Dragon Turtle - Almanac

Dragon Turtle is a new project by Brian Lightbody and Tom Asselin of Lewis and Clarke. Released on the peculiar albeit wonderful label/collective that is La Société Expéditionnaire, it fits perfectly alongside artists such as The Black Swans, Strands of Oaks and Matt Bauer. With a central theme of nature and the beauty and brutality of it all, they blur the lines between several genres swaying back and forth between folk, post-rock and even world music.

"Casualty" starts this journey with quiet drums, a soft guitar and hushed voice that seems to be struggling to be heard, but is afraid to awaken whatever is slumbering in the distance. What starts so serene, eventually weaves into an amalgamation of sharp keys, chunky guitars and a distant piano. The album continues to gently swim back and forth with natural ambience of "Belt of Venus" to the nearly eleven minute long post-rock tinged opus that is "Hourglass".

Refusing to follow any ruleset, Almanac's rich atmosphere of natural and man-made sounds end up creating rich textures that almost become tangible. Because of this, it will most likely draw the most comparison to the The Glow Pt. 2 by the Microphones even though Almanac seems a much more focused and precise effort.

Dragon Turtle - Almanac

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Ganglians - Monster Head Room

This is a fun album. That is such a simple statement but it is the best way to describe this album. Imagine taking Skygreen Leopards and mixing in some Beach Boys, it would sound something like this. A psychedelic pop album that just makes you feel good from start to finish. I recommend this for fans of Wavves, Crystal Stilts and Skygreen Leopards. Warning: this album is guaranteed to make your bad mood infinitely better. Listen at your own risk.

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Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane

"Recorded primarily on an old tape machine and a JVC ghetto blaster in Chad’s Calgary basement, Soft Airplane retains the handmade charm and singular character of his previous records, while incorporating new layers of sophistication and weight. Recalling Neil Young at his most fragile and plaintive, and Thurston Moore at his most resolved and vital, Chad’s emotive vocals anchor these songs while tackling the pervasive themes of death and dreams with an unexpected air of certainty and hope that is far from ominous—-instead it’s luminous. Through a complex interplay of guitar, drum beats, loops, samples, found sounds, unorthodox percussion, xylophones, distortion, synthesizers, accordions and more, Chad has made an album that sounds bigger than one man.

It sounds like a lifetime."

There really isn't much to add, it's a haunting album that you cannot fit inside a specific genre. This scary and beautiful album never ceases to impress me and every time I listen I come away with something new and wonderful. If you like your music a bit on the weird side this is for you.


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