Space
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
Canada sure doesn’t seem short on must hear indie-rock artists these days, but few are as unique as New Brunswick’s Sirr, who have dedicated this entire record to the idea of space, where subject matter includes telescopes, aliens, velocity and many other related, distant ideas.
“1000 Light Years From Home” starts the listen soft and atmospheric, as the mood is set with wordplay about space travel, and this theme follows to the gentle guitars and restrained percussion of “Life’s Hard Here” as well as the hand clapping quirkiness of “Escape Velocity”.
Elsewhere, “Robot Blues” is an electronica fueled affair that sounds like a robot singing, while “Space Madness” offers a raw glimpse of garage rock sensibilities. “Two Strangers And A Gun” brings another surprise as the listen enters lo-fi territory with bits of alt-rock present.
Back half highlight include the hazy, surreal and rapping of “Explore It All”, and “Gannymeade” actually flirts with New Age ideas in its soothing execution. At the end, “Mission Critical” gets playful in an ‘80s sort of way, and “The Martian” exits the listen with talking about space exploration over a quiet beat, putting a very creative exclamation point on this atypical effort.
The brainchild of Mark O’Connor, the artist takes help from musicians around the world via Wikiloops, and together it flows with an unpredictable, eclectic approach that’s full of intrigue and anticipation of what ‘s coming next.
Travels well with: Heron- Sun Release; Bonsai Universe- Too Many Ghosts