Kris Ulrich, Jean-Michel Blais, and Hoodoo Mafia
Kris Ulrich
Big in the USA // Birthday Cake Records
Winnipeg’s Kris Ulrich returns to his roots on his sophomore album Big in the USA. His songs, some inspired from moving to Toronto while working on his first album and some from his small town roots were all recorded at Ulrich’s home and co-produced by himself and frequent collaborator Boy Golden. Ulrich performs most of the parts on the album but has a number of friends from the Winnipeg music community contribute across the album to fill out the tracks with keys, drums, or bass as needed. What comes out is an introspective album about Ulrich making peace with where his dreams have led him.
The album opens with its first single (and my fave from the album) “Friends on The Internet”, an airy track that blends Ulrich’s lap steel with Kieran Placetka’s synths over a steady drum machine beat that gets elevated by a solid lyrical hook. Turning internet acquaintances into friendships in the real is tough, but Ulrich’s laissez faire take on it “Maybe that’s as far as we’ll get / Friends on the Internet” makes it seem stress free even as Ulrich himself was struggling with it in moving to Toronto.
Other tracks to note are “Big in the USA”, “1994”, “Lucky”, and “Things Are Changing”. “Big in the USA'' is a bittersweet song about living the life of a troubadour in the modern world and how the idea of a hit song can be as elusive as trying to remember a dream. “1994” is a slow-moving track with an almost subaquatic bassline that drifts through as Ulrich contemplates the strangeness of comparing yourself with your parents when they were your age. Following that, “Lucky” comes in like the sun shining through a window with bright, jangly acoustic guitar and an optimistic drive to not give up because you’ve been lucky enough to get this far. The back half of the album shows Ulrich looking inward: “Things Are Changing” sees the return of the subaquatic vibe of “1994” but now Ulrich muses on his current path and how he needs to accept the changes in his life’s trajectory.
On Big in the USA Ulrich works on the idea that our dreams and passions can shift as we grow and how we have to make peace with that. The lyrics of the title track sum it up; from how it started “When you’re a kid it’s hard to understand / And all you wanna do is play guitar in a band” to the current day-to-day “Worn cassettes, and rolled cigarettes / Livin’ on gas station coffee” and accepting it “I wouldn’t change it for anything / I’ve still got my guitar and i can still make it sing”. Across the album, Ulrich doubts himself and his dreams but the album’s finale “You’ve Got To Be Patient” is Ulrich taking a breath, quieting the anxieties and recommitting to his musical dreams; whether or not he makes it Big in the USA.
-Alex Brassard
Jean-Michel Blais
sérénades // Arts & Crafts
Jean-Michel Blais’ newest record sérénades is the companion piece to his JUNO nominated & Polaris Music Prize listed 2022 album aubades. In contrast to the dynamic & lively orchestration that Blais composed for aubades, sérénades primarily finds Blais alone on the piano, performing delicate solo versions of five aubades pieces. The eight song EP also features three new compositions. These three pieces are wonderful additions to his aubades selections.
sérénades opens with the tender new composition “117”. Blais flows through slow-moving chords and notes, informing the listener that this record will be much more reserved than the energetic aubades. The other two new compositions are the playfully improvised “good morning”, and the Chopin/Bach inspired “la chute” - the latter featuring arpeggiated chords and a focus on left-handed playing since Blais had injured his right hand in a fall prior to writing this piece.
The gentle, restrained way that Blais performs on sérénades creates such an intimate listening experience. It feels like you’re out for a quiet late-night summer walk but then you suddenly notice the sound of a piano coming from an open window, so you peek through the fresh blossoms surrounding the window to find Blais playing a selection of his favourite recent pieces. What a treat! And if you have listened to aubades a lot, you may even find your mind playing tricks on you. These solo piano interpretations leave extra room for creativity to arise in listeners’ minds, and at times I find my mind dipping back into the lush, symphonic sounds that he composed so beautifully on aubades – especially with the outstanding “amour”, and “yanni”. My mind and body move with the imagined string swells as the delicate piano solely sparkles.
sérénades closes with “murmures”, finding Blais playing lighter and lighter as this three minute version of the song wraps up the EP – a direct contrast to how “murmures” opens aubades and grows more and more exuberant in its five minutes. aubades is still on heavy repeat since its release, but the addition of these solo interpretations invite further calmness into a space. The songs flow together with ease, and can move listeners into a deep state of rest and presence. sérénades is a perfect partner for painting, reading, or sleeping…as Blais states in his press release: “This EP is the length of the recommended nap: 25 to 30 minutes. To be honest, I've never been able to listen to this EP without drifting into sleep. I normally try to make my music play with your attention by constantly introducing new elements. But with this EP I was thinking about music of the night. It’s not meant to distract you and keep you alert. Please fall asleep to it.” So with all that said, it might be wise to avoid listening to this album if you are behind the wheel, especially if you are driving at night… but otherwise keep sérénades in your back-pocket and pull it out in the evening when you need to find some peace of mind.
- Gregory Torwalt
Hoodoo Mafia
From the Village // Self-released
The Queen City’s Hoodoo Mafia has released From the Village – a nine-track exhibition showcasing the new depths of their sound. This five-man army has always had a tight concoction of funk, hip hop, and metal in their music, and are now adding some jazzy spice to the mix.
Hoodoo Mafia holds a special place in my heart. They were one of the first bands to bring me into the Saskatchewan music scene at a little local arts festival, playing outside the iconic Brandee’s Corner Store on 13th Ave in Regina. It is an absolute honour to be reviewing this gem they have put out into the world.
When I was chatting with Hoodoo’s guitar player (aka E-Money), he mentioned that the album really leans into each corner of their sound – the heavy is heavier, the funk is funkier – everything is just a little more. That absolutely rings true in each track and puts their cohesive and collaborative skill on display.
The backbone of Hoodoo’s sound are the ear worm instrumental riffs. The guitar and bass usually double up and play the same line, creating a perfect wall of sound to bash your head against. Holding down the funk factor is the organ, sometimes piping in on the riff as well, just adding a wee bit of zing. Hoodoo’s real kick comes from the metal-style drums, often encouraging a piping hot mosh pit at live shows. Although listening to the recording doesn’t create quite the same effect as the mosh pit, the track “Heavy Artillery” gives a little taste of these levelled-up drums. We of course can’t forget about the front man, the one getting everyone riled up, laying lyrics about being hungry and finding lunch on top of the instrumentals. Dan-E the MC seems to always come up with the weirdest references that simultaneously make you chuckle and raise your eyebrows because you’re so impressed.
I think my favourite track off From the Village is “Heavy Artillery”, which surprised me as I have been drawn to their funkier tunes in the past. Their funkier tunes are unquestionably awesome on this album as well, but I keep coming back to the build the song “Heavy Artillery” has. Something about the guitar jumping up an octave in the chorus gets me every time and makes me press replay over and over.
Another fun track is “Snake Pit”. The song talks about heading to the snake pit to skate and has a sweet slower groove throughout that then transitions into a faster and heavier section definitely matching the vibe of ripping around.
Hoodoo Mafia has been and still is one of my favourite Saskatchewan bands. Not only does the band seem to create immense community when they play, they also put on such a kick-ass live show. You should absolutely have FOMO if you pass up a Hoodoo appearance in your city.
-Holly-Anne Gilroy
