Whitehorse: The Fate Of The World depends On This Kiss

Six Shooter Records

Given the florid title and the fact Whitehorse is the Canuck alt rock version of Brangelina, this could easily have gone sideways from the get-go. ‘Nuff credit then to married couple Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland for keeping the music top of mind and skip out on the cutesy stuff.

Both with substantial music biz resumes behind them, what seemed like a sideline project at first, with this second album has yielded seemed some of the best material of either artist’s career. They work live without a backing band, using looping pedals and an arsenal of instruments to colour the songs. On The Fate…the approach is applied to the studio with impressive results. Apart from a variety of drummers, McClelland and Doucet make every sound you hear, plus totally wrapped around each other harmonies. Her cool, yearning voice suggests longing and restlessness, his warm tenor offers comfort and familiarity.

Within the Whitehorse parameters, they’ve come up with a surprisingly varied clutch of tunes, from the sultry blues of "Achilles Desire" to the Beatlesque "Out Like a Lion" to the noir-movie electro groove of "Jane.” and the album’s most perfect pop moment, “Devil’s got A Gun”.

Great soundtrack for a Labour Day weekend road trip to the country.

Lenny Stoute