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Colin Cannon: Intermission
ByCannon himself seems a little nonplussed as to what the concept is, however. In a brief liner note he says " Like all music, this is just another self-absorbed attempt to make a story out of everything, to make everything seem connected and designed, when in reality maybe nothing is... maybe everything is... I wouldn't know so quit buggin' me." Despite his apparent ambivalence, Cannon weaves a dizzying variety of musical elements into an engaging and quite entertaining recording; one that practically begs for repeated listens. The totality of Intermission (Farewell) is actually closer to Steven Wilson's recent fusion-leaning solo albums such as The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) (Kscope, 2013) and Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Kscope, 2015). The vocal-dominated passages ("La Da," "Bugs and Stuff," and the first part of "Recollections") have an oddly folksy, churchy, sing-along character that recall some of Sufjan Stevens' larger-scale non-electronic projects. Shorter instrumentals are more atmospheric, with the found voices, processed choral vocals and the string section providing an ever-shifting background for Cannon's classical-sounding acoustic. Surprisingly, "Colin Goes To Church" is a doom-laden electronic soundscape which resolves into the liturgical "Bugs and Stuff." There's even a goofy sample of actual old-fashioned intermission music that sort of shocks the listener out of whatever dream state Cannon's music might induce.
There's a lot of detail to Intermission (Farewell). It's not the sort of album one listens to casually in the car or at the gym. It's afar better on the home stereo, with one's full attention directed towards it. Even though it starts out unassumingly, with Cannon's lush solo acoustic well out in front, there is a lot going on here; sometimes too much! That said, Intermission (Farewell) is an incredibly powerful artistic statement that firmly cements Cannon and his band mates in the "musicians to watch" category. Bravo!
Track Listing
(Part 1) Your Everyday Prelude; Everyday; La Da; “My Time to Shine” –MM; Mofo; Intermission; (Part 2) Still Thinking; Still Breathing; Collin Goes To Church; Bugs and Stuff; Farewell; (P.S.) Recollections 1; Recollections 2; Recollections 3.
Personnel
Colin Cannon
guitarZak Croxall: electric and upright bass; Tom Hartman: drums; Manami Morita: piano, fender Rhodes, melodica; Colin Cannon: guitars, ukulele; synthesizer, vocals and sound effects; Devin Dunne Cannon: vocals; Brik Olson: vocals; Madison Straton: vocals; Alex Mitchell: vocals; Tomako Omura: violins; Allyson Claire: viola; Kristine Kruta: cello; David Carkner: trumpet; Sly Onyejiaka: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Yuhan Su: vibraphone.
Album information
Title: Intermission | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced