Their frustration and anger with the current system is best displayed on the anthem like “Police The Police” where blaring horns and thumping beats serve as a backdrop for lyrics about police brutality and misconduct. By the end of the song, the reoccurring lines, “ police the police, we gotta police the police” transforms into a glorious war-like chant backed by the pulsating grooves of the rhythm section. Speaking of rhythm, the track “House Of Cards” might very well be one of the catchiest tunes of the year with its silky disco house bassline and catchy soulful vocals. Released on Do Right! (Can) & Strut Records (UK), the Ottawa collective seamlessly infuses elements of ska, reggae, dancehall, 2-tone and afropunk throughout the nine blistering songs that make up the album. The Souljazz Orchestra’s triumphant blend of jazz, funk and soul music on Chaos Theories offers a commentary on our troubled times while simultaneously providing some of the most infectious and life affirming grooves in the process. Times maybe tough right now but at least we have music to ease the pain. Carrying On is just what you get with songs this good, performed this well, recorded by folks like Schick and Tweedy. There’s a quote from Kacy & Clayton saying that they felt that Carrying On contained the most confident performances the band has committed to tape, and that absolutely shows across the whole record.
The recordings have a ton of vintage flavour (check out the slapback echo on the vocals!) while remaining super clear and contemporary. As a result, the album shares a lot of sonic DNA with Tweedy and Schick’s other collaborations, namely Tweedy’s solo material. Every song sounds immaculate thanks to contributions from engineer and mixer Tom Schick and producer Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco). That being said, Carrying On is a departure for them, it sounds a step closer to fuller, more 60’s psych influenced material. They approach the genre more earnestly than most, drawing on the fact that this type of music has enormous cultural significance for folks who, like them, are from the Canadian prairies. And yes, it does sit somewhere in the realm of “country music”, with Kacy & Clayton working alongside Baby Jey and Orville Peck in re-envisioning country-Western aesthetics for the indie crowd in the 21st century. Yes, you should go listen to it right now. It’s worth getting this type of language out of the way right at the beginning of the review, lest it become tiresome further in: yes, this album is very good. Kacy & Clayton’s fourth LP, Carrying On, is their finest collection of songs to date and one of the best records of this year.
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