By Jonny Bakes
A year ago, I took a chance on an album that was pretty far outside of my usual listening sphere and found myself pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The album in question was the sophomore release from Canadian alt-rockers Kiwi Jr who somehow managed to mash together ’60s vibes with the sound of the ’00s indie scene. Well, today my inbox was graced with the follow up to that album, as this band clearly wastes no time, so it was only fitting that I delve in and give this one a go too!
Within the first couple of tracks I was struck by how it seemed to pair perfectly with the blazing sunshine that had unexpectedly appeared this week. It’s certainly nowhere near as heavy as my usual listening, in fact it’s distinctly mellow, but that works pretty well for just dozing in the sun. I still stand by my previous claim that it sounds like the love child of the Strokes and The Byrds, which is something that’s still working for me for sure! While it may be mellow, it still rocks some pretty toe tapping rhythms that will excite those who don’t mind their music straying far away from the safe confines of rock and metal.
If synth noises and muted guitars are your thing, then you’re in luck because ‘Chopper’ brings both by the bucket load! These then lay the backdrop for the deadpan/melancholic vocals of Jeremy Gaudet who does his best to channel the spirit of Julian Cassablancas in his vocal delivery which is somewhere between talking and holding a tune. The whole delivery screams indie to me, which I know won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but for me it’s been a pleasant departure from the norm.
It’s really difficult to pick out any one song as a standout track, although ‘Downtown Area Blues’ is certainly one of the more raucous songs on the album which appeals to my usual nature! There’s heaps of organ sounds that give a vaguely psychedelic vibe to this track as well, just to top things off! Lyrically, well, I’m not entirely sure I can make sense of it at all as it seems to be a stream of consciousness. But, hey, that’s completely on brand for this kind of music! Don’t be misled by the title though, as ‘Downtown Area Blues’ is pretty far from traditional blues music, instead it’s something that is likely to get venues swinging when Kiwi Jr. busts out this little number.
Overall, ‘Chopper’ is on a very similar level to ‘Cooler Returns’ so if you were already sold on the Canadian indie machine that is Kiwi Jr, then there’s every chance that you’ll like this one! For me, it’s certainly something that I’ll listen to when I fancy a change of pace, but it’s not something that will find its way onto my regular rotation as it’s simply not to my usual taste. There’s perhaps something here for fans of Lou Reed too, as the odd track gives off a similar sensation but mostly this is something for you indie kids out there!
- ‘Chopper’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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