Album Reviews (Page 25)

Royal Canoe – “Today We’re Believers” Roll Call Records-out June 253.5 / 5 Take a sextet (tee hee) of Canadians, add strings and horns, and blend with pop until finely pureed: what do you get? Probably some sort of orchestral pop close to that of Royal Canoe. The Winnepeg, Manitobans have a winning combination on their debut full-length, one that combines deep, Megatron-like robotic voices, shouts, aforementioned strings and horns, claps, and just general joyousness; it’s not unlike that raucous, singing frat party next door, but far less obnoxious and far more cultured. They shine splendidly, they keep their cool, they groove like snow tires onRead More →

The Dave Nelligan Thing – “Dark Matters”Self-Released-out now2.5 / 5 The folk-pop that is the Dave Nelligan Thing reminds us of Chris Knox for some reason. The vocals are different, and Knox is a bit more outgoing in the instrumentals, but in both there is something organic, low-fi, self-described DIY, somehow. It’s playful, it’s unusual, it’s that strange kid in the back of class who draws pictures of chocolate tribbles because the idea amuses him. And that’s what we get from Dark Matters, the first album under The Dave Nelligan Thing from the Cork, Irelander. It’s an unusual journey, but not necessarily one worth repeating.Read More →

Treetop Flyers – “The Mountain Moves”Partisan Records-out June 253 / 5 We think Treetop Flyers wins the “sounds most like Fleet Foxes” award this year. It’s all about that opener for us, “Things Will Change,” with its cheery guitar and constrained harmonies, acoustic perfection. Where, then, have all the pieces gone after that song? That’s the question we’d like to put to the London quintet, because the rest of what they’ve presented here is merely average teetering on just above, passable but certainly not exceptional. They dropped the ball! And that’s dangerous to do from the treetops. To compare to the Foxes, both debuts useRead More →

Whitehorse – “The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss”Six Shooter Records-out now2.5 / 5 Canadian folk band Whitehorse jumps right out of the gates. The husband-wife duo start right off with such a strong opening that we’re left wondering what’s to come. Unfortunately, not much is the answer. The quality of their writing is so uneven that it astounds us, and the vocals that drive these songs are similarly uneven. “Achilles’ Desire” is one of those great openings, dark country, saloon gunfight kind of pace to it, that captures our heart. It’s strange and brilliant that it’s something of a love song, butRead More →