David Vandervelde
Nothin’ No
Secretly Canadian
A quick follow-up to this January’s full-length The Moonstation House Band, this EP features four songs and really only offers a taste of new material, but it’s still probably worth the price to pick up. The titular song on this EP is culled from the album and ushers in this disc on strong footing. It’s a roughshod, but spacey number where the instruments are few, but constantly peaking in the mix. It gives the song’s overall tone a bristling, dusty quality. It’s like a lo-fi aging/authentication process in an era of often too pristine digital recordings. It also helps that Vandervelde’s southern rock/glam hybrid songwriting’s in top form here. “Feet of a Liar” – taken from his Daytrotter Sessions – delivers in a similar fashion, though coming from a live take, retains a little more earthy and contemporary glow in comparison. On “Cute Pretender” the weirdness kicks in, effects are laden on Vandervelde’s voice and clashing mechanized sounds keep the rhythm moving. A ghostly acoustic guitar and flickering flourishes of banjo are all that keep this tethered to folk territory. The closer “Dancing Sea Gulls Instrumental” flips this equation, letting two gorgeous guitar lines intertwine over clockwork drumming and warbling pedal steel. It wasn’t ever in question, but this EP shows that Vandervelde is at his best when he’s weaving both sides of his songwriting personality together. Keep it coming.
Secretly Canadian: http://www.secretlycanadian.com
