Royal Canoe is an indie pop group from Canada and their sound is distinct yet very diverse at the same time. When I picked up Something Got Lost Between Here and the Orbit I didn’t know what to expect. The cover showcases hands over a yellow piece of fabric with various paint blots surrounding everything. Judging by the album cover alone, I knew that this album wasn’t going to be dreary and lifeless. It had a spark and I was simply drawn to it.
As I put my headphones on to listen to “Somersault” I was mesmerized at the vast array of instruments included inside the track. The lyrics behaving as a melody to the instrumental harmony meshed together into a bold ‘look at me now’ attention grabber. By the time I finished this track I knew that I was hooked.
“Love you like that” reminded me of LOLAWOLF and the classic Black Eyed Peas. I noticed that as the album goes on, there seems to be this gradual transition from typical indie pop to this infusion of electro, funk, and just otherworldly weirdness; and I totally dig it.
“Holidays” was my most favorite track on Something Got Lost Between Here and the Orbit because it actually took me on a journey. It starts off like a classic Christmas soundtrack and then it transforms into borderline background music for Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’. Then as if it can’t change anymore in the span of a little over a minute, it shifts to an absolutely funkadelic extravaganza. The bassline is fabulous and the vocals are just as important as the instruments in this song.
“You used up all your Holidays,
Blowing out candles at the Legion,
Feeling a little bit wild, a little bit wild.”
“Out of the Beehive” was definitely one of their experimental songs just like “Holidays”. The transitions were gentler on this track. If “Holidays” was compared to cardio then “Out of the Beehive” would be the cool down. Refreshing, yet still engaging.
Something Got Lost Between Here and the Orbit is a listening pleasure suitable for all seasons.
Recommended If You Like: Outkast, N.E.R.D, Wild Cherry, Santigold, TobyMac, Andre 3000, Passion Pit, Slow Magic, Alt-J, Tame Impala, Bombay Bicycle Club, LOLAWOLF, Black Eyed Peas
Recommended Tracks: 7 (Holidays), 1 (Somersault), 6 (Love you Like That), 8 (Out of the Beehive)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Tabitha Moore on 09/20/2016