Various Artists – My Montréal includes all dogs and cats
Label – [walnut + locust]
To make a long story short, and these sorts of stories need to be shorten straight to their punch lines since the details about reasons and considerations are irrelevant and irritating – the mayor of Montreal has decided that thousands of pitbul dogs have to be murdered, in order to, what, make the city safe for people? Is that it? Such demonic declarations by such horrible people usually spark outrage in the hearts of decent people, and for a damn good reason. While this death sentence is currently, as far as I know, suspended for the time being, it’s too late for the mayor, I hope. Some declarations cannot be undone, and this is one good example for an irrecoverable shame, I hope. Many people in Montreal turned against the call for slaughter (unfortunately, falling exclusively to the category of Pitbul slaughter and no other animal, but that’s a different story), and few of them gathered together in this great and charged compilation of 23 tracks by artists from the city, who speak against this vile order from the dark ruler. I Will say this straight away – you do something for the animals, you win my immediate support, this is why I have left Culture is Not Your Friend! A while ago, to concentrate on animal liberation activism and this is why I now return to write about this release. But after writing this paragraph, expressing my personal and fortunately – not rare opinion about this waste of space who decided to just casually order the killing of thousands of dogs, from now on we will concentrate on the music, regardless of its important aim.
If I had a slight suspicion of this album turning out to be a collection of eerily similar tracks of abstract, atmospheric ambient, I was delighted to prove myself oh so very wrong. The various artists bring together a wide variety of sounds, aesthetics and translation to this urgent situation, and offer a rich vocabulary to this musical protest.
The wonderful thisquietarmy opens the compilation with the decently named track “Euthanize me, I breed”, which already puts us in suspense and quietly pinching our nerves one by one. Other artists such as Maggot breeder and Alexander Macsween expand this front further, each musical act to its own artistic direction. Rei Rea, on the hand, shows a more rhythmic and dirty side to this album, with the wonderful track “Book of Clifford”. Together with Anti School Year, 1-Speed-Bike and more artists, it brings bring more demanding rhythms to this compilation. I could mention each artist and describe each and every track, but the thing is – they are all so great, so this procedure would just turn into a meaningless namedropping bureaucracy. I was positively surprised by Moose Terrific’s hypnotic track, Montreal Nintendo Orkestar’s unsettling lament, Alexandre St-Onge’s 37 minutes long track, which reminds of the music of Nurse with wound, but really, each and every track in this album is well thought of and well played..
“My Montréal includes all dogs and cats” covers the genres of dark ambient, Drones, and even harsh noise, such as the great closing track by Un Regard Froid. The entire compilation is a benefit album, aimed to help an organization called the SPCA, who is fighting against the call to destroy dogs. Great respect for the artist not only for showing up for this important cause, but also for a powerful, challenging and diverse album.
You can listen to their tracks through bandcamp, and see for yourselves that I am not exaggerating for some sort of a conceptual bias. [walnut + locust] is responsible for a very well thought of album, with very interesting artists. Get this compilation, support the cause and enjoy the beautiful music created by these prolific people who gathered together for this intense ceremony of hexing the mayor and saving the dogs, as their Montreal includes all dogs and cats as well. Damn right it does.
https://walnutlocust.bandcamp.com/album/my-montreal-includes-all-dogs-and-cats
cinyf.wordpress.com 