The third album from this Canadian musical collective sounds like a hippy cult playing garage rock. I went into this album with the understanding that these guys were a punk band, so what unfolds here was a surprise. There is a little more of a punk attitude to the vocals on the second song, the chorus of voices on the opener sounds like a campfire song. Despite the attitude of the vocals on "The Medium" there is a happy vibe pervading, and they tone down the aggressive undercurrent of the first vocal, the song evolves into something that is more like stoned folk with a lazy female croon taking over.
16 musicians in total are credited with the drummer Zack Choy being the main creative force here. He must have a great deal of charisma to lead this many in this project though that same charisma is not really translating into the songs. 'Blue Kite' sounds more like the Clash. There is a more angular Brit pop feel to "Lack of Lack" with a Beatles-like tone to the vocals. The Saxophone does help switch things up and distance them from their influences. This is the strongest song so far, it's also moodier and not as happy so that might factor into its appeal as well.
"Epitaph" is an indie rock song that has the attitude of Iceage, as they complain about how stoned they are. They jam it out for a bit before picking up the tempo on "I Am" which feels a little less inspired than the previous song. This is where too many cooks in the kitchen plays against them as it feels less focused. The longer it goes on the sillier it feels. "the Ballad of Billy' is a drunken lament that sounds like it erupting from a smoky New Orleans bar. It drops down to a plodding bass line when the female vocals take over. There is more of an ambient ballad feel to the breezy "Lost on the Red Mile". It floats along the slow dynamic build as they jam on the songin a Greatful Dead manner. I will give this one a 9, it's better than I expected and a jammy ride for modern-day hipster stoners.
pst428
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