Michael Feuerstack is a revered figure in Canadian music, who’s been writing sharp-eyed, nuanced songs for decades and he’s marked his return with new single and video, “Big Sails.”
His new sound has an earthiness and rooted quality, derived from Feuerstack’s production style on his upcoming record which is conceived with a live John Peel session vibe in mind. It brings a liveliness and grounding to the record that makes the songs land even harder.
This is a song that feels amazing to play, and just rolls along on its own steam—but there’s also a brittle discomfort in it that gives it an itch that can’t be scratched. That seems about right for a rumination on privilege and apathy, characterized by a pointless ambition—a weakness that feeds on empty restlessness. The song forefronts a sense of yearning, but for what exactly? And why exactly? The status quo is always adequate when you’re not the one suffering. There was a beautiful dumpy old Hammond organ in the studio. While it was never part of the plan to include it in the instrumentation—we didn’t even know it was there originally—Kyle Cunjak, who was playing bass on the sessions, added it to this song and it ended up taking on an unexpected role in many of the album’s arrangements,” Michael Feuerstack on “Big Sails.”
Director Stacy Lee speaks about the video:
“In this video, I’ve taken inspiration from Jean-Paul Goude’s collage aesthetic, using it as a guide for our introspective journey along the coastline. After experimenting with several versions, we landed on a visual style that deviated from the original inspiration, but closely resonated with the songs narrative arch.
“The vulnerability of Michael’s lyrics spoke to me and I used classic portraiture to allow the audience to connect with the sense of intimacy laid bare by Michael’s songwriting. As we trace Michael’s fragmented, aimless journey, the video mixes realism with abstraction to guide us through themes of wanderlust, longing, and an almost existential crisis, all drawn from the song’s lyrics.”
Michael Feuerstack’s upcoming album Eternity Mongers, arrives April 19th. What do you think about his new single?
