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’Toban turntable Niall Mutter — ‘Pass Me By’
Cassidy Mann — ‘If It’s Not Forever’
ARTS & CULTURE
ARTS & CULTURE Alex Braun, staff
image / Killbeat Music / provided
image / Killbeat Music / provided
Alex Braun, staff
3.5/5 stars
3/5 stars For the past near-decade, the indie world has been afflicted with the “post-Mac DeMarco malady.” DeMarco, a goofball from Edmonton, has been one of the most weirdly influential artists in recent times, popularizing a distinctive blend of jazzy guitar, lightly funky bass lines and laid-back good vibes. It seems people of all stripes can’t resist the urge to pull on a Carhartt outfit, plug in a chorus pedal, muffle their drums with some tea towels and go to town. Not that it’s always a bad thing, but for a long time people have been latching onto the watery, chill, bedroom pop style and using the aesthetic to cover up lazy songwriting. It’s refreshing to hear something good in this tired idiom for once. Niall Mutter, through the power of being a smart songwriter, has done just that on his new EP Pass Me By. The opening track “Maybe” is carried by a 6/8 groove and a smirking, throwback chorus that bring a distinct ’50s vibe to the song, as well as some very smart hooks, like when the flighty verses give way to a sharp, catchy pre-chorus, building perfect momentum into the dreamy chorus. The second track, “A Love That Fits,” has a sort of ’60s soul thing going on, with some falsetto background vocals and an occasionally silly soul affectation in Mutter’s voice. What makes the track is a clever piano melody in the place of the hook, fitting into the simple groove perfectly and working as a counterpoint to the otherwise watery production. “I Wonder” is a low point, as Mutter
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drowns in the DeMarco sauce a little bit. It’s not a bad song — just forgettable, low in energy and a bit too derivative in its sound to escape the curse of having a weak hook. “You,” however, is an improvement, built around a tight funk groove that falls apart a couple of times for a pretty little guitar break. The closing title track is
Niall Mutter, through the power of being a smart songwriter, has done just that on his new EP Pass Me By another sweet throwback ballad in 6/8 with a clear Everly Brothers influence, ending the project on a high note. Overall, Niall Mutter has delivered a solid collection of guitar pop songs, largely quite catchy and well-crafted, despite their derivative sound and basic lyrical content.
arts@themanitoban.com
Winnipeg-born singersongwriter Cassidy Mann does a lot of reminiscing on her new EP, If It’s Not Forever. The songs here are preoccupied with the evocative moments from love affairs that stick with you long after the relationship ends. The opening track “Tropical Sour Candy” is a sweet little Proustian remembrance brought on by Mann eating the same candy that she used to eat with an ex. “Election Night” brings us back to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, ruminating on all the changes in her life in the years that followed. The lyrics are peppered with endearing details, like on the soft, touching standout track “Since I Met You,” where Mann asks her partner to tell her about a moment they shared on a subway when she cried in their arms. Musically, too, there are lots of tasteful production aspects and unexpected instrumental moments. Co-produced with fellow Winnipegger Roman Clarke, formerly of the Middle Coast, it’s apparent these tracks were fiddled with for a long time. “Stop A Heart,” a pretty simple song on the surface, is constantly introducing and removing elements, with a plucky acoustic guitar and a skittering, hyperactive electronic beat its only constants. It ends with a cathartic instrumental passage where reverbed guitars and spectral synths fight for attention, and little parts like a trumpet or stacked vocals come in to play a quick melody before drifting off. The instrumental palette is reminiscent of the trendy late ’90s or early 2000s adult alternative sound, with some tasteful contemporary flourishes. The song “Fine” is like Mann’s own version of Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic,” with a big chorus of spurious similes. I am not sure how comparing grains of sand or coffee grounds to feeling fine about moving on from
an ex really deepens the meaning of the word “fine” at all, but the effort to come up with so many fine things is appreciated. Mann also has a keen sense of melody. “Tropical Sour Candy” has a big hook ready for radio, and the chorus of
The instrumental palette is reminiscent of the trendy late ‘90s or early 2000s adult alternative sound, with some tasteful contemporary flourishes
“Since I Met You” lifts beautifully before settling into a reserved, lower register. This EP is sort of a new start for Cassidy Mann — her first release on a new label and the first taste of her “true voice.” As a start for a new sound, If It’s Not Forever is certainly promising. Cassidy Mann’s new EP If It’s Not Forever will be available April 1. arts@themanitoban.com
