Octoberman, fishlips, Cave Arcade, and SENTRIES
Octoberman - Chutes
Octoberman’s Marc Morrissette doesn’t make bad albums, or even write bad songs. He released a steady stream of these from 2005 to 2014. High level indie rock that leaned in the direction of folk. These records were so consistent that I likely took them for granted a bit. Sometimes bad songs really put good songs in perspective. Then in 2014, he stopped. He returned in 2023 with the sad and beautiful There You Were and something had changed. I was older. He was older. I’m here for it. Chutes continues where There You Were left off. The lyrics are smart. Advice from a man who has figured a lot of things out in the past 20 years. Stories from a man who has lived 20 more years worth of life. I really believe that Chutes might be a classic album. It should be the soundtrack to movies. It makes you want to fall in love and grow old with someone. This album is life. It’s sad, sweet, quiet and peaceful at times, restless and chaotic at others. Sometimes self-assured, sometimes vulnerable. It’s unpredictable, and absolutely precious.
fishlips - Root Canal
The first three tracks of Root Canal, the debut EP by Edmonton’s fishlips is a relentless, pulverizing attack. They blend elements of cool punk and cool grunge. The fourth track, “Stay Away”, is slightly slower and has elements of shoegaze. These kids are like the grandkids of Tad and Thurston Moore. They throw rocks and smoke cigarettes. They complain about their jobs or their school. They spit on the ground. They like art and guitars. Maybe. I don’t know them. The songs are catchy but never let you catch your breath. They pound you with body blows until you’re beaten and laying in your own blood and bone, lifeless except your tapping foot. I’ve listened to this album ten times way too loud on my headphones. This band is amazing and I can’t wait to be the old guy at their shows.
Cave Arcade - Castles
Canmore’s Cave Arcade put out 4 tracks of wistful, thoughtful, reverby, laid-back summertime pop songs. Not the kind of pop songs you listen to while you’re like, playing volleyball on the beach or like, swimming? Or like…riding bikes? Honestly, I’m not much of a summertime person. These are songs for evenings where you need a sweater and the night and the season are winding down. This is the soundtrack for end of summer contemplation. The songs are sweet and moody, sad and hopeful. Excited to hear more.
SENTRIES - Gem of the West Disc 2
When a musical project is born entirely from the mind of one person, the results are mixed. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, often wild. Nobody is there to tell you no! Also, nobody can tell you no! This EP is actually the leftover scraps from the incredible Gem of the West album, released earlier in the year. These songs don’t form a cohesive listening experience, but still provide a damn good one. It goes from riffy rock that is a bit noisy to noise rock that is a bit riffy, to proper noise, to the kind of noise that makes you want to barf a little bit. These songs nod a little to Shellac, Mr. Bungle, Blessed, The Dead C and way more, but they do their own thing, at the end of the day. SENTRIES is a very cool project.
