Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition November 2017

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FEATURED CONCERTS VICTORIA, BC OCS - Memory of A Cut Off Head Teen Daze - Themes for a New Earth Wolf Parade - Cry Cry Cry BLACK WIZARD PLUS HASHTEROID AND TORREFY CAPITAL BALLROOM // SAT, NOV 18 STICKYBUDS PLUS MT. DOYLE AND JENNAY BADGER CAPITAL BALLROOM // FRI, NOV 24 CURRENT SWELL PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS CAPITAL BALLROOM // FRI, DEC 1 & SAT, DEC 2 AN EVENING WITH SHANE KOYCZAN MCPHERSON PLAYHOUSE // TUE, DEC 5 FOR FULL CONCERT LISTINGS & TO PURCHASE TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT: WWW.ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS.COM FACEBOOK /ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS TWITTER @ATOMIQUEEVENTS Marilyn Manson Heaven Upside Down Loma Vista Heaven Upside Down is shock rock industrialists Marilyn Manson’s tenth studio album. Manson certainly lives up to the shock aspect of his performance with this album. They’ve added some terrible hip-hop beats to “SAY10” and “Blood Honey;” eventually it dissipates into his old school industrial, almost grunge-y style, but they shouldn’t be there anyways. It’s not just the beats that come off awkwardly here either. Manson is known for being a smart lyricist renowned for being clever and repetitive, but his lyrics are often more laughable on this album. With his continuous counting from one to ten in “Revelation #12,” you’ll never forget that Manson knows how to count to ten; or the entirety that is “JE$U$ CRI$I$,” all of the lyrics are terrible. Once you get passed the horrendous beats and hilarious lyrics, the album has some solid points to it. Manson’s second single, “KILL4ME” is easily the best song on the album, it’s incredibly catchy which is about half of what Manson is known for. The title track is musically lacking: the beat is catchy, but otherwise it’s nothing to brag about and certainly not good enough to name an album after. If you’re looking for Manson’s old, killer song-style, you’ve come to the wrong album. • Bailey Barnson Melkbelly Nothing Valley Wax Nine Records With their debut album Nothing Valley, Chicago band Melkbelly have created perhaps the most cacophonous rock record of the year. It’s also one of the best debuts of the year, deftly combining math-y garage elements with riot grrrl-esque rock. “Kid Kreative” is the most straightforward of the songs on Nothing Valley; a straight-up garage rock smash-and-grab built on a catchy guitar hook and lead singer Miranda Winters’ charismatic vocal delivery. In a recent Stereogum piece, Winters described the track as being about “… having your aesthetic hijacked by someone else. Specifically, as a woman that plays rock ‘n’ roll, having your aesthetic hijacked by a man and them easily capitalizing on that.” Luckily for Melkbelly, their aesthetic here is purely their own. The following track “R.O.R.O.B.” features a noise breakdown that feels like something out of a hardcore track. The song after that is a winding indie track that sounds like a Speedy Ortiz song put through a meat grinder. From there, the album remains wildly divergent from anything else on the indie scene right now. Overall, Nothing Valley is an essential listen for anyone who ever thought that guitar music could ever die. • Jamie McNamara OCS Memory of A Cut Off Head Castleface Leave it to John Dwyer to change things up just when everything was starting to sound comfortable. Going from Thee Oh Sees, to Oh Sees, to OCS in the span of a year, the notoriously productive garage rock legend ditches the prog headiness of August’s Orc for the freak folk sound of his earliest work on Memory of a Cut Off Head (MOACOH). Despite a return to the acoustic adventures of a band now five-or-so iterations removed from this current lineup, MOACOH is a surprisingly efficient melding of Oh Sees prog-indebted jams and OCS’ original psych country ramblings. The songs here are quintessential Dwyer, featuring winding guitar lines and odd song structures. This is folk music filtered through a kaleidoscopic acid haze. Gone are the dueling drummers and krautrock pulse of the last few Oh Sees records, replaced by reedy violin and a jester’s wit. Still, even without the propulsive guitar riffs and high-tempos of Dwyer’s last few projects, MOACOH still retains a few jam impulses. With its plinky harpsichord, standout track “The Remote Viewer” feels like a medieval fair rendition of a track from 2016’s A Weird Exits. It features one of the most straightforward choruses in the Dwyer catalog and it’s absolutely addictive after a few listens. That goes for much of MOACOH; it won’t sink its hooks into you immediately. Given time, however, these psychedelic excursions will unfurl and wrap their tendrils around you. • Jamie McNamara Teen Daze Themes For A New Earth FLORA Releasing his second project of the year, Jamison Isaak’s Themes For A New Earth is an enjoyable collection of instrumental tracks with a singular tone. The album was recorded at the same time as Themes For A Dying Earth, but lacks the vocal contributions of its predecessor. New Earth feels like a collection of outtakes as opposed to a fullfledged companion album. To Isaak, there’s a similar theme to both being reborn and dying, as the two projects sound nearly indistinguishable in terms of production. However, Teen Daze establishes a tone that is potent and vibrant like the colours of fall. Isaak previously enlisted guests like S. Carey of Bon Iver for his last album, but the soundscapes of New Earth hold their own without any features. The project is soothing, capturing the grandiosity of nature in both instrumental-heavy tracks and ambient compositions. It sounds like it could be the soundtrack to an 8-bit videogame where exploration and adventure is at the forefront. True to the album cover, it deconstructs the beauty of staring out into the ocean and watching waves crash along the coastline, evoking a wide array of emotions such as serenity, melancholy, and hope. While New Earth is solid from front to back, mixing tracks with Dying Earth enriches the concept. There’s no correct combination, as Teen Daze has masterfully allowed the decision to be dictated by the listener. • Paul McAleer Wolf Parade Cry Cry Cry Sub Pop Gone for six years and gracefully back again, Montreal’s Wolf Parade have returned to the fold draped in a sound that’s easily their most lush and polished yet. Carried by the sardonic vocals of frontman Spencer Krug, Cry Cry Cry straddles the line between goofiness and utmost sincerity, encapsulating a flair for the dramatic that may be the lynch-pin for new initiates to the band’s following. This is most prevalent on opener “Lazarus Online,” where heavy piano meshes with Krug’s wavering baritone around lyrics such as: “Lazarus online/ I received your message/ You’re a fan of mine, your name’s Rebecca, and you’ve decided not to die.” Apart from the sensational theatrics, however, Cry Cry Cry is actually a pretty solid album overall. Tracks like the quasi-ballad “Baby Blue” and the post-punk-revivalist-chic “Am I an Alien Here” more than make up for the tedious pitter-patter of weaker cuts like “Valley Boy” and “Who Are Ya.” Another important consideration for Cry Cry Cry is that it was produced with enough upbeat moments to counterbalance some of the more extravagant, and the finished product not only runs clean — it’s an album that you can play start to finish without fighting the urge to skip through. • Alec Warkentin 32 November 2017
LA VIDA LOCAL HOMEGROWN VANCOUVER MUSIC RELEASES Kafirun Eschaton Séance Records The word “eschaton” describes what will be when God ceases to reign over humanity, the chaotic earth before the end of the world. Kafirun captures that sound in swirling madness on their first full-length. “Omega Serpent” gets the album kicking with flurried, depressive riffs, while “Divine Providence” follows quite naturally with a more morose pace. The last half of the album is really the sweet spot, fast but hypnotic all the same. The deeper, chanted vocal segments suit the music perfectly and really add to the miasma of the album. However, the wailed vocals are a bit distracting as they are supposed to convey pain and suffering, but fall a bit flat here and just seem a bit too silly to have the desired effect. Ultimately, the vocals don’t detract from the album enough to take away from the fact that this is solid black metal. Kafirun’s next offering is already eagerly awaited. • Ana Krunic Puritans Autonomy Fundamental Illness In less than a year, post-punk three-piece Puritans are back with their second EP, Autonomy. Featuring four tight tracks that pack punch and polish, Puritans have clearly uncovered satisfying synergy. Opening with an absolute earworm, “Perimeter” starts strong with a steady cross-stick drumming and an atmospheric guitar line. Unlike on their previous release, Swerving Lines, frontman Cameron Davenport tiptoes his way onto the track, revealing a dynamic vocal delivery. It doesn’t last long, but his soft singing adds weight to the ungodly growl he unleashes later in the song. Bringing it home on “Weaker Weapon,” Puritans roll right over our eardrums with fuzzy guitar effects and a bruising beat. Before losing his voice completely, Davenport eases into another gentle croon, capping off the EP in the same way it started. Full of heavy hooks and awesome instrumentation, Autonomy is everything one could want from a sophomore record. Considering the strides they’ve made in just under a year, here’s hoping Puritans can make use of their momentum. • Sam Hawkins Sure Positive Mental Energy Independent Victoria based rockers Sure are shaking up the punk scene this autumn with the release of their second album, Positive Mental Energy. Self-described as “bratty and straightforwardly poetic,” Sure marry the old-school classicism of The Ramones and the Sex Pistols with a modern synergy that is as unpretentious as it is unabashedly fun. With the opening track, “Dog Pit” drawing the curtain back on the album, Sure makes damn—well, sure—that audiences know that they’re in for a head-banging good time from the get-go. With tasty guitar licks, hair-tossing beats, and vocals that scrape their way up the gentle side of punk, Sure nails a boyish vibe that will make waves with any audience. • Emma Sloan The Pack AD Dollhouse Cadence Music Standing out as a two-piece rock outfit can be tough but the seventh album by these Vancouver veterans’ shows that it can be done. Dollhouse takes roaring riffs, catchy hooks and marries them to powerful vocals with lyrics that really capture the uncomfortable feeling of the here and now. There are stompers here but the Pack AD show that they can slow it down on the smoky “Because of You” and reverb soaked, mournful closer “I Tried” for a nice change of pace without losing their edge. • Graeme Wiggins Project Pablo Hope You’re Well Technicolour Now based in Montreal, producer Project Pablo has been gaining traction since 2014 and laid down another mark in music with the release of Hope You’re Well via Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint. Opening with “Is It Dry,” the Vancouver native leads you through the four track EP leaning heavy on melody while still giving off that big room vibe. Keeping with the mindset of a little less hook, Hope You’re Well flirts with listener’s senses while ensuring it leaves an impression on the bodies reached, especially on closer “Oh Fer Sure” – pure heat. Project Pablo is a new breed bringing a sought after and recognizable flare to a mainstay sound in an always evolving electronic music environment. • Jamie Goyman Phono Pony Death By Blowfish Independent Featuring prickly vocals reminiscent of Mother Mother’s Ryan Guldemond and enough bar band riffs to warrant the price of admission, Phono Pony’s Death by Blowfish is an enjoyable listen, if a little on the simple and straightforward side. The choruses are catchy, the guitars are crunchy, and the rhythm section is tight. If you’re not moved by alternative rock this isn’t going to change your mind, but for the converted it’s just what the doctor ordered. Standouts include “Tattoo of My Face” and “Take It From Me.” • Max Hill November 2017 33
Page 1 and 2: EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL ■ THE BLAC
Page 3 and 4: November‘17 PUBLISHER BeatRoute M
Page 5 and 6: CITY BRIEFS! Eastside Flea Only Dru
Page 8 and 9: Charles Gaines Numbers and Trees XL
Page 10 and 11: RIO THEATRE 1660 EAST BROADWAY NOV
Page 12 and 13: CITY LET IT BE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Page 14 and 15: MUSIC CHAD VANGAALEN MASTERMINDING
Page 16 and 17: MUSIC ALEX CLARE CHANNELING PRIDE A
Page 18 and 19: MUSIC STORC DELIVERING A POST-ROCK
Page 20 and 21: GWAR PAYING TRIBUTE TO ODERUS URUNG
Page 22 and 23: TICKETS ON SALE NOW! PRESENTS SPECI
Page 25 and 26: MANATEE COMMUNE EMPLOYING THE ELECT
Page 27 and 28: MUSIC REVIEWS Gord Downie Introduce
Page 29: Four days of the best of genre cine
Page 34: NEW MOON RISING YOUR MONTHLY HOROSC

Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition November 2017

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