Fredericton musician Alex Good shares ‘Sapiophobic’, the debut release from his project Good Badger.
Matt Carter
Alex Good aka Good Badger describes his music as “a synth-driven socio-political commentary machine in an untested pill”. That’s a fitting description for the project’s debut, Sapiophobic, a nine-track album of electronic based music that draws together a collage of influences that range from dark, sample laden beats to 80s pop balladry and musical theatre.
Mixed and mastered by Toronto based percussionist Greg Harrison, Sapiophobic is at times overtly political incorporating sampled speeches and media interviews into layered compositions that highlight American gun violence, abortion issues and general political rhetoric.
“Sapiophobic means the fear of wisdom or intelligence,” says Good. “If I were to describe the current North American stereotype I would have to use this term. The album is an exploration of the fear and corruption that has taken over much of Canada and the US. More than that though, it’s an exploration of the love and simple beauty that exists despite all that.”
The weight of politically driven tracks like Drink From It, America and The Courage to Say Never finds equal balance in the album’s many instrumental cinematic compositions as well as with the album’s only song, Life Without Sorrow. Appearing at the mid-point and again at the end of the album as a reprise, Life Without Sorrow adds a dose of optimism to the project’s overall output.
Good’s background as a trained musician, composer, conductor, operatic singer and educator in vocal studies is evident throughout the album. Each track is a story unto itself with a definite arc and plenty of room to breathe.
While Sapiophobic lacks a cohesive direction, at times sounding like a ‘best of’ collection, Good’s overall message of “we can get through this together” remains evident throughout. Sapiophobic is a solid debut.
Sapiophobic comes out August 7, 2018. Album release show August 7 at Grimross Brewing Co. View event.
Good Badger | WEB | BANDCAMP
