You may be wondering why I reviewed only Canadian artists today. Is it coincidence, or is there conspiracy afoot? Am I so salty that two Southern teams are playing in the Stanley Cup final that I had to resort to passive-aggressive protest? Is it perhaps some kind of holiday you didn't know about? Did I finally forgive Joe Carter for all those years of emotional anguish? If a few cases of beer and a secret poutine recipe happened to cross the border and wind up in my possession, would that be a national scandal? My lips are sealed. I can tell you that it has been a few years (three, to be exact) since TJ Cabot has released an EP's worth of home-recorded tracks, so the arrival of Palm Stings is highly welcomed in my world.
These four demos are likely not destined for further refinement and eventual inclusion on the next Real Rejects album, so we can enjoy them strictly as TJ Cabot solo tracks in all their poorly recorded but expertly mastered glory. Anyway, this is pretty much what everyone has been longing for since the spring of 2023: blown-out smart-aleck garage punk that reeks of dingy basements and room temperature leftover pizza. If you're going to release home-recorded solo demos, they ought to be as raw and primitive as these. You can totally visualize TJ blasting out the drums, guitar, and bass like some mad scientist of budget rock. These are all really good tunes, but I'm especially partial to the garage rock-inspired "Firm Back Hand" and the punk-as-frick "Artificial All Along." Five Canadian dollars for this thing is a good value. That won't even buy you a gallon of gas these days. Stay home today and support the arts!
No comments:
Post a Comment