Thanya Iyer/Trevor Sloan
Thanya Iyer
KIND // Topshelf Records
Thanya Iyer’s sophomore album KIND is a demonstration of what can happen when a songwriter freely explores their gifts while also unabashedly diving into the depths of who they were and who they are. The highly anticipated LP - Iyer’s first full-length release since 2016’s Do You Dream? - is a cohesive and carefully crafted concept album. Four years between albums may seem like a long time, but a project like KIND is worth the wait. Tracks from this album are featured in the accompanying visual album, released earlier this year in April. KIND’s cinematic, symphonic sounds and rich lyrical imagery begs for a visual component - and the 20 minute psychedelic film is a mesmerizing companion to the LP.
In the about section of their website, Thanya Iyer is introduced as “both a person and a band. Thanya Iyer the person is 1/3 of Thanya Iyer the band. The other 2/3s are made up of Alex, Dan, and other great friends.” This introduction to Thanya Iyer makes perfect sense. On KIND, the three bandmates harness all of their individual gifts but work together as one to present a singular artistic vision. Even with the large number of additional musical guests on this album (including brass trios, vocal sextets, harpists), there isn't a sense of inflated egos or self-indulgent experimentation. The album sounds purposeful, easy and effortless, and even the most intricate and wild moments still have a sense of relaxed confidence that everything can be resolved in due time.
KIND focuses on the theme of water and how people - just like water - can reflect, change form and powerfully break through difficult obstacles. The album opens with the immersive sounds of creatures that one would expect to hear near an abundant body of water. Iyer’s voice then emerges over a melodically plucked string: “I woke up in the water... I saw it was the end”, signifying a reawakening, a new beginning.
The laid back nature of the opening two tracks eases the listener into the playful and expressive music to come. The beautifully honest “I Forget to Drink Water (Balance)” smartly closes with an angelic harp before the album suddenly launches into its two most thrilling songs. “My Mind Keeps Running” sounds like an after hours carnival that is veering off the rails. Just over two minutes later, Iyer jumps into the free-flowing, unpredictable rapids and continues to reflect on her philosophy of life on album highlight, “Please Don’t Hold Me Hostage For Who I Am, For Who I Was.”
Thanya Iyer - the band and the person - delivers a masterclass on experimental pop music. Like a mad-scientist leading an unconventional experiment, Thanya Iyer trusts that their technique and wisdom will guide them while also knowing that magic happens when one is able to let go of the need to be in control. Iyer is practicing what she preaches: the act of letting go of complete creative control and inviting multiple artists to add talents to these songs is mirrored in Iyer’s lyrics that speak to the importance of confronting and releasing any preconceived beliefs we may have about ourselves. By letting go and trusting the process, Thanya Iyer and company have created an incredible work of art.
- Greg Torwalt
Trevor Sloan
Green Reflections // Independent
Summer is upon us, and Toronto’s Trevor Sloan has created an apt soundtrack for the season. Green Reflections, the third album released under his own name, shows Sloan dipping his toes in the singer songwriter pond, occupied by songsmiths like Cat Stevens and Nick Drake, before he ditches his drawers and dives into the adjacent psych-folk lake. Here he finds refreshing solace amongst the likes of Beck and Supernova/Ouroboros-era Ray Lamontagne. Simple bass and drums set the structure as vintage synths and expressive guitars colour between the lines, and Sloan reflects on being young and getting older. He explores green spaces and the urban jungle, juxtaposing their elements and placing himself in the middle of it all.
There’s a fair bit of sunshine conveyed by these songs, but there are also moments that would be conducive to rainy days or twilight strolls. After all, as Sloan sings on “I’m Your Friend,” “Sometimes it rains.” Layered ethereal vocals float over the instruments regardless of the song’s mood, but Sloan moves effortlessly between the chipper skipped step of album opener “Dusty Boots,” and the melancholic mode of “Shore Patterns.” The latter is beautifully creepy and sounds like it would fit on a Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger album. “Can I Show You My Mind” is a psych-folk hippie introspective, and the lyrics on “Windy Shore” fit that mould perfectly as well. As Sloan sings of “campfire cologne” and “the flicker of a fire across the way” he embodies the thoughtful wandering bard. It’s as if he had his guitar at the campfire, played “Green Summer” sans synths, earning uproarious applause and an inevitable encore, and then conceded into the night, playing “Windy Shore” for the waves.
Upbeat songs like “Past the Junkyard” find a nice spot between classic psychedelic rock bands like Buffalo Springfield and Pink Floyd, and neo-psychedelic acts like Brian Jonestown Massacre or the Beta Band offshoot The Aliens. The synths are tasteful, and Sloan doesn’t let them drag the tunes into different genres. They help fill out the mix, and they also help to root the songs in the present, dodging the time capsule dismissal. Andy Magoffin (Great Lake Swimmers, The Hidden Cameras) mixes the acoustic and electric elements together beautifully. Lush harmonies recall Beck’s vocals on albums like Sea Change and Morning Phase and now that Beck has embraced his poppier side, it's refreshing to see that a talented multi-instrumentalist like Trevor Sloan has continued to carry the torch. Amidst a wave of garage-psych rockers, Trevor Sloan delves into the mellower side of psychedelic rock and on Green Reflections, it pays off immensely.
The end of July is the perfect time for Green Reflections to come out. Many Canadians are enjoying the well-earned sunshine, trying to ignore the fact that the days are getting shorter and the nights will start to get cool soon. Trevor Sloan’s new album provides a soundtrack for the sun-soaked moments, but it also acknowledges that summer isn’t all pool parties and beach trips, and soon enough we’ll have snow again. The music embraces a range of moods, and never stops being thoughtful as it explores them. Like summer, it’s beautiful while you experience it, and when it’s done, you wish it could last just a little longer, and that’s a good thing.
- Devon Dozlaw
