Finally, a new Chris Page record! I popped this one in the minute I ripped open my mail. Then I laid in bed, listened and smiled. Page has a voice that hides nothing. The emotions and feelings are real and right there. Speaking of standing out stark, this is also just a man and his guitar. Pure rock, through and through. Compared to his more rocking last release, Decide to Stay and Swim, Smoke Machine is a retreat to the cabin at the lake. It’s an introspective record, sometimes melancholy, and driving that home are song descriptions instead of lyrics (which are clear enough to warrant the lack of lyric sheet) that paint a picture of what the songs mean. But onto the songs. Leading off with “Patio to Stereo,” Page sets the stage with voice and masterful acoustic guitar. You can hear the buzzing of a fuzzy electric waiting to pop out from beneath the carpet, and when it does you’ll get goosebumps that’ll come back song after song. Reaching into his back catalogue, both Glen Nevous solo and from the Stand GT, Chris pulls out and puts the unplugged feel on some already powerful songs. “Good on the River” is a killer loud-LOUDER number and “Hello, Danger Bay” is the most drastic, putting the brakes on the anthemic heart-on-sleeve rocker and delivering it as a stripped-back on a front-porch at sunset lullaby. Kelp compilation track “Keep Me on Your Radar” is redone and even better than it was a year ago. Everything Page does, whether solo or with Stand or Camp Radio, is essential. What he can wring out of his chords, both vocal and guitar, is magic. Chris Page of our country’s hidden charms who’s been in plain sight for the better part of two decades. You’d be a fool to not take notice after a record like this. (Kelp Records, www.kelprecords.com) Patrick Michalishyn
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989