Deadbeat Beat
How Far
Arrowhawk Records arrowhawkrecords.com
It’s probably not entirely kosher to compare an American band — this is a Detroit trio — to Canadian ones, but there’s something undeniably Maritime pop about this album — the prowess of Sloan hastened by the determination of Halifax duo Cousins. Deadbeat Beat’s generally cheery disposition distracts from dark tendencies; the album opener is named for occult deity Baphomet and most of this material skews toward the murkier realms of the psyche: pining, desire, possession, separation. Shimmering, slightly out of tune Telecaster licks, drums that sound present in your room and plenty of “ooh ooh ooh” backup vocals keep this one front of mind long after it’s finished.