Now we all know that Canadian music is a kind of no holds barred melee of band swapping, collectivism and collaboration. Even so, the fact that Apostle Of Hustle, led by Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman, began their incarnation playing Cuban and Brazilian folk songs in a Toronto bar is bohemian even for the Canucks.
On this, AoH’s second album (following 2004’s psychedelic debut Folkloric Feel) the bohemian does not stop there as Whiteman claims to practise a Yeats-style technique of ‘automatic writing’ which involves getting really high and singing randomly over the music. Nice.
The project itself is a melting pot of ideas that originated in a two month stay in Havana. As a result Whiteman’s BSS roots mingle with the roots of the sultry Latin folk music from whence this project originated to form a bewitching hybrid. It immediately sounds like a Canadian record with its lo-fi grandeur but the influence of indigenous folk music is also ubiquitous, whether through Daniel Stone’s percussion or a variety of instrumental twists.
The record does not simply follow one formula, however. There are the out and out Latin folk songs, like the castanet-backed ‘iRafaga!’ and ‘A Fast Pony for Victor Jara’ which borrows from the eponymous Chilean folk singer. But there are also the more traditional tunes, be they gentle brass or string backed ballads like the closing duo ‘Jimmy Scott Is The Answer’ and ‘NoNoNo’, or the guitar-led indie of the title track.
Between these two poles each song lurks as an individual example of diversity in music. ‘Haul Away’ is like a BSS song with a tribal chant transposed onto it, ‘Chances Are’ is a jazzy cabaret showstopper and ‘Justine, Beckoning’ is memorable for its campfire singalong outro that puts one in mind of ‘Mrs Robinson’. Other moments of note – on album full of them – include the layered ‘Cheap Like Sebastien’ with its Siren-esque backing vocals and the schizophrenic ‘Rent Boy Going Down’. The latter takes in several different musical styles, with guitars, piano and beats all vying for supremacy, but always returning to the dark exhortation “Shadows on the wall, shadows on the depth of his face”.
The Canadian brotherly love is of course present, with album guests including members of The Stills, Stars and BSS. And like both the cast of contributors and the title itself, National Anthem Of Nowhere has something of a nomadic quality to it – you never really know where you are with it. It transports you on a journey which is at once chaotic and intoxicating, but is always held together by a colourful web of sounds.
Damon Albarn went to Mali and was so taken by the local music that he made an album of ‘Mali Music’. Andrew Whiteman went to Havana and was so taken by the local music that he created a fresh, exciting, beautiful mash-up of contrasting styles. On National Anthem Of Nowhere each song has its own entirely unique tale to tell both lyrically and musically and each one gets told with considerable energy and skill. If ‘Nowhere’ wins any medals at the next Olympics, I look forward to hearing this gem of a collection played as Apostle Of Hustle stands proudly on the podium.
On this, AoH’s second album (following 2004’s psychedelic debut Folkloric Feel) the bohemian does not stop there as Whiteman claims to practise a Yeats-style technique of ‘automatic writing’ which involves getting really high and singing randomly over the music. Nice.
The project itself is a melting pot of ideas that originated in a two month stay in Havana. As a result Whiteman’s BSS roots mingle with the roots of the sultry Latin folk music from whence this project originated to form a bewitching hybrid. It immediately sounds like a Canadian record with its lo-fi grandeur but the influence of indigenous folk music is also ubiquitous, whether through Daniel Stone’s percussion or a variety of instrumental twists.
The record does not simply follow one formula, however. There are the out and out Latin folk songs, like the castanet-backed ‘iRafaga!’ and ‘A Fast Pony for Victor Jara’ which borrows from the eponymous Chilean folk singer. But there are also the more traditional tunes, be they gentle brass or string backed ballads like the closing duo ‘Jimmy Scott Is The Answer’ and ‘NoNoNo’, or the guitar-led indie of the title track.
Between these two poles each song lurks as an individual example of diversity in music. ‘Haul Away’ is like a BSS song with a tribal chant transposed onto it, ‘Chances Are’ is a jazzy cabaret showstopper and ‘Justine, Beckoning’ is memorable for its campfire singalong outro that puts one in mind of ‘Mrs Robinson’. Other moments of note – on album full of them – include the layered ‘Cheap Like Sebastien’ with its Siren-esque backing vocals and the schizophrenic ‘Rent Boy Going Down’. The latter takes in several different musical styles, with guitars, piano and beats all vying for supremacy, but always returning to the dark exhortation “Shadows on the wall, shadows on the depth of his face”.
The Canadian brotherly love is of course present, with album guests including members of The Stills, Stars and BSS. And like both the cast of contributors and the title itself, National Anthem Of Nowhere has something of a nomadic quality to it – you never really know where you are with it. It transports you on a journey which is at once chaotic and intoxicating, but is always held together by a colourful web of sounds.
Damon Albarn went to Mali and was so taken by the local music that he made an album of ‘Mali Music’. Andrew Whiteman went to Havana and was so taken by the local music that he created a fresh, exciting, beautiful mash-up of contrasting styles. On National Anthem Of Nowhere each song has its own entirely unique tale to tell both lyrically and musically and each one gets told with considerable energy and skill. If ‘Nowhere’ wins any medals at the next Olympics, I look forward to hearing this gem of a collection played as Apostle Of Hustle stands proudly on the podium.
****
First published on rockfeedback.com. See it here.
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