BeatRoute Magazine [AB] print e-edition - [May 2018]

While the album is much more spacey and
simple than upbeat albums such as Cobra
Juicey and Dandelion Gum, there is a certain
familiarity that lingers while listening. A
definite sense of nostalgia that lays within the
charming and lighthearted synth melodies,
vocals dripping with distortion, and catchy
bass-lines, like on lead single “Mr No One.”
From a direction of tone, Panic Blooms is
much more polished, stripped in complexity,
and lacks the lo-fi warmth and grit of EP’s like
SeaFu Lilac. There are no guitars, and these
songs are less vocally driven, vearing far from
any previous tones of psychedelic rock.
Members of the band have been working
on a wide array of musical side-projects,
which could be to blame for the simplicity
– should you feel like you are missing
something. To some, the simplicity and
melancholic melodies could be enough to fill
their hearts with emotion, after a nearly six
year wait, for a full-length album. In this case,
there is a beauty to be seen in sonic spaces
and simplicity.
• Jamila Pomeroy
Mariel Buckley
Driving In The Dark
Independent
Mariel Buckley’s sophomore full-length, Driving
In The Dark, is a bold step forward in the
Calgary singer-songwriter’s sound. While still
drawing from the classic country themes of
nostalgia, heartache, and the stark and honest
admissions inherent to the style, Buckley has
expanded her sound and writing style since
2014’s Motorhome. With the aid of producer
Leeroy Stagger and a stellar crew of Alberta
musicians, Buckley has fleshed out a full and
lush roots rock sound that hits on a number
of familiar touchstones, all tied together by
her laid back and conversational vocal tone
and her strengths as a songwriter.
“Wait” kicks off the record with the whole
band dropping in on big shots that lay back
just in time to give Buckley’s voice a nice
landing spot on a bed of Michael Ayotte’s
Hammond organ. Buckley’s devotion to
country music is evident from the first line,
“I shouldn’t call when I’ve had this much to
drink,” while the choruses point the finger
inward, at the one most often responsible for
most any person’s deepest struggles.
Buckley’s been compared to a lot of
high-level singer-songwriters, and for good
reason. While comparisons to Lucinda Williams
and k.d. Lang are appropriate given the
style of Buckley’s writing, there’s a case to be
made that her ability to shift styles shows a
deep understanding and influence of Gram
Parsons. Her voice isn’t the big jailbreaker, it’s
subtle and her ability to evoke tough feelings
with subtlety is commendable. Buckley and
Stagger checked nearly every box creating an
excellent roots rock record.
Driving In The Dark catches a listener’s attention,
and Mariel Buckley’s ability as a writer
alone, whether self-accompanied or with a full
complement of instrumentation, puts her in
some rare air around here.
• Mike Dunn
The Damned
Evil Spirits
Search and Destroy / Spinefarm Records
Letting loose to danceable rock à la Franz
Ferdinand and Bloc Party has come and gone
as a trend in the last decade, but The Damned
governed the genre before those bands could
crawl. Often credited with being the first U.K.
band ever to release a punk rock single (“New
Rose”) in 1976, the London quintet is back
with Evil Spirits, their first kick at the can in
ten years.
From the opening haunting chords of
“Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow,” to
the sardonic lyrics of “Procrastination,” The
Damned keep the pace crisp, light, and tight,
largely using clean guitars to ride a wave of
catchy melodies. Sonically, there’s enough
variation here to keep your attention, with
high-energy tracks like “Devil In Disguise”
balanced by mid-tempo jams like “Look Left.”
Evil Spirits is a little more Spinal Tap than
Sepultura, but The Damned manage to avoid
all-out wankery and instead provide us with
a memorable batch of tongue-in-cheek rock
tunes.
• Trevor Morelli
Fire Next Time
Knives
Stomp Records
If 2015’s Cold Hands proved what Fire Next
Time could do with more lavish, epic production,
their latest full-length Knives reveals a
band comfortable to let loose and rip. There’s
a ‘90s punk feel that feels built for crushing
decks and beers at the skate park, though
with their trademark attention to lyricism
and moody cuts. On Knives, the Edmonton
band has put together their most concise set
to date.
Kicking off at a breakneck tempo on
“Wanderlust,” the energy is immediate, with
a classic-sounding melodic line setting up the
second verse. The lead single, “Party Foul,” is
exactly what you’d expect in a skate video,
unison palm-muted riffs and a huge singalong
chorus hanging on the line, “You sucked
the life out of the party,” proving that even in
some darkness, there’s a laugh to be had. “Collars”
is a standout, and closed the first third of
the record with the same driving energy.
Showing an ability to seamlessly blend
BEATROUTE • MAY 2018 | 57