Posted by Peace Chord is the project of Daniel Robertson, a core member of Vancouver based post-punk group Crack Cloud. His eponymous debut album is a collection of disparate recordings and ideas he pulled together during time he was meant to be on tour with the band before you-know-what.
That’s not to say there is no coherence within the record, quite the opposite, it almost feels like the world caught Robertson off guard and he has ended up releasing a deeply personal collection of songs that could well have never seen the light of day in different circumstances.
The album leans heavily on muted piano and textural synths with almost no discernible percussion. There’s enough space to get completely lost in. Robertson’s vocal is enjoyable throughout; fragile-yet-rugged, ranging from a breathy tenor to a brittle falsetto.
Nestled within the album are a pair of ridiculously beautiful songs: “Memo”, a meditation on the profound emptiness of memorials with a particularly satisfying coda, and “Empty in this House”, an interpretation of an especially harrowing night at the low barrier shelter where he volunteers. Both these songs are blessed with incredible stop motion animation videos that are well worth looking up.
There are moments so tender that you may find yourself wanting to reach out and give him a hug – close your eyes you might actually think it possible – but with a 22 minute runtime it doesn’t stick around long enough for this to become tedious. It’s made all the more impressive that he manages to create a sadness you can really sink your teeth into.
8/10
Words: Nicolas Graves
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