FEATURED CONCERTS VICTORIA, <strong>BC</strong> 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 FACEBOOK /ATOMIQUEPRODUCTIONS TWITTER @ATOMIQUEEVENTS 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 28 <strong>August</strong> <strong>2018</strong>
THE KILLERS • FLORENCE + THE MACHINE IN COLLABORATION WITH
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