2024 pt. 1/???
change of plans, SARIKA, Cudi, Mitski, August John and more..
Happy New Year y’all!
Hello friends & Farkers! We’re gonna have a wee change of plans to start off the new year, instead of doing weekly posts every Monday, I’m going to post a little more sporadically for the foreseeable future. What I didn’t initially have in the cards was moving in the first month of 2024, but my partner and I found a great place and we’ll officially be moving next weekend so we’ve been super busy packing. Work has also picked up and for the first time in over a year there is an opportunity to work overtime so I’m taking advantage of that. What this all means is I have less time to write for the blog, so for the upcoming period reviews will be truncated, but I’ll try to fit more artists per post. I’ll be focusing less on song-by-song breakdowns of EPs and LPs, instead I’ll give a small synopsis of the things that stick out to me on each release I highlight.
What’s been up?
On January 6th I had the absolute pleasure of playing alongside some of my favourite folks in the Ottawa music scene at Café Dekcuf. I was invited to play lead guitar for the first ever Victor Complex full band original set on a bill with other locals Alturna and Steve & the Stab Wounds. I haven’t played lead guitar exclusively in a band since I was in Bearings in 2016 so I had a ton of fun, I love coming up with melodies and hooks that compliment the vocals and rhythms of the songs and it was also fun playing things that I had no part in creating, Vic’s a damn fine songwriter! Her arrangement of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Silver Springs’ was my personal favourite part of the set, really muddying it up and turning it into an alt-punk thrasher. Can’t wait to hear the songs once she records and releases them, y’all are in for a real treat!
Music Reczzzzzz
Kid Cudi - INSANO
DJ Drama is all over this mixtape style LP ala Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Call Me When You Get Lost’. Great features, great soundscapes, great songwriting. My favourite tracks are “Wow” ft. A$AP Rocky, “Seven” ft. “Lil Wayne & Hit the Streets In My Nikes”.
Kali Uchis - ORQUÍDEAS
Another home-run for Uchis. Chill vibe instrumentals with beautiful vocal melodies soaring on-top. Uchis sings in a mix of Spanish and English throughout the album, seamlessly switching between both languages, makes for a unique experience. Favourite tracks on this are “Tu Corazón Es Mío...”, “Igual Que Un Ángel” ft. Peso Pluma and the super dancey Reggae-ton cut “Muñekita” ft. El Alfa & JT.
Waxahatchee ft. MJ Lenderman - Right Back To It
Katie Crutchfield has one of the most unique and beautiful voices in Indie Folk, she could sing an IKEA manual and it would sound beautiful. This track is no exception, MJ Lenderman’s voice is a nice accompaniment, adding flavour but not overtaking the song in anyway. The banjo playing here is subtle and mixes well with the steady bass and drum beat, allowing either the vocal or lead guitar part to shine, depending on the section.
SARIKA - Nightrunner
Chill indie/folk/pop track, shout-out to Hannah for sharing on her IG story, great tune. SARIKA’s voice glides wonderfully over the background of piano, acoustic guitar bass and drums. Instrumentally it gives mid-career Wilco vibes. Lyrically the track feels very personal and the delivery of each line reflects that. The end of the chorus ending on the 7th chord sounds awesome and gives a throw back country/blues feel to the song. Props for the vocal run that goes into the harmonies in the bridge - huge emotional payoff, gosh darn. Big fan of this, looking forward to more from this artist and I’ll be diving into her ‘Right Place, Wrong Time’ EP from 2023 this week, and you should too!
Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Mitski has been one of my favourite artists of the past few years since I first heard the singles leading up to the release of ‘Laurel Hell’. One of the things I talk about a lot is storytelling in songwriting, and Mitski does it better than most. Her ability to transport you into the world of her songs and albums is unparalleled and ultimately makes you feel closer to her as a person. This is a slow burner that requires your attention, big recommend for a walk out on in the cold, a bath, or lying in bed. Add this record to your self-care routine. Faves: “Heaven”, “My Love Mine All Mine”, and “I Don’t Like My Mind”.
August John - Great To Be Here
God bless Instagram, it’s where I find most local artists nowadays. I don’t get to as many Ottawa shows as I like cause I live in Cornwall now, but the internet is a fantastic tool and I’m glad I came across this gentleman cause he exudes talent and ambition. The instruments in each song each have a unique part that creates a lot of excitement behind the sweet lyrics and chill vocal delivery that is John’s forte. There’s a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments in these tunes, a perfect pick-me-up for this time of year. I like the different elements of sound design on some of the songs such as in ‘Past Life’ or the intro of ‘Water’, and of course I love the guitar solos - so tasty! Favourite tracks on this are “I Love Your Hair”, “Living in the Sea”, and “Past Life”.
until next time..
Stay safe and take care, see y’all next week sometime??? we’ll see! God bless.