Hear This: off the beaten track
Apostle of Hustle, Folkloric Feel (Arts & Crafts)
The story goes something like this: In 2001, Toronto songwriter/singer/guitarist Andrew Whiteman’s Apostle of Hustle project records an album called The Energy of Death, featuring influences from rock to Cuban rhythms. Whiteman then gets sidetracked by his duties as guitarist for a little indie band you might have heard of called Broken Social Scene. His solo album gets shelved. Fast-forward two years and The Energy of Death is released as Folkloric Feel. The Cuban influences have been toned down, but the beauty of the album lies in its unpredictable feel, you never know quite what you’re going to get next. Once the album’s final track, “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They,” winds down, you’ll want to press play again to hear all the hidden gems you missed the first time.
Royal City, Little Heart’s Ease (Three Gut)
We all have that song. The song you discover and play over and over again, thinking you’ll never grow tired of it. You play it in the morning over coffee; at work, driving your co-workers insane; and at night before you fall asleep. Track six on the third album by Toronto’s Royal City is my new current obsession. It’s a song about love called “Cabbage Rolls.” The band has definitely matured since its last release, 2001’s Alone at the Microphone, but Little Heart’s Ease still has the same waltzy, dreamy, spacey music full of religious imagery and rich melodies and arrangements that fans of the band have come to love.
A.C. Newman, The Slow Wonder (Blue Curtain)
The Slow Wonder marks the first solo release by A.C. Newman (aka Carl Newman), known for his work in the mid-’90s with Sub Pop’s Zumpano and now as founder and leader of Vancouver-based supergroup The New Pornographers. The album is what you might expect from Newman, a power-pop release that’s a stripped-down, mellower version of The New Pornographers. Some songs definitely sound like they could be found on the next NP album, but what did you expect? After listening to The Slow Wonder I have a new appreciation for the sound of Neko Case’s voice. It’s a nice balance to Newman’s and it’s what’s missing from this album. —Lisa Whittington-Hill
