Various Artists – Sweet Treats: Live Sessions from CJSW 90.9 FM
On CJSW, variety is the name of the game. So it’s no surprise that Sweet Treats: Live Sessions from CJSW 90.9 FM (available for a minimum pledge of $120 at this year’s funding drive, from October 23 through October 30) is a more eclectic mix than most. The organ-based jazz of Sinistrio sits between the freeform noise of No Two Eyebrows and the polished gospel harmonies of The Sojourners. Some might call it schizophrenic, but it’s also the best distillation you could hope for of the station’s “anything-that’s-awesome” approach.
It’s unlikely you’ll be equally enthralled by The Bownesians’ CJSW history lesson, Sleepy Sun’s bluesy psychedelia and Grand Analog’s laid-back hip hop, but all are superb examples of their respective genres and the pristine recordings do each song equal justice. Sweet Treats is obviously a labour of love, and every aspect from the sound quality to the artwork to the sequencing that heroically strives to bring order to the proceedings speaks to that. A boundary-stretching listening experience that also supports one of the Calgary music community’s most valuable resources? Delicious.