Reviews

Octoberman

Laguardia EP

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Review Date: 2007-07-01

Octoberman is one of the side projects that have spawned off of Vancouver's Kids These Days (see also The Mohawk Lodge, Bells Clanging, and Tailor Island). Marc Morrissette, the 'October' man started under this moniker after a 2003 trip through Europe and Asia. When he returned home, Morrissette recorded the 2005-release These Trails Are Old and New on Vancouver's prestigious White Whale Records.

What does Octoberman sound like? It is easy to pop in references like Ryan Adams (especially in the Heartbreaker/Gold era), Matt Costa, a happier Elliott Smith, or even pulling the over-used Bob Dylan references but the truth is, although he does sound like all of the above, Morrissette still stands out on his own. With Kerouac-ian stories that are told in a voice that is sometimes as tough sounding as Between the Buttons era Mick Jagger, and at other times as warbling and exposed as Bright Eyes (granted, with a more mature and less nasal-ey sound). Matched with Morrissette's fantastic command of folk-rock guitar play, Octoberman remains as a 'you need to hear it to understand' phenomena.

Morrissette does the songs of TTAOaN justice on his new release, the Laguardia EP. These seven solo-acoustic tracks on Laguardia show the strength of Morrissette's songwriting and composition as well the sincerity and exposition of his live shows. Some of these tracks are old and familiar, others I assume to be on the upcoming album Run From Safety, due this August.

Although it isn't a release that garners as much excitement as TTAOaN did or what this summer's Run From Safety will, Laguardia EP is an honest portrayal of Octoberman's music, a barebones showing of guitar-harmonica-vocal tradeoffs, and is a welcome primer-package for anyone who is interested in checking out Octoberman.

Score: 8

- Michael Bulko