Le Rensioni di Fran Cano per Riserva Indie // His Clancyness

            His Clancyness is Jonathan Clancy, guy from Ottawa that found home in Bologna. His music's been described like “dreamy pop, marinated in reverb”, a spin through 50 years of western pop music and psych culture.

           With releases all over the globe on formats that go from cassettes to mp3, blogs and magazines make a real buzz about one of the most talented solo projects of the last years. He's been playing the United States, United Kingdom and Italy mainly, sharing the stage with artists such a Women, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Cloud Nothings, Akron Family, Veronica Falls and Pure Ecstasy.

           Recorded with producer Chris Koltay (Liars, Atlas Sound, Lotus Plaza, Akron Family, Dirtbombs) at High Bias Recordings in Detroit, “Vicious” (debut album) is warm and precise, filled with an unfaltering procession of addictive, hook-filled tracks.

           Described by its author as “a sassy, dreamy glam rocknroll album”, the softer-edges of His Clancyness’ earlier recordings are here replaced by a dynamic of real drive and bite, where every part feels perfectly balanced and intended.

          Opener “Safe Around The Edges” pays a trippy homage to the NYC rock of recent decades of yesterday, before “Miss Out These Days” sets sail on a synthesizer sustain that bookends a thoughtful acoustic song. “Gold Diggers” presents some infectious balladry that immediately warrants repeat listens for further interest and insight, as the guitar shined rhythmic pacing on “Hunting Men” takes you hot on the trail into the thick of night and on the prowl. With the evening feeling cast in full, “Slash the Night” returns with those synth keys ingrained with a heart slashed delivery and moods.

          Turning toward the second cycle of Vicious, “Run Wild” kicks things into a higher frequency and gear. “Machines” is a brighter presentation of the band's dronier sides where Jonathan battles against the backbeat of rhythm machine mechanics. “Avenue” brings a soft, heartbroken soliloquy that repeats the melancholia of, "knowing that it won't work out", before “Crystal Clear” seeks a certain born-again refinement through a clarity of vision (plus more great droning sounds). “Zenith Diamond” shines with a garage birthed luster more valuable than pearls and rubies. Building monuments out of pebbles strewn on far away coasts, “Castle Sand Ambient” cruises into the therapeutic textures of Autumn's atmospheres. “Progress” salutes heroes, friends, and influences of the past in a song that seeks - no end, channeling a musical painted love for Pollock, Swell Maps, and pays a tribute to Jonathan's late great buddy, Chris Reimer of Women.
                                                                

  Fran Cano è un blogger spagnolo appassionato di musica.Il suo "best" è diventato un cult dagli anni zero a oggi e raccoglie ogni anno il meglio della produzione indipendente mondiale.Collabora con Riserva Indie proponendo piccole recensioni esclusive (in lingua originale) per il nostro blog