With late Steely chops and indie mixed 80’s Beach Boys, Wes McClintock has delivered an album with many many different sounds.
The first two songs on “Open Dream” in fact could not be more different in soundscape, the first a long lyrics-draught of ghostly low chambered boogie… and then like a boomerang of extensive California sunlit radio play, “Imaginary Songs” steals the stage with wit, distortion, and a bass that’ll tear across your earbuds like college setlist era Tame Impala.
Take a listen for yourself below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The entire album is available to listen to on Youtube, so if you have a leftover roach or freshly made spliff ready, I’d encourage to to kick back and take an audial gander at the amount of depth this near forty minute project has.
“This is the album I’ve always wanted to create. It evolved out of re-working some very old songs of mine and turned in to a 2-year odyssey that incorporates everything I love about music. The album was begun in a cramped rental home in Toronto in the midst of COVID, and finished in a beautiful house by a hill in the peaceful city of Saint John, New Brunswick. It’s a very personal album and a pretty good reflection of who I am, both artistically and personally.”
McClintock plays all the instruments and does all the production on all his work, which is not only impressive to say, it is impressive to hear on the record. The lyrics are drab at points, though maybe only so because the background music is a powerhouse of electronic thunder.
“Falling,” the third track here, is a slow roll with fast boogie feel, club music that could set in-between your latest Strokes breakup playlist. Wes has a handle on how to make his own brand of dance tune, and “Falling” has that disco-chaotic groove that made Daft Punk‘s final album such a strong finisher.
By the time you get to the acoustic guitar and roll-top drums on the middle of Open Dream, you’ll be hooked in by Wes McClintock. That’s what happened to me at least.
Solid record. Worth your time. So take some and listen.
