J Blissette/DJ Cosm
J Blissette
All Things Considered, Rock Music Was a Mistake // Independent
Out of all the local artists I miss seeing live, J Blissette certainly ranks high among them. The former member of the Ruby Plumes and Saint Street turned solo artist has carved his name as one of Lethbridge’s most recognizable exports in the Canadian underground music scene, to the point where he’s the most likely artist you’ll be asked if you know while touring (at least from my experience). Now with his aptly titled new EP All Things Considered, Rock Music Was a Mistake, the longing for a live performance is even moreso, if only to see how these songs would even be interpreted outside of the studio.
Whether deliberate or not, the EP seems to progressively distance itself from J Blissette’s familiar glam punk aesthetic except at the skeletal level. Make no mistake, it’s still pretty glam punk by the end; it’s just less Roxy Music meets Dead Kennedys and more Roxy Music meets Tubeway Army. Chief among major stylistic changes are the incorporation of a drum machine in place of the live drums from previous releases, a progressively reduced use of blown-out distortion effects, a gradual turn towards synthesizers against the usual guitars, and the heavy use of Autotune effects. This shift is likely due in part to the recruitment of electronic duo Birch Barks’ Eric Den Haan as producer. Meanwhile, the songwriting slowly changes from the manic hardcore-esque ramblings of opener “Pet Dog” and “(Respect) the Process” (singing at a speed twice as fast as my own stammering mouth could even form a syllable) to the comparatively more melodic and on-the-nose lyrics about mental and emotional low points found in “Below or Above” and the closing track “Smoke in Peace”. The ballad “Cowgrrl” serves as the pivot point where all these shifts begin to manifest themselves.
While we can debate whether Jackson Tiefenbach truly believes rock music was a mistake (or whether my Google search’s claim that a collection has to be at least 25 minutes long to qualify as an album is accurate while I was figuring out how to categorize this release), there’s no doubt that he’s more than happy to dabble on the more pop side of music, and is perfectly able to do so while marrying it with what made J Blissette stand out in the first place. Beyond the general fascination with this new direction in itself, it also makes me curious as to what this might mean for future releases.
- Ty Vanden Dool
DJ Cosm
Natural Within // Makebelieve Records
I had the good fortune of working with Adam Hicks, AKA DJ Cosm, years ago at A&B sound, when he was just getting started on a career that now spans twenty odd years of actively being a pillar of Calgary’s hip hop community. Back then, I was already struck by what a natural archivist he was, as well as his enthusiasm for sharing hip hop culture with anyone who would listen. Any great DJ is really a curator for taste, a channel between the casual listener and the vast ark of culture that lies deep below the surface noise. We rely on the DJ to act as a musical archaeologist, digging up the relics of the past and re-contextualizing them for current generations. This is the very soul of the old-school aesthetic, and something that Cosm’s work, both as a solo artist and as one-half of the dynamic duo Dragon Fli Empire clings to deeply.
It’s actually mind blowing to imagine the dedication it takes to remain relevant as a locally based act for two decades, but Cosm gamely stands out as a stalwart force in Calgary’s hip hop community. The staggering variety of diverse emcee talent displayed on this LP (even the legendary Sadat X from Brand Nubian is here) is testament to his respect within the larger Hip Hop community, and his discerning taste in choosing collaborators. There isn’t a sense here that Cosm is much concerned over advancing his own reputation or serving his ego - the jazz/funk rooted grooves he crafts are perfectly suited to mainly showcase the lyrical skills and individual flow of his chosen emcees. It’s clear that Cosm knows his craft, and this album grooves almost effortlessly, and makes for a deeply funky excursion.
There aren’t any weak links here - every track is pretty much on fire, with the buoyant, organ-driven funk of “Frank Sisson’s” (featuring Thunder Bay emcee Belvedere Spinello) being a real standout. Third track “Nostalgia” featuring Queens NYC’ Starvin B is another straight-up jam, a dark and brooding old-school workout full of tension and menace.
Taken in context, this album (his first solo offering since 2011’s Time and Space) serves as a reminder that chasing trends and changing fashion isn’t the key to building a long term career. It’s clear to me that the DJ whose work is represented on this stellar album is still that same kid I knew years ago, enthusiastically digging through dusty record crates for that next old-school gem to share with the world. Dig on Natural Within, and get yourself educated.
- Shaun Lee
