Isaac Vallentin, Whitney K, Mulch, and D. Blade
Isaac Vallentin - Bardo
Isaac Vallentin releases his third album in as many years with Bardo, a mish-mash of sounds, ideas, and genres. The record showcases a young person in flux; new beginnings, new life, and a heaping spoonful of existential dread felt by all young people as they watch the world reverberate with change (mostly of the scary variety). The album’s plethora of ideas sometimes take away from the flow but young people don’t actually listen to albums now anyway… right? In between the experimentation and new musical avenues are some of the best songs released in Canada this year. “Ramshackle Canada” is the perfect example of Vallentin offering us his artistic gift, start there and venture out beyond when you’re ready to get lost in this adventurous 25 minutes of poetic, sonic exploration.
Whitney K - Vivi!
In the past two years, Whitehorse, Yukon’s Whitney K has dropped two of the best releases of each year. I’m not a huge fan of comparisons but what if Lou Reed was with The Band during the Basement Tapes era instead of Bob Dylan? I hear that R&B tinged Americana within Whitney K records mixed with the sleazy avant-garde sounds of The Velvet Underground. He does it to perfection and unfortunately has discovered it’s much easier to tour and build a following in Europe. He never supported either Two Years or Hard To Be A God in the prairies so this little live nugget has been a treasure.
Mulch - Still Sweatin
Mulch’s debut album showcases ethereal shoegazy sounds smashed together with jagged post-punk guitars. This Vancouver trio have set the bar high for themselves. The album masterfully takes the best elements of both genres and uses them to perfection. The fuzz wraps you up in a warm blanket but the post-punk structure keeps you engaged in what your hearing. I hope this band is planning on venturing out of their home province because they are one of my favourite discoveries of 2023.
D. Blade - 5 Stitches in the Tongue
All the cool young kids in my hometown are talking about D. Blade. He cut his teeth playing bass in some of the better local acts (Doreen, Sean Davis Newton, Medical Pilot, Laundry Week) but as some of those projects fizzled out, Blade began recording his own musical musings. That is exactly what this debut EP is, it’s an artist experimenting with their sound. It’s a genre salad which can make it jarring as a “start to finish” listen but it’s easy to hear the beginning of something special. At age 40, it’s nice to feel like I know what the upcoming cool shit is going to be… and in Edmonton, it’s gonna be D. Blade.
- Jeff MacCallum