BeatRoute Magazine BC Print Edition June 2018

Dumb - Seeing Green
Baptists
Beacon of Faith
Southern Lord
From the dank recesses of Vancouver crawls the new album by Baptists, Bacon of Faith. Recorded in
Salem Massachusetts with Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou (GodCity Studio), Baptists builds a crusty
atmosphere, dripping with indignation. Its hardcore vocals shouting over bluesy, squealing guitars are
loyal to previous albums 2014’s Bloodmines and 2013’s Bushcraft while still finding room to experiment
and break new ground. Beacon of Faith paces frantically with thunderous drums, smashing through the
first four songs with an average time of under two minutes each. Lyrically touching on images of a broken
society, Baptists draw ire for a multitude of subjects; the failure to deliver justice in the Canadian court
system, substance abuse, and the dangerous apathy of the privileged. Clocking in at 39 minutes the album
is crammed with venomous vitriol, prodding relentlessly with minimal slowing in tempo.
• Trevor Hatter
Dumb
Seeing Green
Mint Records
Vancouver post-punk outfit Dumb are set to release their new album, Seeing Green, at the end of June.
A tidy package, the LP’s 14 songs all fall under four minutes in length, making for a quick listen from
beginning to end. Roast beef Romeo, frontman Franco Rossino uses an aggressive spoken word vocal
style to channel angsty lyrics along with the band’s impatient attitude. Seeing Green certainly has enough
rhythm to dance along to, but if you are looking for a riot, Dumb’s newest offering isn’t typical punk rock
music, with perhaps the exception of the song “Power Trip.” The album as a whole is a sonic boom of
raucous contemporary references from indie pop to garage rock that blast throughout without really ever
pushing the envelope or offering anything different. In truth, the album’s real appeal lies in its boisterous
songwriting approach. Any one of these buoyant, but hard-angled tunes, about youth chasing an
unaffordable lifestyle, would work as a soundtrack for a night out on the town or spent partying at home
late into the night.
• Daniel Jaramillo
Father John Misty
God’s Favorite Customer
Sub Pop
After last year’s divisive masterpiece Pure Comedy, it makes sense that God’s Favorite Customer is Father
John Misty’s most concise, and perhaps best, full-length yet. GFC is a sonic return to the rambling pop of
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Father John Misty - God’s Favorite Customer
2012’s Fear Fun, with the piano balladry that Josh Tillman honed on his breakout, I Love You, Honeybear,
and Pure Comedy. Written during a six week breakdown where Tillman lived in a hotel suffering from
delusions and thoughts of suicide, GFC functions as the anti-Pure Comedy. Instead of the existentialist
macro lens, Tillman’s songwriting returns inward with an album of personal observations written from
the brink.
This is Tillman’s least overtly pretentious album and it’s not a coincidence that it feels like his most
personal. Where I Love You, Honeybear saw Tillman telling everyone how honest he could be with his
songwriting, GFC is him showing it. On penultimate track “The Songwriter,” Tillman seemingly eviscerates
himself with a critique of the difficult male artist stereotype. “What would it sound like if you were the
songwriter, And you did your living around me?” He asks his wife hypothetically in the songs second
verse, “Would you undress me repeatedly in public, To show how very noble and naked you can be?” It’s
a scathing observation in an album full of them, but it’s also indicative of Tillman’s ability to turn his own
neuroses into something that feels universal.
• Jamie McNamara
Ghost
Prequelle
Loma Vista Recordings
Is Ghost a scary band? They certainly want you to think so.
Ironically, the Swedish metal outfit’s fourth album, Prequelle, downplays the shtick and lets the
streamlined, infectious grooves speak for themselves. Sure, Ghost still perform in spooky costumes and
spout gloomy lyrics about Medieval black plagues or whatever, but Prequelle is definitely a mainstream
rock record – scoring a Billboard hit (2016’s “Square Hammer”) will often do that to a band. Thankfully,
it’s a good rock record driven by plenty more ear-pleasing tunes.
Crunchy, distorted guitars propel highlights like lead single “Rats,” “Faith,” and “Witch Image.” ‘80s
aficionados will appreciate the harmonic guitar riffs and serene keyboard fills present throughout the
album. Standout instrumental “Miasma” is a brilliant display of musicianship that allows Ghost to channel
their inner Scorpions, proof that power ballads can still be a thing in 2018.
Let Ghost play dress-up all they want. As long as the music remains this solid, they’ll be remembered for
the right reasons.
• Trevor Morelli
Eamon McGrath
Tantramar
Saved By Records
On Tantramar, his first full-length LP since 2014’s Exile, Toronto-based singer/songwriter Eamon McGrath
once again demonstrates his unique ability to meld a number of styles into a cohesive whole. While Exile
June 2018