re into Cowboy Junkies, Bon Iver, Grandaddy and Bill Callahan.” - Scottish Daily Express