By now, not knowing what the next Royal Canoe record is going to be like is a given. These guys from Winnipeg, Canada thrive on eccentricity and on being unpredictable. Staying true to this reputation, Waver<\/i> takes a turn from the group\u2019s previous two releases (2013\u2019s Today We’re Believers <\/i>and 2016\u2019s Something Got Lost Between Here And The <\/i>Orbit) and strips down the complex layers of music that have been the bedrock of its predecessors into \u201cleaner arrangements and clearer melodies,\u201d as frontman Matt Peters puts it.<\/p>\n
Crazy musical arrangements and mad beats gave a distinct character to Royal Canoe\u2019s music. The toning down \u2013 or even lack \u2013 of this on Waver<\/i> is certainly noticeable; it overamplifies some of the slower numbers, making them sound dull, a quality that is the exact reverse of what Royal Canoe\u2019s music is all about. For example, \u201c77-76\u201d is a low energy song with a generic-sounding chorus. \u201cPeep This\u201d is a droopy track that does not go anywhere. The same is the case with \u201cGirl Of My Dreams,\u201d which sounds pretty flavorless.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, \u201cMay 17,\u201d another slow cut, is much more interesting, thanks to Royal Canoe\u2019s tried-and-true quirkiness. This time it comes in the form of the split-second yell that comes up throughout the song, ruffling its calmness with some \u201cunwanted\u201d shenanigans, and adding a lot of character to it.<\/p>\n
By going with a more direct approach, Royal Canoe has unearthed a new side to their music, one that features crisp violins instead of fuzzy electronics and real drums instead of kooky drum machines. But the most prominent feature is the adoption of a minimalist sound when the group goes electronic, like they do on the album highlight and closer number \u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d which is sparse, but totally warm and utterly gorgeous.<\/p>\n
No matter the route charted by a certain song, Waver<\/i> is still a multidimensional record. Of the other album highlights, \u201cSpin Cycle,\u201d which is one of the most colorful tracks here, is funky, thanks to what sounds like noise made by scatting horns. \u201cRAYZ\u201d has a soul-inspired Fitz And The Tantrums kind of sound, which is new and different for Royal Canoe. The opening cut \u201cWhat\u2019s Left In The River\u201d has the band\u2019s signature quirkiness while also being vulnerable and spaced out like a Radiohead song circa In Rainbows<\/i>. It is also sort of a unique number for this band.<\/p>\n
In some ways, Waver<\/i> is less ambitious compared to Royal Canoe\u2019s previous works. The songwriting here is simpler. It certainly does not try to compensate for the lack of complexity and idiosyncrasy in the musical composition. As a result, the band sounds like a generic indie outfit in some instances. Still, this release offers enough meat to make it a Royal Canoe disc, amply satisfying the itch for music that\u2019s wonderfully different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":33687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[9727],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-45508","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-royal-canoe","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/45508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/45508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=45508"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=45508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}