Too Soon Monsoon/Bart
Too Soon Monsoon
Waves: We Provide What We Absorb, We Absorb What We Provide // Independent
Too Soon Monsoon’s latest release Waves: We Provide What We Absorb, We Absorb What We Provide delivers a whirlwind of pop sensibilities that yearn for a deeper insight into the meaning of existence. On the band’s debut album, this Saskatoon three-piece aims to expand consciousness and gain deeper, internal knowledge while not succumbing to the pretentiousness usually found in metaphysical pop music.
The album’s opener, “Ocean”, not only begins the album on a high note, it serves as the mission statement, with lyrics emphasizing an individual’s place in the grand scheme of existence. The instrumentation, while primarily based on piano and drums, expand past the horizon and bring the listener along for the ride. This, coupled with the production, creates an atmosphere that is both distant and intensely personal. Another favourite, “Point of it All”, displays all of these characteristics while asking the listener to consider answers to the existential questions we face on a daily basis.
Too Soon Monsoon have created a record that dares the listener to consider what existence truly means, while never failing to deliver on a catchy pop hook or danceable beat. Waves: We Provide What We Absorb, We Absorb What We Provide, is an album for a party that’s thrown to celebrate the end of existence.
- Declan Paxton
Bart
Today, Tomorrow, & The Next Day // Idée Fixe
Toronto act Bart blew our minds in 2016 as they burst onto the Canadian music scene with the release of their impeccable debut, Holomew. The buzz was real, the album was as good of a debut as one will hear and left us yearning for more. Principal songwriters Christopher Shannon and Nathan Vanderwielen elected not to rush more work out to build off Holomew’s success. Instead, they wisely chose to take their time with the follow-up.
Even though it would be three years before we’d get to hear Today, Tomorrow, & The Next Day… the wait was worth it. The album moves between indie rock perfection to free jazz and even dives into prog rock moments but never sounds muddled or lost between genres. Guitars, piano, organs, synthesizers and drums are the foundation for most the album with additional instrumentation, flourishing pivotal moments like the gorgeous string arrangement on “Tomorrow”, or Joseph Shabason’s heartbreaking saxophone on the opening track, “Don’t Push”. The songs were crafted in a way that allowed space for these layers and solos from some of Toronto’s finest players. Creating music with this restraint is a clear sign of Shannon and Vanderwielen’s growth as writers, and is as important to the album as the parts themselves. A near perfect triumph that will keep you hitting repeat; Today, Tomorrow, & The Next Day is a calculated collection of songs that manages to tick the boxes for both casual, and in-depth listens.
- Jeff MacCallum
