BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition February 2019

Whitehorse - The Northern South Vol.2 Le Butcherettes - bi/MENTAL Lee Harvey Osmond - Mohawk The Lemonheads - Varshons 2
given identity through dusty Americana flavours,
mixed neatly with folk and indie sensibilities.
The underlying anxiety culminates on “American
Canyon Sutra,” an outlying track with synthetic
percussion and bleakly spoken lyrics, before
breaking back into melancholic and folksy
familiarity on the album’s closers. It’s a reminder
of the inherent cycle of all things, and few capture
this meditative sensation better than McCombs.
• Brendan Reid
David Storey and the Side Road
Scholars
Made In Canada
Independent
David Storey has travelled the world, but there’s
only one place he fits in. This sense of home is
celebrated with his latest release Made In Canada,
and through it the romantic, somber and nostalgic
charms of our nation are explored with a countryfolk
flair.
Storey and his backing band, the Side Road
Scholars effortlessly bring the boot-stomping,
sing-along energy when the time is right, but
also know how to settle into more pensive
moments, reflecting on the wholesome aspects
of Canadian life. These emotions are coupled
with strong storytelling sensibilities, and Storey
easily transports you to the minds of dreamyeyed
hockey players, small time bar bands, and
remorseful murderers alike.
Storey proudly carries the torch of Canadiana
folk-rock, and does so with the confidence of a
man who has fallen deeply in love with his home.
The effect is heartwarming and honest, inspiring
one to raise their stick in appreciation.
• Brendan Reid
Dream Theater
Distance Over Time
Inside Out Music / Sony Music
Time and again, Dream Theater have brought
complex musical ideas to the table and made
them sound both interesting and effortless. Few
bands are able to match their technical expertise,
making them a highly respected band, especially
among musicians. Whether it’s John Petrucci’s
guitar virtuosity or Mike Mangini’s double time
kick drums, the Long Island, NY quintet has built
a dedicated following around its methodical
wizardry and inspired legions of Guitar Hero
wannabes since 1985.
With Distance Over Time, the band displays a
confident, sonic power that resonates more with
every listen. Attacking hard from the outset with
“Untethered Angel,” Dream Theater brings an
all-hands-on-deck approach to their latest effort.
Canadian James LaBrie’s vocals soar on “Paralyzed,”
Petrucci’s furious shredding shines on “At Wit’s
End,” and Mangini’s pulse-pounding drums
dominate the Rush-esq opus “Barstool Warrior.”
Hardcore fans might argue that it’s not as epic or
influential as their previous efforts, but Distance
Over Time is a worthy mind-bending journey
nonetheless.
If Dream Theater is burning out after 14 albums
and nearly 25 years as a band, they certainly
don’t show it on Distance Over Time. Instead,
they’ve given us another collection of beautiful,
thought-provoking, and hard-hitting prog-metal
tunes that challenges us to think about how we
hear music. After you listen to a band like Dream
Theater, conventional songs sound half-baked and
oversimplified.
• Trevor Morelli
Le Butcherettes
bi/MENTAL
Rise Records
Who doesn’t have complicated feelings about
their family? For El Paso-based garage punk
group, Le Butcherettes, family drama is a source
of inspiration. bi/MENTAL, their first full-length
album with Rise Records, is a deep dive into the
relationship between family and self-perception.
With Teri Gender Bender on vocals, guitar and
piano, Alejandra Robles Luna on drums, Rikardo
Rodriguez-Lopez on guitars and synth, and
Marfred Rodriguez-Lopez on bass, each of the
13 tracks are diverse, sonically challenging, and
emotionally-intricate.
The lead single off the album, spider/WAVES
features punk legend Jello Biafra and explores
internal strife with religious -- often blasphemous
-- imagery. Teri Gender Bender’s vocals shift
between Gwen Stefani, Portishead, Heart, and
Kate Bush’s falsetto lilt. “nothing/BUT TROUBLE”
features an industrial groove, sinister chord
progression, and indie rock vocals. “in/THE END”
slows things down and lightens up with layers of
synthy strings, lumbering tom groove, patches of
psychedelic dissonance and huskier vocals.
Produced by Talking Heads member Jerry
Harrison, the album is a mixed bag and an intricate
listen. “I’ve never been to a therapist before,” says
Gender Bender. “I don’t talk to my friends about
this stuff. Music keeps me away from trouble.
It keeps my mind free.” This album’s an artistic
investigation, and there’s a lot to unpack. With bi/
MENTAL The band defies generic expectations and
challenges perceptions of identity, family, and what
it all even means.
• Lauren Donnelly
Lee Harvey Osmond
Mohawk
Latent Recordings
Hamilton, Ontario’s Tom Wilson has a storied and
well-deserved place in the canon of Canadian rock
‘n’ roll history. He’s the dynamic leader of alt-rock
mainstays Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and prior
to that, he cut his teeth in the ‘90s blues funk
outfit Junkhouse. Wilson certainly pours his heart
and soul into every release, and his solo work as
Lee Harvey Osmond is no different.
On Mohawk, Wilson continues his intriguing
and surprising journey of self-reflection after
discovering his true lineage in his 50s. Wilson
was actually adopted and recently learned his
biological parents were from the Kahnawake
reserve outside of Montreal. He is, therefore,
Mohawk by heritage and it’s led him to reconsider
many of the things he once thought he knew
about himself.
Catchy first single “Forty Light Years,” lays down
a groovy beat that’s contrasted nicely by angstridden
acoustic protest songs like “Whole Damn
World.” “A Common Disaster” employs fuzzy
Beatles guitar tones, while closer “What I Loved
About You” tells a seductive story about the highs
and lows of love. Although the story behind it is a
little more interesting on paper, Mohawk is still an
eclectic mix of sultry, poppy and folk-inspired jams
crafted by an expert songsmith.
• Trevor Morelli
Malibu Ken
Malibu Ken
Rhymesayers
In some ways it seems like this would be a match
made in heaven. Rapper Aesop Rock’s lyrics push
the boundaries of language in novel and abstract
ways, while Tobacco’s hallucinogenic sounds can
move the listener into new worlds of sound. The
concern might be that it would be too much;
dense lyrics with psychedelic music might just
be too much going on to enjoy either. With this
new album that concern turns out to unfounded.
Tobacco’s beats are subtle and woozy, providing
a consistent sonic palate for Aesop Rock to
work from. While in some sense, Tobacco takes
a little bit of back seat to Aesop Rock’s complex
wordplay; the subtle touches and mood really
complement the rapper. This comes across
strongest on the body-horror invoking “Tuesday,”
which Tobacco infuses with disorienting, sea-sick
synths, as well as album highlight “Acid King,” a
song detailing the story of a supposed satanic
murder set to an almost ’70s or ’80s horror movie
soundtrack. Aesop Rock, for his part, is on the
top of his game here, with off-putting stories,
anecdotes and wordplay so dense one finds
something new on every listen. It says something
of the collaboration that this never gets too heavy.
It takes a light touch and chemistry, which these
two have in spades.
• Graeme Wiggins
Millencolin
SOS
Epitaph
Lean and mean. That’s how Millencolin plays it on
their latest studio album, SOS. The Swedish poppunks
were born out of the ‘90s skate punk power
chord boom, and their formula hasn’t changed
much since then. That’s not to say SOS is a bad
record. It’s a loud, speedy effort with enough rough
edges to turn some heads. After all, if it ain’t broke
… keep milking it for years to come.
With few songs running past the three minute
mark – and none over four – SOS is a raging,
sharp and well-polished album. Front loaded with
rocket launchers like “For Yesterday” and “Sour
Days,” it’s clear the quartet is aware of their age
but more interested in rocking on than pining for
the past. Their lyrics are always interesting, letting
a little cheekiness to shine though without being
downright silly.
Later, the band touches on relationships on “Do
You Want War” and politics on the amusingly
titled “Trumpets & Poutine.” SOS doesn’t veer
much from Millencolin’s last album True Brew
(2015, Epitaph) – or any of their other albums for
that matter – but at least they bring the distortion
pedals every time. Even in 2019, Millencolin prove
that a little dose of pop-punk can be good for the
nostalgic part of your soul.
• Trevor Morelli
Panda Bear
Buoys
Domino Records
Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear, has put out a
wide collection of music in the past two decades,
both as a solo artist and as a member of famed
and acclaimed psychedelic pop group, Animal
Collective. His music has mostly stayed within the
reverb-laden wheelhouse he’s familiar with, but the
experimental nature of the genre has allowed his
music to remain fresh through the years.
Buoys is his sixth solo album and it’s incredibly
stripped back compared to previous releases,
with Lennox’s voice and acoustic guitar serving as
the meat and potatoes of each track. Sampling,
feedback and other miscellaneous noises garnish
rather than serve as main attractions. Lennox’s
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