Swimmers take on deep waters and music waves in

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS “THE WAVES, THE WAKE” (NETTWERK)

Tony Dekker can do a whole lot with just his acoustic guitar and his absolutely stunning voice. That’s all that appeared on a sparsely packaged CDR in 2003 that became the Great Lake Swimmers’ debut album. Over the past 15 years, the band expanded, increased both the tempo and the volume, and by the time of 2015’s “A Forest of Arms,” the band had morphed into a solid roots-rock outfit that didn’t sound all that different from dozens of their peers in Canada, for better or worse.

So it was time to throw out the acoustic guitar and start all over.

For the seventh Great Lake Swimmers album, Dekker doesn’t rely on any of his usual tricks — except his voice, which is front and centre, as it should be. Piano plays a key role, as does the banjo of his longest-serving bandmate, Eric Arnesen. But on the first track and lead single, “The Talking Wind,” Dekker is accompanied only by a woodwind ensemble. On the absolutely devastating “Falling Apart,” a classical harp provides lilting arpeggiation, with little else adding texture on the chorus. Most naked of all is the a cappella “Visions of a Different World,” featuring what sounds like Dekker laying down at least a fivepart harmony underneath his lead vocal. On all these performances, the resonance of the 145-year-old church in London, Ont., where this was recorded, is as much of a character as any instrument; this is by no means unusual for Dekker, of course, who has made his career out of finding odd places to record, starting with the abandoned Lake Erie grain silo where he made his debut record.

“The Waves, The Wake” is the most creatively invigorated this band has sounded in years. But there’s definitely a darkness beneath the calming surface. “Side effects aren’t worth the health you get / when you need all the help you can get,” sings Dekker on one track. On another he talks about how he “couldn’t smile when I needed to.” And neither of those lyrics even appear on the song called “Falling Apart.” Maybe they’re autobiographical, maybe not, but most people don’t need to look too far outside their family and circle of friends to find signs of mental illness. The music of Great Lake Swimmers has always been a balm; this time the lyrics imply that the tone and tempo of this album were more necessary than ever for their creator.

Tony Dekker threw out his rule book and came up with his best record in years. Those are deep waters, those Great Lakes, perpetual providers of inspiration and sustenance. Dive in.

Stream: “The Talking Wind,” “Falling Apart,” “Visions of a Different World”

JOHN ORPHEUS “GOATLIFE” (INDEPENDENT)

It says a lot about Canada that the closest thing we’ve had to a Caribbean crossover artist has been ... the Parachute Club?! I love that slightly soca-tinged pop band of the ’80s as much as the next Canucklehead (probably a lot more, to be honest), but in a country with one of the biggest Caribbean festivals in North America, one would expect that we would have more to show than that — and Snow.

John Orpheus is a Trinidadian-born Torontonian, who grew up listening to Outkast and singing in Pentecostal and Baptist churches. He immigrated to Canada to study English at the University of Waterloo. His debut EP (following three mixtapes in 2017) is brimming with pop hooks, island rhythms, and a global outlook gleaned from Ghana’s Afrobeats scene; his drummer, Sarah Jane Riegler, travelled there to listen and learn.

Everything about “Goatlife” glitters: the production is totally pro, the songs are catchy as hell, and Orpheus has charisma to burn. He has a lot to say, on and offstage, and is more than ready for prime time. There is no valid reason why he shouldn’t be burning up Canadian pop charts this summer.

Stream: “Goatlife,” “Parachute,” “Brwn Grrrl”