Hildegard, Needles//Pins, Paris Pick
Hildegard
Hildegard // section1
Hildegard of Bingen was a nun during the 12th century; a spiritualist, composer, and record keeper of her surroundings. She also happens to be the inspiration and eponym of Hildegard’s debut--a duo of Montreal creatives Helena Deland and Ouri. The album, released June 4th, is an exercise in otherworldly balance from the pair, exploring the tension and compliments of their “nocturnal” dance music and folk backgrounds, then combined into something completely unique.
Overall this album is dreamy. It shifts effortlessly between nonchalant vocals, anxiety inducing rhythms, and breathy hysterics. Each song is different but cohesive; the perfect mix of sensitive and sensual, with experimental percussion (exhaling as the beat?! Love!) to keep your head bobbing. When that familiar cinematic drone hits at around the 3 minute mark in “Jour 2” there’s no going back, the tension never stops building. You feel weightless, grounded, unnerved. “Jour 8” is undoubtedly the climax, it makes you wish you were driving alone at night with the speakers at 100. In this more than others, the strings are noticeable, it feels a little more science fiction. The voice is pulled between pleading, frustration, anger, acceptance, and empowerment, before the words echo out into peaceful birdsong. A return to before.
What stood out most to me in this album is its cyclic sense of time. Believe it or not, it was written over the course of 8 days, with a track corresponding to each one, and--somehow--you can feel that while listening. A heartbeat pulses through each day, as if the music itself were learning more as it developed. The literal tension in the composition is enforced by the duality of each theme and its appearance as sound: is that an absentminded loving hum? Or a radiator that won’t turn off? Empty words vs full, acoustic vs electronic, monotony vs prophecy, now vs then, it’s all there. Each song explores that thought we all know a little too well, where do I end, and where does all this begin? As the artists put it: this music is the “tangling of two identities beyond the possibility of retreat.”
So if it's not clear already, I love this album. “You can take yours and I’ll take mine”, but, to be clear, we’re both going to end up with a copy of the record in our collections.
- Chloe Lundrigan
Needles//Pins
Needles//Pins // Dirt Cult Records
Optimism. An ethereal idea. Rooted in emotion. Who cares? Everyone should.
Optimism drives development, encourages business growth, nurtures personal growth, fosters relationships. Defined as hopefulness and confidence about the future or a successful outcome.
Without optimism, why even try.
In this day and age, optimism is essential more than ever. Needles//Pins use their flavour of anthemic punk to breath encouraging life into the masses. It is not a second too late. Recorded with Jesse Gander (Japandroids) in Vancouver at Rain City Recorders, Needles//Pins is a savvy progression past the pop-punk of earlier releases.
Ever gritty, they manage to create an album of nuanced songs. "Woe Is Us" is a snappy, simple ditty that opens the ears. My favorite "A Rather Strained Apologetic" somehow feels familiar on first listen. Then you find yourself gutting out the chorus on 5th listen. Adam Solomonian channels some John K. On "Winnipeg '03". And then on "Gleamer", he reminds me of Robert Pollard. On. They use a bullhorn effect à la Archers. What a treat to finalize.
10 songs, 22 Minutes, 43 seconds. Needles//Pins is the concise party starter we need for a summer of backyard hangs and garage ragers. It brings the optimism we need, fueling our relationships, driving our personal growth, increasing our outreach, helping us to achieve our goals. Music rooted in emotion and optimism. Who cares?
I do.
- Drew Cox
Paris Pick
Hope for the Best // Care Records
Hope for the Best is the sophomore album from plucky Whitehorse-based soul-pop singer-songwriter Paris Pick. Buoyed by easy-to-catch melodies, bouncing basslines, sunny brass embellishments, and unapologetically optimistic lyrics, this infectiously fun and energetic record offers the perfect soundtrack for summertime river floats, backyard beersbee tourneys, and falling in love under patio lantern light.
Paris Pick has the admirable ability of sounding fully confident even while she sings about self-doubt and some of the more confusing parts of growing into yourself as a young adult. Offering something of a coming-of-age snapshot, Pick decides on the uplifting title track that there’s really only one way to deal with the uncertainty: “Well I don’t really know what’s been changing. / Well I don’t really know who I’m becoming. / And all I can do is hope for the best.”
Much of Hope for the Best is hopelessly romantic in a refreshingly innocent way, and Pick’s unique brand of outgoingness and sincerity makes sure that it all comes across as sweetly bold and brave, rather than naive or overly sentimental. On a track like “Just Can’t Get Enough”, you just know she’s singing about someone specific, and that she means the hell out of a line like: “A little bit of love can go a long way, and I’ve got lots to give. / And I know that I’ve been saving it all for you.”
The lively horn section of Pick’s band brings added spunk to much of the album, and flavour ranging from disco-funk to Motown soul to Latin heat. Pick and her band also embrace the sexiest parts of 70s/80s yacht-rock kitsch, borrowing their favourite sounds in something of an à la carte way; listen for some bobbing wah pedal guitar on “Love for Granted”, lounge-lizard electric piano on “I Can’t Help It”, or fretless bass vibing with Doobie Brothers sax on “Free to Be”. Blending all of these varied influences together with effortless melodies and bright vocal harmonies, Hope for the Best serves up a smooth, sweet daiquiri of groovy and easy-listenin’ pop tunes.
- Julie Maier
