Mac Demarco
Mac Demarco 2
3 stars
Rock
Mac DeMarco 2 is Mac DeMarco’s second full-length album, following his rookie release Rock and Roll Nightclub by a time period of only six months. The Montreal native recorded both of these works using only home recording equipment, and the results of this process are promising, yet not without flaws.
The album starts with “Cooking Up Something Good,” a song that personifies the chief complaints about the recurring flaws of the album. This song, like quite a few of the others, lacks a climactic center and therefore leaves the listener somewhat bored. On top of this, the guitars and instrumentation sound thin and lack sonic body, an issue perhaps caused by the home-recorded nature of the album. These flaws coupled with occasionally slightly out-of-tune pitches from both the guitars and the vocals give the album its average rating.
The album is hoisted, however, by its gleaming highlights. The middle tracks of the album, an organizational fallacy in my opinion, best show DeMarco’s ability to draw on influences from multiple decades and combine them to make compelling songs. “Robson Girl” and “The Stars Keep on Calling My Name” have catchy 1950s doo-wop influence, and feature poppy riffs that synchronize well with reverberating instruments and vocals. The former song is slower and more atmospheric, while the latter is jazzier, with a simple but climactic closing guitar solo. Meanwhile, “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” cleverly combines a quick and concise 1980s-esque verse with the contrast of a 1960s-reminiscent tambourine-driven chorus.
“Ode to Viceroy” is arguably the best song on the album, due to the cohesive interplay between DeMarco’s simple vocal melody and the counter melody offered by the echoing guitar parts. Its status as the most hit-worthy song of the album is cemented by its conclusion, during which guitar riffs are layered on top of one another, building to a psychedelic, spacey crescendo upon which DeMarco lays down a beautiful falsetto.
Mac DeMarco 2 shows talent, but is hindered by the artist’s inexperience. The young mistakes of below average production and occasional off-key notes are being hammered out with experience, but remain present on this work. However, the promise of catchiness and a unique style shows a budding young artist and makes for giving the album at least a shot for listening.
— Bo McMillan
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