Posts Tagged ‘BC’

CRACK CLOUD – ” Uncanny Valley “

Posted: July 14, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

 

CRACK.jpg

One of Canada’s most promising post-punk groups, Crack Cloud is a mixed-media collective based out of Vancouver, BC. Modelled around harm reduction philosophy, Crack Cloud operates as a rehabilitative outlet for a revolving cast of multi-disciplinary artists across Canada. ​Vancouver DIY art collective Crack Cloud (which also features members of N0V3L) emerged in 2018 with their self-titled debut EP, an idiosyncratic collection of post-punk, art rock and synth-punk with bold personality. The following year, they returned with a new single, “The Next Fix,” an intensely rhythmic, beautiful funk-pop song, which was written to remember those they’ve lost to suicide and drug overdose. The group formed over shared beliefs in the power of harm reduction, local organizing and DIY art communities, which leads one to believe they’re far more than just a band—they’re a chosen family.

Like Psychic tv before them, Crack Cloud have a philosophy and one that they are not afraid to wear on their sleeves – while their anarchic, phantas- magorical visuals, heavy use of symbology, and seemingly never-ending cast of colourful collaborators have often invited cult comparisons, this really does the collective no justice.
There is no apocalyptic death drive here; no cult of personality; no hierarchy of power. while frontman and lyricist Zach Choy is in many ways the face of the group, the collective is one founded on equality, and in his cryptic lyrical blend- ing of poetics, polemics and personal experience, Choy is truly the mouthpiece of something far larger than himself. nowhere else is this more apparent than on the album’s first single, ‘The Next Fix.’

What begins as a caustic, claustrophobic account of addiction swells into a sprawling, euphoric hymn as Choy is joined by a choir of seemingly endless ce- lestial voices. less a cult then; more a church. listening to this song or watching its accompanying self-directed video is a truly spiritual experience, and in its building, jubilant movement it offers a glimpse of Crack Cloud’s most vital message: using community to turn adversity into hope. this isn’t just bravado; its a story born of deep, personal experience. crack cloud operate on the frontline of Canada’s out-of-control opiate crisis, mobilising and organizing in Vancouver’s harm reduction programmes.

The group themselves have had their fair share of trauma, and the collective offers its members a vital vehicle for rehabilitation and recovery. as the tagline on the album’s back cover makes clear then, this is absolutely ‘based on true shit.

Part One of the PAIN OLYMPICS 2020 series, made DIY by the Crack Cloud Collective,

LIGHTNING DUST – ” Run Away “

Posted: January 31, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Image may contain: 1 person, closeup

Lightning Dust (Amber Webber and Josh Wells) are releasing a new album, “Spectre”, via Western Vinyl. they shared another song from the album, “Run Away.”

The band collectively had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘Run Away’ explores the hardships of change-when our minds resist it. It’s the battle between logic and emotion. A tense and sonically deranged one in which a backward pulse blips into an electric piano solo and builds to a cosmic eruption of dark disco rain.”

Previously Lightning Dust shared Spectre’s first single, album opener “Devoted To”,Then they shared another song from the album, “Led Astray,” via a video for the track “Spectre” features Stephen Malkmus and Destroyer’s Dan Bejar .

Lightning Dust was previously a side-project for the Vancouver, BC-based duo of Amber Webber and Josh Wells, back when they were in Black Mountain. But in 2017 they both left the mother ship to focus solely on Lightning Dust and this is their first album since then. In 2018 Webber went back to school and tried out a new career, before music came calling again.

“It made me realize that art and music are still my light,” Webber explained in a previous press release. “Spectre” is my journey. It’s for all the women warriors that have been battling throughout life looking for a place to express themselves that feels inclusive and inspiring. It’s about finding yourself when no one is paying attention and inventing a new way of creating that feels honest and sincere. I truly feel that women, especially as we age, are underrepresented. That was truly the driving force to creating this album.”

Stephen Malkmus plays guitar on “A Pretty Picture” and Dan Bejar contributes guest vocals “Competitive Depression.” From the album Spectre released October 4th, 2019 on Western Vinyl.