A subtle set of anthems

Finding good background music for your life is kind of hard, especially since a lot of music calls attention to itself as the main event. At first listen, Dusted’s Blackout Summer might come across as safe. Distant strums of a guitar accompany a melancholy singing on the first track “Seasons,” and suspicions are raised. But, as the minimalist bluesy song rambles on, it becomes quite clear that the song feels like the album cover. A quiet, reflective sunset that has all the energy of the day preceding, being shirked off for the oncoming relaxation.

Blackout Summer is the latest album put out by Canadian singer Brian Borcherdt from bands like Holy Fuck, By Divine Right and Lids. Experience is key here because the album feels less like a collection of songs in this regard than it does a whole subtle unit that warmly flows along with the whatever landscape you happen to be in. The restraint on songs like “Backwoods Ritual” and “All I Am” seems purposeful, like there’s something Borcherdt is saving for later. In the meantime, the thoughtful production on songs like “Cut Corners” is not limited to simply the full-sounding strums, but also to more atmospheric electronic warbles and hushes in the background.

The vibe Blackout Summer gives off is very…ABC drama post-climax scene where the lead is brooding in their room, listening to a sad song until the love interest enters to advance the plot. That’s not necessarily a criticism, because who wouldn’t love to be that character? But, just when you think the sound is pinned down completely, “Dead Eyes” starts with its electronic drum track. The utterance of that phrase in the context of an indie folk-rock album like this would previously have been a kiss of death. But this is 2018, and musicians are getting a lot smarter about how to incorporate the sounds. “Dead Eyes” shines as an album highlight with a unique, quirky feel and a catchy pop chorus. Same goes for “No Prison”, which gives Dusted a very cool and hip song to their roster with its crunchy tracks.

Blackout Summer enters as unassuming as the sunset pictured in the album cover. However, the ending song “Outline of a Wolf” gives its straightforward rock feel, and the listener is left content with having heard a solid feel-good album for the modern, 2018 version of the brooding lead character.