Country : Canada Label : Disintegration Genres and styles : Indie Rock Year : 2020

Silver Clouds

· by Rupert Bottenberg

Winnipeg bassist, singer, and superior-grade songwriter Rod Slaughter made his mark in pre-millennial days of yore with the minimalist yet mighty mod racket of Duotang, with drummer Sean Allum. That was followed by a stretch with Novillero, an act that maxed out on orchestral-pop ornamentation.

With Silver Clouds, Slaughter settles into a sweet spot between the two, accompanied by members of Novillero and Transonic. Count on some rich guitars and keys, and robust backup harmonies, lots of big ol’ ba-ba-bahs. Slaughter’s anglophilia remains intact – the first song is called “Peter Sellers”, the cover’s an evident homage to those of Stone Roses and 4AD’s first wave of shoegazers, and his guiding light is as always the ambitious, artisanal pop-rock of the Kinks, the Jam, and the like.

Slaughter’s lyrical style could be called political poetry. Not in the sense of protest songs – if anything, it’s a litany of petty gripes, gussied up in gravitas. He’s certainly an astute and critical observer of social dynamics, and quite skilled at matching the mundane with the momentous, the interpersonal with the geopolitical. Hence the metaphors in songs like “Five Year Plan” and “Maginot Line”. Unlike that latter historical reference point, however, Silver Clouds isn’t something one can simply bypass and ignore.

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter