Having put this record on, turning it up as loud as possible, there was an uncontrollable urge to dance dwelling deep inside. Checking their Myspace whilst gathering some info about the duo, here is what I found: Influences, Dot. Dot. Dot. Sounds Like, Dot. Dot. Dot. As their sounds shook the foundations of my apartment, I understood why.
A two piece residing in most beautiful Sydney, Australia, Canyons are have been making waves for sometime now, and with the help of Modular People, this duo are bringing their unique sound out of the bedroom and straight into your ears.
‘Keep Your Dreams’ Canyons’ debut album oscillates from one song to the next, taking the listener to someplace else unknown with their use of a very eclectic sound palette. Opening tack ‘Circadia’ engulfs the senses taking you to a far off ambient land, awash with echos and bird calls. Awoken by the beat of ‘Under A Blue Sky’ Canyons plunge the listener into the Parisian underground, letting you taste the tones of horns and layered samples… Magnifique!
The pulse of this record is so addictive, especially on tracks like ‘Blue Snakes’ & ‘See Blind Through’ (exhibiting the more defined house and electronica side to Canyons) enters the soul causing a convulsive reaction throughout the being just like that of Primal Scream’s masterpiece ‘Screamadelica’ did for the masses of yesteryear.
The dense layers of samples, tones and synth work on this record encompass such a broad expanse of the musical spectrum that it is difficult to classify them into anyone specific musical genre and any hope the listener has of doing so is washed away on first listen.
The record is burgeoning to say the least; there is a certain expansive pop sensibility heard on such tracks as ‘When I See You Again’, reminiscent of 1940’s New York, and the single from this debut effort ‘My Rescue’ which is as uplifting as a summer’s day on Bondi Beach with a group of your best friends.
Though like any great record of the past century, ‘Keep Your Dreams’ allows the listener to dive as deep as they like, giving you the ability to just groove to the beat or immerse yourself within another array of beautiful intricacies revealing themselves to you with each subsequent listen.
Having remixed the likes of Ladyhawke and Tame Impala, Canyons have forged a name for themselves within the music world, literally, with their sound echoing across the globe with the release of ‘Blue Snakes’ another single from this debut record on Parisian label I’m A Cliche and hype throughout the U.S of A.
There seems to be something lacking for this listener though… A sound? A harmony? I just can’t put my finger on it… As great as ‘Keep Your Dreams’ is, a piece of the puzzle seems to be missing from the overall picture that is Canyons.
With such eclectic taste and sound sensibilities between the duo who can say where the line is? They say the sky’s the limit, though there is an entire musical universe out there for us to explore… Seemingly, Canyons still have quite the musical journey ahead of them.
I await the next instalment of the Canyons saga.
