Print Edition: March 7, 2012
White Rabbits
Milk Famous
White Rabbits is a six-piece American post-punk band with a penchant for fractured, rollicking, yet indomitably infectious song craft. Under the tutelage of producer Britt Daniels of Spoon, the band made a huge leap forward with their 2009 sophomore release, It’s Frightening, best exemplified by the stand-out single “Percussion Gun,” in which a soulfully desperate vocal and piano riff are anchored by dueling floor-toms. Instead of continuing their fruitful partnership with Daniels, who helped simultaneously blow apart and reconstruct the band’s sound, White Rabbits’ new record, Milk Famous, employs the talents of Spoon producer Mike McCarthy behind the mixing board. The result is a warm, well-rounded, yet less immediate and arresting album. Without such a strong opening track to set a destabilizing tone for the songs to follow, the album fails to surprise in the same way the band’s previous record still manages to do. But perhaps this is more the result of having to follow up such a uniquely compelling work. While I’m hesitant to say the band has plateaued, the progress from It’s Frightening to Milk Famous is much less noticeable; the improvements come in increments, more the result of increased attention to detail and studio experience than any tremendous creative breakthrough.
Jordan Klassen
Kindness
Vancouver-based Jordan Klassen returns in full force with a cheerful and innocent third release, Kindness. His gentle falsetto voice and baroque instrumentation have become a trademark sound for the songwriter. Although Klassen fails to explore new musical and thematic territory on Kindness, he has managed to produce a set of familiar and deeply soothing songs, and Klassen seems poised to make a big splash in the local independent music scene. His often-personal lyrics and earnest words permeate through every note, no matter where they roam, elevating him above your run-of-the-mill coffee house singer/songwriter. The highlight of the album is its opening track “Go To Me,” which builds off of bursting instrumentation and evokes a Shins-inspired melody throughout. It’s not a record that’s going to hit you over the head, not surprising considering its modest neo-folk vibe, but Kindness meekly invites the listener for more plays. It is available for purchase on Jordan Klassen’s bandcamp, and is the precursor to an upcoming full-length record to be released later this year.
The Cranberries
Roses
After nearly a decade spent off the charts, The Cranberries reunite with their newest album Roses. I often wondered where they had gone and when they would be coming back after I had fallen in love with their infamous “Zombie.” The group’s Irish roots are still prevalent in their new album and their style is still truly unique to the music scene. With this being said, I wasn’t entirely impressed with the new album. “Show Me the Way” stood out as the only song I wanted to listen to loudly and on repeat. I feel that the album is lacking some of the swagger they once had. The songs from Roses lack a confidence that The Cranberries once carried so well. They feel more like elevator or background music than the front running, life-inspiring sort. I feel disappointed that I cannot boast about Roses as I feel a rave review would be dishonest. However, I am very happy to see the band reunite; for better or worse.
Graham Wright
Shirts vs Skins
Graham Wright is the keyboardist for Tokyo Police Club, but this first full-length album (following several EPs) clearly marks out his territory as a solo artist. Wright largely steps away from the more morose tone of The Lakes of Alberta and into the more energetic ground of Tokyo Police Club. As always, Wright has an excellent sense of both rhythm and story – although the lyrics don’t always rhyme, the narrative of what he’s singing and how well the words fit together serve to carry the listener through without a second thought. All in all, the album spoke to me – especially as a fellow Canadian. From describing hometowns to greyhound busses to high school crushes, Wright perfectly captures the in-between feeling of growing up spread out across this giant land. I am currently listening to it on repeat and I don’t think I’ll stop. You should do the same. “On the highway where the cities disappear / Oh my god, she looked so beautiful / a pencil tucked behind her ear. / Oh / she looked so good, you don’t know what to do. / Oh / don’t get your hopes up / she won’t fall in love with you.”
