7/10
How do you determine what’s weird and not just subjective taste? Well, lucky for you, I am a specialist on the weird as I’m quite the weirdo myself. That being said, No Angel, a full-lengther released in May of 2017 by Fluffy Little Cowboys, is soaked in oddity from start to finish. That is not a bad thing.
First off, the album starts with a little fluffy tune called “Baby Will You Dance With Me,” that wouldn’t be out of place on the karaoke machine at a honky-tonk. It’s country fried, but don’t let that fool you about their sound because the second track, “Breakdown In Gagetown,” is a pseudo rap about the Canadian military not having accountability. This is very indicative of the album, as their sound and genre seems to change from one song to the next. I don’t know how I feel about it, to be honest. While I like bands that are able to be genre fluid, it’s a bit much at times on this album.
Part of the reason that the album is so eclectic could be because of the fact that each of the three main musicians are multi-instrumentalists. From what I’ve heard, they each have a commanding hold over each instrument; I especially love the sax from Shelley Montreuil and the fiddle work from Keelin Wedge. I’m also a really big fan of their vocal harmonies. All three of the women have their own range and unique way of implementing it. While at times it gets touchy and pitchy, it is only for the briefest of moments. When they sing, it sounds like something off a Stereolab album. When they rap, however, it’s not the best way to showcase their talents. While the content of their lyrics are hard hitting, and at times political, the delivery could use some work. Despite all that, my favourite would have to be track four, “I Came Here To Breath,” because it resembles all the goodness that is the Blondie track “Rapture.”
What say you dear reader? Are you a fan of an album that jumps around through different styles, or are you more of a straightforward one genre type of person? Hit me up in the comments below with your answer.
Written by Aaron Deck
*edited by Danielle Kenedy
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