Status/Non-Status, Fake Palms, and Heaven for Real
Status/Non-Status
Surely Travel // You’ve Changed Records
The members of Status/Non-Status are no strangers to life on the road. Frontman and mastermind of the project Adam Sturgeon is an Anishinaabe artist and community worker, who also forms half of the Polaris-nominated project OMBIIGIZI with Daniel Monkman, and is something of a veteran road warrior. Storming the stage with his own blend of dreamlike and folk-infused grunge on 2019’s Warrior Down, Sturgeon is a proven connoisseur of muscular guitar riffs soaked in layers of chorus and phaser, and his compositions embrace wide open spaces, contrasted by passages of pounding rhythms and crushing distortion.
As their newest album Surely Travel kicks off, the slippery guitar work of “Blown Tire” etches its hooks straight onto your brain. The densely sludgy riffs of Warrior Down are cleared away here in favour of shimmery organ chords and an airy mix, like driving on the highway with the windows down. There is a crisp directness to the music as Sturgeon sings about the travails of life on the road, not with anger, but with an introspective calm.
When talking about the expansive “Mashkiki Sunset,” Sturgeon says that the “song serves as a dedication to love, one of our seven sacred teachings.” Mashkiki is the Anishinaabe word for medicine, and like much of the album, listening to it feels like a balm. Its rhythm sways back and forth, and the chorus is one of the most magical highlights of the album. The sublimely spacey instrumental “Travelogue” explores the full range of Sturgeon’s bittersweet guitarwork as the swirling layers of effects and riffs plunge the song into the ineffable and hypnotic atmosphere of the highway at night, and the relentless rhythm of “When They Were” drives hard and straight, with pronoun-switching lyrics that seems to allude to transformation, and to finding oneself through expression, through music.
The nearly eight-minute title track closes the album in a free-flowing culmination of all the ideas that came before, with an extended vamp in its centrepiece cycling again and again, not only illustrating the cyclical nature of life on the road but the resilience required to live it, as a choir of voices repeats the affirmation like a mantra: “I will surely travel.” In the song’s outro, after a burned-out guitar drone crumbles into dust, the drummer counts in the band one more time. The music lurches back into motion, picking up the same vamp but slowed down, mellower this time— tired, maybe, but unabated. The album fades out as the band rides off into the sunset, on to the next show, the journey never really over. It's a fitting end to an album about life on the road: like a locked groove on a vinyl record, and as in life, the cycles move without end. On Surely Travel, Sturgeon has mined deep into this beautiful repetition, emerging with precious songs that are fiery, boundless, and above all deeply felt.
- Harman Burns
Fake Palms
Lemons // HAND DRAWN DRACULA
It only takes a moment to realise what Fake Palms’ is going to offer you with their latest release. Lemons is a cheeky provision for the souls that have slipped between the worlds of post-punk, dream-pop, and much of what lies between. The album opens with “Drain” in which Michael le Riche expresses “I think of you as a friend of mine, but somehow just lost touch.” I held this feeling as I allowed the album to play on. Feelings of nostalgia began to surface, bringing up old memories that were attached to the likes of early Arctic Monkeys and Foals. However, there were still a couple of surprises yet to be had.
While FAKE PALMS is le Riche’s solo project,he is hardly without friends when it comes to this album. He features a variety of curated artists from the Toronto music scene which include, but are not limited to, guitar talents Evan Lewis (Ducks Ltd.) and Patrick Marshall (Burning Love), Ben Reinhartz (Dilly Dally) on drums, and the vocal contributions of Laura Hermiston (Twist). Considering the variety of cooks in the kitchen, the solo-yet-super-group demands acknowledgement for assembling such a tight knit sound.
In comparison to his previous album, Le Riche turns down some of the saturated noise which allows for a more direct path to the heart of the sound. We find ourselves amidst a variety of layers of sounds to engage with and intelligent time signatures to prevent you from getting too comfortable. A minimalistic production (Josh Korody) allows all contributors to shine independently.
“Satellite’s” driving dead strokes playfully banter with Reinhartz rhythms in classic brit-punk fahion. A couple tracks such as “Visions” and “The Curl” take on a surfier, krautrock vibe. At the end of the day, as much as we love to label and identify every element of what can be offered in a post-punk album, Lemons is comfortably located underneath the overarching umbrella of good old-fashioned, toe tapping progressive rock that you just can’t resist.
- Frankie Undseth
Heaven for Real
Energy Bar // Mint Records
For one to grow musically, I believe it is a necessity to expose yourself (not that kind of expose yourself, grow up!) to new genres, different styles of music, and to a variety of artists. I told Jeff, curator of Cups N Cakes, to pick a band at the top of his review list and send it to me. Well, he did just that, a new-to-me band which I likely never would have come across. This is my review of Heaven For Real.
I went into this blind, and I won’t lie, I was a bit nervous. What if I can’t relate to the music? What if I can’t find anything to write about for the album? Trying to keep my nonsensical thoughts at bay, I hit PLAY.
Track one, “Slow Clap”. I instantly thought, well this group has some serious rhythm and groove! There is a vibrant cohesiveness between the guitar and drums. They play absolutely freely with one another and it causes a wondrous exploration which teeters on frantic and chaos. But isn’t this where music should live? As I worked my way from track to track, I became aware of the energy and electricity they’ve captured on this album. It’s a captivating, dreamlike vibe which comes to life even more if you close your eyes, you can see the music. They are a band I would absolutely like to see play live, their sound must fill all holes and cracks in a room.
I watched their video for the title track, “Energy Bar”, which I encourage you to do as well, see if you agree. Watch his left hand and ask yourself, could I play that riff while staying focused, maintaining the rhythm? I will honestly say, I couldn’t, it is not an easy feat. Playing the guitar hook/rhythm consistently is not an easy feat. It put me in mind of Tommy Shannon playing bass while Stevie Ray Vaughan played “Third Stone from the Sun”. Tommy played the same progression over and over. It never got old, and it’s the same for “Energy Bar”, it just carries the song along.
While writing this article, I frantically tried to determine who the lead guitar player for Heaven For Real is, but my search was not successful. Is it Mark or J. Scott Grundy, or is it both of them? Regardless of whoever it is, their playing scratches me right where I itch.
In closing, just remember, sometimes it’s good to expose yourself, legally.
“Headphones. That’s the only way to listen to music. It’s all kinds of different emotions because you get real quiet and comfortable and just listen to it.” ~ Gregg Allman
- Branton Langley
