wallscenery demos is the brainchild of transplanted Toronto musician James Hicken. While the forthcoming album from the project, check this!, doesn't yet have a firm release date, I just couldn't sit on this one any longer.
What wallscenery demos has come up with is a unique hybrid in the indie rock world. Hicken combines lo-fi slacker rock with a healthy heaping of studio effects. That makes a track like the lead of "i kept it real" sound like the bastard love child of Moby and Lou Barlow. While the ambient accent sounds in the background of "i'm not around" serve to support the simple strummed guitar, creating a song not unlike the folk numbers off Beck's Mellow Gold.
As the album progresses, Hicken begins to explore a broader swath of musical territory. By the time "raw shit" rolls around, he fully immerses you in the world of funk and hip hop. You're jerked back into the indie underground with the Jesus & Mary Chain-inspired "after that last one". Even further astray, "they've fallen down" has a distinct Neil Young vibe to it. "riding with the tide" swerves us as it turns into a lo-fi sea shanty.
Vocally, Hicken goes for understatement. On the standout "hooked on lame" he sings with a breathy hush and could easily be mistaken for Thurston Moore.
The album is dotted with short snippets of everyday life sounds. Whether it be car commercials ("[car = guns]") or the weather ("[brooklyn rain]") these tracks are used well to deftly segue from one mood to another.
check this! may be a little intimidating with it's size, but it's a sonic voyage that's well worth the investment. Let's hope it makes it out in time to get due consideration for year end lists.
Best tracks: "riding with the tide", "they've fallen down"
Track listing for check this!:
- i kept it real
- [the last days of heavy metal]
- [car = guns]
- hooked on lame
- [brooklyn rain]
- i'm not around
- [one of these day one]
- ain't got nothing to say
- check this!
- [lo fi/out the door]
- raw shit
- after that last one
- [low shelf = can't find]
- bring that shit back
- they've fallen down
- [voxtub]
- riding with the tide
- it's all in my mind
- watch your back
- [one of these days two]
- my highest regards
- subtle sleeping
- stephen harper
9.0/10
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