You Oughta Know: Said the Whale

Vancouver pop-rockers Said the Whale might be named after the large mammals that cruise up and down the West Coast but their music has been indelibly shaped by the entire country.

Their recently-released sophomore album, 'Islands Disappear,' is a musical reflection on Canada, following a Vancouver-inspired debut marked by intensely moving songs about sailing in 'Howe Sounds' and losing a loved one in the same waters in 'Curse of the Currents.'

"The first was Vancouver because it was where we had been during writing," singer/guitarist Tyler Bancroft tells Spinner. "This one, we've been on the road for two years, six cross-Canada tours, so we're influenced by lots of Canada now."


It wasn't until their most recent tour, though, that they were able to reach the spacious country's far eastern edge and dissect coastal differences. "The east coast now is quite similar to the west coast in a lot of ways," offers the band's other singer/guitarist Ben Worcester.

"Just way f---ing colder," Bancroft deadpans.

But if those same cold temperatures make many tourists cautious about travelling Canada's rugged landscape themselves, Said the Whale's songs should help convince them otherwise. Besides the vocal harmonies of Bancroft and Worcester, Jaycelyn Brown's hummingbird-like keys and the humble rhythm section of Spencer Schoening and Peter Carruthers, Said the Whale's lyrics delve into the details of the album's Canadian setting.

The album is practically a trip in itself, with geo-specific songs like the soft opener 'Dear Elkhorn' (for Elkhorn, Manitoba), the cautious tale of 'B.C. Orienteering,' the pleasant day in 'Emerald Lake, AB' and the mermaid and old man at the Vancouver harbour on 'Black Day in December.' The list goes on.

Said the Whale plan on hibernating back in Vancouver during the upcoming Olympics season but now that they've covered their own country's map, it may be high time to go abroad and make some new travel memories to mine for the next record.