5 things to know about Ataataga by Riit

October 25, 2019 admin concerts, First Nations, music, music reviews, NUNAVUT, vancouver music

Credit to Author: Stuart Derdeyn| Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2019 18:00:53 +0000

Riit | Aakuluk/Six Shooter Records

Sparsely populated and vast, Nunavut might not initially seem a likely hotbed for Canadian independent music. But the territory has been producing some of the most dynamic and exciting sounds of late, many originating from the Aakuluk Music which is home to Juno Award-winning rockers The Jerry Cans, as well as pioneering Inuit heavy rock legends Northern Haze. Now you can add Riit (Rita Claire Mike-Murphy) to this list.

Having done the rounds at many major Canadian folk festivals following the release of her self-titled 2017 debut EP, Inuk singer Riit has returned with an eight song set of powerful electronically-centred numbers.

Panniqtuq, Nunavut, apparently is a hotbed for culture-mashing synth pop and the songs — in both Inuktitut and English — cover topics such as cultural clashes, family, love and, always, life.

Here are five things to know about Ataataga:

1: The title. Ataataga is the Inuktitut word for father. Two versions of the title track appear on the album. The opening version is an atmospheric ballad with wide, open production that is very reminiscent of work by Björk. The acoustic piano version that closes the album is a sweet, dreamy parting. It’s a nice hello/goodbye technique on the album from an artist who notes on the single “my daddy, my heart, my protector. This one’s for you.”

2: #uvangattau. A collaboration with singer Zaki Ibrahim, this #MeToo movement moment is bristling with righteous anger and marching beats. The synth patches wouldn’t be out of place on a Depeche Mode album, but the throat-singing loops and clear statement delivered by the two singers is clearly Riit. Throughout the album, the use of drones, slashing electronic percussion and floating background vocals evokes a definite sense of place. Presumably, this was an intentional thing.

3: Inuusivut. A cover of a Northern Haze song that strips the heavy metal away entirely and turns the song into an electropop love song duet between Riit and Josh Q of Josh Q and the Trade-Offs. Written by Northern Haze’s Derek Aqqiaruq, the song is about living life to the fullest. In this reworking, it sounds more like a declaration of moving forward together.

4: Qujana. A breakup song written by acclaimed Panniqtuq singer/songwriter Susa Aningmiuq, this also happens to be one of the most musically bouncy and upbeat songs on the album. Of course, anyone who has been through a breakup can recall the elation that comes with freedom. Of all the songs on Ataataga, this is the most immediately hooky and, well, mainstream in a pop sense. The rest of the material tends to be a bit moodier.

5: Arctic-born electropop. This is the term that is used on Riit’s Facebook page to describe her unique sound. She and producer Graham Walsh have found a way to craft evocative and impressionistic sounds to explore songs about everything from intergenerational trauma due to the legacy of residential schools, sexual abuse, isolation and feminism. Hopefully, there are more musicians coming down from the land of ice and snow with this level of artistry.

Also out this week:

Floating Points

Crush | Ninja Tune

Ninja Tune continues its recent run of excellent releases — Jordan Rakel, Sampa the Great, A Winged Victory For The Sullen — with this career-defining new release from U.K. electronic artist Floating Points (a.k.a. Sam Shepherd). From the chamber orchestrations of Falaise to the trippy grooves of the single Last Bloom or heavy EDM of LesAlpx, there isn’t a single bit of filler. This is the kind of electronic music that can even capture the ears of your throwback friends who insist that real music is only made with guitars, bass and drums. It’s inventive, varied and a contender for one of the year’s best releases in its genre.

Goldroom

Plunge / Surface | Downtown Records

L.A.-based artist Josh Legg, a.k.a. Goldroom, is an in-demand DJ known for bringing the party to the High Seas tour series. With its frequent washes and waves of echoing synthesizers, his quieter music frequently tends to reflect the ocean, but he’s never far from dropping a bass-heavy, disco-referencing club banger like the addictive Do You Feel It Now? (feat. Love, Alexa) or U (feat. Chela) to keep the energy flowing. The dozen tunes on his latest album divide themselves pretty evenly between understated mid-tempo songs such as Just Like A Dream (feat. Nikki Segal), and those previously mentioned dance happy numbers. The album highlight is the closer Everybody’s Lonely, which perfectly blends Goldroom’s love of pristine production with a sense of songcraft that hearkens back to the Seventies.

Nov. 1, 7 p.m. early show; Fortune Sound Club, 147 E. Pender. Tickets and info: $25 at ticketweb.ca.

Mazacote

Patria | Justin Time

The third album from Canadian festival favourites Mazacote finds the band dropping some lively rumba that includes nods to both the Latin-American and African styles on the party ode Levanta La Copa, as well as more introspective and jazzy ballads such as Pueblo. Lead singer David Lopez hails from Nicaragua and the album is dedicated to the people of his homeland and all those who fight against injustice and intolerance, so there are politics intertwined with the party bangers and the band proves able to lay down the right accompaniment on all 10 tunes. While all the players are spot-on, Malcolm Aiken’s trumpet and flugelhorn work on Canto Por Ti or the celebratory closer La Sopa, really stands out.

Van Morrison

Three Chords and the Truth | Universal Music

One of the most prolific artists of the classic rock era, Van Morrison has dropped six albums in the past four years. That he has maintained impeccably high standards on all is testament to his talents, which are on display right from the gorgeous opener March Winds in February. Backed by Jay Berliner’s acoustic licks, the song could be an outtake from Astral Weeks. Then he’s getting as blue as can be on the shifting ballad Dark Night Of the Soul or asking “how can I conquer with love?” in the mission statement that is Does Love Conquer All. Throughout it all, his phrasing is as smooth as a jazz singer while also as gritty as the roughest gin joint howler.