one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden by ada lea
Now I’ve gotta respect an album whose title is in all lowercase and consists of a long non-sequitur. “One hand on the steering wheel? OK, sure, I get that, but what’s the other hand doing? ‘Sewing a garden?’ Huh? What?” Hope you enjoyed my impression of an easily confused guy reading the album title. ada lea’s music itself is alright: low-key folk rock with slightly filtered vocals that give the songs a dreamlike quality. Unfortunately, like most dreams that I have, it’s fairly pleasant but I forget it the second it’s over. That sounds mean, but I want to clarify that I meant that in the nicest way possible. It’s not like I could make better music.
Highlights: “can’t stop me from dying,” “hurt.”
3.5 stars out of 5.
Chiac Disco by Lisa LeBlanc
The songs kinda blend together, but that’s OK. They’re pretty fun. Good horn section!
Highlight: “Pourquoi faire aujourd’hui.”
3.25 stars out of 5.
PICTURA DE IPSE: Musique directe by Hubert Lenoir
This ain’t your granddaddy’s art pop! Pitch-shifted vocals, found sound, field recordings, and clips of random conversations are plentiful in this delightfully wacky album. If my mindset were like 10% different, I could see myself finding this insanely annoying. But I didn’t! Reminds me a bit of Dirty Projectors’ The Getty Address, which is a good thing because that album whips.
Highlights: “SECRET,” “VILLE-MARIE a,” “BOI.”
3.75 stars out of 5.
Duality by Luna Li
Got some “outer space” vibes from this record, but upon further reflection, that was mainly because the songs had titles like “Star Stuff,” “Misery Moon,” and “Space,” so fucking duh. That was clearly the authorial intent. Anyway, it was fine.
Highlight: “Silver Into Rain.”
3.25 stars out of 5.
Crash by Les Louanges
I may have alluded to this before, but one sure-fire way of getting me on-board with your electropop project is to throw some damn saxophones into the mix. They show up sporadically in Vincent Roberge’s sophomore effort as Les Louanges, but I kept wishing there were more of them. The music was catchy enough, but gimme more sax!
Highlight: “Bolero.”
3.25 stars out of 5.
soft thing by LOONY
This went in one ear and out the other. Sorry.
Highlight: the first 11 seconds of “royal flush.” I could take or leave the rest of the song.
2.5 stars out of 5.
Waves by Kelly McMichael
The guitars are rollicking, and the harmonies are nice. This would be good driving music if I had a car.
Highlights: “Out the Window,” “Stepping Stone,” “Can’t at All.”
3.5 stars out of 5.
Untourable Album by Men I Trust
It’s a bit of a cliché to refer to dream pop as “ethereal,” but I’m gonna do it because you can’t stop me. This shit is ethereal as hell! It’s so light, it feels like it’s gonna float away! The band’s melancholy mid-tempo synth melodies and lilting bass complement Emmanuelle Proulx’s wispy vocals. And did I mention how ethereal the whole thing sounded? Bringing it back again. Fuck you.
Highlights: “Sugar,” “Serenade of Water.”
3.5 stars out of 5.
ruminations of a sad oaf. 