REVIEWS
Eschatons | Adventures in
the Thanatosphere
Independent
When a band includes big
words in its name and alb um
title that either sound h yperintellectual or made up, a couple
of considerations come to mind
before listening:
Is this name just big for
the sake of being big? Or is there
some social commentar y being
made about our instant reflex to
seek immediate internet answers
in the face of uncertainty? Big
word? Look it up . Was this
intentional to get people to think
about the nature of knowledge? Is
this (big word band) questioning
if the ar t of con versation and
conjecture is dying because of the
widely held perception that all can
be known and sought out online?
Can all be known and sought
online? Can we sit ar ound and
have conversations without some
friend finding some objectiv e
answer on her phone to kill the
guessing? Is it the guessing or the
answers that are important? Is
this a collectiv e art experiment
that I am unknowingly part of?
Or am I no w knowingly part
of it? Is tha t the point or ha ve I
missed the point? Can perplexing
band names and alb um titles
change the world by forcing us to
examine our fiber-optic brains?
Can I google the answer?
Whoa. Before you even
break the seal on this ne w drone
cassette from the Vancouver art
soundscapers Eschatons, questions
pile up. A warning then: only
listen to this conceptual art music
if you are willing to revel in the
unknown. – Brennan Anderson
Mitchmatic | A Night Lost
Nevado
Honestly, my hip-hop educa tion
is limited. Though if you consider
my teacher was Fresh Prince, then
things aren’t all that bad, right?
Caveats aside, you would
do well to check out Mitchmatic.
A recent Clearwater, BC to
Edmonton, AB transplant, Mitch
Holtby’s second alb um is v ery
good. Taking samples from 1960s
soul singer, Barbara Mason, the
album has a groovy, laid back feel
that has your head bobbing right
out of the ga te with the opening
track, “I Don’t Know How”.
His wizardry in the pr oduction
room shows restraint by allowing
space between beats that only
accentuates the retro groove. The
album is short but is quality from
start to finish. Not bad for a parttime artist/full-time landscaper.
Makes you think: what might
Mitchmatic be capable of if he put
his back into it?
CICK shows that you
might hear Mitc hmatic on:
Outside-In, The Abyss.
– Glen Ingram
Jennifer Castle | Pink City
No Quarter/Idee Fixe
I’m suspicious of ne w singersongwriter folk m usic. While
there innovators of the genr e,
there are also those who feed on
the c