Carry Me Home,
Overnight
Black Magic Radio Static,
Kick the Robot
Vacation,
Bomb the Music Industry!
Made up of sisters and Plumtree alums Carla and Lynette Gillis, Overnight is a heavy and melancholic indie rock outfit. "Carry Me Home" is a dark album tackling themes of loss and grief all the while crafting beautiful melodies with a driving metal beat (curtosy of Lynette's metal drumming background). This is a ridiculously slept on album and I implore you all to give it a listen ASAP!
Track Spotlight: "Root of Gone"
Now defunct band Kick the Robot endeavoured to bring the energy and authenticity of classic rock to a music scene dominated by pop music digitally mastered to hell and back. "Black Magic Radio Static" delivers on this mission and is chalk full of high octane summertime jams. Throw this one on at a party or on a sunny-day-walk and feel the dancable tunes surging through your bones!
Track Spotlight: "Electric Friends"
One of my all time favourite artists, Jeff Rosenstock, was once the frontman for ska-punk band Bomb the Music Industry! While most of their albums don't do as much for me as Rosenstock's solo stuff, "Vacation" is phenomonal. The album is elegantly crafted with each song perfectly and seamlessly sliding into the next. Last summer, this was easily my number one album as it drips with a novel surf-punk sound that matches the beautiful weather (which has begun to rear its head once again!). Rosenstock's lyricism shines through strongly as well, creating an album that explores the challenges of remaining optimisitc in the face of crushingly uncaring world. Amazing stuff, definitely throw this on if its warm where you are!
Track Spotlight:"Campaign For a Better Weekend"
Calm Ya Farm,
The Murlocs
This is How We Get Better,
The Narcissist Cookbook
This Day Won't Last At All,
Plumtree
What happens when an Australian psychadelic rock band writes a country album? Pure fucking magic baby! The Murloc's "Calm Ya Farm" is peak summertime vibes, combining the jammy sensibilities of the Aussie psych outfit with the timbre of folk, country, and bluegrass music. The two morph into a really great sound that is addictive and dancable and highlight's lead singer Ambrose Kenny-Smith's fantasic vocal performance. With sunny days starting to outnumber the gray ones, this album is a must!
Track Spotlight: "Undone and Unashamed"
I had the good fortune of seeing Matt Johnston of The Narcissist Cookbook live recently on his tour with fellow musician Bug Hunter. Both are great, but TNC will always hold a special place in my heart. I discovered this album during COVID (which was when it was released) and it definitely helped me through those long days. The blend of Johnston's various (primarly acoustic) soundscapes and spoken word productions crafts a sound unlike anything I had heard before. Following up on the soul-wrenching "HYMN," an album dedicated to the grief Johnston wrestled with after the passing of his father, "This is How We Get Better" collects a series of pieces exploring the turbulent recovery process. It's about getting through the dark and all the stumbles along the way. TNC isn't everyone's cup of tea, but this album is truly one of a kind. It is beautiful and raw and heartbreaking and inspiring all at once.
Track Spotlight: "Vs The Heat Death of the Universe"
Plumtree was a four-person all female rock outfit from Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the 90s. The band was made up entirely of teenage girls at its inception. Sisters Carla and Lynette Gillis (highlighted last month for their later work as Overnight) are the frontwoman and drummer respectively and their metal sensibilities combine with their bandmates' poppy sound to create something entirely fantastic. "This Day Won't Last At All" was the band's final album, coming at the end of a career built on the backs of highschool summers touring the country on shoestring budgets. Though not lacking in Plumtree's typical youthful energy, this album definitely has a more mature sound than the other two. Everyone is more experienced on their instrument and the album has a bit more polish. It is also the one I feel is slept on the most even among Plumtree fans. Definitely check it out!
Track Spotlight:"Faraway"