IN REVIEW: July Talk - "Touch"

-

Having gotten as much mileage as they could out of their 2012 debut, July Talk enter their second record with changes in mind. The ragged bluesy rock that they became known for has been glossed up a bit, with sharper production and refined instrumentation, as well as a slight lean toward pop arrangements. Sometimes, these elements add up to bad news for a rock band, but the songs on Touch are better for it; it's still very much a rock record, albeit one with bigger hooks and a more fleshed-out sound overall. Perhaps the most telling thing about this record is the slew of radio ready songs waiting behind lead singles Push + Pull and Strange Habit, two solid songs that somehow wind up among my least favourite tracks here. The slinky Beck + Call absolutely pops (and gets a shot of adrenaline courtesy a near-perfect appearance by throat singer Tanya Tagaq), while the QOTSA-esque Johnny + Mary fulfills the velocity quotient, Lola + Joseph drips with lust and sweat and the sweaty, Sleater-Kinney recalling So Sorry captures enough of the bite of their already renowned live show that I can't wait to see what they do with it in the concert setting. The sum of the parts is a sweatier, sexier, more confident record that gives July Talk a good shot of becoming Canada's next big export.

September 9, 2016 • Sleepless
Highlights Beck + Call • Lola + Joseph • So Sorry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IN REVIEW: Surf Curse - "Magic Hour"

-
Image
  After a slow ascent that saw them self-release their first three albums over the course of six years, Surf Curse found fame in the way that so many young and hungry bands do in this modern age; Freaks , written in 2011 and originally released on their debut Buds in 2013, found itself a sudden smash after soundtracking memes on TikTok in 2020, eventually garnering over 200 million streams and earning the group a major label contract.  The first album following their breakthrough, Magic Hour finds plenty of changes in store for fans; now expanded to a four-piece, this album immediately sets itself apart from previous releases based on the fuller sound in the songs alone. Couple that with a step away from the lo-fi aesthetic that played a part in earlier releases and this is obviously going to be a different experience than people may have hyped themselves up for. That said, the crunchy, energized Arrow and the lush, dreamy Cathy combine for a very strong start even as they fly in the
Read more

Gallantly Streaming: Avenged Sevenfold Go Full On 90's With Familiar, Stunning Results

-
Image
Stream Avenged Sevenfold's Hail To The King here , courtesy iTunes. As uncool and un-hipsterish as it may be for me to admit on a blog, I'm a fan of Avenged Sevenfold. Their breakthrough album City of Evil and its blistering lead single Bat Country sucked me in, and their varied, multiple era sprawling attack kept me around waiting for more. Their 2007 self titled effort was just as strong in its shameless genre hopping, planting their feet firmly in the technical metal that endeared them to so many while reaching out to explore new sounds. With that said, I felt 2010's Nightmare was a step back; while it had some genuinely thrilling moments, it overall lacked some of the adventurousness that made them so interesting. Upon listening to Hail To The King 's title track for the first time, I was admittedly disappointed by its trite lyrics and (mostly) simplistic musicianship. However, repeated exposure has helped the track age well; once you get past the lyrics
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Honorable Mentions

-
Image
  Well, well, well. If it isn't Sound Bites temporarily coming back to life, suspiciously close to the end of the year. That must only mean one thing; well, aside from the author being supremely lazy and neglectful to his blog yet again. Yes, dear reader, it's time for Year in Rock. Look, I'm out of excuses as to why I can turn from cranking out content at a record pace to a full year of radio silence; suffice to say, this blog certainly isn't a priority in my life (which I have been rebuilding since my last post, but that's all personal stuff I have no desire to steal bandwidth from more deserving and important things). Sound Bites will continue to exist as a mausoleum for my personal music tastes, but it's not pivoting into self-help territory, nor is it roaring back to full-time status. I'll check in periodically, so as to say when there's something worth sharing. It might be once a year, it might be more frequently, but I definitely won't be gett
Read more