Arts & Culture pages 13 to

’Toban turntable

Niall Mutter — ‘Pass Me By’ Cassidy Mann — ‘If It’s Not Forever’

ARTS & CULTURE

Alex Braun, staff

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. 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

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.

Niall Mutter, through the power of being a smart songwriter, has done just that on his new EP Pass Me By

ARTS & CULTURE

Alex Braun, staff

provided / Killbeat Music image /

3.5/5 stars

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

“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.

The instrumental palette is reminiscent of the trendy late ‘90s or early 2000s adult alternative sound, with some tasteful contemporary flourishes

Cassidy Mann’s new EP If It’s Not Forever will be available April 1.

Manitobans perform at ManSask championship

Stacey, Bisons teammates excel at meet

SPORTS

Isaiah Wagner, staff The 2022 ManSask winter provincial championships took place this past week in Winnipeg, with many Manitobans looking to do their province proud.

The four-day meet consisted of a variety of events and produced many great races and many great times from some Manitoban swimmers.

One swimmer that had an outstanding weekend was 17-year-old Brayden Stacey.

Stacey had many great performances throughout the meet, the most notable being his first-place finish in the boys 16 and over 100 LC metre backstroke and his second-place finish in the boys 16 and over 200 LC metre backstroke. On his fourth and final day, Stacey came up with another first-place finish in the boys 16 and over 50 LC metre butterfly.

Not only did Stacey perform well in the individual events, but his Bison teammates did as well. A group of four, including Stacey, finished second in the boys 16 and over 200 LC metre freestyle relay and first place in boys 16 and over 400 LC metre provincial relay. A great accomplishment for Stacey and the team as a whole.

Many current university team members had strong performances. Georgia Pengilly finished first in the girls 15 and over 50 LC metre backstroke. In the women’s 100-metre backstroke, Kelsey Wog beat her competition by more than five seconds to claim first. Carson Beggs finished first in the boys 16 and over 100 LC metre breaststroke, also outswimming his competition. Rhade Kostelnyk was the final Bison to triumph on Sunday. He turned in a time of 30.46 seconds to place first in the boys 16 and over 50 LC metre breaststroke.

“Overall, we had a great weekend as a group,” Stacey said.

“We were extremely prepared and were ready for anything that came in our way. As you can see, we placed well throughout the weekend and I think that is mainly because of our compete level. We competed hard and it ended up paying off.”

Stacey emphasized the importance of effort and of coming properly prepared to events like this one.

“I compete hard because I always want to win,” he said.

“With that being said, preparation is also key. A big part of my swimming is preparing and getting ready mentally and physically.”

Preparation is key according to Stacey, but what does that look like? Overall, it is pretty simple and you just have to stay focused.

“A meet is all about preparation and that is what I do,” Stacey said.

“Get everything in order [and] get up early and eat some breakfast. Once we get to the pool, we get a lay of the land and just visualize mentally and prepare physically for a great swim.” No matter how physically fit or athletically gifted you are, it is extremely important to master the mental side of the game as well. By doing this and competing alongside his Bison swimming teammates, Stacey has hopefully caught the eyes of some universities for his future.

“I would love to swim at a university level,” Stacey said.

“Right now I am mainly focused on training and competing with my great group of swimmers, but the chance to compete at a higher level is always in the back of my mind.”

With Stacey swimming the way that he has, it would be no surprise for him to move on to compete at a higher level. Maybe one day the Bisons will be calling his phone for him to join the university team full time.

The University of Manitoba swimming team is set to compete at the the U Sports national championships held March 24 to 26 in Quebec City, Que.

sports@themanitoban.com

Launch your path to success

MASTER OF TAXATION

Become a highly-valued member of the Canadian tax community. Join Canada’s most comprehensive English-speaking program for the development of tax professionals. O ered through the University of Waterloo at our downtown Toronto classrooms.

Learn to REACH BEYOND

EXPERT FACULTY

DOWNTOWN TORONTO CLASSROOM

learn … develop … experience