![]() "If you were into Dennis Thompson of the MC5, you're going to fall head-over-heels in love with Jackie Stanley because she schools his ass. Sure, there aren’t heaps of melodies on Telepathic High Five, but what Jackie and Ryan Stanley lose on melody they make up for with dirty, sprawling jams that sound a lot louder than you’d think two people might." The track clocks in at over six minutes, and the intense wall of noise doesn’t stop of there. After all, the opening track, “Run Forever”, manages to encompass the stoned-groove of Z-era My Morning Jacket with the legitimate fury of the White Stripes, while still adding a remarkably adept coat of Canadian paint on. It’s hard to fault anyone for thinking that when listening to Telepathic High Five, the latest from Cursed Arrows. ![]() "Yet another male/female two-piece with driving, blues-leaning tunes. Highly recommended rock with brains, balls and ovaries." Telepathic High Five is evolved rock music demonstrating the restless spirit of artists who take their message as seriously as the rest of their craft, and that's a recipe for timeless songwriting. To try to define this music as post-rock, progressive grunge, new wave grind punk or something similarly ridiculous and loosely compartmentalizing is missing the point. Even in tender moments like swinging pseudo-power ballad "Deep Wounds" there's a fierce urgency and refusal to play it safe in the band's entire delivery that make them eminently engaging. Sludgy slabs of dissonant, augmented power chords lead a blazing charge of pummelling drum work and vocal harmonies threatening to tear with passion with each climax. Telepathic High Five finds Guelph's thunderous twosome adding "Cursed" to the formerly lonesome "Arrows" of their moniker, likewise expanding their sound into a more sprawling, grinding, exploratory beast. "A name tweak and a shot of adrenaline are welcome in the second offering from one of Canada's best fresh rock bands. The title track, for instance, crams more riffs into four and a half minutes than can be reasonably counted." Alternating between beautifully sinister power chords and nuanced rhythm patterns, the album squeezes ample variety from just two instruments. Over 10 songs, the husband/wife duo run through a score of early 90s reference points – a hint of Pixies, a dash of Melvins, a heavy dollop of Nirvana – but sound surprisingly fresh in the process. "Cursed Arrows deliver a dense serving of post-grunge that hits hard but also pleases with boy/girl harmonies and strong melodies. "Run Forever comes out swinging like an underdog heavyweight fighter, knowing there is only one chance to grab the spotlight and like Little Mac they shock us all and connect square on the jaw.
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