Nelson music junkie and playlist master Dustin Stashko reviews Bahamas' Barchords:
Out of everyone I know my dad probably has the most unique taste in music. He’s the person who played The Beatles White Album for me when I was 10 years old, sat me down and told me: “Sonny boy, this is real music.”
On the other hand, he’s also the person who loves Abba and Ronny Milsap with a passion, and would torture me on long car rides with their greatest hits. He’ll say things like: “I like two kinds of music.... country AND western.” This often elicits eye rolls from the whole family.
So you could imagine why I was skeptical when he told me to check out a new Canadian artist by the name of Bahamas. As a dutiful son, I did check it out... and my dad managed to go up a few more notches in the “knows good music” category.
Bahamas has worked with Feist, Kathleen Edwards, and toured with Wilco, and Robert Plant. Yes THAT Robert Plant. Needless to say, he knows how to craft a tune.
His sophomore album Barchords is very mellow, but at the same time has the perfect number of rises and falls. Kicking off the album is the slow-burner called Lost in the Light complete with a choir. Then we get right into the standout track on the album, Caught Me Thinking, which is my dad’s favourite song at the moment. For good reason, with an upbeat sound and clever lyrics like “as if my drinking was the only thing that drove her away,” it’s a song that won’t leave your head for days on end.
Okay, I’m Alright, I’m Alive has references from The Beatles, all the way to The Barenaked Ladies, so I can expect my dad will be all over this one. There’s even a short acoustic track about being excited for a pregnancy... which I find weird, but hey, to each their own, right? You’ll have a laugh when you hear it anyways.
Barchords is fantastic album to listen to with a glass of wine while you’re contemplating previous relationships or getting excited for a new one. As my dad simply puts it:
“It’s good music because you can actually hear the words. It’s not that hammer banging crap you always listen too.”
One can only hope this album will replace Abba and Ronnie Milsap on his iPod... I’m not holding my breath, though.