I Will Remember You

Sarah McLachlan and the Students of the School of Music are offering a free song, Find Your Voice, to celebrate the season. The song is free, but they'd really like you to donate what you can to the school. In addition to the free download, you can watch the video below.

Sarah also has a new album coming (finally) in 2013.

Nothing Stands Between Us Here

Sarah's new album, Laws of Illusion, is available today. I've not had a chance to download or listen, but I'm hoping it's good. A few of her songs have popped up on my iPod recently and I really do yearn for some really good new Sarah.

If you have had a listen, please let us know how it is in the comments!

If you prefer, iTunes

A Little Touch, A Little Taste, The Pheromones Embrace

Sarah McLachlan's new album Laws of Illusion comes out next week, but you can stream the whole dang thing on her Facebook page. I'll reserve judgment until I actually have a chance to listen, but I remain hopeful that she will regain that edge she once had and still exhibits on occasion.

Pre-order via Amazon.com

UPDATE: A great interview with Sarah in the Toronto Star. Sarah is sad.

No More Compromise

Sarah McLachlan has announced her new album The Laws of Illusion will be released June 15. Pre-order now from her website and you can have exclusive first access to Lilith Fair tickets.

Speaking of Lilith Fair, dates and locations are staring to trickle out. After checking out the lineup though, not sure if I'd travel to Chicagoland or Atlanta to see the show. I'll wait for Minneapolis or Kansas City. Man it would be cool to see Metric.

Voices Trapped In Yearning

Here's a nice piece on Vancouver Olympic Queen Sarah McLachlan, complete with the following money shot...

When I sing, I get kinda high -- that's the only way to describe it. It just puts me at a really peaceful place. It's like when you drone or chant, there's something about the toning, it's releasing something really magical. I don't know, I don't talk about it much, I just do it. It's the same as laughing, like having an orgasm, it just releases all this energy.

Oh happy thoughts.

The Province is also offering her Olympic anthem One Dream as a free download here for a limited time.

MP3: Sarah McLachlan - One Dream (via The Province)

Previously...

How Your Flame Keeps Burning

Sarah McLachlan has released a new Vancouvery video for One Dream just in time for the Winter Olympics. You might just be hearing this quite a bit in the next couple of weeks.



Official Site

You Know That Only Time Will Tell

Sarah McLachlan announced the first round of artists confirmed for the new femaley 2010 Lilith Fair tour, including Metric, Tara MacLean, Chantal Kreviazuk, Brandi Carlisle, Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara, and many other pretty big names. The first round of cities has also been announced. Good start!

I Fall Into The Water And Once More I Turn To You

Sarah McLachlan has a new single coming out tomorrow! She hasn't done anything new for a few years now, so I for one am looking forward to it.

If you join her newsletter, you'll be among the first to hear the new single.

Facebook
Official Site
HerSpace
iTunes
Amazon

Update: Here it is! Well done, Sarah, well done.

Sarah McLachlan - One Dream

All the Feelings They Remain Like a Still Life

Is it sad that I'm getting more and more of my music news on Facebook?

Anyway, Sarah McLachlan is performing for Jay Leno on Wednesday May 27th so set your DVRs to stun record if that's past your bedtime like it is mine.

According to Sarah's Facebook page, she performs at 11:45PM.

Still no word of a new album.

herbook
herspace
hersite

Don't You?

Sarah McLachlan is releasing her greatest hits package just in time for the holidays! It's called Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan on October 7 and as is typical these days, it actually includes two new songs.

Tracklist:
1. Vox
2. The Path Of Thorns (Terms)
3. Into The Fire
4. Possession
5. Hold On
6. Good Enough
7. Building A Mystery
8. Sweet Surrender
9. Adia
10. Angel
11. I Will Remember You
12. Fallen
13. Stupid
14. World On Fire
15. Don't Give Up On Us - New Song
16. U want me 2 - New Song

A nice if not predictable selection of tunes (Sarah handpicked them herself.) The video for U want me 2 debuted yesterday exclusively on Amazon.com. It's fairly typical post-Fumbling Sarah, which isn't to be critical, but it is certainly rich with mainstream AC appeal.

She just revealed that she has separated from her bandmate husband after 11 years of marriage and 2 kids. Sadly I am not available. I suppose a compilation closes that chapter so she can start anew. We'll see where it takes her. She still has one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous voices in all of music - which really comes alive in concert.

Pre-order standard version here
Pre-order deluxe version here (includes more classics and an expanded booklet)
Official site
HerSpace

CONTEST RESULTS: Don't Tell Me I Haven't Been Good Enough

Congratulations to Peter and LA Daniel for winning our inaugural contest. For simply telling us their favorite Sarah McLachlan tune (Vox and Hold On respectively, both very good choices,) they will receive Sarah's new rarities compilation.

Peter and LA Daniel, to redeem your award, please email me and we'll go from there.

Thanks!

CONTEST REMINDER: I'm Shaken by the Violence of Existing for Only You

It's been a quiet week here at Too Poppy figuratively and literally. Let's noise it up a bit.

Don't forget to provide your favorite Sarah Macca tune for a chance to win her new rarities compilation. Go here for the original post. You have until midnight tonight. Fellow Poppers, it's a free CD. C'mon!

CONTEST: Innocent Unknowing

Too Poppy is unbelievably more than 3 years old. During that time, we've made it a point to keep it simple and focus almost entirely on the music. We're not trying to change your online life with this modest pet project of ours, which we do entirely for the love of the music. We've never been overwhelmed with an abundance of comments and that suits us just fine. We've also never had a chance to say thanks for reading. We know you're out there (because you actually do comment every now and then.)

This post is a bit different for us. We are contest virgins and you're going to help destroy our innocence. We've been graciously offered 3 copies of Sarah McLachlan's new rarities compilation Rarities, B-Sides 2 And Other Stuff, Volume 2 to give away in any way we see fit. In the spirit of "just pop music" and keeping it simple, here's all you need to do to win:

1. Post the name of your favorite Sarah tune in the comment section.
2. Describe why it's your favorite tune.

We'll run this little contest for a week - until May 21. On May 22, Too Poppy's contributors will butt together our opinionated little heads and pick the 3 most genuine and creative comments. We're not looking for essays, we're looking for blurbs. For example, were I eligible for this contest, I would say that Into the Fire is my favorite Sarah tune because it's damn sexy and quite honestly it expanded my personal music universe.

Rules? One entry per person, must be a U.S. resident, must provide some way for us to get a hold of you (trust us, we have no use for your contact information beyond letting you know you won,) must be posted prior to 11:59 p.m. central time on May 21, and our picks are final. If we get only 2 comments, then we'll only give away 2 albums. That'll do.

Until you win, here are excellent ways to preview the album:

Official site
HerSpace
Album Player (preview all songs)
“Ordinary Miracle” Audio (full-length streams): WM / QT

Ready? Set? Go.

Speaks to Me of Comfort

I've really softened on Sarah McLachlan these past few years. Hmm, ok, maybe that's not the best turn of a phrase. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy remains a favorite album of mine and a creative zenith of her career (with Surfacing being a worthy commercial high point). Her last studio album had its moments (Stupid, Train Wreck,) but didn't really grab me like her previous work.

Nonetheless, I will likely pick up her upcoming compilation Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff, Vol. 2, an uninspired title to match some of the lackluster covers and duets featured on the album. For example, ten years ago I never would have imagined that Marilyn Manson's actress girlfriend's version of the Beatles' Blackbird would blow away Sarah's, but indeed, Evan Rachel Wood's stunning cover from Across the Universe is a high point of the movie and soundtrack. Many of the tunes are available elsewhere, but I guess it's nice to have it all in one place for us completists. If anything, though, the compilation is worth it for her version of Rainbow Connection alone, just because it's such a damn fine tune. Nevermind - found the link for that one too!

Pre-order here (due for release next week)
Sample here

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lyric source

Tis the Season to Be Jolly

Are you feeling a shortage of holiday tunes this year? After all, you can only take so much of those old, schmaltzy Johnny Mathis tunes. The Canucks are feeling the spirit and offering a full album of holiday tunage. Joyeux Noël!

Nettwerk Music Group and the Vancouver Sun is please to announce another free digital download album. It's Seriously Westcoast Vol.2 - Happy Holidays. Seasonally themed and features 15 songs from such artists as Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Medieval Baebes, Jars of Clay and many more.

Download here.

The Virgin Sings Her Lullaby

'Tis the season already?! It's going to be 90 today in Des Moines! Jesus! It's time to belt out your favorite holiday tunes, stick 'em on a CD, and puke them out to an adoring fanbase. I've rarely been a fan of holiday albums from pop stars, mostly because it's never anything all that special. Usually the original songs pale in comparison to the timeless classics. So I figure, why not just listen to the classics as done by those who made them famous?

With that said, I have to admit that I'm curious about Sarah McLachlan's first holiday CD Wintersongs. Her voice is spectacular and Pierre Marchand's production just might add some interesting elements to the religious classics like What Child is This? (my all-time favorite xmas tune), Silent Night, and O Little Town of Bethlehem. She's thrown in a couple originals including her old Song For a Winter's Night, which has long made music fans' cool holiday tune mixtapes, and the new Wintersong. The first single is her rendition of Joni Mitchell's River. I've yet to find any previews or downloads of the new album, but it comes out October 17 and do we really need to listen to holiday music before that? With her voice and song-styles, this might make for a good listen while loading (er, while Santa loads) the kids' stockings Christmas eve.

Also of interest for the same kinda crowd, a new holiday CD from James Taylor. And of note for Sarah fans, a new live double-disc set called Mirrorball: The Complete Concert comes out tomorrow. It's the full set from her concert in Portland that ended the tour, which included her best songs from her best albums Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing. I saw her on this tour and she was astonishing.