Bill Jr. Jr. – Dear Neighbour
Bill Jr. Jr.’s Dear Neighbour sounds like Wes Anderson making a disaster movie. It’s incredibly sweet, polite, quirky and professionally made to sound amateurish. This is the kind of song that would be playing just as one of the main characters is hitting the floor after being involved in some unbearably painful, yet funny accident.
Just how invested is Russell Gendron into making this music? Very much so, but not on anybody’s terms, as can be observed by the out of focus, single cut of the music video. This is the kind of song that gets chosen along with the Fleet Foxes for a possible commercial before the artist purposely messes up the audition.
There’s a candour to the track though that is beautiful and cannot be manufactured. It’s a Crosby, Stills, Nash record on anxiety pills, where the guitars mix interestingly and the vocals whisper dreamily like a singer patiently awaiting a nervous breakdown.
The Backfielders – Seasons and Their Shapes
I’ll let you in on one of the least kept secrets. The rock world is always looking for the next singles band that can create three-minute gems without even looking like they are trying. Once in a while, rock radio fans get lucky and end up with something like the Jam, the Arctic Monkeys, or, even The Clash. Most of the time, they don’t, but this doesn’t mean any of us should lose hope.
Of the myriad of bands vying for that crown and the chequebook that goes along with it, The Backfielders are one of the most convincing. They are fresh-faced, bubbly and are ready to dance-rock anyone within earshot. Yes, their production is not exactly working towards the same grandiose goal, but they deserve their opportunity for certain.
Seasons and Their Shapes is a blissful indie-rock tune from a bunch who sound like they’ve heard their punk rock, combined with their modern rock and hip-hop all on the same playlist. It’s quick, clever, milks the potential of the power chords, and sounds like the type of tune a band would write within their first weeks of formation, something we’ve always loved to hear.
