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On Capital City Records!
Provincial Archive's self titled album is both right this very second in music and all that came before it at once. Nik Kozub of Shout Out Out Out fame's production is familiar and drastically 21st century in its use of guitar, bass, drums and synths. Right out of the gate, we are immersed in the full scope of the PA sound. 'Bad Connection' suggests something is coming. Front man Craig Schram has a "bad feeling". I can't help feel the opposite as I dip my toe into Provincial Archives fourth album. Driving, distorted guitars, fuzzed out harmonica licks on a bed of life affirming bass and drums, has me feeling pretty optimistic despite Shram's bad feeling.
"Oh God" is the perfect refrain to open up a track called 'Church Clothes'. What comes next is a spiritual examination. "I don't want to be the last one through heavens gate". Doubt is fundamental to any ideology. Provincial Archive just happens to be dealing in the fundamentals of what makes a prodigious garage rock anthem. Stephen Tchir, Bramwell Park & Shram's crunchy guitars and synth riffs would make Bob Dylan's guy rethink his take on Like a Rolling Stone. There's no doubting the talent this outfit possesses. "So what if we just drink and talk all night" sounds a lot like someone who might be ready to shed their Church Clothes. You may want to have that drink along with the band even just to play through the stunning break of shimmering guitar musings.
The simple beauty that is 'Stay Dumb' finds Shram taking a page presumably from his life's story and pin it to his heart for all to see. He's alone in his thoughts, as Provincial Archive's mournful backing provides a break from all the twisting up of sound that came before now. "Sing me off to sleep" the self medicated lament of a man who doesn't want to deal with the reality of youth's fleeting nature. There's something universal about the notion of, "I wish we could just stay dumb". Ignorance is bliss and despite most of our best efforts, youth can afford anyone a certain amount of that bliss. Stay Dumb is a lament that gears even further down near tracks end in a Beach Boys-esque vocal treatment of harmonies. Did I mention yet how divine the vocals are on these tracks? Craig Shram's voice is as welcoming as your favourite character from your most cherished book and unique enough to challenge all your auditory senses.
On 'It's Easy', the piano takes up the lead. "I'm having a dream that never ends". Provincial Archive are meditating within a state of "make believe". It's Easy is a direct response to Stay Dumb in that it suggests anything is easy at all, wonderfully noted musically as PA flirts with their own version of the art of noise in compensation.
Provincial Archive are a jewel in the crown of Edmonton's vibrant music scene. Behind the Pines not only serves as a showcase of individual talents of each musician, it reveals an outfit that have spent time mastering the art of what makes a great song. Nothing is perfect on these six tracks, however that's what separates PA from most of their contemporaries whose production leaves little to the imagination. Instead of having dotted every 'i' and crossed every 't', Provincial Archive left room for the reality of a sound that's still being moulded. After listening to these songs you'll want to go back to the beginning and start again. Yes, you've missed something. While PA's self titled album is as accessible as anything else you'd hear on the radio – theres a lot more going on both musically and lyrically. That said, one could just turn Provincial Archive's final track 'Absorbed' on repeat, do the hokey pokey in the living room and feel damn good about having had the experience.
--Val Christpher