2012.06.19 Canon Blue - Rumspringa

Color: Black

Released: 2011, August 16

Label:  Temporary Residence Limited

Although TRL could hardly be pigeonholed for the type of music that they put out, I’m noticing a bit of branching out with bands like Dreamers Of The Ghetto and now Canon Blue. This seems like the most “pop” thing the label has ever released… but being that this is TRL you kinda have to assume that there is something more to this than what first appears on the surface. That and there’s an almost guarantee that this will be GOOD no matter what “style” the music will be labeled as. And as I suspected, beyond the “pretty” vocals of Daniel James there’s a wealth of treasures going into these compositions. Imagine if you will Steve Reich crafting a pop masterpiece and you’re just getting warm with describing the kind of world you’re entering with Rumspringa. (Opener “Chicago (Chicago)” calls to mind the first track on Reich’s Different Trains). It’s filled with plenty of hooks but then will veer into these moments of dense sound that quickly elevate the listener to the ether. I wasn’t immediately in love with this record but the more I listened the more I would find the tunes lodged in my brain later on when nothing else was playing. The record also accomplishes that trick that some records do where you are listening and you think “Oh this song is really good and possibly the best on the album” and then immediately think the same thing when the next song starts and you begin to recall a certain melody or part that occurs in the song. Like the sounds contained within, the cover is lathered in all sorts of colors that create sort of an abstract whole. On quick glance, the image creates a nice gestalt - on closer inspection you begin to discern all the individual colors.