reviewed by Michael Thomas
Last month, the tirelessly recording band Walrus released a split cassette with fellow Halifax band Sheep Man. The two bands may both be animal-referencing, but on the split cassette (available in eight different colours!) they act well to compliment each other.
The first half of the cassette is Sheep Man’s domain, called Elementary. The title track starts out with a one-minute instrumental intro that should immediately bring a surge of happiness to all those who listen. There’s something irresistibly fun about the combination of synths and guitar, and once the vocals come in the energy increases even more.
This is followed by the peculiarly-titled “Mattress Friendz.” While it is just as happy as the previous tune, this one is a bit more of a slow-jam, maybe even sensual. There are also two layers of vocals for a bit of extra oomph.
Walrus take over the second half of the cassette, and they are somewhat of a ying to Sheep Man’s yang. Walrus have had plenty of coverage on the blog, so those who have read the previous reviews will have somewhat of an idea of what to expect.
The first song, “Sleep,” brings in an interesting change by having a female vocalist singing lines like “I never get enough sleep.” The backdrop is whirring organs and an acoustic guitar, later bringing on a psychedelic jam with the guitar more present.
“Space Tigers” has more of the awesome organ from the previous track, with male vocals this time. There’s also some great electronics that kind of sound like something out of an eight-bit video game, lending the tracks some extra flavour.
Over four tracks these two bands cover a lot of ground, and it makes for a great listening experience.
Check out Sheep Man and Walrus tonight at Clinton’s in Toronto. See the Facebook Event for more details.
