As fans, we get a lot from music. Solace. Sympathy. Support. Strength. It’s heartwarming to hear stories about fans being able to return the favour, or as in the case of Treeline Recordings’ Taking It To Heart compilation, paying that kindness forward. Label owner Ryan Montemurro recently released Treeline’s first album, a collection of new and unreleased original music by various Canadian artists, on both digital and vinyl platforms, with 100% of its net proceeds going to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
For Montemurro, it’s all about creating win/win scenarios. As a Canadian music enthusiast, he’s approached artists he respects and admires to contribute their work to the project, a fanboy approach I totally appreciate. Any chance to share new music alongside other musicians gives artists the opportunity to reach new listeners (and for fans to discover new favourites). That the whole endeavour is designed to do some good in our world is the cherry on top.
There’s sweet treats from the likes of Operators, Kevin Drew, The Besnard Lakes, and Nap Eyes on Taking It To Heart, but I’ve taken a shine to Trapper’s remix of Woodpigeon’s “Devastating” (a song originally from this year’s T R O U B L E album). It’s an intimate, homey reworking of the original; more an enhancement than the typical exaggeration remixing implies. I suspect that on 180 gram coloured vinyl, the Trapper remix of “Devastating” will sound even warmer and lush than it does digitally.
There’s a lesson to be learned from Treeline’s Taking It To Heart project, one that we’ll be sure to mull over as the DOMINIONATED team starts thinking about where our own compilation project goes next. It’s a #CanadianMusicConvo worth having. We welcome any input you may have, and are sure that Treeline Recordings would welcome any financial input you’d like to make to Taking It To Heart as well.
