On In My Dreams, the second full-length from 24-year-old Nova Scotian Mo Kenney, the talented-beyond-her-years songwriter proves herself a master of the musical kiss-off. On just the second track of the record, Kenney lazily demands, “take me outside and blow my fuckin’ head off.” And that’s after the painfully acerbic, borderline sadistic “I Faked It,” where she matter-of-factly states, “it was never you and me/when I said it was forever I was lyin’ through my teeth.” It’s (Taylor) Swiftian: catchy as hell, but with the guts to say how she really feels in sharp, simple words (and copious, effective cursing). Even in the case you might be the subject of her barbs, the melodies are so good you’d just have to let it go, like a bruising right hook that somehow ends up feeling like a kiss.
Kenney has more tricks up her sleeve than clever put-downs, though. Take the head-nodding, song-of-the-year candidate “Telephones,” where she wrestles with the desire to have her romantic cake and eat it too; the woozy, 70s dinosaur stomp of “Untouchable,” complete with super-shred guitar blast. Or the fleeting, dark and beautiful echo of “Wind Will Blow.” But she’s arguably at her best with the title track, an aching, vulnerable, and 100 per cent pure pop song, where she sings, “I’m beginning to think you only exist in my dreams/waitin’ on a phone call, wearin’ out your memory, where have you been?”
While Kenney’s self-titled debut record proved her talent beyond a doubt, In My Dreams is light-years ahead, solidifying her not only as one of Canada’s great new songwriters, but one also blessed with a gift for addictive melody usually reserved for the top of the pop charts. It’s so infectious you’ll be hearing it in your own dreams. (Pheromone Recordings/New Scotland Records, mokenney.com) Matt Williams