BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - October 2016

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can work past the formulaic moments and see the depth of musical knowledge JoJo’s utilized to get to this point. • Trent Warner Joyce Manor Cody Epitaph Instead of relishing in the emo-rock revival and tracing its roots around, we should just acknowledge that Joyce Manor is lovable because they write tight, snappy pop-punk songs that never overstay their welcome. Cody even has the outfit writing some of their longest songs to date. Long, of course, is relative: the longest track on the record is still a paltry four minutes. As opening tracks go, rarely do you get one as precise and barn-raising as “Fake ID.” An anthemic guitar line cuts into focus leading into a perfectly pitched narrative about an attractive underage girl and her adoration of hip-hop iconoclast Kanye West. The track is hilarious, sharp, and so listenable, you might even forget there is a whole record left to adore. And adore you shall, track after track, Cody is infectious and dynamic. “Angel in the Snow” and “Make Me Dumb,” in particular, both have rhythmic circularities and enticing sing-along choruses. The record ebbs and flows strongly with a nice acoustic cut in “Do You Really Want to get Better” and a few well-earned down tempo movements throughout. Cody is almost too squeaky clean in its song and album structure, but that’s a pretty minor criticism of an otherwise punchy and fully realized outing. It’s quick, snappy, and we can’t stop listening to it. • Liam Prost Merchandise A Corpse Wired for Sound 4AD Merchandise’s latest album A Corpse Wired for Sound isn’t quite sure what it’s trying to be. A dash of post-punk, a smattering of shoegaze, and a whole lot of synth, Corpse is an odd mishmash of tracks that manages to hold itself together through loud, echoing drum beats, pulsating basslines, and frontman Carson Cox’s brooding-yet-catchy vocal delivery. With a title lifted from a short story by sci-fi author JG Ballard, A Corpse Wired for Sound keeps with the theme by burying some of it’s more technical instrumentation underneath the rubble of dystopian dissonance. Stand-out tracks like sonic opener “Flower Of Sex,” and the deceptively cool “Shadow Of The Truth” have an infectious energy, but A Corpse Wired for Sound suffers from a tendency to aim for highs it can’t always seem to find. Still, the album is a welcomed change of direction from the Tampa three-piece, following 2014’s underwhelming After the End, and the peaks it does manage to hit are worth committing to the slightly over 40-minute runtime. A Corpse Wired for Sound is undoubtedly a stronger record than Merchandise’s debut effort for 4AD, but ultimately leaves the listener wishing they had pushed this new transition a little further. • Alec Warkentin M.I.A. AIM Interscope As a self-proclaimed final album, M.I.A.’s fifth studio effort, AIM, is off the mark if the 41-year-old rapper wants to go out on a high note. The album opens with “Borders,” a track that has that classic M.I.A. style: a dance groove juxtaposed against a simplified-to-abstraction narrative. Unfortunately, the record wanes into a scheme of abrasive repetitiveness after that, with just a few moments of undeniable strength, artistry and spot on production. There’s a great willingness to experiment on the record that has to be admired, but M.I.A.’s show of vocal tone-deafness and lack of clarity is untoward and doesn’t do her justice. “Foreign Friend” is a prime example of this failing on the album, with its melodic pops of strength and singular moment of clever lyricism wasted by stale timing and consistent pitchiness. “Visa,” “Fly Pirate,” and the Diplo remix of “Bird Song” are saving graces on the record and better demonstrate M.I.A.’s ability to push repetitiveness in a track without going over the line. While the album fails as a last dance to remember, it does have some moments that will stand out in the full body of M.I.A’s work, leaving listeners hoping that she’ll come back again with another effort. • Andrew R. Mott Mac Miller The Divine Feminine REMember Music From a high school rapper selling CDs out of his backpack to telling introspective love stories, Mac Miller’s progression has been nothing short of spectacular. Miller’s fourth studio album, The Divine Feminine, boasts production from I.D. Labs, DJ Dahi, and Tae Beast amongst others. Features on the album come from Anderson .Paak, CeeLo Green, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and more. “Dang!” featuring Anderson .Paak was the first of three singles released before the album, and was followed by “We” featuring CeeLo Green, and “My Favorite Part” featuring Ariana Grande. Miller’s jazz influence is much more evident on The Divine Feminine than any of his other albums through his use of piano, horns, and a mood he sets like a fine red wine. The first track, “Congratulations” featuring Bilal, has Ariana Grande introduce the album before Miller sets the tone by calmly rhyming about a girl he loves, and the vivid memories he still has of her over a piano-riddled track produced by Miller (as Larry Fisherman) and Aja Grant. Throughout the album Miller focuses his rhymes on a lover, begging them not to leave on tracks like “Dang!” and “Stay,” and shows off both vocal improvement and lyrical maturity on “God Is Fair, Sexy Nasty” featuring Kendrick Lamar. • Dalton Dubetz Mr. Oizo All Wet Ed Banger Records Quentin Dupieux, aka Mr. Oizo, has a knack for breaking molds. The producer’s constant innovation over the last 20 years has cemented him as a closely-guarded secret – one that has started to leak into mainstream electronic consciousness. All Wet is but another morceau of psychedelic chirping in Mr. Oizo’s arsenal. Starting strong with “OK Then” and “Sea Horses,” Dupieux opens his oeuvre with a sleazy seminar on the archetypal funk-laden French house sound. “Freezing Out,” featuring 54 | OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> • BEATROUTE
Canadian sex-siren Peaches, is a jarring departure from convention, a footwork-accented dubstep ode to vaginas. From then onward, Dupieux takes listeners on a veritable rollercoaster of sonic exploration. Standout dancefloor-ready tracks like “Ruhe,” “All Wet” and “Low Ink” clash with the bare noise of “Chairs” and “Useless” in a beautiful chaos best consumed as an album, not a shuffled mess of singles. Where Mr. Oizo’s sound was once too-future, votes of confidence from creative luminaries like Boys Noize, Charli XCX, and even Skrillex, are a resonating “fuck you” to the pandering, safe trend that electronic music has been invaded by as of late. Ultimately, Dupieux’s latest work is an unapologetic tapestry of intriguing tidbits. While few of its tracks fit the conventional definition of music, the impression is that Mr. Oizo never intended for them to be. All Wet, then, is a challenging, but rewarding listen for the open-minded. • Max Foley NOFX First Ditch Effort Fat Wreck Chords First Ditch Effort is the latest release from punk legends, NOFX. In anticipation of this album, two teaser songs were released: “Six Years on Dope,” which dropped in late August, and “Sid and Nancy,” released on Record Store Day. Both of these songs are great examples of the array of music on First Ditch Effort, both genuine and the ridiculous that is NOFX. Recently the band published their first book, The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories, where they shared experiences on a very personal level. This album is almost a continuation of the same open honesty. Lyrically, First Ditch Effort has more depth, both personal and emotional, which is a far cry from their earlier albums. There are slightly more harmonies and little less political aggression, but this is NOFX; naturally the lyrics are smart and equally smartass, with cleverly camouflaged sarcasm and angst. Melodically, it’s as most NOFX albums are: infectiously upbeat, fast, and easily addictive. Short quick tempos are reminiscent of older albums, but they’ve also added slightly more complex and experimental elements to this album. From rhythm patterns, to the use of a piano and audio clips. Overall, First Ditch Effort is a great addition to the ever-growing NOFX discography. • Sarah Mac Conor Oberst Ruminations Nonesuch Records Conor Oberst, for as long as modern memory serves, has been a voice of fragility and yet brazenly earnest confessionals. At first, the patron saint of the broken hearted, leading Bright Eyes to fame with a swath of sweetly sad and oddly compelling tales. This time around, when Oberst sat down to write, the intention to make an album was not there. But what poured out as he holed up in his hometown of Omaha, with snow piling up outside, and wood fire ashes piling up on the hearth, became a glowing and honest collection of stories that is the perfect soundtrack to the drawing cold of the season. Decidedly unpolished, with little effect, and warmth instilled by gloriously imperfect harmonica parts, the album dances between the stirring piano and guitar styles the songwriter is known for, with the air of a train hopping transient, looking to escape some unknown history. The highlight of the album is “Barbary Coast (Later),” a perfect Jack Kerouac-ian example of the aforementioned feeling. There are moments that make the listener think of Jeff Buckley (“You All Loved Him Once”) and Andy Shauf (the dark and uniquely human stories of the album, including “Mamah Borthwick”), and yet it all comes together so undeniably Conor Oberst. • Willow Grier Opeth Sorceress Nuclear Blast Sweden’s Opeth have been in the game a long time, going all the way back to 1990. Releasing 12 albums along the way, becoming known the world over as one of the most diverse groups working in metal and refusing to get tied down by one individual set of stylistic constraints. Sorceress is the group’s first release on the mighty Nuclear Blast record company, one of the most reputable in the industry. Album standout “The Wilde Flowers,” has a sort of Mike Patton-era Faith No More operatic quality to it. The next tune, “Will O The Wisp,” calls to mind Jethro Tull with a very gentle minstrel nature with just acoustic guitar and clean story telling vocals. Opeth’s last record, 2014’s Pale Communion, saw the group flirt with the sonic realms of the ‘60 and ‘70s, and the prog rock sound has remained a continually prevailing influence. Now on Sorceress, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt states an influx of jazz into his already bursting record collection provided new creative elements from which to work with. The album is a real journey and perhaps the group’s most adventurous work yet. Moments of tranquility are interspersed with great high points, shredding solos and soaring ranges of vocality. Opeth remain steadfast in their pursuit of forging onwards into new musical territory for themselves. • Paul Rodgers Picture The Ocean Something Real Independent The path of artists is rarely a straight line, and the art they create is often reflective of their chosen avenues. On their new LP, Something Real, Edmonton’s Picture The Ocean have delivered a subtle and close knit set of songs that shines a soft light on their transition from road weary to finding the nearness that can only come from having a place to call home. The warm, opening strains of “Anywhere,” with only an acoustic guitar and tambourine to accompany the matrimonial harmony of Jesse Dee and Jacquie B, finds a sweet melancholy in the end of a long road, the refrain, “You can’t call me here, I could be anywhere,” at once letting the ones you love know you’re safe, even if they can’t hear you say it. “Excalibur” takes the returning home narrative a bit further, and puts a new spin on the conversations bands have about making plans for the future, at once hopeful, and disconsolate at the ways the world can change the plans you cared so much for, with or without your input. Picture The Ocean may not be putting on the miles they used to, but their seams feel as tight knit as ever, and Something Real offers a smartly composed and performed heartfelt proximity to the dreams of youth and the realities of age. • Mike Dunn Powell Sport XL Recordings There are plenty of SEO-oriented ways of discussing electronic enfant terrible Powell’s music, many of which were engineered by Oscar Powell himself. Having published personal email correspondence everywhere BEATROUTE • OCTOBER <strong>2016</strong> | 55
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BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - October 2016

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