Listen: BRAIDS - "Deep Running"

When you consider that Canadian art pop trio BRAIDS had enough songs not only for their sophomore full length Flourish//Perish but also the In Kind//Amends EP, the fact that a previously unreleased cutting room floor track would emerge makes sense. That for some reason the track didn't make it's way onto the aforementioned EP or full length however is slightly mind boggling when you hear it.  

"Deep Running" follows a rather similar structure to "In Kind" namely in its monumental builds towards its intense climax. Other than that however, "Deep Running" is very much its own beast - all lilting melody and calm, sumptuous languor before Raphaelle Standell-Preston adds a bit of thorniness with her oddly pleasant shout vocals. One of the great things about BRAIDS has always been Standell-Preston's vocal control and it's certainly at play here as the shouts stay absurdly in-tune while conveying the mounting frustration that'd make them likely to slip. It's the cherry on top of an already precisely constructed track - its layers not unlike the microscopic view of a chemical compound; its bond unquestionably solid with nary an imperfection in sight. 

"Deep Running" is an excellent addition to an already impressive catalog of sounds and while it's strange that it almost didn't see the light of day, at least BRAIDS have finally righted that wrong. 

SoftSpot - MASS (2014)

Brooklyn art-rockers SoftSpot are the rare band that arrived, almost completely without ceremony, articulate in their ideas and fully formed. Their debut album Ensō an artist statement that curiously enough, didn't insist upon itself - it was an album of incredible subtlety that let its idea reveal themselves through subsequent lesson, instead of drawing undue attention to themselves. In fact, the major theme of Ensō; it's circular nature is a blink and you might miss it kind of affair. Such a suspension of ego is rare for a young band and yet, SoftSpot aren't your average band. With the announcement and subsequent previews of MASS, the question was not whether or not SoftSpot create a follow up on the same level of their debut but rather what would their sophomore effort have to say? What does MASS say about SoftSpot?

With "King Porus", SoftSpot quickly establishes an entirely different tone for their second outing. Where it may have seemed that their lyrics, regardless of how astonishingly poetic they tended to be on the debut, were secondary, If at all possible, MASS is a much more patient record truly relying on the push and pull and the space between not only words and ideas but songs themselves. It's evident in how the songs have no qualms about spilling over in the next, carrying with them bits and pieces of the residual sound before going on to build from scratch. While you could isolate any one of Ensō's eight tracks and lose virtually none of its intent or dull its effect, there's a notably lack of accessibility; of spirited intensity at the heart of MASS.

That's not to say MASS isn't completely without its forward-pushing tracks. Rather, it's not an album solely consisting of those or even relying on them in its majority. "You/Yours" with its vocal gymnastics and "Crosswords" with its serpentine amble function as engaging check in points for an album of considerable gravitas. MASS is an album held together by its own physics, aiming for the cerebral instead of the visceral but downright scenic in its exposition. For those in need of such things, there's about three "hits" on MASS. For those looking for an album of substance, MASS is exactly that, it's eight songs occupying their own space much like planets themselves (the moody "Hera" much more like a moon reflecting "Crosswinds"'s own shine) but all no doubt of import to the whole.



SoftSpot's sophomore full length MASS is out now and available for stream/purchase via Bandcamp.

Pitstop: Jordan Klassen

(photo by James Moes)

After I returned home from the tempestuous whirlwind that is SXSW and had time to survey the wreckage, I noticed something peculiar - in the pocket of one of my favorite button down shirts was a business card. That by itself isn't all that strange but the fact that I could not place where I had picked it up was. Though I make it a point to remember absolutely everyone I possibly can that I meet, I could not remember who or even when I had received this card. The card advertised one Jordan Klassen and his rather short SX sojourn; shows I had clearly missed.



A perfunctory amount of research revealed all I needed to know to hook me - chamber folk. Yes. Orchestral folk. Double yes. Whatever Klassen choose to call it, I was sold instantly. Klassen's self-assigned fairy folk classification is as fitting as it is subversive. The Vancouver singer/songwriter's most recent full length Repentance is light with surprisingly darkly colored flourishes, springy without coming across the slightest bit whimsical. From the twinkling "Sweet Chariot" that manages to be both spacious and grand, Klassen's instrumentation choices are as fascinating as his songwriting, as a part of his overall character as his narrative options and popsmithery. Klassen has this uncanny knack for capturing beautifully fleeting musical moments and fitting them for an all out glide, providing his own wind for his skyward traverses.




One of the clear indicators of Klassen's musicianship is just how much time he gives his arrangements to breathe, often firmly establishing that complementary part before the introduction of any other. His songs don't take on undeservedly extensive lengths because of it however and therein lies the most impressive of Klassen's feats; his instrumentals retaining their pop sensibility while feeling fully flushed out. And yet, Klassen is not the type to solely let his arrangements speak for him. Many of Repentance's most endearing moments are those that strip back the forest of orchestral lushness for the comfortably bare.





Overall Jordan Klassen simply displays a remarkable amount of versatility deployed with a svelte and effortless ease. Pay attention. Something tells me Klassen's only just getting started. Hear more tunes at Klassen's Bandcamp.

Wye Oak - Shriek (2014)

"This morning I woke up on the floor, thinking I had never dreamed before"

It's no coincidence that Baltimore indie rock duo Wye Oak begin the latest chapter of their musical careers with a song like "Before", a dreamy musical tapestry on one hand, a series of concrete affirmations on the other. "Before" functions as the perfect introduction to Shriek, a gently rousing reverie instead of a bestial roar. Jenn Wasner's vocals perfectly capture the spectrum of emotions of starting over: the dizzying trepidation of uncertainty, the glimmering hopefulness of possibility. No one side wins out, balanced effortlessly in Wasner's lyrical ellipses and the push and pull of the duo's musical interplay.

The so-called guitarless Wye Oak record arrives with a surprising amount of propriety, its melodies aloft on a stable though intricate base; a work of a staggering amount of subtlety. It isn't until four songs in on the practically dancefloor ready synth-laden "Glory" that Shriek offers up any obvious signs of friction. Casting off the otherworldly pall that's shrouded the preceding tracks - Wasner and Stack are united in their syncopated, aggressive jump into pop. The duo glide into it but once there, make themselves fully comfortable and content to stay there for much of the album's duration. "Paradise" puts an end to Shriek's accessible forward momentum with a literal wall of sound - sending everything pitched forward sprawl and skidding to a halt before its establishing its own breakneck tempo. Tender ballad "I Know the Law" arrives at the most unexpected an moments and perhaps gains some of its power due to that -sandwiched between the blistering "Paradise" and synth-heavy album ender "The Logic of Color". On the album's most expansive track, Wasner's given full license to soar, arming herself with raw emotive power.

Shriek is a hymn not only to uncertainty but the empowerment gained from facing it head on. Underneath the heady toe-tapping synth lines, Wasner turns her lyricism inward and the resulting introspection is dazzling in its lucidity. Taking years of familiarity Wasner and Stack are able to validate a leap of faith by offering the model of thoughtful reinvention anchored by the duo's complementary nature. Shriek also triumphs through its exploration of different synth tones throughout the whole. Enabling its inclusion and predominant usage to avoid that of an overused parlor trick, and instead providing a varying set of timbric elements to revel in. The result is an album that's svelte and interesting, clean but full of a wealth of musical ideas impressively shuffled.



Shriek, Wye Oak's fourth full length, is out April 29th on Merge Records. Stream via NPR First Listen.
 

Listen: Emily Reo - "Peach" (Yalls Remix)

Like the majority of things, I have a rule for remixes: A remix worth even the most cursory of listens should a. remain more or less true to the source material b. quickly and efficiently establish its own uniqueness. It doesn't seem terribly difficult of a rule to follow but the wide majority tend to fail this basic two-part test. While in Austin for SXSW I heard such a remix that did however - during his DJ set at this year's Hype Hotel Berkeley based producer Yalls let his reworking of Emily Reo's Olive Juice standout "Peach" fly and I was utterly floored by its magnificence.

What makes Yalls reimagining of what is already a pretty enjoyable tune in its own right has everything to do with an embrace of dichotomies. Both Yalls' Dan Casey and Reo tend to make tunes that offer up a rather sparse take on electronic music but when paired together, Casey creates a downright kaleidoscopic blend of sounds with a dazzling array of layers. That Reo's voice can be cut/clipped/and patched together in a manner that certainly brings the word stuttering to mind but still maintain a definite sense of fluidity is impressive to say the least. That Casey can do that while recreating the sense of buoyancy of Reo's original more or less from scratch is far more so. Yalls avoids the all too common remix troupe of just toying around with and/or rehashing the source track's most memorable moments and creates a mix that finds the perfect balance between Reo's effervescent dream-pop confection and his own dynamic vision.



Emily Reo's Olive Juice remix album is out now and available to download via Bandcamp.

Listen: Tiny Ruins - "Carriages"

                                         (photo by Georgie Craw)

With the release of her sophomore record rapidly approaching, New Zealand singer/songwriter Hollie Fullbrook aka Tiny Ruins wants to make sure you know exactly what you're in for. The latest single "Carriages" is the third offering from Brightly Painted One and certainly the heaviest. "Me at the Museum, You at the Wintergardens" was a work of effusive brevity, "The Ballad of the Hanging Parcel" an expansive yarn, and "Carriages" takes a page from the latter; a sumptuous sprawl adorned with luminescent harmonies.

"Carriages" is a casual plod, showing the full breadth of Fullbrook's narrative prowess organically growing while also taking great care to provide an elastic accompaniment that still manages to drive the tune forward. It's an emotive piece of talented songcraft delicately fashioned and the effort clearly shows.



Tiny Ruins' sophomore full length album Brightly Painted One is out May 2nd on Spunk Records in Austrailia, May 5th in the UK/EU on Bella Union, and May 13th on Flying Nun Records in the US.

Listen: Lucius - "Genevieve"

Back when Brooklyn pop outfit Lucius revealed the official details behind the much anticipated debut album Wildewoman, I lamented the lack of standout track "Genevieve" from their self-titled EP. The band assured me that the blow would soon be mitigated and while including it as bonus track from the European release of their album isn't quite what I expected, it certainly helps that they've allowed us natives to at least hear the brand new version of the track.

As Lucius proved on their full length's first run, there's really not too much the quintet can do to improve upon their already immaculate sound - the ladies vocals are a bold and brassy as ever, intertwining seamlessly, the band a present force around them and given their own moments to shine. "Genevieve" was a cacophonous triumph on the Lucius EP and it remains so here - spruced up with a new mix, which adds another layer of variety with its production effects. The band aren't really in need of fancy recording tricks given their tight knit precision and the ladies' bodacious vocal chops but variety is the spice of life after all, and probably a nice way of putting a new spin on a track the band have been playing live for years so granted they kept the effects to minimum, there's really not much to complain about. "Genevieve" is boisterous and jubilant, fun and flirty, and well, just damn good.

Listen to the brand new mix of "Genevieve":