Albums
All the love songs lied to us
Li’l Andy releases his freshly-pressed fifth album on Sainte Cécile Records September 13, entitled All The Love Songs Lied To Us. In its ten new songs, Andy expands upon his signature country-noir style to incorporate lush string arrangements, an ever-richening vocal sound, and a more immediate, personal style of songwriting. All The Love Songs Lied To Us is an exploration of romance and heartbreak, themes that are at the very core of country music. But as its title suggests, the album is also about the legacy pop songwriting has left—and about the very act of songwriting itself. The album was recorded and mixed at legendary Montreal studios Hotel2Tango and Breakglass Studio and features guest appearances by Patrick Watson, The Barr Brothers, and Ariel Engle of Broken Social Scene.
While the Engines Burn
“★★★★ While the Engines Burn pulls off a rare feat by fusing 1930s Ole Opry country with traditional folk and giving it a contemporary sound and feel in the process... This time around, the Montreal-based singer (yes, you read that right) may well have revived and reinvented quintessential Canadiana.
"This is an introspective, narrative album of lost souls, slow approaching thunder, rumbling train engines, and the rusty hollowed out carcasses of former gas-guzzlers. The title track, "And the Rains Came Down (September 9th, 1917)" and "The Canadian Pacific" showcase the first-rate talent with whom Li'l Andy has collaborated, including producer and Plants & Animals frontman Warren C. Spicer. Here's a record that sounds so good that drummer Ben Cassie, pedal steel ace Joe Grass, upright bassist Hans Bernhard and violinist Joshua Zubot also deserve mention. On the strength of this record, Li'l Andy is certain to find a bigger following.
—Exclaim!”
Home in Landfill Acres
"This is roots-based Americana that actually deserves to be made."
—The Village Voice
All who Thirst Come to the Waters
"★★★★½ This is a monumental release. Li'l Andy has walked the decaying streets of Montreal for near a decade now, guitar in hand, cowboy hat on head, and mirrored shades firmly in place, but even the great things we've heard from him don't compare to his third record. All Who Thirst soaks in the hallowed atmosphere it was recorded in, that city's famed Église Saint-Jean Baptiste, and is a testament to Andy's personal and spiritual quests and questionings. The tunes move to the band's slow-paced, late-night country vibe, a little bit of folk, rock and gospel explored for good measure."
— Hour Magazine
Tombstones and Arcades
A down-and-out cowboy wakes up in his suburban home. His wife has left him, taking everything but the dog, his old guitar, and their big-screen TV. What follows is the familiar country-and-western chronicle of one lonely man gone to drink, painkillers, and drivin' nails in his coffin. This is the story told in Li'l Andy & Karaoke Cowboy's debut album Tombstones & Arcades. As he drifts through encounters with the Grim Reaper, Jesus Christ, and Oprah Winfrey, the cowboy must survive a life half lived in the grave.