Quinton Barnes, DA'AT, and The Franky Tones
Quinton Barnes
For the Love of Drugs // Grimalkin
Fresh off his critical success As a Motherfucker, Quinton Barnes delivers a bone crushing assault of confrontational industrial beats that crackle, crunch, surge, and blast, while Barnes digs equally deep into his tortured psyche to deliver ethereal R&B reveries drenched in personality, surrealism, and struggle; “A man on the verge of a breakdown indulging in his downfall.” It’s a recipe that few could pull off - It’s easy to put the ingredients together, but few could get the soufflé to rise. Nevertheless, Barnes crushes sky-high expectations with his self-produced masterpiece, For the Love of Drugs.
At this point, I’m ashamed to admit that As a Motherfucker didn’t resonate with me like it did for most others. Not only that, but I’ve always been an Arca skeptic, so when I heard about For the Love of Drugs, I nearly took a pass. Good lord, I’m glad I gave it a listen, what I might’ve missed out on. It’s a dizzying array of surreal, boundary defining experimental production that shouldn’t blend with Barnes’s R&B sensibilities nearly as well as it does. All the while, he remains grounded and self-aware, as evidenced by a tongue in cheek skit that pokes fun at the erratic and disjointed nature of Arca style experimental production.
Lyrically and thematically, FTLOD is as raw and bone-crushing as its sound. Quinton is wrangles with surreal and hefty themes of queerness, rage, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, and eroticism. It’s replete with introspective vulnerability, layers of irony, and cathartic debauchery. Barnes is not one to overshadow his message with his own production talent. FTLOD has more than enough going for it sonically to be one of the finest albums this year, but the mastery is in the message. Samples placed with delicate precision to bolster his personal musings leave us with an album that requires countless repeat listens to chew the cud. You won’t be upset to turn it on a second, third, fourth time though - I’ve done that and more myself. Barnes really found the magic here. I can’t wait for what’s next.
- Clay Geddert
DA’AT
The Hissing House // Bat-cave Productions
Coming from deep within Calgary's underground we have the post punk outfit Da'at's debut album The Hissing House. One of the more daring and challenging Canadian releases this year, it mystifies with a fast anxious energy that's over before you know it, clocking in a run time just under 30 minutes. This is plenty of time however to acquaint yourself with the dark brooding energy of it, and steep in the pain of these tracks. This is a deep album clearly written with thought and care, and rooted very firmly in early 80's post punk. The band is not afraid to use a variety of sounds and instrumentation with the use of strings, saxophone, and synthesizers along with the usual shrill guitar tones and drum machines prevalent in the genre.
The vocals are what make this album so mysterious and captivating as the harmonies often dissociate and morph to give tracks like "T.I.E.L" and "A Pruce Moment" as well as the lead single "Inferno" such a hectic vibe. The vocals sit perfectly amongst the instrumentation in a way that also makes this feel like a noise rock album as much as it is a post punk album. They are also able to bring the energy and dynamic range down to be able to showcase their clever melodies, sharp composition, and bleak lyricism such as on tracks like "L'age de l'ego" and "Luz".
Last but not least is the bass playing which is really the star of this album. The tone of the bass recording is phenomenal and will have fans of Joy Division or The Jesus and Mary Chain happy to their core. They seem to never run out of clever riffs which tie it all together and gives it an unrelenting pace. The final track on this album "Against Nature" is a slightly more psychedelic offering as the track shifts from spaced out guitar chords, to pained vocals and funky bass riffs, back to spaced out chords. It's an epic and far out ending to an otherwise fast paced ripper of an album.
At very first listen, The Hissing House may come across as a throwback but make no mistake, Da'at clearly has something to say with this album. It challenges listeners to step away from conventional song structuring and modern music production. This is a very exciting start to a relatively new band, and hopefully it is only the beginning of many more great things.
- Nigel Young
The Franky Tones
The Good Room // Self-Released
So a bit of backstory: I am a self proclaimed metalhead, love stoner/desert rock, but love a great Canadian band. This was a bit of a stretch as far at the music I usually listen to, so needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing this album. So, as I rolled down Highway 39 in Alberta, I pulled up The Good Room and I was surprised by my immediate reaction to the songs.
The genius of Black Thunder guitarist/vocalist Anthony Frank opened my mind to a whole new genre. This Regina post-punk band was absolutely tearing it up! I love the poppy sound of tracks like "The One That is Here” and “The Good Room”, while "Fear It Even More" and "Secrets" transported me back in time to the late 60’s. They manage to blend the hummable melodies and saccharine harmonies of groups like the Kinks or the Monkees, while not being afraid to bring darker, Doors-like psychedelic vibes. This record ought to be an instant favourite for those who appreciate a well done eclectic throw back sound.
Throw this one into your regular rotation, like I did. You won’t be disappointed.
- Doug Armstrong
