Tragic Lover
Self-Released, 2021
8/10
A project spearheaded by the Edmonton artist Brandon Baker, as Electric Religious the guitarist and singer-songwriter brings along Reid Thiel, Luke Breiteneder, Brad Simons, Olivia Street and Aubrey Young to this very multi-faceted version of rock.
“Catherine” starts the listen with a very warm and melodic display of modern rock, where soothing backing vocals from Street, Simons and Young complement the crisp drumming from Breiteneder and Baker’s smooth pipes, and “One More Night” follows with a soulful approach that welcomes some spacey moments as psychedelic ideas enter the rhythmic landscape that points towards the ‘70s.
Halfway through, the agile keys, spirited guitar and dreamy nods of “Hard Skin” make this one of the album’s best, while “Paralyzed” touches on alt-rock ideas, where swirling guitar and bouts of tense moments align with much power and precision.
“Halfbreed” and “Fading On The Vine” exit the listen, as the former employs some classic rock riffs in the dense setting, and the latter recruits a ballad friendly climate of intimate and eloquent song craft
The name Electric Religious actually stems from something Jimi Hendrix said, and while that influence is certainly front and center, you’ll also hear grunge, jam, classic and alt-rock moments that help make each track present wonderfully diverse and unforgettably timeless.
Travels well with: Mars Hall- Is Anybody Out There?; The Guilty Lenses- Somewhat Romance, Somewhat Poetry?