“Take Pause” by Greg Hewlett
Last February Greg Hewlett of local indie rock band Pelago recorded Wind Off The Water as his 2011 album RPM submission. This was Greg’s first time participating in the RPM Challenge since 2009 when he released Bow H to much local acclaim. Wind Off The Water kicks off with the keyboard beat driven “From The Landlocked Ones”, a song which was re-recorded later in 2011 by Pelago for their 7 song EP Hello Pilgrim. Today’s track “Take Pause” is my personal favourite of Greg’s with its simple groove and loose acoustic strum. The song reminds me of something from My Morning Jacket’s 1999 debut The Tennessee Fire with a little touch of Joe Strummer in the vocals. Elsewhere on the album Greg delves into catchy low-fi, power pop with “Alt-Ctrl-Del”, “Quartz” and “At a Lover’s Place”. Songs such as “Strings & Anchors” and “Palm Lines” would be perfect around the campfire or on a sunny day at the beach with their acoustic layers and acrobatic vocal harmonies. Album closer “High Street” is primarily an off-kilter instrumental which sounds like Marc Ribot and D.Boon going head to head in some insane guitar duel to see who can come up with the most wiry and obscure riff. Wind Off The Water is one of my favourites from last year’s RPM crop and an album I revisit on a regular basis. If you have a hankering for new local music, this should help tie you over until next week when the floodgates open and the 2012 albums start pouring in.
Feb 22, 2012
Damian Lethbridge