SUUNS, K-Riz, and Ashley Shadow
SUUNS
The Witness // Secret City
It’s a new SUUNS album! If you are into Tame Impala or Massive Attack and are Canadian, you probably already like SUUNS. With SUUNS, you kind of know what to expect and you also know to expect to have your expectations challenged. The Witness has all the markings of a Suuns album, and that is good. That’s actually great if you’re a fan of very cool music.
This offering is significantly less dissonant, angsty and bombastic. It is more electronic, more chill, mellow and melodic. The sounds and the tones are light as air and feel meticulously crafted. They stretch and bend in wavy pastel lines throughout the record, connecting the tracks to a shared vibe.
The change in direction sounds conscious and deliberate, it's got a distinct temperature and you can hear the 2020 in it. The Witness marks a shrewdly offbeat left turn, and shows SUUNS in their most comfortable, candid state.
The dynamics stand out more than usual as there seems to be less drone, wash and feedback going on. The amount of words and the chord progressions and melodies of the songs do sound noticeably different as well. The live drum sounds when they come in highlight the top tier production.
Standout tracks “Witness Protection” and “C-Thru” shout out to be turned up loud and laser focused on. Turn the lights out and shine a flashlight on the tonal details and dig right into it. Get a little crazy. Inspect the details.
- Joel Klaverkamp
K-Riz
Peace & Love // Self Released
Released a year late due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Peace & Love is a fitting ode to just that, peace and love. Following his critically acclaimed EP The Room, K-Riz’s sophomore full-length album is a lament of the artist’s daily struggles with love, music, and people in general, and is more importantly a refusal to respond to those hardships with anything but love. With a beat choice subtly influenced by electronic and trap music, but mostly characterized by a rare, smooth Hip-Hop ethos, K-riz has made plenty of room on this project for the absurd number of flows, R&B-style hooks, and hard-hitting lines that he’s crammed into Peace & Love.
Definitely an album to put on and let play through, the production and overall sound of Peace & Love is a smooth veneer that lays an even, cool layer over the depth and intensity of K-Riz’s lyricism and the myriad of other artists he’s recruited for this project. Warm soundscapes blend with jazzy, R&B-styled hooks, and even K-Riz slips into crooning at times, both on hooks and in the middle of his verses. Picture if Drake made Piñata instead of Freddie Gibbs. At times drawing on funk in their production as well, especially in the latter half of the project, the beats are generally subdued, running smooth drums and engaging but understated samples under the true centrepiece of Peace & Love, which is the cornucopia of melodies and voices that are spread across it.
On the first single for the album, “I Don’t Trust You,” K-Riz blends R&B and a practiced, laid back flow that is reflected throughout the rest of the project. As much as the sound of Peace & Love is meticulously crafted, it’s clear that K-Riz, more than anything else, is interested in communicating what he wants to say. Over thirteen songs, he paints a warm picture of his life, one in which he loves intensely whether or not that love is returned. In both love and business, K-Riz struggles with trust and seemingly doesn’t expect to have it validated, yet limits himself to gentle reproach of those around him, instead giving only love and peace despite the cold nature of the world he is living in.
The final result of K-Riz’s meticulous and intelligent approach is a tapestry of warm tones and emotions that are as quietly sad as they are energizing and motivational. Through Peace & Love, K-Riz gives light to the world both musically and through the strength of his message. A worthwhile followup to the EP that gained him acclaim in the Canadian music scene, K-Riz’s newest project brings a fresh take to both R&B and Hip-Hop through sheer passion, musicianship, and, most of all, a rare honesty and thoughtfulness.
- Devon Acuña
Ashley Shadow
Only The End // Felte Records
When something catches your eye and you don’t know why, it practically reaches out, grabs you and gives you a smack in the face. That’s what I felt when I came across Only The End, the latest release by Ashley Shadow. I have an appreciation for mixed media arts. Something about the cut and paste. Scissors and glue. Feels like art class. I love this cover art!! The odd couple with different heads and all the empties ready to recycle. A larger than life Venus Fly Trap and flowers. Kinda dark and light. Balanced. I had just got myself a Venus Fly Trap the other day at the Muttart Conservatory. Something I always wanted since I was a kid. We named ours Munchie.
Only The End is the much anticipated second release by this Toronto singer/songwriter and songbird. Shadow... maybe her name rings a bell from precious projects such as The Organ or perhaps you’ve heard her harmonies with Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Either way if the cover art didn’t grab you, Ashley’s haunting vocals definitely will as she explores themes of what is real, and acceptance in the now. There is no Utopia being somewhere else. Maybe you are exactly where you need to be. Or maybe you crave some realness when all around us is fake. Only The End is as real as it gets.
“For Love” was a fast favourite going off the title alone. I had a feeling this one would resonate. The maracas offer a gentle exotic feel, along with the dreamy gentle strumming of the guitar. The heartbeat drums beat steadily as they escalate from jazz into a beautiful rhythmic drum roll. It gives the feeling of waves and gives the song depth. However, it’s Ashley’s unique voice and the harmonies tip the scales. I love the the vibrato in her delivery, I love that the style of her voice is different.
“Don’t Slow Me Down” a soulful country ballad. This one features Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. He adds his vocals for the most heart wrenching melody and harmonies with Shadow. Paired perfectly. You can hear the experience. This is not their first time working together and it shows. Their voices pair beautifully alongside a duo of weeping guitar and steel guitar. This song gave me goosebumps.
“Bury” has the dark undertones of death, funerals and such but it has a silver lining. Some kind of closure. Hope that there is indeed peace and no pain on the other side. Hope that it’s an end to their suffering on earth. Hope that we’ll all meet again one day. Saying goodbye is hard. It’s never easy. There are never the right words to say. This one helped have a little bit of closure on some of my own grief. Thank you for that.
I feel kinda blessed to have come across Ashley Shadow’s new album Only The End. I needed to hear this for my own soul searching and healing. I hope you give it a listen and it moves you as much as it has me. Hope you to find closure, peace and acceptance through it.
Love Always,
Green Noreen
