Umarells

One More Day

 By Jac Taylor

Packed with dreamy, hypnotic vocals, Umarells release their new EP on November 8. One More Day is a revolutionary pushback on the music scene with its unique delicate well-crafted sound pulling you out of the last century. The EP is going to reach the hearts within dreampop, filled to the brim with fans, even outside the great city of Manchester. A trance into a sound like Mazzy Star, Slowdive and Hole.

One More Day is a very deep first chapter into Umarells catalogue with this ethereal, simple EP; a pop appeal with a shoegaze deep dive. In other words, as the EP cover shows, the music on One More Day is as nicely valued as a colourful range of flowers, and truly surreal. In the larger picture, when reading into the lyrics, grooves, and melodies, it really feels like a fragmented, lucid dream being put to rest.

An element of One More Day is the raw, emotive vocals that are somehow cloudy yet energetic, it has a melancholic kind of tone. The reason the vocals are impressive is how well they latch onto the instrumentation. The drums are very calming, with indie-pop guitars floating around your headphones. It’s an immense wall of bold, vivid yet pure, bliss.

‘Ocean’… yes please. This song is the one that should pique your attention from the EP. The title is so fitting in the way it just brings in calming waves. If you have ever been abroad or travelled to the beach, you can just picture the tranquillity. It really feels as though that the band have found an edge that reflects this project and, hopefully, the future to come.

With the track ‘You’re Not Here’, Umarells are clearly pulling together in a dazed, meditated harmony. The echoes of how this band may, or may not, have received inspiration is channelled effortlessly. For example, right towards the end, at the later part of the three-minute mark, there is some guitar work sounding like something from Nirvana’s track ‘Drain You’. It’s unsettling as you wouldn’t expect this from any kind of dream-pop. Hopefully, we get to see more of this at Muso’s in the near future.

Odonis Odonis

ICON

By Johnno

It is currently mid-June, temperatures in the mid to high 20 Celsiuses, and there hasn't been a drop of rain for the better part of 10 days in Southern Ontario.  So much sunshine.  Gardens blooming.  Everywhere, strangers' genuine happiness emanating neighborhood sidewalks because of the positive, vitamin D weather.  And the school year is almost complete, too.  Happy days are here again, goddammit!  Alas, blasting into my midnight ears was a full force darkwave from the Toronto-based duo, Odonis Odonis.

Their current six song EP, ICON, carries on from its poignant predecessor, Spectrums, with industrial laden tranced electronics and Lynchian vibes.  At times, the unintelligible distorted screams on the backdrop of TV white noise synths feel familiar, but the duo have presented them upon a different palate.  In doing so, each track utilized guest musicians; obviously meant to enhance the music, not to save it as potential cop outs.  And as I have delved into Odonis Odonis' catalog, Dean and Denholm have created unique atmospherics that need no saving.  Walking with them, hands-in-hand into the ominosity, are A Place To Bury Strangers, TOBACCO, Terror Bird, ACTORS, SUUNS, and Patriarchy; welcomed on this brief journey to Mordor with their own special set of skills.  “Breadth” is clearly the name of the game here.

The opening track 'Model' (featuring A Place To Bury Strangers) has its biggest listening payoff with the repetitive cries of "I will fuck things up" until the breakthrough static clouds with an instrumental section that didn't last long enough.

A personal favourite and standout track, 'No One Left', features members of Vancouver's new wave ambassadors, ACTORS.  Straight drum machine work, single notes plucked on reverbed guitars, and dreamy backing vocals feel like a continued homage to ‘80s post-punk.  Much like 'More' from the Spectrums LP, they don't feel out of place from a Depeche Mode and Human League tour, as a melodic island on an otherwise, industrial-focused record.

The vocal styles across the six songs resemble the four horsemen of some sort of goth-pocalypse.  The aforementioned distorted vocals, the megaphoned sing-talk, the faux-British debonair wording, and the darkened female perspective.  All four take their turns and at times work together very well.  ICON is an in-and-out record that delivers the best of Odonis Odonis and friends.  Without focused listening, you'll miss the nuances from a solid production, mix and master.

And as icons are seen throughout the zeitgeist looking down upon us mere mortals, the one slight ICON presents here is its short run time, just over 19 minutes over six tracks. Understandably so, with the amount of personnel collaborating on claustrophobically layered audio pleasures, perfect for every goth club to alternative cocktail bars with an undiagnosed ADHD-riddled child in the corner fervently turning the house lights off and on.

8/10

Atsuko Chiba

Water, It Feels Like It's Growing

By Johnno

It's very easy to lament the days of the past.  Especially when you regret taking chances on things that would leave you outside of your comfort zone and wheelhouse.  "Ask that girl out?... No way, man, she's out of my league."  "Leave a job?... I got security there and free daily bagels."  "Travel the world... And go into debt, venturing into unfamiliar territories? Nah.  " It takes a youthful essence to make those leaps out of complacency, springing forth into any possible chaos.  And in that chaos, you can go "with it", find a path with no end, as every fork in the road begets another.

Unless you die.

That would royally suck and is totally known to happen. But it's all about the journey and not the destination, right?

Enter Atsuko Chiba's latest effort, Water, It Feels Like It's Growing.  The Montreal quintet has taken another step forward with a hearty, layered effort that is equally cohesive as it is sporadic within its 36-minute runtime.  In respective psyche rock fashion, I found the album perfect for those who really want to listen to what's coming through the speakers or headphones.  An almost stream-of-consciousness composing but still harkens back to previous movements and passages, as it leaves the listener strictly in the moment enjoying what is presented.  Luckily, if the moment is at its most chaotic musically, or the standout shouting, "Fucked Up! / I'm the culprit!" on the track ‘So Much For’, or within the drone groove of the title track... it is all welcome.  It's all a part of the journey Atsuko Chiba has invited us on, enhanced by tripping on something that was given to us from an unmarked ziploc bag.  The snozzberries taste like snozzberries.

Opening the EP with ‘Sunbath’ was a great first chess move.  A musically dark and ominous beginning underlying singer Karim's inviting vocal lines, a youthful yearn for change out of complacency, and tonally familiar.  After the fifth minute, there's a break through the clouds where the music offers an uplifting moment facing the end.  Everything is going to be okay, everyone!  Remember, it's all a part of the journey, m'kay!?

Water... is chock full of dynamics expertly enhanced by a rich production and mixing.  Guitars don't overpower the soundscape as it could with most psyche-rock outputs, leaving space for synths and a guest-starring horn section.  A special moment worth noting is the opening to the fourth track, ‘Seeds’.  Reminiscent of The Beach Boys ' "Till I Die" vocal opening, the two tracks share a similar warmth.  Emoting such a personal, emotional touch to an otherwise busy and layered album, encapsulates the less-is-more notion, giving us little, while speaking volumes in the grander scheme and tone of the album.  Water... is a lush post-prog-psych-rock-whathaveyou for the active listener, spiraling outward on the cobblestone streets of Venice, perfect for musical escapism.  Traveling isn't for everyone; some people prefer to stay home.  But even if you're a homebody, turn off the lights and tune into Atsuko Chiba's latest - because it's worth the trip.

9/10