Kelly McMichael, Calvin Love, and Ghost Cartridge
Kelly McMichael
Waves // Self Released
St. John's based artist, Kelly McMichael, invites us to take a breather while looking at the east coast’s ocean with her debut full-length album Waves. A perfect balance between soft indie-rock and singer-songwriter, her solo work offers a glimpse of calming oceanic vibes and her beautiful and personal approach to music.
McMichael’s musical journey has taken her through different projects like Renders, Rouge, Thelma & Louise and Kelly McMichael and The Gloss. She has also collaborated with multiple artists and has toured Canada, the UK and the US. But it has taken her years to find the right circumstances to bring these arrangements to life, and she finally found them by the ocean with the support of engineer, co-producer and drummer Jake Nicoll (The Burning Hell), multi-instrumentalist Sarah Harris (Property) and Maria Peddle.
Waves displays a mature sound and a wide range of rock sounds but it also contains light touches of psychedelia and elements of pop ballads. The opening track, “Missed Out On Everything”, sets the perfect tone for the album. The bass, guitar and drums in the song complement McMichael’s vocals giving you a taste of what is coming. “Out Of The Window” celebrates freedom with a groovy 80’s dance-synth energy that will get you going in no time. The third track, “Stepping Stone'', is memorable, vibrant and emotional, and it will elevate you to the clouds with its captivating chorus and string arrangements.
But what about the rest of this fantastic record? Well, Kelly McMichael’s Waves is waiting for you to press play, to listen and enjoy. Each of the ten songs has its own unique energy and will take you on a melodic ride. Available now on all music platforms and on vinyl.
- Fel Gamarra
Calvin Love
Lavender // Hidden Treasure Recordings
Sometimes I wake up in a quiet mood. Not necessarily sad. Just quiet. I need something contemplative and soothing. A Canadian crooner to swoon and ease me into my day. Someone as remarkable as Cohen and Lightfoot. Well I have found that in the new release by Calvin Love titled Lavender.
The album has so many captivating rhythms and layers of instruments you’ll hear. All which Love has played and recorded himself through Turtle Island Toronto. The recording of this album spanned from a basement in Edmonton to various apartments across the country, even some motels in L.A. The recording of a road trip on the Trans Canada Highway. Ending up in a cabin in the Rockies. Now I can hear the inspiration and energy in there. It’s Cohen, Lightfoot, with a touch of Paul Simon. Chris Isaak in a David Lynch film was how he describes it himself. I can agree. I also had a hard time picking my favourites. They are all my favourites!! Ya it’s like that. Listen for yourself and you’ll surely say the same.
Right from the opening track, “Take Me There,” you get a feel for the Calvin Love style. It’s deep and dark. The lyrics are pure poetry. The soft dreamy keys, sexy guitar, and even the wooden block is a nice added touch for a sensual latin flavour. I’m just smitten by it already!
“Laughin’ In The Dark” captures an older feeling with the strings and things that delight my ears. Latin rhythms. Nice jazzy drumming. Sweet little guitar solo. Has a Vegas or old cinema feel that won my heart over through and through. A song of love lost but with an upbeat rhythm that gives it a surreal dreamlike feel and the words “Freedom of Sound” resonate and stick with me.
“Come into the Garden” has the Lightfoot essence and very beautiful guitar picking style. I took in the album while working in my yard. I actually watered my garden to this song. Don’t judge me. It just felt right. The gorgeous guitar. I have the feeling this garden is very special. It truly must be heaven. Made mine feel that way. Dandelions and all.
“Heart of Mine” has me dancing on a beach somewhere to the soft bongo drumming. Feeling free. Long drawn out guitar notes like Isaak. Love sings softly like spoken word. It leaves you longing for more.
Be sure to check out Calvin Love’s BandCamp page. The vinyl available for this release is pretty drool worthy too. Have you ordered it yet?
You did!!
I had to too!
Lavender will be something I’ll be spinning for years to come. I already know It’s gonna be a Canadian classic!
Love Always,
Green Noreen
Ghost Cartridge
Hypergalactic Psychic Table Tennis 3000 (the original game soundtrack) // 30/30
"How hard can the soundtrack to a table tennis rpg game go?"
This isn't a question I would normally ask myself but some situations precipitate new and strange reactions. In this case, Hypergalactic Psychic Table Tennis 3000 (the original game soundtrack) by Ghost Cartridge has forced my hand - how hard does this album go?
These beats teleport my mind to somewhere between the year 3000 and 3030 (the era of psychic table tennis, dimension-hopping doctors, and intergalactic rap competitions). Without dropping any names, there is a small cadre of specialized rappers who occupy a place in the hypothetical hip-hop future who would sound great on these video game tunes. I dont mean to speculate beyond what the artist has provided for us; these are beats, and they serve a higher purpose to a video game and not to a rapper. But a man can dream.
This collection of 28 tunes provides a backdrop for a psycho game of table tennis (or a backdrop for whatever type of psycho activities one has planned). These are video game tunes, but this label does not mean that the album is best listened to passively while gaming. Composers like Koji Kondo have inspired a generation of musicians to treat video game music as more than a loose assortment of musical motifs - the music doesn't take a backseat to the action, it frames the action. The music is the action.
The 28 tunes presented on this soundtrack flow so well into one another. I can't help but imagine that the artist must have deliberated over the order of the tracks. The first song is titled "Uprise"; is this the introduction to the album or the title track of the video game? From :30 seconds into the track my point has been proven: this isn't just background music. Start bobbing that head!
My favourite song is "The Cuber". By this point in the album I was rapping along and forming narratives to fit the beats, and "The Cuber" was (in my narrative) the point in which our protagonist takes a break from psycho-table-tennissing and has something to eat (munchies). This was my first listen-through of the album, and I was not yet aware that the video game actually existed (it made sense to me that this album is a soundtrack to a hypothetical game - enjoy my pleasant surprise when I found it on Steam). The first time I heard this track I had to keep repeating it over and over, just as it would be repeated in the background of a game.
Does this album go hard? Damn right it does. How hard? Uh, hard dude. I would stop reading this and prepare yourself for a journey to the 3rd millenium - it is time to Uprise.
- Alex Bennett
