Common Grackle
The Great Depression
Gregory Pepper writes quirky songs centered on human suffering with frayed edges of humor and wit. “The Great Depression” and “Big Marquee” are beautifully-composed odes to sorrow with clever one-liners like “I used to pull pins out of hand grenades / then I extracted lemons out of lemonade” on full display. Clocking in at just over 31 minutes, Canadian duo Common Grackle’s The Great Depression is a concise, cynical meditation on melancholy. It’s a heavy record, but not without moments of comedic relief such as “At The Grindcore Show.” Pepper uses the track to play weary sociological observer as he croons “They all look like body doubles from that shitty film The Crow / now I don’t wanna die at the grindcore show.”
Factor has been a beast on the boards for a good minute, but the past calendar year has seen him starting to get some of the shine he deserves. Following the release of Saffron alongside Moka Only and the star-studded Lawson Graham, The Great Depression is a genre-busting testament to his sonic versatility. While his earthy palettes sit well with Pepper’s shit-end-of-the-stick rants, Factor is also capable of the occasional head-nodder (i.e. the Kook Keith-assisted “Thank God It’s Monday”). The dense lyrics and smooth delivery of Pepper, avant-garde procuction of Factor and short-but-sweet guest shots from Ceschi all make for a wildly-entertaining and rewarding listen.
Song you will remember in five years: “The Great Depression”
Line you will remember in five years: “You’ll never hear me twitter about it” (from “All The Pawns”)
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Substance! See, I’m with this! This is Great!