Michael Cloud Duguay, Daniel Romano, Michael Feuerstack, and The Dirty Sample
Michael Cloud Duguay - Wobbly Yonder
I’ve been struggling for a while on how to discuss this record. Each and every song is near perfect, the compositions are each their own little treasures, gorgeous little nuggets to elevate your mood. My difficulties come in understanding the album as a whole as each song seems foreign to the one before and after. It’s bookended by the sound of waves and lovely instrumental tracks that are atmospheric and dense with musical ideas akin to ambient, experimental records. It boasts pop triumph (“Immutable White Light”) that everyone should hear, a folk masterclass (“The Only Angel In Sight”) which is followed by a wild jazz fusion track (“People Have A Right to Build”). Some of my favourite Canadian artists lend their talents to this album, helping make it what it is, eight impressive tracks. I love everything about these songs and will hopefully come to hear how they work together as a whole.
Daniel Romano - Even If It's Obscure / Sweet Dew Of The Kingdom
There’s only one act in Canada where I’d think it’s been awhile without new music if we hadn’t heard from them in over a year. That is the ever prolific Daniel Romano. Fourteen months after the release of 2024s Too Hot To Sleep, he and the Outfit have returned with a two track single. Described as protest songs, each track takes on this trope with the freshness of the mountain air. They don’t protest the never-ending stream of depressing news, instead they protest watching that news. They urge us to drop societal norms, live for the present, invest in self-love, get out and climb that mountain… “for love is of its own accord”. Both tracks rip in only the way the Outfit can rip, classic rock n roll for the modern zeitgeist.
Michael Feuerstack - Monument / Maybe It's Ok
I haven’t listened to Micheal Feuerstack’s 2024 album Eternity Mongers since I reviewed it upon its release but my memory tells me it was assured and full of sage-like musings that can only come with age. It makes sense why these two tracks were left off the release. Content-wise, they don’t fit but are both great songs that deserved a release. I’m particularly enamoured with “Maybe It’s Okay” which acts as a counterpoint to the assuredness of Eternity Mongers as it’s about uncertainty and self-doubt. After hearing such wisdom in the full length album for which it didn’t make the track listing, it’s important to hear this counterpoint and remember that wisdom exists by learning from mistakes and moments of unclarity.
The Dirty Sample - Love Always Wins If You Let It
At this point in his career, there should be no doubting what Calgary producer The Dirty Sample brings to a beat tape. Rich tapestries of looped samples collide with boom-bap percussion and classic instruments like piano and horns. His newest beat tape, Love Always Wins If You Let It, is warm and inviting with positive vibes and a running theme of love above all else. This is exactly what you need on that beautiful walk through the park with the Canadian wilderness in full bloom. Positive vibes in beat-form, I’m loving this offering from The Dirty Sample.
