This week we look at the latest releases from Artifiseer, Milford Estates and Tenth Division.
Matt Carter
Artifiseer – Lavender
Lavender is the impressive new single from Saint John experimental pop artist Ian Livingstone. As Artifiseer, Livingstone creates a labyrinth of electronic textures, skillfully arranged to move and evolve in continuous motion revealing fulgent layers of melody with each new phrase.
Lavender is the first single from Artifiseer’s forthcoming debut full-length expected to be released later this year, and one that instantly places Livingstone at the forefront of electronic music composers currently creating and sharing #newnewbrunswickmusic. The depth of detail put into this arrangement and the overall sonic quality of this single make Lavender an essential track for our ears.
Milford Estates – Memories of Things Best Left Unsaid
Milford Estates is one of the latest in an ever-increasing line of New Brunswick ambient music makers. Memories Of Things Best Left Unsaid, their debut release, introduces Milford Estates in five acts: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Yet while the titles suggest a complete evolutionary arc, the melody, interestingly enough, seems to move in contradictory fashion. The album’s opening track is possibly the most compelling, setting an eerie melodic tone compounded by the use of sampled dialogue – a combination that always piques my interest. From there, the music becomes slowly less defined as the melody becomes further and further hidden behind a wash of abrasive tones. By the time we reach the final act, acceptance, the chaos is dominant.
Perhaps Memories Of Things Best Left Unsaid is meant to convey the loss of control and predictability that we are sometimes forced to face in situations we thought held within our grasp. If you listen with that understanding, Milford Estates may be conveying the type of story we’d all rather read about than experience, and if that is the case, there may be some brilliance here.
Tenth Division – Ten Songs
Tenth Division are one of those bands that remind me why I love music as much as I do. Music is art and art is an open book. Whether music is being performed by a master musician who has dedicated their life to exploring the possibilities of their chosen instrument or by someone who bought a guitar at a yard sale and thought, “I can probably figure this thing out”, I can usually pick up on something that’s going on – some idea or some sort of reasoning behind what I’m hearing – and in doing so, find an appreciation for it.
On Ten Songs, the debut full-length from Moncton minimalist punks Tenth Division, the songs are barebones and the playing is elementary. It’s entry level punk rock and I’m fine with that. I like a lot of entry level punk rock and I even have an occasional soft spot for sloppy playing. We’ve all got to start somewhere. I’m not sure a two-part song about murdering a group of teens on prom night is the best place to start, but there’s lots of room to grow, right? #followyourheart
Send us your Music!
If you are a New Brunswick artist or group, have new music on the way and would like to be considered for a future edition of Midweek Music Mix, send us the details at gridcitymagazine(at)gmail.com
