re: white whale records or a "trifecta of 'eh, it's okay'"

I was just reading in the Georgia Straight that White Whale Records is officially out of here and off to Ontario (but we already knew that: "The Lodge" packs up house") - well the Octoberman frontman and Havdale are going so, defacto, the label is going.

Man, locals love these guys...am I crazy? Well, yeah, but about this? They are talented musicians but they just don't have that oomph that brings them from just nice. No "wow factor" as my hero Tim Gunn would say.

I'm not going to let popular opinion sway me, but I'm getting the impression that it might just be me (or bribes are involved).

Havdale's Kids These Days is awesome though - I have a soft spot for pop rock - and their last show - in Vancouver or ever - is this week at the Railway on Club.

Maybe in the piece below I should have added that I loved KTD, it might have softened the bitchiness of me. But what fun would that be?

Local label makes good (but not great)

Here are some musings on three releases from local label White Whale Records, both run by and representing Ryder Havdale. He’s so going to delete me from facebook.

Octoberman Run from Safety

What hits you first when Run from Safety starts spinning is the Bob Dylan-esque vocals on the track “By the Wayside”. This initial promise remains unfulfilled though – except for a bit of nice bit of brass, the album is uninspiring. It’s like blogger poetry, or worse, poetry about blogger poetry. I’m assuming they were purposefully mixing their (clichéd) metaphors, but nothing is pushed far enough to be witty or satirical.

Octoberman’s music and lyrics constantly miss opportunities to be more than coffee house open mic rock (some tracks like “No Qualms” are pure coffee house) and it’s disappointing because the potential is there. I’m usually pretty harsh when it comes to lyric writing. But in the folk genre (maybe we’re at neo-folk?), lyrics are paramount. Lines like “love is top drawer, like an old pair of socks…now I’m feeling so bad, because my socks are torn” could be campy fun if it wasn’t so earnest. “Once in a Blue” has some interesting phrasing, but its plea to “think for yourself” is not only clichéd but tedious.

In short: not terrible, but I’m glad it was free.

Culture Reject Culture Reject

Culture Reject is an odd dish. It smells delicious, but doesn’t taste as good. Or maybe it doesn’t appear appetizing but tastes better…Whatever the food based analogy, this disc is a real stew. A little folk, a Rasta and a little Jack Johnson rip-off over a coffee shop in Havana/piano jazz background. Plus, a lot of handclaps - maybe too many. I know, I didn’t think it was possible either.

It's not all bad. The first track, intro “Ain’t It on the Floor,” has you grooving summer drive style (though maybe in an early 2000s Vibe commercial style), and “Blueprint” has intriguing vocals.

“Inside the Cinema” represents both my ambivalence about this album. While I’m always a sucker for the xylophone, brass and handclaps and sarcastic (I hope) lines like “Who fucking loves New York, who is the greatest fan?", these tidbits are undermined by lines like “gunna get home, gunna get stoned, make myself food, make myself good” and an almost schizophrenic orchestration.

So, I would suggest you at least check this out. It may be addicting or just annoying. Unfortunately for me, I think it may be both. It’s not really enough substance for me but hey, sometimes you just wanna make yourself food, make yourself good.

The Mohawk Lodge Wildfires

The Mohawk Lodge is led and for the most part constituted by White Whale Records head Ryder Havdale. I’ve written on them before for a piece on Music Waste so I won’t speak at length about them. But, I thought I’d give them another shot now that I’ve taken a swipe at the full version of Wildfire. Besides, good things come in threes. Or things do anyway.

“The Lodge” has been compared to many bands and artists I like, like Bruce Springsteen (whatever guys, he’s The Boss) or The Handsome Furs, but it completes this trifecta of “eh, it’s okay” by not really blowing me away. Again, it’s something to check out but do it on the internet box. You will also find many reviews that love all these artists, so maybe I’m just crazy (hint: I’m not).

Now, I’m going to acknowledge a bias on my part: Ryder Havdale was a disappointing interview – he didn’t leave me overly open to be generous about his efforts. However, the output I’ve heard from other WWR artists is not helping me get over my first impressions. That being said, I’m all about making good in your home town, especially if it’s making something from nothing. You’ll have to decide whether respecting an artist is the same as liking their work. (Hint: it’s not).

published (but not as awesome) version