CD reviews
SOCCER MOMMY Clean
SOCCER Mommy’s album Clean sounds something like the voice and guitar you might hear floating over your back fence if your neighbour is musically talented. It’s a bit hazy, wistful, fuzzy and highly appealing. There is a touch of ‘90s inflection in Sophie Allison’s voice and riffs but nothing overt or cringeworthy; it’s just a hint and then it’s gone. There is often brevity in the way she sings her tales, even the sad breakup tunes don’t wallow in their own dourness for long. She has a sharpness in the way she paints a picture with an uncomplicated simplicity of words: A line like: “Left me drowning once you picked me out of your bloody teeth” packs a hefty punch. Ouch!
Blossom is the best bittersweet ballad, Still Clean tackles rejection, and then Your Dog lets a boyfriend know exactly where he stands. In 10 songs across maybe 40 minutes Soccer Mommy delivers an album that feels accomplished while leaving the listener ready for more. That’s a good skill to have in 2018.
LISSIE Castles
FROM low down huskiness to a floating falsetto to full-on howl, Lissie has the chops to back her confessional writing with emotional singing. Her take on modern pop music is built on a folkie, guitar-driven sound. Old fashioned, huh? But she delivers it with such expertise it’s impossible to resist. Atmospheric, soulful and fun, Crazy Girl feels like this album’s “hit” if an album like this even strives for one. Love Blows does not gloss over the fact that relations with a lover can get tricky, even when you’re in it for the right reasons.
Castles sees her venture to the piano, a perfect match for the tune’s grand proclamations. Finger clicks are just for bonus points. There is an enticing moodiness found in this album that lifts it above the norm.
BAUM Ungodly
GRUNGE-pop? No. No. Nope. That is not a thing. Why any PR guru would try to attach the G-word to a pop singersongwriter is unfathomable. You’ve done Baum a disservice and cast unachievable expectations upon an artist who is just starting out, my dude. Yes, I heard the F-bombs on This Body and Effortless. I heard the words “teen spirit” on Hot Water. None of these things magically transforms a pop singer lightly buzzing over downtempo electronic music into Kurt Cobain. Grumbles aside, this debut has its moments. Hot Water is a cracking tune, an intoxicating, sassy, coming-of-age story. Dream Girl reminds me greatly of a personal favourite, BANKS. And the title track is the EP’s most confident outing. The tune lifts in the chorus to fly above the lightly snapping rhythms and smooth melodies.