Maky Lavender/Skinny Dyck
Maky Lavender
BF3: The Kids Needed a Hero // Independent
BF3: The Kids Needed a Hero, the third installment in Maky Lavender’s Blowfoam mixtape series, was released on Canada day this year and has since taken its place next to the rest of Maky’s discography as a staple in the current Montreal Hip-Hop scene. This tape is non-stop smooth, driving vocals from beginning to end that flow perfectly over Maky’s self-produced beats and will have you bobbing your head at the very least. The production style is almost minimalistic, featuring catchy and synthy loops over bouncy drums that leave lots of room for Maky to flex his chilled-out style. Fans of Isaiah Rashad and Jay Rock would be well served by throwing this tape on next time they go for a drive.
Maky Lavender is Haitian-Canadian, hails from Montreal, and has attained his current level of success as an entirely independent artist. He says of his raps that they focus on “love of his hometown and empowering young adulthood with a revivifying way”. It seems his hometown loves him back as even before his first studio album, ...At Least my Mom Loves Me, dropped this year he had been featured on the playlists “Northern Bars”, “Montreal Chill” and “Rap Queb”, which contributed to the 400,000 listeners he has had in 2020 alone. Maky gives partial credit to “diverse creative exercises” for differentiating him from other rappers in his generation, as well creating “his own visual universe” and producing his own beats.
The thirteen songs on BF3 are short and easy to vibe to, making this an easy and enjoyable tape to get through. Maky also keeps things interesting with songs like “Jeanne Sauve Alumni”, “DIGGITY”, and “My Family!!!” that are more energetic, party style tracks despite maintaining the overall slowed and relaxed atmosphere of the tape. On “Oh Mah Gad!” Maky gets more introspective, talking about his love life and making sure we know that he has depth as well as range. There’s also a sweet guitar solo in the middle of the song!
The single for the tape and second song in the tracklist, “Rumblin’”, is funky and driving, and provides the perfect introduction to the rest of the tape, and maybe even Maky as an artist. BF3: The Kids Needed a Hero is another solid addition to the mixtape series as well as Montreal’s hip-hop scene, and as a follow-up to his first studio album it should keep both fans and new listeners satisfied while they wait for the next instalment of what Maky Lavender calls “two step moves”.
- Devon Acuña
Skinny Dyck
Get To Know Lonesome // Independent
In a time where country radio is overrun with bad pop music with slide guitar and southern accents, it’s refreshing to know that there’s a large pocket of artists continuing the tradition of barstool ballads that have existed since the beginning of the genre. Unsurprisingly, a good number of these true blue cowfolk can be found in the dry prairies of Southern Alberta, including Skinny Dyck of my hometown of Lethbridge. After a long career establishing himself as the go-to pedal steel guitar player for nearly every local country act worth its salt, along with releasing a compilation of said acts and a demo release, Skinny has finally graced us with a debut solo album, Get To Know Lonesome.
One of the best things about this album is that the cover tells you exactly what to expect: an old childhood photo is surrounded by old-fashioned borders, at once evoking classic country aesthetics while hinting at you that what you’re about to hear is considerably more recent. Recorded on ¼” tape back in March, back when the province was in total lockdown, this may yet be one of the most anachronistic releases of the year as the tape hiss and tinny production turns the record into a time capsule looking back over 60 years into the past. This is coupled with nearly every aspect of the music itself, from the instrumentation to the lyrical themes to the galloping rhythms to the chord progressions, all reminiscent of the Tennessee sound of the 1950s and 1960s (minus the accent). The one notable exception to this is the driving highlight track “Dreamin’” (co-written by Michael Granzow), which takes a turn to a more modern rock- or pop-like chord progression and a little more poetically abstract turn in the lyrics. Other highlight tracks include the catchy Merle Haggard-penned “Running Kind” and the visually descriptive “The River Remembers” (with Granzow again). Being a 2020 recording and release, one can’t help but draw parallels with what is being sung to what is happening in the ongoing situation, namely the theme behind “Running Kind” of feeling trapped in your own home and wanting to pack up and go somewhere, or the first verse to the punchy closing ballad “On the Rocks” - “It’s fair to say that we don’t trust each other”. Credit should also be given to co-producer Evan Uschenko of Ghost Woman, whose distinctive surf-meets-country guitar style makes a cozy home throughout.
Get To Know Lonesome was a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. If you're looking for the kind of country release that you can put on the record player and relax to, or something to listen to while sitting by the campfire or the bar, you'll find exactly what you're looking for here.
- Ty Vanden Dool
