July 2018 Music

Ostrich Bouquet

“Ostrich Bouquet is a psychedelic post-rock melange from Montreal.
Their debut EP, “On Time, as Usual”, was released in November 2017. The seven-track EP is as smooth a listen as you can get, mixing elements of jazz, ambient, and experimental music.

If you enjoy the worlds of Tame Impala, Radiohead, and The Beatles, dip into these tunes and space out for a little.

The first track and title track is a creative preface to the EP. Containing a speech given by former Mayor of Montreal Jean Drapeau in which he mentions the title of the album, it makes for a cool title-drop moment. From there, the grooves begin with the second song “Empty Streets.” With this song you get your first taste of vocals in the style of Kevin Parker (Tame Impala). With some warm tones and smooth jazz grooves, the track is a super comfortable and relaxing listen. It ends by melting away seamlessly into the next song.

These seamless transitions really help the album flow and carry you through.

If you are a fan of the prolific King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, a must-listen for any psychedelic trippers and a band that has really mastered this type of smooth transition (see their album I’m In Your Mind Fuzz as a wicked example), then Ostrich Bouquet will most likely be something you will like as well.

The Ostrich Bouquet trip continues ever so delicately throughout the entire EP with songs like “November 3” and “Could Never Do.”

The quality of this recording is crisp and well mixed, leaving you with an end product that has an effect similar to ASMR. These polished sounds are the work of Davide Ventulieri on bass and vocals, Jeremy Bozzo on guitars, Kyle Podwalski on synths and guitars, and Michael Tomizzi on drums.

The quartet delivers an impressive debut effort with this EP. With some ideas heavily rooted in their musical influences, it will be interesting to see the group branch out and develop their sound over time. If it is approached and executed with the finesse and vision of this first release, their next release is sure to be tasty and tight…”

-Ben Cornel

bucketlistmusicreviews.com

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ODDSFISCHE

In the summer of 2016, the inception of OddsFiche commenced with the release of “Ninth Eyelid Atelier”, followed by “Soundtracks for Cemeteries”-conceptual albums full of: Space Rock, Kosmische, Krautrock and Progressive elements.

The real beginning was back in 2007 with the release of “Chateau d’Hiver” under a different name, “Wulfila”, with an album that stretched musical composition and imagination to great lengths and influences from the German rock scene of the late sixties, early seventies.

The sound went silent for several years until the summer of 2016. In late 2016, OddsFiche released “Cut Myself Shaving” and two EPs of outtakes and remixes from previous records.

A series of ten shows in 2016 on the “Subtle Grenade Spiral Tour” saw OddsFiche as a solo artist debuting the offbeat stylings and sounds that have not been absorbed by an audience before and resulting in a mixed review of people liking it and people not sure of it because it went outside the box, against the grain and delved deep into unconventional use of recognizable instruments.

A short mini tour in 2017, “The Toaster Cabbage Tour” saw OddsFiche venture in to the heart of Toronto to play to a more strict audience of listeners who again had not heard the style of OddsFiche before.

With the release of, “Cone of Shame”, “Seafood Bubblegum” and “Clothes Pins for Rich People” saw the sound grow more improvisational and conceptual along with some heavier pieces in the realm of progressive sound. Seems the psychedelic sounds of the London and Berlin underground of the late 60’s had been somewhat forgotten as the bands that revolutionized that sound had moved on to more commercial successes and people clung to those more popular records leaving behind what OddsFiche was bringing back to the foreground, those deep rooted sounds of psychedelia.

2017 also saw the growth of the band in to a trio and the furtherexpansion of sound with a drummer and bassist completing the lineup. A brief interlude with the attempt to acquire a keyboardist, the band abandoned the idea in favour for the trio of sound they had created
together.

Working on developing the new sound and style the band focused on developing a strong design for the conceptual piece whilst remaining true to the psychedelic sound of the late 60’s. Sound expansion and theatre of the mind are two key components to the OddsFiche
signature. By late summer, new songs were emerging and older pieces were getting a new lease on life with a revamping of their sound and design- while maintaining identity.

Early March 2018 saw the release of “Can’t Autograph a Snowball”, the first full length album as the new OddsFiche band. The album contained only one song from the old guard that had been revamped and was more powerful than ever along with four
new compositions.

April saw the start of the “Points on a Circle Tour”with their debut live performance at the Amsterdam Bicycle Club in Toronto, Ontario. Currently, the band is working on new material again as well as improving some older pieces.

All of OddsFiche’s music can be found on their BandCamp site:

www.oddsfiche.bandcamp.com
Twitter: @OddsFiche
YouTube Channel: Progbeawr831

MAPSTONE

Mapstone have quickly emerged onto the roots music scenes in Australia, Canada and Bali. Their positive blend of conscious roots music, reggae, folk and world tones has already seen them share the stage with Nahkoand medicine for the people, Dustin Thomas, the Beautiful Girls, Murray Kyle and old friends Buckman Coe.

The band’s dynamic repertoire and intriguing blend of voice, didgeridoo, percussion, guitars and harmonies gives them a unique ability to elevate and inspire any crowd. Big stage Festivals, busy pubs, yoga centres, theatres, and dance floors. Wherever and whenever it is, the spirit and the energy are strong.

Mapstone have recently played prestigious festivals such as Woodford folk festival, Bali spirit festival, Island vibe festival, Byron Bay Spirit Festival, Island Elements Festival, Blessed Coast Festival, Cranfest, Falls Festival, and Byron Bay Surf Festival. In support of their 2 albums, EP, and singles, Mapstone have toured Australia, Canada, Bali, England and Sri Lanka, and will be on the road again in 2018.

Their most recent releases “Spirit Songs” album and new singles “Change” and “Tribal Nation” have all been praised and acknowledged as heartfelt and uplifting works. Working with sought after producers OJ Newcomb, Paulie B and Murray Kyle, Mapstoneʼs music continues to grow and inspire. The early months of 2018 have seen Mapstone complete their “Honouring Our Elders” tour which travelled across Canada, Australia and Bali. The summer months of the Northern hemisphere will see the band on the road to promote their new “singles” as part of their “Protectors Of The Sacred” tour.

“Mapstoneʼs conscious rootʼs music is infectious to the soul, uplifting andleaves you calling for more. Full of joy, depth, inspiration and spirit, this isa band on a mission with enough heart to see it through. Do yourself afavour and experience this musical medicine.”
-Phat Magazine Byron Bay

Listen:
www.mapstonemusic.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/mapstonemusic

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFLm-IU6fBw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxLl2rySFGs

JSUN

With every shift comes the ripple, and when jSun’s Reggae-and-Folk-infused soulful vibe washes over you, you can feel a call for change in the musical tide. Now when you think of a Changemaker, you might not be expecting the gently-smiling soft-spoken J, you might be expecting a militant firebrand. However, he has found his own way of making waves.

Just as every shift causes ripples, with every ripple comes the shift, and J, also known as jSun has taken time to learn the turning of the world according to these tides. When he emerged from the Toronto scene, he was more of the militant firebrand you would have expected – he still has an appreciation and a place for his ‘Songs of Past’ that shaped his early shift away from the superficial glitz and glamour of a blossoming modeling and acting career. The songs focused on “real talk and raw honesty about social and cultural injustice,” says Jsun. “…..ultimately, they were messages of unity…..”

Through exploring nature within and around, like the mystics of old, realizations manifested through journeying with the shifts and ripples of nature’s rhythm. The collection of songs entitled ‘Outback’ chronicles travels through South Africa, Barbados, Indonesia, Australia, South America and Hawaii. Jsun became internationally influenced, and educated to the experiences of aboriginals the world over. The ripples of world travel causing another shift. This time towards a reconnection to nature through music and meditation “Our nature’s song is medicine for the mind” says J. “When I’m connecting with this energy, it feels like that’s what I’m here to do. It guides the flow of everything else“. The music became influenced by his encounters with the luminosity and divine beauty of the natural world.

The waves eventually brought him to the South-Western Ontario where he settled into a new rhythm and began connecting with community musically, socially, and spiritually. Having had the opportunity to perform with the likes of Sam Gilly from Burning Spear and the legendary Errol Blackwood, as well being a part of Xavier Rudd’s album ‘Spirit Bird’, jSun’s sense of himself as an artist and as a messenger of reconciliation with nature grew. Thus emerged the ‘J’ album; a mixture of both solo and collaborative flows that typify his intuitive approach to the art. He then connected with other local musicians as to create the five-song EP, ‘Irie’ that was released in 2013. Lately jSun has ventured into an analogue studio to record some solo/duo mellow vibes. The result of these sessions is a 10 song CD called ‘Mellow Moods’ available spring 2016.

The firebrand had transformed into the Changemaker – all of the ripples, all of the shifts are now a part of a natural frequency that J captures effortlessly and passionately in his music – his entire journey reflected in his rhythm and verse. We are invited to tune into nature’s channel collectively; synchronizing with the luminosity and beauty of the natural world. It is his hope that we will all rise up in harmony, as individuals and as a collective, in a way that promotes inner and outer peace, stability and balance. “As we nourish our nature, our nature nourishes us,” says jSun. “May we continue to inspire each other. May we rise each day simply knowing and being our purpose; each day is a gift, live it fully and feel it lift.”

Website:
http://www.jmusic.ca/index.html