Julie Doiron, Haviah Mighty, and Jacques Greene
Julie Doiron
I Thought Of You // You’ve Changed Records
Some of you may or may not know this, so I feel I need to touch on it off the hop. Julie Doiron was in the band Eric’s Trip, who were the first Canadian band to sign with Seattle’s grunge label, Sub Pop. Growing up in New Brunswick, and being around the same age as the band, this was a big deal to my friends and I. They were the band that made it! Okay, now back to focusing on Julie Doiron and her latest album, I Thought Of You. It’s her first solo record in nine years, and it was well worth the wait. I have to admit, I didn’t listen to one song before choosing this album to review. I saw Julie’s name, then the Romano brothers' names, and I hit the yes please button!
Julie starts the album off with the track, “You Gave Me The Key”. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard more fitting lyrics to start an album - “There was never a plan, no need to explain, and here I am, starting over again.” Julie possesses the ability to capture and draw her listeners in instantly, with just her voice and her guitar! Julie exercises this ability from the moment you press play and until the very end of the album. To further prove my point of her musical gift, check out Julie playing live at NPR’s Tiny Desk!
I Thought Of You, from track one to track thirteen grabs your ears, and makes you pay attention. The album is truly dynamic, ever changing in emotions, and songs featuring full band, to one guitar - absolute artistry. Julie managed to cover an incredible amount of sonic ground in one album. There is one thing that stands out to me, I truly believe there is at least one song on her album that will satisfy everyone's musical taste. If you don’t believe, give the album a spin and prove me wrong! Oh, and if you're francophone, she’s got you covered! On her closing track, “Back To The Water”, Julie Doiron invites you to sit beside her, while she comforts you with her voice and guitar. Yes, there it is again, her voice and her guitar! I have to make one shameless, desperate request - Julie, the next time you lock yourself away with Daniel and Ian Romano and Dany Placard in a cabin to record an album, call me, I’ll be your runner for free!
Listening to I Thought Of You, is like getting on your favourite ride at a theme park - Julie extends her hand, accepts your ticket and says: Appréciez la balade (Enjoy the ride).
“Headphones. That’s the only way to listen to music. It’s all kinds of different emotions because you get real quiet and comfortable and just listen to it.” ~ Gregg Allamn
- Branton Langley
Haviah Mighty
Stock Exchange // Mighty Gang Inc
Her first solo project since dropping the Polaris prize-winning 13th Floor in 2018, Stock Exchange is both a victory lap and a level-up for Toronto-based artist Haviah Mighty. Super hard and super catchy in equal measure, Stock Exchange expertly ignores the line between mainstream appeal and dope Hip-Hop. Pushing the triplet to its absolute limit, Haviah Mighty also casually makes use of every style of rap even marginally approaching her milieu. That’s not to say that the appeal of this album is purely stylistic, and leaning heavily into production, melody, and variation doesn’t seem to distract Mighty in the least from developing the lyrical and thematic depth of the songs on this project.
In terms of sound, Stock Exchange is very much the work of an artist who has established themselves in Hip-Hop; Haviah Mighty has clearly honed both her technical skills and her ability to direct and choose the production for a project. This is especially true with regards to Mighty’s vocals on this release, and with switch-ups between rapping and singing - as well as styles - abound, Stock Exchange refuses to be repetitive in the least, or even stick to one lane. At times, Haviah leans almost entirely into dropping pop hits, like on “Avocado” which delivers self-love and reflection in a cheerful and bouncy shell, while at others, like on “Atlantic,” she leans towards more of a modern rap vibe and much more serious subject matter. Haviah Mighty truly takes a unique approach to every song on this project, and each is different while still being engaging and clearly thoroughly written and produced.
Underlying the finely detailed production and vast sonic depth on Stock Exchange is an attention to subject matter and a dense lyricism. As rare as it may be for a project with such a strongly developed sound and catchiness to have writing that could support an album all on its own, Haviah Mighty does not waste bars on this tape, and there are a lot of them. One of the largest themes on this project is self-love and self-actualization, as Mighty reflects on self image, navigating relationships, and being comfortable being alone, like on “Good On My Own Tonight.” Alongside these larger themes is some good times music and flexing bars, as well as a broader focus on identity, including new fame, handling industry relationships, and blackness and activism, like on “Protest.”
As intelligent as it is engaging and exciting, Haviah Mighty’s Stock Exchange is a fully realized album in every aspect. Autotune licks, hard bars, and dynamic beats and flows make for an engaging and dense project that is airtight from beginning to end. In short, Haviah Mighty is soft, loud, vulnerable, well-spoken, and dope as hell, all in all doing everything with Stock Exchange that an artist could conceivably do to make a good album, both in terms of her music and her writing.
- Devon Acuña
Jacques Greene
ANTH01 // LuckyMe
Next up for review, we have the new Jacques Greene release, ANTH01. This release features tracks from early out of print Jacques Greene 12”s spanning the first ten years of his career. ANTH01 is the ideal charcuterie board for new listeners to sample different sounds from the Jacques Green cannon. Greene has been making music “about the club” for over a decade. His sound has developed into an emotional haze exemplified on his Feel Infinite and Dawn Chorus Albums.
Jacques Green’s mesmerizing use of electronics is evident in an excellent previously unreleased song, “Faded.” This song features one of the addictive vocal hooks Greene often features in his music. The vocal track on this song is matched perfectly, with a subtle synth sound that grows as the song progresses. This song has all the great qualities of a slow burn but then explodes with energy at just the right moment.
ANTH01 finishes with one of the songs that helped introduce his sound to the world, “Another Girl.” This track requires little introduction. Right from the kick, you know you’re in for something massive. Greene pulls in the listener with a beat-driven intro and a bright synth sound, which sets the tone for when it all comes together around 2:50. This song balances a vocal sample loop, rising synths, and cracking drum sounds. You can’t help but keep this tune on repeat. “Another Girl” makes a great closing track and is a must-hear for anyone into the lighter side of house or synth lovers in general.
Outside of his releases, Greene has explored his relationship with the club in various contexts, from remixing Radiohead to producing Katy B and Tinashe and touring with The xx. ANTH01 is a great snapshot of Greene’s exploration of the club environment and shows the progression of this artist over the past ten years. Forget where you’ve been. We’re lost in euphoria tonight.
- Earl D
