Reveries

Blasé Kisses is the best record on Toronto’s Rat-Drifting label so far. For starters, pairing the incredibly inventive DIY-instrumental approaches of Eric Chenaux, Ryan Driver and Doug Tielli to the classic, melody-rich structures of jazz standards is inspired. But Blasé Kisses is more than just a concept, the five lengthy tracks on this disc are played with heart and soul. It’s hard to describe what each Reverie does: there are two guitars, analog synth, nose flute, and Driver’s unique thumb reeds. Everybody seems to be employing mouth controlled modulating devices, which produce a Frampton Comes Alive effect. The very gentle flow of the music uses the chord progressions of the originals to form the rhythm of each piece. Interwoven through everything is a grainy, old-timey electronic quality that seems to suspend time as the guitars play changes with a front porch casualness. The vocals are marble-mouthed (wouldn’t you be if you had a mic jammed inside your mouth?) but sincere. The harmonies verge on the harmolodic, but are always weirdly respectful to the source material. Of all the Rat-Drifting projects these three players have been involved with, Blasé Kisses is my favourite.