Call and Response : A Mix by Michael Feuerstack

Montreal musician Michael Feuerstack was kind enough to curate this week’s playlist for Petal Motel. Earlier this month, he released the album Harmonize the Moon on Halifax’s Forward Music Group.

Formerly recording with The Wooden Stars prior to a stint under the nom de plume Snailhouse, Michael recorded this album all on his own at his home in the spring of 2020, pensive, lyric-forward songs that took shape over gentle, thrummed guitar.

Harmonize the Moon is filled with ten gorgeous songs, Michael’s gentle, embroidered acoustic guitar complimented by pedal steel wanderings. His rich, warm voice creates an atmosphere of intimacy, the kind of songs that indeed make you feel “Bathed in Light.”

Of the mix, Michael says:

Elements in music are often said to be in dialogue with one another, but the call and response of voices is actually a very literal and fundamental version of this idea. Like most powerful things, it’s effective because it’s so simple.

Call and response in music is something special and age-old. I’m not just talking about the simple presence of backing vocals or multiple voices, but something more intentionally conversational between singers.

I’ve made a collection of some songs I love that play in varying ways with call and response. This mix is by no means exhaustive or authoritative, and it’s not bound by rules of genre, decade, audio fidelity or BPMs. It’s just a wildly diverse cross-section of stuff that captures my imagination, plus a couple of my own relevant contributions from recent years.

Modern Music – Black Mountain
You Are Beside Me – Ryan Driver (featuring Jennifer Castle)
I Used to Be a Singer – Michael Feuerstack
It’s All Right – Curtis Mayfield
Braindrops – Tropical Fuck Storm
I’ll Take You There – The Staple Singers
Way You Walk – Papas Fritas
Stories – Michael Feuerstack (featuring Jessie Stein)
What Do You Mean? – Vic Chesnutt
Bellman – The Watersons
O Sun O Medusa – Jenny Hval and Susanna
You Don’t Love Me – Bob Wiseman
I Don’t Know – The Replacements
Where Are You Now? – Michael Feuerstack
Slow Century – Herman Dune
Clara – Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa
Then the Letting Go – Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

Buy Harmonize the Moon on Bandcamp.

Photo: Stacy Lee