Canadian quartet Propagandhi deliver growth and disembodied acceptance with At Peace.
The LP sconces open to the juxtaposition of tubular bells and heavy guitar chugs with "Guiding Lights," before smashing open the mid-tempo banger with lead vocals from bassist Todd Kowalski, who really showed up for this release, the self-titled single eases on next with guitarist Chris Hannah on the mic, almost completing Kowalski's thoughts from the former. "Cat Guy" starts with a total showcase of the fundamentally impressive sonic quality captured within the (two) recording session(s,) beginning with Jord Samolesky's magnificently tuned Ayotte kit, a hard-pan of guitar lick builds from Hannah and guitarist Sulynn Hago, and finally Kowalski's growling bass tone. While Propagandhi's most recent discography is no stranger to particularly amazing tones, At Peace is on a whole other stratusphere. The band admitted Samolesky played with lighter sticks and smaller cymbals than usual, glimpsing a diagnosis to how perfect and bleed-free the shells fall into the Blasting Room mix.
"No Longer Young" is another Todd-Forward number, relishing at a moderate speed that really allows the riffs to chud. This is a common theme of the album, and while the self-titled tune, or incoming "Rented P.A." carry moments of double-time drums and mirrored fills with the guitarist's busy-work, we'll call this "Classic Propagandhi..." The genius in slowing things down or opening up the groove is giving the lyrics or shredding a moment to truly be savored, where-in the structure v. speed on an album like Failed States, while an amazing work, usually result in the average listener left in dust saying, "Holy shit. That was a killer song."
The downshift is also a tremendous opportunity to fully fathom the tragic lyrics and soft synths on Hannah's "Stargazing," or the morose self-awareness in Todd's "God of Avarice." This is a band that has grown just as the listeners have over the last thirty years, quoting Hannah, "But what we’re putting into the songs now, probably reflects more despair than 30 years ago when we had similar perspectives, but with strands of hope and naivete. Now it’s the existential dread of eking out a life worth living in this completely failed society." "Prismatic Spray (The Tinder Date)" is the most welcoming example of this, as air-raid sirens fade into the galloping Maiden-esque guitar-work, the most skillful "metal" of the bunch, and while this is a later discography composed by grown adults, Hannah's sneering delivery could melt the How To Clean Everything shirt off of any grumpy Fat-Era Propagandhi cultist.
"Benito's Earlier Work" encapsulates a hybrid of singer/songwriter delivery, with woven influences of Helmet or Tool, as the four pieces follow the cog evenly throughout every change. "Vampires Are Real" is the most "punk rock" song out of the thirteen, from the humorous introductory skit, to the bass intro and overall speed (think "Tartuffe" from Victory Lap.) "Fire Season" drags you right back to the heavy mellow stuff, where "Day By Day" is a sea of different riffs, perhaps all harvested out of Kowalski's secret stash, deep in the circuits of the four-track. The song has so much variety in just under four minutes and speaks volumes to the band's instrumental range. "Something Needs To Die But Maybe It’s Not You" delicately buttons the album closed in a similar wash of hard rock and hopelessness.
At Peace is a charming entry into Propagandhi's catalogue, maybe the band's most honest and personal writing to-date. As the years continue to fly by for the punk veterans, and the World seemingly burns around us, there is a comfort in knowing that this band is armed to the teeth with the riffs necessary to write the soundtrack to it all. Great fucking record. Much recommend.