5/7 stars
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Another One (2015)[/caption]
Known for his quirky antics on and off stage, Mac DeMarco, surprises fans with his new mini-LP purely about naïve love. Another One, out on August 7 on Captured Tracks, features love songs ranging from finally finding that one person to knowing that you could be good at loving someone, if given the opportunity, to being left behind. The Canadian Rocker has shared four of the eight songs on the album, one music video, and various streams of the album in its entirety, which he claims to have written in a week and recorded in another week and a half. He even did an interview with NPR Music, where he explained in depth each song on the album.
Tracklist:
1. The Way You'd Love Her **
2. Another One ***
3. No Other Heart ***
4. Just to Put Me Down **
5. A Heart Like Hers **
6. I've Been Waiting for Her **
7. Without Me ***
8. My House By the Water ***
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Mac Demarco performing at WIUX's Culture Shock 2014 // Photo by Alex Hughes for IDS[/caption]
With the overall theme of the album being love, Mac takes an innocent, juvenile approach to it. His simple, repetitive lyrics seem to be reminiscent of the girl groups of the 60's: singing about that boy (or gal) who just won't return your calls and all you can do is ask yourself why? For some, the album may come off as whiny, but for others, including myself, they will see the stages stages of a broken heart. Another One is a light-hearted yet deep conversation with a friend. He confides in the listeners yet plays if off with his goofy quirks and easy-going manner. Mac has never been one to have a serious bone in his body when it comes to his fans, and in his music video for "Another One" the listeners get the overwhelming feeling of Mac using his sense of humor to downplay his emotions. Armed with a Michael Jackson mask, he takes to the same waters on the album cover and does what Mac does best.
More so than in his previous albums, Mac tends to utilize the synth almost as the guitar on Another One: exclusively on the tracks "Without Me," "Another One," "No Other Heart," and "A Heart Like Hers." He tends to keep the same type of melancholy guitar licks that he's infamous for in songs like "Blue Boy" and "Go Easy" from Salad Days; when drums are present on the tracks, it is with simple beats and a few classic trills between the verses and the chorus, as a form of a bridge. Mac's lyric's however are deeper and simpler than ever, again featuring the naïve vulnerability that falling in love gives you. The entire album is a heavy weight for the listeners and can leave you feeling sad about your last break-up, sad that you never got a chance with that girl two lockers down, feeling sad that you're in a happy relationship wishing that you could feel sad with Mac, or a combination of all three! As a little breather to the album, he included an instrumental track at the end titled "My House by the Water." The song name is pretty self-explanatory; it features the sounds of the bay next to his house laid over keyboard track. In my opinion, this is one of the highlights of the album and a perfect end to the emotional rollercoaster that is the album. Mac even includes his home address at the end of the song and offers to make the listener coffee, and to his surprise, fans have actually been taking him up on his offer! He then took to social media to announce that he was going out of town and for no one to stop by looking for coffee and a nice conversation. #nocoffee #beachistheotherway
Stop on by, I'l make you a cup of coffee. See you later.
I am more than satisfied with this mini-LP and with the thought and effort that Mac put into making it. I can't wait for his next full-length LP! Interested in pre-ordering Another One, click here!
Tracks to Watch For: "Without Me," "My House Down By The Water," and "Another One"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXrv2IQZsV4
