Because Matel sailed to shore today. Land ho!

Martel is a double concept album in which Malinowski explores the lives of his relatives on both the east and west coasts — one disc is called "Pacific;" the other "Atlantic." The album's songs are based on the real and imagined life of Charles Martel, Malinowski's ancestor. Martel was inspired by Malinowski's own travels to Europe and his family's history in France.

"Before my grandfather passed, he mapped our family lineage in detail, in old books," says Malinowski. "That's where I found Charles's story, and these patterns of displacement that resonated in me deeply. The Martels after Charles became sailors, privateers and pirates for the most part. It was a dislocation I felt deeply, having been continuously travelling for all my life."

The result is a soulful, accessible piece of work that transcends genre and speaks to the experience of living with a Canadian past.