BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition September 2019

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MUSiC ALBUM REVIEWS Interview WHITNEY Forever Turned Around Secretly Canadian RICK ROSS Port of Miami 2 MMG/Epic Records SAM FENDER'S MESSAGE TO THE COMMON PEOPLE SAM FENDER Hypersonic Missiles Interscope Records To divorce Sam Fender’s music from his Northern England roots is near impossible. The colour of industrial, impoverished and often forgotten North Shields, England saturates the 24-year-old’s guitar-fuelled indie rock, creating a repertoire that is gritty, unflinching and starkly different from the plethora of softcore romantics like Ed Sheeran or Sam Smith. “Where I’m from definitely plays a part in my music because it is intrinsically part of who I am,” says Fender. “When my parents divorced at 10 I moved from a terrace house into a small flat. We could only work a certain number of hours a week and the majority of our money was coming from benefits. We were on the bones of our arse. There was no such thing as savings.” Growing up on the precipice of poverty has given Fender a curiosity and compassion for those surviving in the chasm below. His debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, tackles subjects such as young male suicide rates on the track “Dead Boys.” In addition to gritty and grounded lyrics, the album, produced in Fender’s self-made warehouse, is loud, occasionally bombastic post-punk with hollering Buckley-esque vocals layered on top. It packs the heat and meaning of Brit-rock with a soulful modern twist. Nevertheless, Fender is humble and refuses the mantle of working class hero. “I’m not on some crusade,” says Fender. “I don’t like to say I’m working class but I am from a working class family and I’m from a working class town. I’ve experienced many different financial situations throughout my life. I would say that what I am is a common person and I can stand for that.” With venues like New York and LA already sold out on his upcoming North American tour, Fender is clearly finding international resonance. Perhaps this is because, while North Shields might be in a frozen corner of an island an entire ocean away, the stuff he writes about and the common people he speaks to are found in every corner. Best Track: Dead Boys Kathryn Helmore Three years after their acclaimed debut, Light Upon the Lake, the Chicago-based Whitney return with Forever Turned Around, a sophomore effort that expands on their signature duality of bluesy, cozy indie folk. Acoustic guitars, trumpets, pianos and subtle electric guitars are central to the mix, paired with wistful, melancholic lyrics often discussing themes of lost love. Evoking traces of Bon Iver, soul, Americana, and fellow Chi-Town dad rockers, Wilco, Whitney show once again how adept they are at tugging at heartstrings both lyrically and musically, even if the results as a whole sound almost identical to their debut. Regardless, Forever Turned Around has some truly gorgeous moments. Warm, enfolding lead single “Giving Up,” as well as “Valleys (My Love),” the breezy “Friend of Mine,” and its sweeping closing title track are clear standouts, while drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrlich’s delicate falsetto remains the group’s calling card. Though the album itself may not be a gigantic leap forward musically for Whitney, their collection of tender folk songs will fit the mood nicely as summer turns to autumn. Best Track: Valleys (My Love) Dave MacIntyre With his long-awaited sequel, Port of Miami 2, rap-veteran Rick Ross reasserts his prowess for bassheavy bangers, strong collaborations, and music that makes you feel invincible. It’s been two years since we’ve heard an album from the Teflon Don. His 2017 offering, Rather You Than Me, received decent reviews but didn’t bring any new relevance to the Florida rapper. Whether this album can accomplish that remains to be seen, but Ross has more to say this time around, speaking on the widely publicized legal troubles of his own label’s signee, Meek Mill, a scary health episode with a heart attack, and the passing of friend and collaborator, Nipsey Hussle. Port of Miami 2 delivers as a quintessential Rick Ross album. From its full-flex opener, “Act a Fool (feat. Wale),” to its most banging track, “BIG TYME (feat. Swizz Beatz),” to the more heartfelt moments like “Fascinated,” this is a solid rap album with excellent production and features. While it likely won’t bring Ross back to the heights he saw circa 2012, it’s a worthwhile offering for new and long-time fans. Best Track: BIG TYME (feat. Swizz Beatz) Max Asper 36 BEATROUTE SEPTEMBER 2019
Local Album Spotlight EX-SOFTESS Hollow Ritual Independent Creeking up the stairs from the depths of a moldy East Van rehearsal suite, the sounds of Ex-SOFTESS are here to remind you that the future is bleak and everything sucks. That is, everything except these four surging noise-punk tracks. Guitarist Don L’Orange (The Doers, SOFTESS) is a modest antihero in the Vancouver music scene and his work here with April Johnson (Passive) and Bill Batt (In Mirrors) forges down a path of punishing, noisey riffs, pushing the boundaries from the inside with an outsider aesthetic. With roots tied to the infamous Fake Jazz no-wave underground, this new trio peeks its head out of their cave just long enough for us to know we want more Best Track: Your Eyes SLOW TIDE Slow Tide Independent Slow Tide’s debut starts with a sleepy surf rock instrumental but quickly rock-steps to driving power punk with the anthemic “Deprivation.” Fronted by the classically retro but refreshingly modern vocal stylings of Ashleigh Said, this leather jacket-clad five-piece are a breath of fresh west coast air. Their reverb-drenched melodies mixed with punk rock sensibilities make for a quick and catchy collection of songs that will have you twisting and shouting along in the mosh pit at their next show. Make sure you catch Slow Tide Sept. 28 at SBC with Crystal Eyes. Best Track: Parker HARLEQUIN GOLD Baby Blue EP Independent Sisters Elle and Avery O’Brien serve up a crisp, clear and polished introduction to their immaculate indie-folk sound. Brought together by a family tragedy after years spent apart, the two have have been working with Vancouver’s Justice McLellan (Blue J, Mesa Luna) to bring their driving musical creations to life. Built on a foundation of singles with pop and rock sensibilities, the four tracks on Baby Blue are near-perfect, each one more enticing than the last until the EP climaxes all-too-quickly with the stunning “Want You More.” Baby Blue leaves the future wide open for these Kelowna transplants to soar internationally. Harlequin Gold performs Sept. 13 at the Vogue Theatre during Westward Festival. Best Track: Want You More Glenn Alderson THE NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE 2019.09.27 STEELPANTHERROCKS.COM /STEELPANTHER /STEELPANTHERROCKS /STEEL_PANTHER SEPTEMBER 2019 BEATROUTE 37
Page 1 and 2: SEPTEMBER 2019 • FREE Tegan And S
Page 3 and 4: Contents BEATROUTE BEATROUTE BEAT R
Page 5 and 6: UPCOMING SHOWS SEPTEMBER 12 -15 DOW
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCING Simply Canadian Craft W
Page 9 and 10: Tennis SEPTEMBER 2019 BEATROUTE 9
Page 11 and 12: UPCOMING SHOWS SLEEP SEPT 1 DOORS 8
Page 13 and 14: MUSiC The most important thing is t
Page 15 and 16: N ashlyn Lloyd confidently struts i
Page 17 and 18: WESTWARD MUSIC FESTIVAL September 1
Page 19 and 20: BEATROUTE X THE IMPERIAL SEPTEMBER
Page 21 and 22: CARLY RAE JEPSEN A POP STAR FOR THE
Page 23 and 24: We had grown up in the punk and alt
Page 25: The Last Outdoor Event of the Summe
Page 29 and 30: The Playlist: BEATROUTE 3 5 BEATROU
Page 31 and 32: Discover viff.org Box Office VIFF P
Page 33 and 34: Reviews ALBUM Album Review TOOL Fea
Page 35: ALEX CAMERON Miami Memory Secretly
Page 39 and 40: NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEA
Page 41 and 42: DOA’s Randy Rampage performing at
Page 43 and 44: Vancouver International Film Fest A
Page 45 and 46: YVR 09.19 Tom Green just wants to b
Page 47 and 48: 09.19YVRMUSIC Local Band Spotlight
Page 49 and 50: LOCAL SPOTLIGHT Meagan Auger Morgan

BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition September 2019

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