I can tell you there’s massive skepticism in the music and video world about its chances. I haven’t tried the new YouTube subscription service yet - after many stops and starts, this rollout seems oddly rushed, and the company demoed it for me remotely, via a Google Hangout - so I can’t tell you how it works. Oh! And anyone who pays - it’s free during the invitation-only beta, and then $8 a month for some people, and then $10 a month for everybody else - will also get a free subscription to Google All Access, the other, Spotify-like subscription service Google is already offering. So what is it? It’s a little confusing, in a Googley way, but the main thrust is that the paid version of YouTube will give users the ability to watch music videos without ads, take those videos with them when they’re offline, and to turn YouTube into a music player that you can run in the background while you do other tasks on your phone. People with iPhones will get it … eventually, YouTube says.

And soon, some of you will have the chance to pay for it.Īs promised - many times - YouTube is finally starting to roll out a paid version of itself that’s focused on music and music videos.Įmphasis on starting: Today, the company is overhauling the free version of its Android app, and next week it’ll start inviting some of its users to try a new subscription feature, which it’s building into the Android app (no unbundling here).

Hell-bent on creating a meaningful life amidst the siren songs of consumerism and efficiency, Vox Rea wonders what it really means to be free.YouTube is the world’s largest music service. Themes of addiction, self-doubt, lust, identity, independence, and grief form the undercurrent of lyrics that are deeply introspective.

The album chronicles the odyssey of a group of artists trying to come to terms with their generation’s place in the human story. It is both the intoxicating night roaming and the guilty morning after, a revelry in excess, and an exercise in solemn self-reflection. Fascinated by the contradictions inherent in the human experience, the album is a celebration of free will and an ode to the paralyzing nature of choice. Their songs can also be heard in TV shows like Orphan Black, Reboot, and The Order.Ĭiting influences that range from Arcade Fire to Friedrich Nietzsche, the band draws inspiration from a mix of nostalgia for times past and life in a modern-day world in turmoil. The album garnered over a million spins on Spotify with songs featured on playlists including New Music Friday, Pop All Day, Hot Hits Canada, Indie Pop Chillout, and the Canada Viral 50 chart. The three women formed The Katherines and released their debut album, To Bring You My Heart, on 604 Records. Kaitlyn is an accomplished vocalist and all three women grew up singing in choirs together. Kate and Lauren lean on their classical background, featuring violin and piano respectively. Vox Rea features Kate Kurdyak (lead vocals/piano/guitar/bass), her sister Lauren Kurdyak (vocals/piano), childhood best friend Kaitlyn Hansen-Boucher (vocals/percussion), and Berklee-alum Mitchell Schaumberg (vocals/piano/guitar/bass). With a sound as impulsive and fluctuating as the life of the 20-somethings they are, their special brand of noir pop blends strings arrangements and harmonies into the dreamy collection of songs on their self-titled debut. Vox Rea supplies a soundtrack to the confusion and euphoria of coming of age in a postmodern world.

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