THE KILLERS • FLORENCE + THE MACHINE IN COLLABORATION WITH
Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog Alkailine Trio - Is This Thing Cursed? Art d’Ecco - Trespasser Exploded View - Obey ADRIANNE LENKER abysskiss Saddle Creek Adrianne Lenker returns with abysskiss, her third solo record. Lenker and her dreamy voice have been captivating listeners with a show of emotion almost unrivalled in modern indie music. Lenker, who fronts Brooklyn based indie big-shots Big Thief shows a penchant for the deep songs that hit you in your soul. With the recently released single “cradle,” abysskiss presents a more mature and confident Lenker — sure of her own ability as a songwriter and more determined in her story telling. While abysskiss has a significantly more upbeat feeling than Lenker’s previous solo work, it is reflective of both Big Thief and Lenker’s growth in the scene over the past several years. Lenker and abysskiss not only showcases maturation — it also remains a haunting reminder of how gifted Lenker is as a singer/songwriter. • Andrew Bardsley Art d’Ecco Trespasser Paper Bag Records Whatever your taste, you’re at risk of getting caught up in the strobing circus of Art d’Ecco’s Trespasser; one that is equally moody and emotive as it is dangerous and catchy. There are shades of d’Ecco’s debut, Day Fevers, such as the playful Orbison-tinged “Mary” and the malt shop melancholy of “Lady Next Door,” but the evolution is in the expanse of Trespasser. There is a playfulness, an almost frustrated energy of rebellion mixed with bedroom eyes nihilism, at play on every track. The non-ironic use of saxophone on “Never Tell,” alongside dramatic tumultuous crescendos of keys, adds storm clouds to its deceptively catchy melodies. The desert guitar in “Joy,” alongside the lilting tease of d’Ecco’s flirtatious and ethereal vocals give rise to the wanton frustrations of a fallen angel, further amplified by bratty guitar and choral backing vocals. The slitheringly Mercurial “Who is it Now?” and the relentlessly surging thrust of “Dark Days (revisited)” bekon Bowie in his Aladdin Sane phase, where he turned blurred lines into power but was also unable to belie the loneliness inherent backstage where the makeup starts to flake. Trespasser is a dance floor flooded by the smoke machine where you can almost pretend you’re the only one there but everyone knows an Art d’Ecco party is never a solo endeavour. • Jennie Orton ALKALINE TRIO Is This Thing Cursed? Epitaph Ever have one of those days where you’re late for work, spill coffee all over your desk and forget to pick up milk on the way home, making you shake your fists at life itself and ask, “Is this thing cursed?!” Chicago’s Alkaline Trio feels your pain. Ditching the goth subtleties of the past, the band’s ninth studio album delivers another batch of tight, catchy and straightforward distorted rock tunes. At times, the record thrashes and whips with the best of ‘em, especially in songs like “Blackbird,” “Heart Attacks,” and “Throw Me to the Lions.” Alkaline Trio proves they’re capable of more than they’re given credit for among pop-punk colleagues like Green Day, NOFX or lead singer Matt Skiba’s most recent side hustle, Blink-182. To be fair, not everything on the disc stands out. A few of its 13 tracks are either clearly too short or too generic to have much of an impact (or sometimes both). Is This Thing Cursed? isn’t the home run of the summer, but at least it will help you get through that ridiculous Friday evening jam on Deerfoot Trail — again! • Trevor Morelli ALICE IN CHAINS Rainier Fog BMG Sludge and mid-paced tempos have always anchored Alice in Chains’ distinct sound, but the icons of hard rock are clearly ready to pick up the pace on their sixth album, Rainier Fog. Cuts like the title track and “So Far Under” turn up the volume and the tempo, giving the record a much-needed injection of NOS compared to the band’s deep catalogue. Guitar snarls from legendary axe-man Jerry Cantrell are front and center — as they should be — supplying the monstrous riffs that fuel standouts like “Drone” and “Deaf Ears Blind Eyes.” Lead singer William DuVall continues to hold his own, doing his best Layne Staley impressions and shining brightly on the more emotional tracks “Maybe” and “All I Am.” With their legacy in the fables of rock already firmly in place, some may wonder why Alice in Chains is still around at all. And honestly, it’s because there’s no harm in having veterans like them to deliver meaty offerings like Rainier Fog, reminding us that the noise of the pre-aughts is far chained in the dungeons of the past. • Trevor Morelli EXPLODED VIEW Obey Sacred Bones Records The Mexican/UK trio returns for a sophomore LP that further explores the “far out” reaches of experimental and atmospheric Krautrock, a style which originated in ‘60s Germany. Layers of folk-ish instrumentation and soundscapes create the ominously sinister vibes of a psychedelic dream sequence. And like a cherry on top, leading you along the journey are hypnotic, lullaby-esk vocals reminiscent of a female Neil Young. “Dark Stains” has an almost chilling retro video game feel followed by “Gone Tomorrow,” which skips along in sorrow about lost loves and regrets. The title track has a droning and traditional eastern-folk aesthetic, with sounds of ocean waves below the lyrics, “Do what you’re told and you’ll get out alive,” spiralling in and out of your mind. Soon you hear “Raven Raven,” and are transported to a smokey apocalyptic lounge where you’re sipping nuka-cola cocktails. When you press play, you enter a land of both of shadow and substance. If a trip on something completely different is what you dig — climb aboard. • Patrick Saulnier FACE TO FACE Hold Fast (Acoustic Sessions) Fat Wreck Chords Face to Face have returned with the brand-new summer face-smasher Hold Fast — and as the title implies, you’re darn right it’s an acoustic album. Face to Face are veterans on the punk scene with almost 30 years together with 10 studio albums to date. Featured on Hold Fast are songs like “Disconnected” from their debut record and “Don’t Turn Away” and “Velocity” from their sophomore album, Big Choice. Both contrast drastically from the original recordings — the melodies are present but the heavy, quick-tempo riffs are smoothed over at a relaxed pace, giving each of these classic tunes new life. Songs like “Blind” off their 1996 self-titled have a familiar sound but have developed a more honestly emotional feel. “Keep Your Chin Up” from their 2016 album Protection receives also receives a more digestible approach. Hold Fast is Face to Face’s first attempt at an acoustic album, and frankly, they’ve succeeded in offering a different sound and feel on a wide range of songs. Well done, boys! • Sarah Mac FOUNTAIN Acid Bath from the Jaded Jungle Self-Released Achieving some kind of an altered state is recommended before slipping into Acid Bath from the Jaded Jungle, the third full-length from Montreal’s quirky post-punk crew, Fountain. There’s an overtly sleek quality to the 12-track LP, dismantled in moments on songs like “Crack Up,” with off-kilter funky guitars and hollowed out chants from vocalist Evan Jeffery. Acid Bath upholds the kooky sci-fi vibe the quartet has worked to achieve through their earlier work, but has slightly toned-down some of the fun from previous efforts like Fountain 2, with more diminished guitars and mastering that is discernibly more polished. Recorded at Office Space in Seattle, the album offers hints of refinement without losing the feeling that it was conceptualized in a surely dank basement. Frenetic and slightly sideways, Acid Bath from the Jaded Jungle is an uncomplicated listen, ripe with the weirdness one would expect from an art-punk band from Montreal. • Brittany Rudyck HOOPSNAKE Snowmanmoth Independent Feel free to judge this one by its cover, because the Squamish-based Hoopsnake’s Snowmanmoth is just as much fun the massive cryptid of Rocky Mountain destruction that gives the 30-minute blast of sludgy black metal its name. “Snowmanmoth the Abominable” introduces the the dual, distinct-tone vocals that give the beast its darkness, and puts forward doom-level distortion with a laid-back tempo. The melody is never overbearingly grim or minor and transitions seem to bounce along with little friction, giving it a sludgy base with an angsty skate-punk feel. “Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers” strays from the dark formula in a different way, featuring an <strong>September</strong> <strong>2018</strong> 31