#sijia

Track Listing:

1. One Eyed Angel War Machine 2. Pharma Matrix Karma Spaceship 3. Checkin out 4. My Lvcifer 5. Dye My Soul {DMT} 6. Love Is A Legend

When asked about Lucid AfterLife’s new album, Thom Turner described it as a “descendant of all that [they have] been working towards in its history.” I think this is a brilliant narrative. As the band tells it, the album encompasses their evolving artistry over the past two years. Descendant is earthy and dystopian, a fusion of experimental sounds rooted in ethnic and spiritual influences. 

The most peculiar thing about the album was how it was presented in “natural tuning of 432 Hz.” After some instinctive curiosity, I learned that 432 Hz was the “frequency of the heart, brain, earth, sun, and water” – and apparently has “cosmic healing powers.” You can imagine my incredulous reaction in reading about its positive vibrations and extremely deep healing energy. This disbelief was coupled with the colourful album cover, which resembles a fiery serpent from what was possibly art from the ancient Aztec civilization. I decided to listen to the entire album in one sitting in fear of offending the vibration spirits. 

Nonetheless, it's easy to appreciate Descendant. It reminds me of a little metal, a little noise, a little prog, and a whole lot of other things. It gives off a daunting, unnatural sound driven by rumbling bass and (at times) semi-demonic vocals. “Pharma Matrix Karma Spaceship” is a cross between an incoming zombie apocalypse and the creation of the universe. The whispering guitar in "Checkin out" reminds me of a never-ending rolling landscape. "Dye My Soul {DMT}" is distant and detached, layering a haunting vocal over slices of slow-tempo lyricism. 

Although it may be difficult to connect with the spiritual aspect, the album is objectively emotional. It bleeds with violence and pain, attempting to disguise itself as something less. “I would focus on releasing demons evenings were plentiful / Full of “why me’s” and “let it goes” / Till my mind was a vegetable,” sings Nat Jack’s penetrating vocals on “Love Is A Legend.” It's disturbingly personal, a tenet of triumph and hurting. Their inspiration is a reference point for society’s universal insignificance. Descendant is defined by a retreat to the primitive.

Written by: Si Jia Wen

Track Listing:

1. This Paradise 2. Hangin' on the Line 3. The Baggage of Bad Tradition 4. Chasing the Rabbit 5. Foreign Dancers

What a difference a second EP makes. Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, indie rockers Silvertone Hills have put out their second release, Running in Circles. Previously, their debut Follow Suit was a percussion and guitar heavy melodrama, described as a “cassette tape release from the 90s” from our review last year. Now, they’re ditching the Britpop and embracing expansive sounds of danceable and catchy riffage. Consisting of Liam O’Sullivan, Andrew Billone, Alex Bishop, and Mike Park, the band is shedding internalized feelings of expectations and uncertainty.

The first single “This Paradise” sets the diverse tone. It is overrun by once-rebellious guitar lines, and held together by a groovy beat that makes it easy to follow. “Hangin’ on the Line” builds and builds, blanketed with a reconstruction of classic rock on a smaller level. Songs “The Baggage of Bad Tradition” and “Chasing the Rabbit” leverage Liam’s vocals in the mix, dissolving it in a mesh of guitars and catchy cuts. “Foreign Dancers” closes with an injection of a freewheeling guitar solo, blending into the song a surprising adolescent tint.

The EP’s lyricism beams with indecisiveness. “You're dreaming on the bathroom floor / Kicking and screaming while we find some purpose with this 20 dollar bill that we found,” mixes the abstract with the practical. “Running in circles, no further today / Chasing the rabbit, because it's a game we like to play,” is a shot of tough love. “The signs they lead us anywhere / But we don't care for them” does something different, and I’m pleased that the end result is moody and unresolved. Asking the band for advice on what to do is futile. They only offer condolences and feel-good hooks—but maybe that’s the best way to deal with it.

Running in Circles is a fine album. They explore new musical territory and this is by far the band’s best work, but they are taking far too few risks. I would love to see them step back from overusing “inspiration” and encourage them to define what Silvertone Hills means to them.

Track Listing:

1. No Stoppin' Now 2. In Between 3. Drowning 4. Sing It 5. Silhouette 6. Light Me Up 7. Nothin' but Trouble 8. Tidal Wave

Before the album became Daybreaker, it partly masqueraded as Study Night (three songs from the album originated from that EP). It’s funny because “daybreak” and “study night” are the last words I would expect to see in the same sentence.

Based in North Vancouver, Redwoods consists of Devon Webber, Aydn Graham, Chad Carlsen, and Adam Lickness. Their spin-off of their EP makes it seem like they’re experimenting with an entirely new sound, but the truth is that they’ve always been soulful and grungy. Emotional and slow-tempo tracks like "Sing It" and “Silhouette” are smoldering, while overtly catchy hooks in songs like “Tidal Wave” are fast favourites. When the band returns to their sweet hooks and chunky punk instrumental riffs, like in “No Stoppin’ Now,” they throw their bedroom rock back into the mix. It’s a trajectory that hits listeners with an enthusiastically physical sound. 

The four-piece have stated in a previous interview that their lyrics come last in the songwriting process. The band does this well, choosing words that literally match the emotion of the music. Although poetic language isn’t one of Redwoods’ strong suits, their lyricism is blunt and relatable. "What I meant wasn't what I said / What I wrote wasn't what you read,” Webber drawls in “Sihouette” before launching into an angsty guitar-driven chorus. It’s these allowances that help capture the spunky, youthful energy of the band. 

Daybreaker represents a much larger reframing of Redwoods’ sound. It tilts its characteristically lo-fi rhythms into a punchy expanse of six-string jams. It’s barely there, but noticeable.

Track Listing:

1. Bestie 2. Gendo 3. Hops and Scotch 4. Lost Boy 5. Late 6. Snow Castles 7. John Cusack 8. Video Games 9. Ichi 

Midwest emo is exactly what you would expect when you think of emo bands: sensitive, angsty, and lots of guitar. Lost Everything, Won Nothing is a more laid-back version of that, summoning punk rock grooves, peppy percussion, and vibes of inbetween-ness. Consisting of Hamish Miller, Conner Elmes, Alex Kappel, and Cesar Medina, Cheer Up Champ’s latest album is a beefed-up fusion of synthetic emo rock that reanimates potent vocals and guitar lines. 

What I find most endearing is that they're not trying to be a "hipster band." Vancouver already has too many of those. They share a lot of similar features, such as the folk-inspired guitar, funky melodic tones, and a worn-out groove by the ninth song—so it’s easy to mistake the two. However, I think Cheer Up Champ does an excellent job with their interest in texture. The instrumentals emit sulky, ambivalent vibes that contrast nicely with the aggressive delivery of their vocals. The result is a modern, next-gen sound that's pulled off with rhythmic precision. I can hear the cohesive production value – impressive, considering that half of the band’s founding members were already in the process of recording before they joined forces with their other half (according to their bio). 

Their approach recalls a framework with an idiosyncratic sense of heavy artillery. Their ragged vocals and honest words bridge a gap between realism and bitterness. Tracks like “Late” are assured and stand-alone, experimenting with runny howls and intricate imagery. “John Cusack” battles with a slower momentum but manages to create urgency through desensitized cymbals and kinetic, high tempo percussion. Beneath all the crazy guitar riffs, there’s “Video Games,” a reimagined punk revival complete with bass-driven spikes of volume. It’s a juvenile, versatile work, and its emo vibes surface the more you listen. 

Lost Everything, Won Nothing is light-hearted to a fault. The album is great for not taking itself seriously. Cheer Up Champ succeeds in throwing sounds into the mix and stumbling into ways to make it work.

Written by: Si Jia Wen

Track Listing:

1. Atom Mom 2. Asymptote 3. Well 4. Clouds Unspun 5. Eric 6. Merit Out Of Marrow 7. Soft 8. Comb Your Hair 

Hailing from Seattle, Lucas Tayne is a folk rock musician with a heart for contemplation and solidarity. He released his debut A Point A Round just last year, an eight-track album satiated with thoughtful musings and benign instrumentation. It’s simple, reticent, and gentle, but not subdued.

Tayne's style is simple. The guitar is the focal point of his orchestration, accompanied by a snare drum, the occasional piano, and perhaps a tapping foot. If you listen to the first 15 seconds of each song, you’ll realize that he skillfully opens every track with a repetitive series of notes that immediately capture the spirit of the song. By doing so, he retains the rock tradition of songwriting around a central musical motif, while breaking away in content and form. On top of his pleasing guitar-picking, his voice cascades with a composed, reposeful sense of determination. It’s primitive, intimate, and raw.

A Point A Round examines, in part, the relationships he shares with those around him. “Comb Your Hair” reminds us of the burdens of an ill-advised love interest. “Clouds Unspun” is another way of telling us to live while we’re young: “Things get better before they get worse I’m told / That growing old ain’t as fun as dying young.” “Asymptote” forges imagery of what it takes to find one's purpose. “The parts that feel most right are often built by those that feel wrong,” he sings. This is a testament to the infinite level of effort required to develop resiliency.

Tayne is in the process of recording his sophopmore album, scheduled to drop late this year. I’m excited to hear his follow-up release, and hope that he preserves the organic, unprocessed style of his debut.

Written by: Si Jia Wen