Jared Jackel's Bad Vibrations, Test Card, Prophecy Club, and Wiles
Jared Jackel's Bad Vibrations - Bad Nauseam
Penticton, BC is a small city that’s not known for its music scene but it houses one of Canada’s most impressive psych-folk acts. In 2019, Jared Jackel announced himself as one of Canada’s coolest acts in the psychedelia genre with his debut album Saw-Horse Pentagrams. His unique sound is part garage-rock, part freak-folk, part twang, and every once in a while you can hear a little surf swell into the mix. In January he released an EP entitled Bad Nauseam that has shot him back up to the top of mind when I ponder the best psych acts in Canada. There’s a touch less twang compared to his past works (even with banjo tinged opener “Hide The High”) and a little more reverb-soaked psych-rock. The subtle shift in sound is welcomed and shows his growth as a songwriter, in particular the song “Mind’s Eye” which stands out as one of the more approachable recordings of his catalogue. Bad Nauseam is a sixteen minute break from life we all need right now… maybe I’ll hit repeat and make that a 32 minute break.
Test Card - Signals
Vancouver producer and multi-instrumentalist Lee Nicholson returns with another impressive collection of electronic-ambient tracks under the Test Card moniker. Since relocating to Canada from the UK, Nicholson has put out six albums of extremely satisfying electronic compositions. His sixth album, Signals, arrived at the end of January and may be his strongest work to date. With the album's eight tracks, Nicholson builds analog synth-led electronic worlds to lose oneself within. The synthetic sounds he builds gain a warm organic feel with the help of piano and other acoustic instruments. The occasional downtempo beats behind the juxtaposition of electronic and acoustic sounds make the album less dreary and more dreamy. It has deep-space starship cruising vibes. The soundtrack to a contemplative rip through the cosmos on route to a calming getaway on a futuristic world.
Prophecy Club - MUSHUM
The debut release from Prophecy Club is mandatory listening for anyone who loves when their punk music has something worthwhile to say. In the case of this new band, their lyrics bring attention to the multigenerational injustices that have been felt (and are still being felt) by Canada’s indigenous population. But this isn’t your typical punk record as Prophecy Club move between experimentation and hardcore with the use of long psychedelic interludes that feature spoken word recordings. These moments split up the EPs two monster punk tracks, “P.O.B.G. (Pissed Off Brown Guy)” and “Sky Woman”. MUSHUM is an impressive debut that’s worth the attention of anyone who likes hardcore punk and psychedelic rock. I’m excited to hear more from this new band.
Wiles - If You Can Hear Me Now You're Not Far Enough Away
Wiles is a brand new band from Vancouver who’ve been turning heads in their short tenure. They play fun, catchy, alt-rock with a pinch of pop and a dash of folk. On their debut release, If You Can Hear Me Now You're Not Far Enough Away, they craft ear-worm melodies that set the backdrop for front-woman Kate Cunningham’s earnest lyrics that are centred around relationships, more specifically the ending of relationships. It’s the lyrical vulnerability and voice of Cunningham that has me enamoured with this new band. Musically, you can tell this is a young band. Perhaps they could use a little tightening up and some better production but that’s minor because they definitely have “it”… that natural formula that can turn into greatness if they continue their craft. This is a band to watch over the next couple years.
- Jeff MacCallum