July 29th, 2010
The Beige, El Ángel Exterminador (independent)
Must've been the "pop/jazz" thing that kept me at arm's length for so long, visions of university music school students dancing (badly) in my head. Vancouver band The Beige better represent themselves on their MySpace page, describing their sophomore full-length El Ángel exterminador as "the great Canadian feel-not-so-good album." While there are certainly recurring pop and jazz elements, there are also Latin, rock (at times circling the headier territories of The Doors) and alt-country-ish explorations that delve into the darker, sometimes uncomfortably quieter corners. There's poetry to the pastiche; method to the melancholy. Sophisticated songwriting that could probably use a hug. 4/5.
- Jamie O’Meara
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