Nico Paulo, Ora Cogan, Andrew Mbaruk & Th' Mole, and L’omelette
Nico Paulo - Interval_o
Nico Paulo is a singer/songwriter and visual artist based in Newfoundland and Labrador who moved to Canada from Portugal in 2014 to carve out a career in the arts. We fell in love with her self titled 2023 record and are equally enamoured with her recent EP entitled Interval_o. Ambient soundscapes and folk sensibilities come together to craft a gorgeous fourteen minutes of music. “memory 2: grow something” has a lullaby quality to it, and is bookended by two warm and lush atmospheric tracks, the latter giving way to the poppier sounding “memory 4: move like a flame” which comes at the right time to grab your attention back before the deep, meditative soundscapes pull you in too deep.
Ora Cogan - Bury Me (EP)
Nanaimo, BC’s Ora Cogan returns, two years removed from her fantastic album, Formless. From what I gather, these tracks were laid down at roughly the same time. It sounds like the songs for Formless were recorded but the vibes were so good in the studio that the writing just continued. And we are happy it did. Expertly blending moody folk with psychedelia, Bury Me features gorgeous strings that are interwoven with Cogan’s haunting vocals. It’s been my go to listen as the prairies have been soaked with some much needed spring rain. I suppose I find it a good accompaniment because it has an eerie mood that is slightly optimistic, much like knowing that the natural world around me will explode with life once these gloomy days pass.
Andrew Mbaruk & Th' Mole - Purple Dirndl
Andrew Mbaruk— the poet MC, Th' Mole— the master producer. Both are truly impressive underground forces in the Vancouver hip-hop scene that go tragically under-appreciated. That includes us here at Cups N Cakes: I have never come across their music till now. Shame on me. This is truly unique experimental hip-hop. I really dig this record even though it’s safe to say that Andrew Mbaruk’s poetic musings are far beyond my comprehension. But regardless of the fact that I can’t decipher his musings, I love his cadence. He raps with a laid back delivery… but like… reeeaaally laid back. He does so over beats so cool that I’d actually listen to the instrumental version if it were available. This is exactly what I was needing to rekindle my love for rap which has been waning in recent years.
L'omelette - il faut qu'on bouge
L'omelette is a Calgary quartet that needs to be on your radar. They are so fun, moving from disco-pop to funky soul to punk; they pull influences into their songs as if they were drawn from a hat. It’s energetic, it’s entertaining and it doesn’t go stale after multiple listens. Oh yeah, and they sing in both English and French! This album is for all: if you can’t find something you like, you can’t be helped. There’s the shake-your-ass-on-the-dance-floor banger “il faut qu'on bouge”, the infectious saxophone groove and soul delivery on “yellowjacket”, or you can rock out to the X-Ray Specs inspired “queen bee”. No matter which genres they are blending into the shaker, the resulting concoction always comes out as a perfect cocktail.
