A PERPLEXING COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO CANADIAN ARTISTS
Story by Ashley Lewis
Language is an eclectic album deriving from electronic and rock roots. Egyptrixx’s David Psutka, from Toronto and Nova Scotia man Ian McGettigan from the 90′s rock band Thrush Hermit, have collaborated their talents into a bizarre duo titled Hiawatha.
Psutka’s house influence is prominent on many of the tracks but it’s definitely not a traditional electronic album. It’s mostly instrumental but when McGettigan’s volatile vocals make an appearance they have a mesmerizing effect.
“Hiawatha” starts the album off with a melody that feels never-ending, sending you through a psychedelic maze and an odd journey.
I was really excited to see that Ohbijou was featured on the album with their organic, honest vocals. Unfortunately, they were more of a distant humming choir on “Old Black” than an actual feature.
The tracks become more captivating on the second half of the album. The energy of the album really picks up on “Bella Coola”. The song has smooth transitions, a rare beat and build-up that forces you to hold your breathe until the song climaxes at 4:15.
Following the cool down from “Bella Coola” the duo follows-up with the placid melody of “Miracle Language”. This is my favourite song on the entire album and one of the few with lyrics. There is nothing fancy about this song, just simple and pure. This song highlights the dichotomous relationship between Psutka and McGettigan.
