Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition - August 2017

MUSIC
MARIKA HACKMAN
finding the cathartic beauty in letting go
MAX ASPER
You used to be able to find Marika Hackman playing quiet folk sets
in small, smoky venues. Like a candle burning slowly in the centre
of the room, Marika would provoke a depressing sentimentality
from audience members – but those days are in the past. 2017 has
seen Marika depart from her toned down ways, focusing on a more
upbeat, poppy folk sound instead. Most recently, the Hampshire, England-born
artist has teamed up with beloved record label, Sub Pop
Records, to release her new album, I’m Not Your Man. Early reviews
have been kind, and Marika is excited to take her new stuff on tour.
I’m Not Your Man, released in June, seems to represent a step towards
more freedom and simplicity for Marika. “It was one of those
things where I kind of let go a little bit more…I think when it came
to actually writing, I was trying my best to push myself and the chord
progressions to a weird abstract kind of place just to make them
unique. I kind of just let the music flow, which is always going to give
you something a bit more poppy and a bit more upbeat. I think I was
less prone to overthinking it maybe this time around.”
The idea of ‘letting go’ is felt musically through the album’s range,
sometimes offering wild jam sessions (“Time’s Been Reckless”) and
other times sounding very tamed (“Apple Tree”). Marika suggests
that her newfound freedom can be attributed to being in a better
headspace than she was during the recording of past projects, namely
her 2015 debut full length album, We Slept At Last, which was
charged with a much darker, melancholy sound. Marika offers insight
as to what brought on her positive mindset.
“I think that, over 2 years you grow a lot, and you grow into
yourself and you find out more about yourself as a human being.
On the last album [We Slept At Last], I had just come out of a long
relationship and the photography is kind of heartbreaking on that
JON COHEN EXPERIMENTAL
kooky creation takes many forms
With I’m Not Your Man, Marika Hackman embraces her freedom and comes out swinging.
album. This time around I was and am still in a very strong relationship
and kind of just - I’ve been enjoying life and I left my manager
and my label the day I started writing it. I don’t know, there was a lot
of change and shifts, but I feel like it was all positive and very much
all my decision and I felt very empowered by that. So yeah, I think it
was very much a confidence thing, and I just came from being in a
better headspace.”
We Slept At Last also lacked the instrumental accompaniment
that I’m Not Your Man embraces. Marika provides all the vocal and
instrumental elements to over half the album’s tracks, with indie
ADAM DEANE
rockers The Big Moon supporting her on some of the other songs
and her live performances. The whole gang is about to embark on a
North American tour before heading back home to the UK for a couple
more shows. Marika admits to being weary of being on the road
for long periods of time, away from her family and girlfriend, but
she is eager to throw herself back into the fervor of tour life. To keep
positive in the chaos, Marika advises “enjoying things while you’re
doing them, and not wishing you were somewhere else.”
Marika Hackman performs at the Biltmore Cabaret on August 3.
Jon Cohen takes everything he has learned and sinks it into the very unique new release Go Getters.
Defiance has been a growing trend as of late in
Canada. Resisting governance, legalizing weed,
and perpetually giving Uber the cold-shoulder.
If you’re a visionary, at some point in your life
you’ve defied at least once. If you’re a musician
chances are you’ve broken at least one law, and
if you’re not into the whole law-breaking thing,
you could always defy something else; like genre,
for instance.
Just look at Jon Cohen of JCEX (Jon Cohen
Experimental). His music routinely defies genre,
and he doesn’t even have to break any laws,
regularly. Pinning him down for an intelligent
exchange is tougher nowadays as he is in the
process of birthing two babies. Go Getters, Jon’s
shiny-new album, has a due-date of August 11th
pending all goes well with labour and delivery.
Jon also has a human-baby on the way set to
be launched in November. Of his new baby, he
stresses that it’s been a long-time coming. Wait,
scratch that, reverse them.
This album will mark the 10-year anniversary
of his favored Montreal band which has
had what Jon refers to as a “revolving-door of
talented musicians” move through over the
decade. Staying trendy in one of the world’s
most vibrant music scenes ain’t easy though.
Upon further prodding, Jon offered-up a few
of his secrets to staying the right amount of
relevant enough to break new and weird ground
on a routine-basis. Thought-provoking cover-art
for instance. Go Getters was the result of a few
madly creative minds coming together to form
a whole and making some killer tunes along that
route. Cohen is keen to the connection between
all forms of art, so the cover was very important
to him; important enough to change the name
of the album to better fit the portrayal. “The art
represents the innocence we are killing. Our ability
to have any kind of freedom taken away piece
by piece. It depicts the purest manifestation of
good taken away by Swat officers.”
And it does the trick; provocation at it’s finest.
Jon has something that a lot of other artists
are in constant rabid, unconscious-hunt for,
and that is a comfortable restraint. Both his
voice and lyrics lift you to a place akin to your
grandmother’s garden on acid. It’s pleasantly
satisfying with just the right amount of kooky;
like biting into a ripe-plum with your pants
on your head. If you dig a smooth, hypnotic,
soul-moving beat that allows you to transcend
and tip-toe over the daily trials and tribulations
of this whole thing we’re all living in right now, I
would strongly suggest not missing the birth of
one of this man’s babies.
Jon and his Experimentals will be at the
Astoria (Vancouver) on August 16.
10 MUSIC
August 2017