Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition August 2018

FEATURED CONCERTS
VICTORIA, BC
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
PLUS GUESTS BELLE GAME
CAPITAL BALLROOM // FRIDAY, AUGUST 31
MAGIC!
PLUS GUESTS
CAPITAL BALLROOM // SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS
PLUS GUESTS
CAPITAL BALLROOM // THUR, SEPTEMBER 20
BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH
PLUS ASHLEIGH BALL
CAPITAL BALLROOM // THUR, SEPTEMBER 27
FOR FULL CONCERT LISTINGS & TO PURCHASE
TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT:
WWW.ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS.COM
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between sensual and playful in the title track, a
song that doesn’t take itself too seriously while
seriously charming listeners. His deep, sonorous
vocals stand out against a backdrop of soft piano,
snapping fingers and a syrupy guitar melody. Dosik,
a regular collaborator with funk band Vulfpeck, has
created an album that will resonate with genreveterans
and fledgling fans of jazz and soul alike.
• Emilie Charette
Into Eternity
The Sirens
Century Media
Ahoy! Here be the first release in a decade for
Regina’s progressive death metallers Into Eternity,
which also acts as their debut with vocalist Amanda
Kiernan (Edmonton’s Order of Chaos). The Sirens
rides the waves where heavy meets epic, in a
Symphony-X meets Arch Enemy kind of fashion.
While many albums go straight for the jugular, this
one whisks you away on a journey. It’s perfect for
fans with a lust for the melodic, yet those looking
for some rough edges won’t be left out. Blanketing
the more extreme bits are harmonies that have a
deep, moody feel, floating up and down in tempo
with a doom-ish undertone that remains constant.
You’ll catch yourself singing along with the murky
intertwined dubs in standouts “Devoured by
Sarcopenia” and “Fringes of Psychosis,” where
Kiernan’s blend of screams and cleans are spot
on. Hell, there’s even a song about Saskatchewan
winters! Talk about Hellish.
The Sirens is a solid summer release — it’ll rock
your socks as you glide into the sunset.
• P. Cakes
KEN mode
Loved
New Damage
“Kill Everything Now mode” is how Henry Rollins
described Black Flag’s mindset while performing
during the “My War” tour in 1984. Winnipeg’s Juno
Award winning KEN mode proves the namesake
is theirs to claim with some of the most stressinducing
controlled chaos to explode from the
Western provinces. Loved, their seventh studio
album, is a meticulous mass of noise and violence
delivered with the subtlety of a freight train on the
CP Rail.
“We wanted tones that bash and cut, and for you
to feel that desperate part of yourself clawing for a
way out,” says frontman Jesse Matthewson about
the record. “And then, just when things are at their
most bleak, you start to focus on what’s actually
being said, and you’ll see the humour in absolutely
everything that is transpiring before you. THAT is
Loved.”
And holy fuck does that quote track. Eight-and-ahalf-minute
album standout “No Gentle Act” is KEN
mode’s strongest self-distillation, embarking with
a very hushed yet dreadingly ominous beat and
palm-muted riff, joined by breathy, ritualistic vocals.
The instrumentation ploddingly scratches with
increasingly frantic intensity until it all dissolves into
screams of primal madness over shear noise and
saxophone pandamonium. It rips, folks.
• Matty Hume
Long Time No Time
First Time Full Time
Independent
First Time Full Time is the debut album from
Calgary-based five-piece horn band Long Time No
Time. As self-described music nerds exploring pop
music tropes using jazz instruments, it’s no surprise
that each part of the album is totally unexpected.
First Time Full Time could best be described as
experimental jazz. With a foundation in sounds akin
to the traditional jazz combo, listeners also hear
lyrics that would sound at home in a Pirate Metal
band set against a polka beat like “Not Exactly an
Overture,” and hip-hop pieces reminiscent of Key &
Peele goofs ( see “Trombone”).
Given the eclectic nature of the album, spoken
word in the form of voicemails and band callouts
is peppered throughout in what seems like an
attempt to bind the compilation together within
a comedic theme. However, the predominance of
what seems to be inside jokes give the impression
of an album written exclusively for the band
themselves.
First Time Full Time sounds like a performance
art piece — an intellectual rather than an emotional
exercise. The risks take in this album do amount
to something new, but it’s worth noting that the
experiences called out as repetitive by the band in
“Something New” are relatable for listeners.
• William Leurer
L’Orange & Solemn Brigman
Marlowe
Mello Music Group
“Are you Marlowe?” Asks the transatlantic voice of
a character from The Long Goodbye (1973), a film
that’s sampled throughout Marlowe, where the duo
consisting of Seattle based producer L’Orange and
North Carolina rapper Solemn Brigman derive the
name of their self-titled debut. It boasts smooth
and stylish production reminiscent of ‘60s spy
thrillers, backing Brigman’s breathless bars and
spit fire choruses that are often made colossal by
L’Orange’s well-timed drops between verses.
Marlowe shines on the stand-out track, “Not So
Paranoid,” opening with a rapid trumpet softened
by a light drum sample and humming female
vocals. Devoid of Brigman, L’Orange goes at it alone
at times and delivers on what he’s been hinting at in
the tracks prior, bringing a sound that can only be
described as ‘The Incredibles scored by Handsome
Boy Modeling School.’ With its welcomed
familiarity, Marlowe’s 17-track debut finds a way to
stand-out from the crowd by virtue of L’Orange and
Brigman’s exciting new partnership that will quickly
have listeners asking for more.
• Joey Lopez
Daron Malakian and Scars on
Broadway
Dictator
Velvet Hammer
System of a Down fans who have been patiently
waiting for the band to release new music can
finally scratch the itch, thanks to the sophomore
Scars on Broadway album, Dictator. It took guitarist
and founder Daron Malakian a decade to release a
second S.O.B album, so it’s fair to say whatever band
he’s in, fans best be prepared to wait a long time
between releases. But the wait was worthwhile, as
Dictator has all the tantalizing ingredients that gave
Malakian’s previous recordings such a creative edge.
The songs are hyper explosive rock tunes worthy
of dancing, moshing and singing along. The short
compositions are punctuated with bursts of
energy, for which Malakian deserves much credit
for, considering he produced and performed all
instrumentation himself.
Where he really delivers is in his wit-tinged
songwriting, with Zappa-like humour on “Angry
Guru,” as well as exploring the music of his
Armenian heritage in “Talkin Shit.” There’s even
some Dead Kennedy-ish punk vibes in “We Won’t
Obey.” Unsurprisingly, it all makes for a fun as hell
listen!
• Daniel Jaramillo
Matt Muse
Nappy Talk
TeamNeverStop
Matt Muse is a name worth scribbling on the
nearest napkin. The 25-year-old is based in Chicago’s
South Side, where he’s also a teaching artist at
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August 2018