the auditor general - last best places

The Auditor General

Last Best Places
self-released; 2014

3.7 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

Some good old Canucks are bringing out the best in indie rock, or in their words, dream-pop-indie rock-folk-doom-catchy as hell. It’s a touch meandering, but covers the bases quite nicely. Welcome to Thunder Bay’s #1 rock band 2 years running.

Prepare yourself for some classy rock on the recent album Last Best Places by The Auditor General. The sound is bright and artful with plenty of powerful harmonic moments as well as repetitious riffs and grooves. They have a lot fun with creating and placing abstract ideas within contemporary expectations. 

The melodies are well thought out and supported wisely with upbeat drums and quirky little embellishments. These guys have a good mix of pop accessibility and underground orchestration. The tones are lighthearted and expressive and use sparing moments of intensity to really drive home the major messages between each song. “Good luck trying to take us alone” is one lyric you’ll be singing along to in no time. 

In reference to that line, “Good Luck With That” is home to several musical moments that pleasantly reoccur. The bass tone is wandering and mid range giving it a memorable pocket of space when the surrounding instruments cut out. And with that, they take steps toward the aforementioned lyric with rising and punctuating drums in tandem with staccato vocals and spot on harmony. 

This part is comparable to “They’re calling the cops, they’re all out to get me” from the stand out track “The Party’s Over.” This song is a sweet gem even during the discordant section of odd descending lines just after the verses. Oddly catchy after a few exposures, but the magic is in that delicate guitar line and how it transforms. Motion City Soundtrack is another group that comes to mind when dissecting these moments and that’s always a compliment in my book. Check this out.

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