When I first heard Faith Healer's debut back in March of 2015, I knew I was hearing something special. I got a copy of the album to review for Earshot and I praised it then as I praise it now. I was already a fan of Renny Wilson, one half of the band, and I loved everything Mint Records had been putting out in the past couple of years. Renny Wilson is fast becoming one of the most underrated musicians in Canada and everything he seems to make turns to gold. He's a true musical chameleon, turning in textured indy poptronica with his debut 2104's Sugarglider, the drugged out indy pop here with Cosmic Troubles, then later in 2015, his Punk Explosion project mining garage and punk for a bombastically noisy album.
But back to Cosmic Troubles. This album was unlike a lot of music I heard this year. It was dense, it was cute, it was simultaneously obscure and intimately accessible. Renny Wilson's music has a slow, drugged out burn to it, fuzzing out in places, then rising up to twee, jangly indy pop in others, sometimes in the same song. Vocalist Jessica Jalbert's distracted, half-asleep voice added to the oddly trance-like vibe the album has. There's twinges of the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Velocity City and My Bloody Valentine here. You never know where this album is going to take you next. You feel like your head is swimming and you're a bit unsure of where you are after a couple of listens.
Renny and Jessica's next album (I hope there'll be a next album!) will be a marvelous, droning mess and it'll be glorious. I can't wait!
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