Cobra and Vulture, Jared Jackel's Bad Vibrations, and Scott Hardware
Cobra and Vulture
Vesuvius at Home // Lava Cheetah Music
Palette-pleasers Cobra & Vulture are back in the saddle after an eight-year hiatus, dishing out their second full-length record Vesuvius at Home earlier this month via Lava Cheetah Music. It must feel good too. Singer Amber Goodwyn departed Quebec years ago for the Prairies, but her longtime friend and co-songwriter Erin Ross remained behind in Montreal. So did their drummer Jeremy MacCuish - he has since been the main suspect in several percussion-related cases around the city. But musical bonds as strong as these are elastic and durable, and so despite the physical gulf separating them, this band and its infectious energy have persisted.
Eclectic and earnest, Cobra & Vulture scratch more than just one itch with their songs. The opening track, “List Maker,” dives headfirst into a jangly and mysterious world of ever-building parts, picking up weight as it churns and rolls forward. No two parts sound alike, even the choruses. Vocal harmonies and layered guitars twist and stack with MacCuish’s artful thudding, culminating in a haunting final section that might be my favourite moment on the record. The ending vocal delivery, bold and unimpeded, flows seamlessly into the next song, “Say When.” Stylistically independent, this track bounces and moves with the earth, a cowbell and some groovy humming providing a backdrop for this catchy number. Whereas the Breeders come to mind for “List Maker” and a few others, “Say When” evokes Tune-Yards and Dirty Projectors with its bright, up-front singing and complex entwining of percussion and rich backing vocals.
“Uncertain” is another highlight, further exploring the murkier post-punk elements on Vesuvius at Home. A dirty, phased guitar drone rumbles forth out of the gate as Ross’ hypnotic voice pulls us into the song’s Siouxsie-like realm. But a tune like “Open Book” is a reprisal of the album’s poppier threads, memorable too for its irresistible chorus and throwback Fleetwood Mac style. And the closing track “Mender” gives us an Alanis-like alt-rock gem to remember it all by. Whether any of these reference points speak to you, or you simply have a fetish for talented musicians showing off their hard work, give Vesuvius at Home by Cobra & Vulture a listen. It’s a pleasure to hear this band again after so long.
- Nick Maas
Jared Jackel’s Bad Vibrations
Mal Casual // Factotum Co.
Mal Casual, the much anticipated sophomore release from Jared Jackel’s Bad Vibrations, immediately submerges us in a dark, absorbing atmosphere that forges the foundation of this thrilling release. Jackel’s beach goth cowboy persona delivers us straight into a drought ridden, maleficent setting while marrying tones of psychedelic pop and country and western. The Penticton, BC based artist impressively performed, recorded, and produced the entirety of the record, which was released under the reputable Factotum Co, headed by Kamloops music scene spearhead JP Lancaster.
I’ve been a Jared Jackel fan for a few years now having lived in the Okanagan, and whereas his previous releases dabbled with a sort of cheeky playfulness, this new collection of songs radiates a warm and tempting mysteriousness, sort of like entering a shop of curiosities. Though this release bears distant characteristics of 2019’s Saw Horse Pentagram, Mal Casual takes a more serious turn down a path less traveled and into a distinctly gloomy and weathered atmosphere. Opening track “The Woodwork” introduces us to this new world through swelling filtered feedback, hurling us into the thumping essence of the song right away, a sensation similar to emerging from under quiet, mystifying waters. Trenched in heavy, slightly distorted bass and guitar, there is an underlying bluesy attitude to tracks like “With You”, which highlight the twangy, country and western influences that are strewn throughout these five tracks. One of my favourite traits of Mal Casual is the grungy experimentalism of both lyricism and tone. There exists moments of unexpectedly drawn out and distorted bass tones, reverb soaked loops, and extended instrumental sections that add so much excitement and mystery while listening and experiencing the creative direction taken by Jackel. These elements emanate throughout “University Town”, a track brimming with deep synth undertones and sparkling, arpeggiated embellishments functioning as an explorative and haunting soundtrack to Jackel’s lone cowboy guise.
One feature that can’t go unnoticed throughout these songs is the approach Jackel took while recording vocals. His velvety, reverb soaked voice washes over the song, highlighting the eccentric intricacies like his quick vibrato and playfully repetitive yips.
Mal Casual manifests the attitude and swagger of the uncompromising cowboy, while holding true to the quirky and seemingly uncontainable originality of Jared Jackel’s Bad Vibrations. A truly refreshing and entrancing release, I already know this is one of the standout EP’s of the year.
- LG
Scott Hardware
Ballad of a Tryhard // Telephone Explosion
In a time of unprecedented tumult and uncertainty, Scott Hardware offers reprieve in the form of a triumphant and sublime exploration of the space between emotions in his new LP Ballad of A Tryhard. In his most expansive and ambitious album to date, Scott Harwood exists in the space between reflection and realization and spends as much effort exploring fresh tonal textures as he does exploring new facets of himself.
“I thought I knew myself by now, but here you are somehow” Harwood muses as he recognizes his metamorphosis in times of tumult. Ballad of A Tryhard indulges in honesty as much as it does uncertainty, and the same vulnerability in Harwood’s monologues are present in his musical approach. There are more instruments and tones to list here, but rest assured that Harwood took his time curating a cacophony of sounds that only he could muster. I found myself often reminded of Chad VanGaalen and his approach to indie – the danger of this approach is its tendency to overwhelm as they throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. Luckily for Harwood, most of the stuff he throws at the wall sticks, and he throws a lot of the wall.
Harwood’s patient approach to songwriting and his expansive attempt at production were met by an equally capable band. I couldn’t help but notice the drummer’s tendency to sit back and lock into a groove – the band inevitably gets sucked in to satisfying loops only to eventually give way to massive and magnificent baroque refrains. They play a delicate act between gentle rumination, comfortable groove, and jubilant celebration that meets the emotion of Scott’s personal reflections. Just as this album finds itself sitting in the subliminal spaces of tone and theme, it also sits in a space between genres. Pulling between adult contemporary, indie, and many things all around it, BOAT is not about to be pinned down, but neither is Scott Hardware, and BOAT is here to prove just that.
- Clay Geddert
