Because I don’t have time to process all the PR requests I have in my email box, I hired my cat Ziggy to write reviews about new music. I don’t know where this is going but we’ll have to go with it.
- Vincent Walter Jacob
Meow! What’s up Humans? Here’s Ziggy the cat, ready to feed you with another round of great new music. I was grinding my teeth looking for something new while you were crying over the cancellation of day 1 of your emo nostalgia festival! And I’m sorry but no, I didn't include Taylor Swift's Midnights in my review. I still have PTSD from the movie Cats.
CLEOPATRICK - ZUCK
No doubt, Cleopatrick is my favorite Canadian act. In the words of the French Philosopher Pascal, if Cleopatra's nose had been shorter, the entire world would have been different. Well it’s the same with Cleopatrick. Had they chosen a better name, they would probably be the biggest rock band in the world.
Zuck is the opening track of their brand new EP Doom. If you're a fan, you'll be in familiar territory. Cleo returns with fat low-tuned punk rock infused with hip-hop scansion. The band is embracing the same gritty production they have developed with Zig Mentality (aka the Dubé brothers).
Throughout Zuck, Luke Gruntz loses himself in his cyber life to the point that he confuses reality with the virtual world.
“It's all in the cloud, it's all in the cloud
The shit you said to me
Privately
Dog-eared page bedside for big man
Who told the moon to glow
Like the backlit logo of divine MacBook Pro?”
The world would be a better place if humans watched fewer internet cat videos. I can’t believe I, Ziggy the cat, have to say that.
BUEL - DANCING WITH DEVILS OF MINE
Buel's infectious dark grooves have me dancing like a mad cat lately. But they also got me thinking. Yes, cats are capable of thinking. What did you think we did? Nap all day? Throughout her new song, Buel explores society's constant injunction to define and categorize gender and sexuality. For Buel, this demand feels intrusive. Although this might sound like a pop cliché (and Madonna might tweet that every pop artist owes it to her), there's something profound about it. As a cat, I watch you all from a distance and see things you won't.
The fact that private values have now taken center stage in the public sphere is amusing to me. There seems to be no common ground between humans anymore. It seems they don't even care about universal values anymore. In the public eye, what is private appears to be the only focus. Cleopatrick's song Zuck might have addressed something pertinent here as well. As Luke Gruntz stated, the digital world no longer provides privacy. Cloud computing has made privacy temporary! “It's all in the cloud, it's all in the cloud, The shit you said to me privately”.
The problem with ultra-privatization of public values is that narrow-minded people and bigots take other people's ways of life personally. My advice is to stop judging your neighbor based on your moral stance and start focusing on what matters to every individual. Are basic human rights and equality too much to ask? Ziggy's rant is over.
It's time to get back to that amazing Buel track and get on the roof, dance and drink milk with my furry friends for the rest of the night.
FRANKIE COSMOS - EMPTY HEAD
“Empty head
It's cool to have nothin' in it
It's okay not to sing a song
About everything
All the time”
Well, that's another perspective. I guess it's equally true. You can think about core issues while listening to some songs, but sometimes you just want to groove and not think about anything. That said, Frankie Cosmos' new song is deceptive because it made me think about so many things.
Taking a nap after all is the best way to forget about everything humans have put in my head. Empty Head is the 8th track on Frankie's latest album, Inner World Peace. I like the way the song develops. Slowly, it starts with that existential reflection about breaking away from social media (That's also reminiscent of Zuck from Cleopatrick).
As the song breaks into a faster part, it's a plea for simplicity and the right to fail, even at simple things like entertaining a dog. I've never seen that before. Dogs are usually so needy. Don't try to entertain me or you'll drop some blood.
This lovely indie song ends with a slow third instrumental part, the perfect way to empty your head completely.
THE HAILS - EXONERATE
It was that groovy intro with the Fender Rhodes that got me in trouble. Once again, I find myself dancing alone in the living room. Once again, I spilled milk on the floor. Those Miami natives make me lose control of my body. You can bet my human won't be too happy about me ruining the carpet again. Well, I don’t care. Like Robbie Kingsley of the Hails, I want to be carefree and grow a cat mullet. Is that a thing? Or course it is:
BAND OF SILVER - SOMETHING STRONGER
There's a Nashville trio of siblings that's not country and their name is Band Of Silver. It may seem like an anomaly, but it's real. These are for the poppy fans around here. Don't lie to me, I know many of you are. I’ve seen Taylor Swift’s Midnights numbers. Here's your catchy drug if you like Paramore as much as Weezer and Def Leppard. You can either thank me or hate me later.
THE HAPPY FITS - LITTLE ONE
Hold on! I wouldn't recommend leaving just yet to check out Band Of Silver. If you're up for a catchy trip, I have something else for you. As far as Synthy Alt-Pop goes, The Happy Fits, a band from New Jersey, are also on the anthemic side. The single Little Ones comes off their third album, Under The Shade Of Green. Another song like that and I’m going to turn into a dog.
FLUUNG - DECADES
It's time to fly to Seattle on the other coast with Fluung. I was getting dizzy with all the happiness and polish, so I'm glad to hear more edgy stuff. Fluung's unpretentious yet compelling music honors Dinosaur Jr's legacy. It's nice to be waking up again. Now give me something that makes me want to start a fight!
LAST NIGHT - MAGNETIQUE
It was just a matter of asking, apparently! There's no fucking around with these French guys. Now, the night is mine, and I hope to get into some serious trouble. One of the members of Last Night is also in the underrated band Frustration. As it turns out, this band is one of the best in France, so I had high expectations. I'm not disappointed. There is anger, rawness, and darkness in this song. There is not much high-quality hardcore music like that in French, so you should check it out. In the meantime, I'll sharpen my claws on the wicker chair.
DEAR BOY - (ON MY) MIND
"Dear Boy", "Atta Boy", "Phone Boy", I'm getting lost, you people! I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling your band "Something Boy". Let's say you started using the word "Cat" for example. Dear Cat, that would sound great, don’t you think?
In terms of style, Dear Boy falls into the Shoegaze, 80's new wave, and dream pop category. They recently released their first album with Last Gang Records, one of Canada's biggest independent record labels.
Ending the night with (On my) mind is a good way to go. Before we crash on the kitchen cushion and sleep like kittens, one more dance with my lover.
Hey, stop watching us you perv! Go check that playlist and leave us alone.
See you around creep,
- Ziggy