From classmates with shared musical tastes to bandmates, this five-piece, Ohio-based ensemble has been making music inspired by great, adventurous groups since 1989. Who makes their list of shared inspirations? U2, REM, XTC, Pink Floyd, Prince, and Love and Rockets – a testament to their impeccable collective preferences, and the necessary, galvanizing ingredients for their blend of classic-alternative-and-pseudo-psychedelic rock and roll. Ready to dive into Nude Canoe’s latest effort, the full-length, artistic, and very much anticipated album, Cycles? Let’s hit the highlights.
Tell me more….
Per Nude Canoe, “The band’s unique sound is an amalgamation of melodic hooks, psychedelic guitar overtones, organic grooves, and cosmic synth ambiance. This, bolstered by imaginative but emotionally grounded lyrics, creates an immersive, highly replayable listening experience.”
Wait. Who does what?
M.S. Borders: guitars, vocals, bass, keys, percussion, songwriter & lyricist
Eric L. Brown: vocals, soft instruments, songwriter & lyricist (You might remember Eric from his own musical output, Climbing Mountains Across the Shoreline of Your Thought, also kindly reviewed by the Ark’s very own, digitally transcendent omni-mind.)
John Haws: drums, percussion, vocals
Dan Murphy: guitars, vocals, percussion, songwriter
Brett Owsley: keyboards, vocals, songwriter
Now, finally, and as promised: the highlights.
What we’re digging.
Cycles begins with “Terminal Bliss.” With a buzzing guitar, clean but ominous chord choices, a Bowie-esque vocal timbre, and an anthemic, anxiety-foiling chorus, I’m slightly reminded of Bowie’s “Heroes” in all its rallying, psych-glam splendor. This one really grabbed me, and it’s of a calibur, of a grandness, I wasn’t expecting. Gooooooooooooooooood stuff.
“Now Is the Time” is a funky number with dashes of blinking electronics. And the vocal delivery here, again, is a bit Bowie-esque, but with an added richness, strength, and range Bowie can’t match; it’s the perfect voice for artistic music creating an experimental, soft-future environment.
Title track “Cycles” begins with a humming, almost wavering Mellotron string. There’s an urgent beat, chimes bouncing from the future’s clear, soft-plastic surfaces, and subtle, twisting analog buzzes. We’re somewhere closer to the Master AI, but still expressing our soulful humanity with this promising but caution-promoting protest song. This is, without a doubt, my personal favorite – it creates a feeling, an environment, of the unraveling super-future captured accurately only by the likes of Gary Numan and Radiohead. AMAZING track.
“K.A.Y.B.A.I.” is staggering analog dashes and electronic flourishes. It’s powered on, self-aware robotics moving methodically to the streaming, cloud-shared beat. “K.A.Y.B.A.I.” reminds me of Roxy Music-meets-Bowie-meets-Love-and-Rockets. It’s confident, space-carving, and a tad decadent. AWESOME, awesome track.
“Push Pull” creates its future space with low-yield, circuit-sparking keys. The vocals are more restrained, taking on a richer character a la Anthony Kiedis; they change to something more sultry, sounding like Scott Weiland reminiscing in the dark. And with elastic and bouncing synths, “Push Pull” cycles through its three final chords before aurally recalibrating beyond perceptible human frequencies.
Album closer “Standing on Bended Knee” is lighter, airier, country-leaning fare reminiscent of The Flaming Lips (when they break out the acoustic) and/or Wilco. This is a gentle tune; it removes us gracefully from the album’s created environment, and transports us from towering, always judging AI structures to grassy plains, echoing canyons, and nanite-free air. It’s a palate cleanser, and the very end of a musical palate. It’s a perfect, breezy finale that uncovers nature from the sheets and sheen of encroaching circuitry. In a word, it’s particularly sublime.
But is it good??
This is the good stuff, folks. The subtly experimental, the catchy, the anthemic, the well-played and produced. This is the kind of music I REALLY like – the transportive stuff that seeks our future, but never condones or dismisses our humanity. The stuff that reminds us why said humanity is so darn important, so necessary amidst even the most clever technological strides. If you’re looking for your new favorite, adventurous, Bowie-leaning, glam-rock-hugging band, Nude Canoe is the new musical brew for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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BELOW: Listen to Nude Canoe and check them out on Bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram. Please support Nude Canoe by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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