Le Ren, Dooms Children, and Odonis Odonis
Le Ren
Leftovers // Secretly Canadian, Royal Mountain Records
Montreal’s (Tiohtià:ke’s) Le Ren, led by artist Lauren Spear, delivers some of the finest folk this year with her debut album Leftovers. The title is hardly a suggestion of stale work, but rather, a nod to the leftovers of her relationships of years past. Patching together a tapestry of personal anecdotes driven by gentle guitars and little else, Le Ren stitches a meandering coming-of-age tale that is as reassuring as it is heartbreaking. “When I think of leftovers, I think of things that have been cast aside,” she says. “When they’re picked back up or remembered, they can be repurposed… Leftovers came to mean a collection of feelings and moments of the past that still remain relevant to my present.” For those that find comfort in heartbreak records and/or good leftovers, there are few more comforting than this.
While there is plenty of heartbreak, every moment of despair is outweighed by moments of familiarity and hope. It’s like you can hear her putting on a smile as she quivers through a painful memory. Through her voice you can hear a defiance and hope for better things ahead. Just scrolling through the list of song titles, you can see a pretty clear snapshot of the relationships that defined her: “Was I Not Enough?”, “Who’s Going to Hold Me Next?”, “Friends Are Miracles”, and “May Hard Times Pass Us By” all give us a pretty clear indication of where things are headed before the music even begins.
Spear’s vocals dance effortlessly and brightly with the ease of Joni Mitchell and the power of Courtney Marie Andrews. It feels as though she grabs you by the hand and pulls you into the forest, bouncing effortlessly along stones placed across a stream as you struggle to keep up. Just as she leads playfully, so too do her harmonies, somehow keeping up with every bit of inflection and nuance.
Beyond the personal details that drive this record, Spear’s delivery does so much to reinforce the theme and familiarity of the stories, allowing us to project them onto our own coming-of-age experience. Le Ren is assertive yet gentle; with her ease comes longing. She is reassuring and familiar throughout even as she wades through difficult waters. Her tone always suggests a light at the end of the tunnel, and the minimal production makes it feel as though she is telling this story just to you, her friend. With pain comes growth, and it’s clear that Le Ren’s leaves won’t be wilted for long.
- Clay Geddert
Dooms Children
Dooms Children // Dine Alone Records
Something really really special just came out. I can hardly contain my excitement about this release. So I’ll just spit it out. Wade McNeil just shared a sentimental side project with the world. It’s called Dooms Children. A savoury self titled first release for McNeil. But you probably already know some of his works but maybe just didn’t know it. Wade McNeil is most known for his part of Juno award winning Alexis On Fire. But let’s not stop there. He’s a man of many projects. He also is a member of Gallows and Black Lungs. McNeil has also composed scores for video games and two of Jay Barachel’s films. Goon:Last of the Enforcers and Random Acts of Violence.
Now for his latest, Dooms Children. This is by far McNeil's most personal music and work. He shares, “It’s a record about my life falling apart and then trying to pick up the pieces” and, “This is me at my most vulnerable” Overcoming addictions is one of the toughest feats. I have conquered a few myself. Healing the core. Healing the root cause of the addiction. That’s where the peace is. That and music and art. Sometimes you simply need to ask yourself what are you running from or trying to numb. I’m thankful Wade conquered whatever he was fighting. I’m glad he channeled it into his music. What he created out of the pain was clearly transmuted into healing, love, and peace.
Now before I can even get into the music itself…
There are sweet tidbits I found out about this album that need mentioning. I listened to the album and heard something familiar about it. Then I read the bio... my ears did hear correctly.
Dooms Children is co-produced by Daniel and Ian Romano. If you haven’t heard of Daniel Romano I can tell you he released so many albums last year I lost track. Definitely one a month but could be as high 15 releases in a year. Then add Patrick Bennett along with the Romano brothers as players on the album. Now you see why my mind got so blown by the sounds. With a band like that to back you up and McNeil’s vision, heart, and soul, you can clearly hear the magnificence in this creation. You’ll hear it too. Recorded live off the floor. It’s top notch. I think we’re ready now. Let’s take this trip with Dooms Children….
“Trip With Me” begins our journey. A psychedelic trip through time and space. The drum rolls into a witchy woman guitar vibe. Dark, sexy and improvisational stylings. Then busts in the bass so nice, bright and loud. Then the organ gives a rich warmth and depth. Such a build up before Wade even begins to sing. But when he does... He tells you to see the magic in everything in this universe. It’s gonna grab you by the pineal gland and blast open your third eye. If you were looking for mind expansion. This song will do just that. Then McNeil gives his invitation in the chorus to “C’mon trip with me” You don’t need to take anything though. Just make sure you wear headphones for the full experience. That’s all you really need.
“Flower Moon” is the first single released and it is such an emotional track. I’m really glad they chose this one. The beautiful, beautiful organ. I picture a Montreal cathedral organ in my mind. Wade sings from the deepest places in his heart and soul. You will feel this. Then these guitar solos and harmonies are so soulful and heart wrenching. Like if you could hear a guitar wail and cry. It’s in this song. That’s when the tears started. Then the chorus, “Full Moon shining down on Saint Henri” This song is gonna stir something in you. You may even cry too. It’s okay to cry though. Some things just move me to tears. This is one of them. This song also has a haunting video to accompany it. Featuring Team Canada pro street skater Annie Guglia flying down empty city streets during lockdown. Shredding it up. She’s a stunt double for McNeil it seems. They show some light hearted moments at the end. Worth the watch.
“Friend of the Devil” is a Grateful Dead cover I think should be mentioned as it was a huge inspiration to McNeil through his journey. He put a dark country vibe on this song. I always felt the Dead version to be too cheery. Gave it a Johnny Cash feel. So now you can feel more of the dark place it stemmed from. In my mind I interpret the Devil in the song to be drugs/booze. I actually just finished watching a Grateful Dead documentary before I picked this album to review. It’s the rockstar way Garcia went out. All of Dooms Children gives the doomy reality of this Grateful Dead song.
May this album help others heal. May it help someone slay their demons and addictions. I really think it will. Thank you for this gift.
Love Always,
Green Noreen
Odonis Odonis
Spectrums // Felte
Odonis Odonis have become veterans of the Canadian music scene. For the past decade the band has released a prolific output, constantly evolving with every release. Constantly pushing the boundaries of their sound. Even before the duo of Dean Tzenos and Denholm Whale shaped Odonis Odonis into what it is known today, the two were crucial fixtures in the Toronto music scene. The two co-ran The Garage, a DIY venue that sparked Tzenos and Whale to co-found Buzz Records. Since, the two have put on countless shows across Toronto and have found themselves in many different roles within Toronto’s music industry. It's their work in Odonis Odonis that has been the constant throughout and has proven to be their most important. As the band celebrates 10 years with the release of Spectrums, they prove again that they refuse to sit still or grow stagnant.
Spectrums finds Odonis Odonis fully embracing the industrial edge that has become more and more present with each release. Diving deeper into an electronic spectrum, the album leaves very little room for “instruments”. With the limitations of the pandemic, the two were forced to work completely from home. While Odonis Odonis are known for uninhibitedly pushing through into new sounds, this new dynamic allowed the two to really flex the extremes of their sound.
Album opener “Trust” eloquently foreshadows what one can expect from Spectrums. Driving sequenced drums. Nearly robotic low end rhythms that cycle in a trance. Embellishes of pure noise. These songs grow and hit a pinnacle of layered textures slamming on top of one another. This is all complemented by one of Odonis Odonis’ greatest strengths. Their ever reliable ability to provide a vocal melody that will char itself into your psyche. It's a sound so dark it's violent in a sense, there's something really sexy about it.
While a good majority of Spectrums propel in a similar trajectory, it’s “More” that is the standout. A relatively subdued track, the song is an apparent dip into the influences of New Order and Depeche Mode. More spacious than most of the album, “More” is lush with synth textures, airy drum breaks and would lie comfortably on other Odonis Odonis records. The reverb heavy, emotive vocal take distinguishes the track in mood from the rest of the album.
Odonis Odonis Spectrums is another evolution of the group. While it's sonically miles apart from the noise laden surf rock sound that first built the band acclaim, it's almost as if the bands trajectory was always meant to culminate with this record. They impressively always find a way to push their sound further and further into the fringe. Spectrums makes the argument that no matter how unhinged Odonis Odonis get with their sound, they’ll always get you moving.
- Kennedy Pawluk
