Those Who Walk Away, Sammy Volkov, Tommy Douglas Keenan, and Odd Marshall

Written By Jeff MacCallum

Those Who Walk Away - Afterlife Requiem

Winnipeg post-classical composer Matthew Patton’s latest album relies heavily on field recordings and samples paired with strings from Ghost Orchestra (Reykjavík) and Possible Orchestra (Winnipeg). Finally, after burying the lead in this review, Patton also pulls near-silences extracted from unfinished recordings on Jóhann Jóhannsson’s hard drives. Yes, that Jóhann Jóhannsson. This entire album is elegy to Jóhannsson who was a friend and collaborator of Patton’s. It’s a gorgeous, contemplative statement in minimalistic composition that demands headphones.

Sammy Volkov - Songs From the Goodbye Garden

Edmonton’s Sammy Volkov has a gift for crafting music from another time. It’s become his calling card and the moments that shine the brightest on Songs From the Goodbye Garden are when he truly embraces his AM radio influences. Volkov can croon like Orbison and craft melodies like The Everly Brothers. His best tunes are the ones that transport you to a different era, you may not know that era but you’ve heard it in soundtracks. This record sounds like a long lost recording from the 60s that was remastered with current technology.

Tommy Douglas Keenan - Returns to the Moon

Winnipeg singer/songwriter Tommy Douglas Keenan was new to me. After diving into his impeccable album, Returns to the Moon, I started to check out his back catalogue and realized that this is a sophomore album arriving 16 years after the debut and also, the first single from this effort was originally released in 2022! I bring it up because the record does sound like it was nurtured with the affection of a smitten parent. It’s an incredible start to finish experience that veers from cosmic-folk to Americana to mild-psych-indie-rock.

Odd Marshall - Seconds

Toronto artist Odd Marshall has crafted a bluesy rock-n-roll record that would be as fitting on a folk fest stage as it would be on a rock festival stage. His smokey vocal delivery over alcohol fuelled guitar wizardry is the launch off point, the two elements grab you by the ears and holler in your face. Once you calibrate to dusty boots bad-ass rock vibes, you’ll start noticing the groove hammered out by the rhythm section. This is a putrid style of music when done wrong and a foot stomping blast when done right. Odd Marshall has me wearing out the soles on my shoes.

Jeff MacCallum

Jeff MacCallum is our founder. He created Cups N Cakes simply because he had a love of local music. Soon the platform grew beyond the confines of his scene in Edmonton to include all of Canada.

"I did it all very DIY. Everything you see was me learning on the fly. I'm a carpenter not a musician, or a journalist, or a publicist... I'm a carpenter and a weird crazy music fan that thought he could do something fun that might benefit something I care about"

Over the years, MacCallum's commitment to elevating Canadian music earned him a spot as a Polaris Prize Juror, a WCMA Juror, a consultant for music festival curation, and a dear friend to independent music in Canada.

Next

Red Mass, Andrew MacKelvie's Many Worlds, Motorists, and Multivitamines