Regina based indie rock band Indigo Joseph never met a style of music they didn’t like, so on their new aptly named CD “Collage,” they cover a lot of musical ground in 38 minutes by putting all of their influences on the CD, some in the same song from garage rock to a couple songs sung in French.
The CD opens with the haunting synth pop of “Opus III” which just barely scratches the surface of the musical ground Indigo Joseph is about to cover.
All three French songs are highlights, though they couldn’t be more different from each other, “ Colibri” is an immediate stand out with a garage rock sound which includes a cello and a horn solo.
“ La Balance” is another catchy French language song in the more indie rock vein which has an addictive earworm of a keyboard hook and a tasteful guitar solo.
Yet another French language song “Oiseau Mort” is a straight ahead scrappy garage rocker.
On the other hand they dabble in hip hop on the title track, but combine it the sound with a touch of early ’70s progressive rock. “ Pocket Change” is in a similar vein and is the only song that comes close to sounding like any of the other songs, though it has more of a Beck feel.
On yet another hand, “ Dumb Animals” taps into the spirit of ambient indie-rock of the likes that comes out of Vancouver these days mixed with a touch of the Cure. In a similar vein, though not too similar, “ Others” is an immediate highlight if only because of the unforgettably quirky video they made for it involving stolen yard dwarves and a plethora of animal masks. But that keyboard hook sticks in the head and just won’t leave.
Meanwhile, “Pills” has a psychedelic ’60s garage rock feel to it.
The folk flavoured “ Simple Minds” is simply beautiful thanks to the gorgeous violin riff running throughout it.
Completely different hat that is “Turtle Dovin’” which sounds like garage rock performed by Rage Against the Machine.
“Collage” is indeed an eclectic and enjoyable listen which covers a wide spectrum of influences and sounds.
Band: Indigo Joseph
Genre: indie rock