Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Noah Vachon's self-titled release is one of the most disarming, feel-good albums I've had the pleasure of listening to in a long time. The cover art is an unassuming photo of the man himself in front of some wallpaper, and the record itself is equally unadorned. It's simply the warm sound of a talented singer and songwriter with his acoustic guitar, writing songs about his personal life. If he were even slightly self-conscious, pompous or boring, the record would not work. He manages to avoid all those pitfalls and turn out a completely engaging record, with just enough of an eclectic feel to keep the ear interested without taking the focus away from his humble, honest lyrics. "I wish you would fall in love with someone else," he sings on "Blue Lips." It's funny and it's sad. He's an excellent storyteller and this record is well worth listening to. - www.torontoindie.com
Singer/songwriter Noah Vachon writes thoughtful lyrics that deal with what you typically hear as an audience of light rock. Most of his songs pop and weave around catchy pop-rock that is surprisingly tight for an unsigned act. As a Canadian he proves that the scene up north is still as vibrant as it was in the glory days of Canadian indie rock five years ago. Vocally he lingers on melodies a bit longer at times than I would have recommended but it doesn’t derail the whole effort at all. I’d suggest that he continues to refine his songs and concentrate on his talented vocals.
- J-Sin - www.smother.net
Wow! There is a purity in the songs coming from this gentleman that cannot be missed. I am taken aback by how easily and deeply I was moved by the tracks I had the pleasure of listening to. This is pure songwriting at it's finest! All instrumentation was written composed and performed on his self titled debut EP by Noah himself and thank goodness for that! This gentleman had me reminiscing to the old times when songs were just that! Your impatience has rewards. Noah is here!
Standout Tracks: Blue Lips, Blinders Off
- www.catsask.com
A man and his guitar, it doesn't get more simple than that. But, sometimes simplicity can be exactly what we need. That's where Noah Vachon comes in. His self titled album is nothing but pure, real music that anyone can connect with. This is the cd you pop in on a rainy day and just let it play through while you lounge around the house. Nowadays music is so complicated and corrupted that you almost have to sell your soul just to make a hit. It
was a welcome relief to hear music like this. There's something so raw about these songs that they just work. It's like music for the average person. There's no over singing, catchy pop hooks or synthesized beats. Just cleverly written tracks that everyone can relate to. Your perception of music will change after hearing this album.
Noah Vachon is the perfect cross between John Mellencamp and Fiona Apple...which in this case, is a good thing. He has a laid-back, subtle vibe that flows through each song and you're automatically taken in. It starts with one of the most original break up songs that I've ever heard of and travels through all aspects of a relationship telling a story of love
cherished, love lost and love gone wrong. "Deadbeat Boyfriend" takes a different approach to the term, love is blind. It's a first person narrative from the boyfriend explaining all of his faults and bad habits. This is the best song on the album just for the fact that no one ever focuses on this perspective in music. Noah Vachon was able to take the road less traveled
and come up with a terrific song. Another track worth mentioning is "Drop Your Bag". A hauntingly sweet song about being in love.But the thing that makes it one of the better tracks is that it plays almost like a lullaby and it's extremely catchy. The more you listen to it the more you'll love it.
There's just song after song of light, charismatic, just plain good music.The key to a great album is knowing how to keep the listener listening. The songs have to flow together or the listener will lose interest halfway through the album. Noah won't have that problem. His music has a unique, coffee house vibe which reminds me of Brad Yoder, another great musician.
Real musicians are slowly creeping back into the mainstream and Noah Vachon has taken his rightful place among them. This music can't be classified as anything other than simple and clean. That's exactly what everyone needs, a little simplicity and a little Noah Vachon. Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed.
- Loud Orange Reviews - Chanita Davis
Refreshing sparse arrangements give this acoustic pop album the space it needs to showcase the well crafted lyrics. There’s nothing forced or clunky about his words, all delivered with his slightly rough voice that veers a bit off key but in a cool Neil Young kinda way. At the center is a solid acoustic guitar accented with what I think is mandolin (or high strung guitar), bass, light percussion and a few back-up vocals. Songs about love found and lost but not in that boring ooh baby baby way that too many pop writers rely upon.
“Blue Lips” is the song you wanna play for that girl (or guy) who won’t leave you alone:
"This metric ton is just digging into bony shoulders
My melting sneakers
Looks like something’s breaking down ..."
The chorus ends with “I wish you would fall in love with someone else.” Yeah, loser, get lost. I need to play “Deadbeat Boyfriend” for all my straight girl friends ‘cause I know they’ll all be slapping their thighs and nodding yes:
"You spoke to me softly, I called you a whore
I came home from drinking and slept on your floor ..."
Can we say “amen” sisters and kick him past the curb? Make sure it’s a busy street with narrow lanes.
He can write a love song, too, however quirky, like “Chills,” a charming ballad in three quarter time, “You’ve got more eggs in your dozen.” Say those sweet things, baby. There’s a tasty ascending guitar riff holding down “Gone as Gone Gets,” and “Running After You” chronicles a search through the city for his girl.
You definitely want this album if you like your singer-songwriters with refreshing lyrics in clean pop acoustic arrangements. You don’t even need a loser boyfriend to appreciate it.
Jamie Anderson - Indie-music.com
“Congratulations, you have a good, professional sounding CD. I like the organic, alt pop mood…solid, bright and optimistic…great, unique lines and ideas here!” - www.taxi.com
“Catchy, clever songwriting and careful instrument arrangement. His honest lyrics and, swooping melodies give him a pop-folk sound unlike any other.” - PG This Week - Prince George Citizen
“Sexsmithian-songwriting chops and atypical pop harmonies…Noah once broke a drunken four-story fall from a terrace with a pensioner.” - Fringe Pop promo material
Discography
Some feedback on my first self-produced, self-titled EP:
"His songs pop and weave around catchy pop-rock that is surprisingly tight for an unsigned act."
-www.smother.net
"I am taken aback by how easily and deeply I was moved by the tracks ... This is pure songwriting at it's finest!"
www.catsask.com
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Noah Vachon & Rixford Knights will be recoding with Don Kerr this fall!
Noah Vachon was raised in the woods of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. At 18 he moved to Montreal and spent 5 years studying in 5 different fields before finally accepting his fate: Noah is a singer and a songwriter. He has been since the age of thirteen, it just took him a while to accept it.
Since moving to Toronto in 2003, Noah has been regularly playing solo shows throughout the city and building a fast-growing local fan base.
Noah’s secret ingredient? Like all the writers that have inspired him — Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake — the magic is in his songs.
Songs so deceptively easy to listen to that you’d swear that he couldn’t possibly have road-tested them in front of dozens of microphones, that he must have just bought them somewhere instead. Songs that have actual melodies — ones that swoop and dive across octaves, no less, and ones that belie the hours spent honing them. Noah’s songs grab you by the collar and say, “Listen.”
And the best part is you actually want to.
“I strive for honesty,” he says. “Here’s an example… I’ve written in journals my whole life. But the funny thing is I tend to leave them on coffee tables, where anyone can read them. My songs are like that, too. I figure if I feel something strongly enough to write it down, then I should be able to share that with anyone who comes along.”
He continues. “Actually, the journal example is really appropriate, because I find my songs end up being a lot like entries in a diary. I’m not a philosopher. I don’t make political statements. I’m concerned mostly with personal experience, and my songs really reflect that. They’re extremely personal for me, very cathartic.”
His first collection of nine of those songs — recorded December, 2004, in a home studio in his old bedroom in the Eastern Townships — is called, simply, “Noah Vachon.” The title is not a boast, but a promise.
One of the songs featured on the album, entitled “Drop Your Bag”, has recently been selected for use in the “Short Tracks for Short Films” compilation CD being produced by the Canadian Film Centre to promote the use of Canadian independent music in film.
Links
