Music
Sackville's Partner spark up the burners
by Jesse Locke
October 16, 2015
Plus hear new music from Feel Alright, Lt. Frank Dickens, and Wasted Cathedral.
No Rest for the Obsessed is a column spotlighting some of the most exciting new music AUX’s Associate Editor Jesse Locke finds each week. It began in 2010 for Calgary’s dearly departed alt-weekly FFWD, and takes its name from a Lightning Bolt song.
Partner – “Hot Knives”
Partner is the powerhouse duo of Josée Caron and Lucy Niles (Sackville shed dwellers formerly of Yellowteeth and The Mouthbreathers). Following an all-reports-legendary appearance at this year’s SappyFest, they’ve been snapped up by You’ve Changed Records to hit the road with Alvvays, and for good reason: Partner’s brief blasts of slack-rock range in subject matter from smoking hash to appreciating Ellen Page with blistering riffs from the school of Dinosaur Jr. Watch their endearingly bleary video for “Hot Knives” from director Colin Medley featuring some beer and baseball caps in the bubble bath.
Feel Alright – Softies
This under-the-radar release from Calgary’s Feel Alright jangles all the way from Athens, Greece. The odds and sods collection (released in a highly limited run for a recent gig hosted in the hometown of Greek label Phase!) features main brain Craig Fahner backed up by a rotating cast including members of Sheer Agony. The plunky pianos of “A Month In The Country”, spacey instrumental “Toodle OO”, and lighters raised sway of “Get Gone” make Softies more than worth your while.
Lt. Frank Dickens – Sunburned
The booming baritone of Dan Geddes perfectly slotted into the minimal post-punk moves of Vancouver-via-Edmonton’s Peace, and now he’s proved its vocal versatility. Lt. Frank Dickens sees Geddes waxing Jonathan Richman/Smog-style poetic with a set of strummmy swooners from his latest guise. Cassettes can be snagged from his Hasting-based store and label Horses Records.
Wasted Cathedral – Beat Nightmares Thru Dead Suburb
Step into the church of Chris Laramee (axeman of Saskatoon psych scorchers Shooting Guns) for the latest synth-drift devotional from his Wasted Cathedral. Beat Nightmares Thru Dead Suburb features a pair of sidelong daydream zoners with a ballroom swirling coda from the empty bliss of The Caretaker. Tantalizingly stylish cassettes are available from Toronto’s Adhesive-Sounds.
