MAGELLA, TEKARRA, Carences, and Local Singles
MAGELLA - The Pearl
Mark this down as a record I think everyone should hear. Dark, brooding vibes permeate every tune on The Pearl with experimentation in genre blending making this an album that I plan to keep listening to beyond publishing these words. From the desert psych guitar on “You’re Always Talking (When No One Can Hear You)” to the jazz intro of “Shark Tank” that turns into an hip hop banger (with an incredible appearance from Backxwash), this record grabs a ton of influences and packages them up into what I’d best describe as Industrial-Soul. Then add the luscious neo-soul vocals of Magella on top of the unique production and you’ve got an extremely memorable album.
TEKARRA - Great Divide
Edmonton’s finest purveyors of doom, drone, and dissonance have returned! Their latest album, Great Divide is a two track, 35 minute masterclass in slow sludge. The record opens with expertly crafted drones from bass feedback that sets an ominous tone. Finally, over three minutes in, we get some percussion. It’s excruciatingly slow, the band is signalling to us straight away that you’re gonna need to calm yourselves, turn off the outside and be prepared for this voyage. Not all will be able to endure the journey that Great Divide provides but those who do will be rewarded.
Carences - Violences
A new post-hardcore band from Montreal has just announced themselves to the rest of Canada with a blistering, ten-song debut album that is an intense, sonic attack. At times, teetering on noise-punk, Carences does an impeccable job of sprinkling in enough melodic moments that help turn the temperature down in your mind from raging boil to gentle simmer. As far as debut albums go, I’m impressed. Carences took their time with their first release and gave us an expertly executed blend of post-hardcore and noise-punk.
Local Singles - What is Blue in the Garden?
I wasn’t sure if we’d ever hear from Calgary’s Local Singles again. In 2020 they released a great two song single but then the world fell into pandemic protocols and the strength of that debut release became a distant memory. Then on December 10th I received a notification from Bandcamp about a four song EP called What is Blue in the Garden? This release showcases the range of Local Singles songwriting chops. A folk-pop gem that has moments of rock peppered throughout. There’s so much to like on this release, from the pedal steel, to the bombastic drum rolls to the strange avant-pop interlude in “Mother’s Pearls”. I’m so glad Local Singles are still a band and can’t wait to hear more.
