Apostle of Hustle’s Andrew Whiteman makes fragile pop masterpieces
Side projects fall from Toronto’s Broken Social Scene like fruit from a musical family tree. While the band continues to record when it takes a break and its members go their separate ways a flurry of offshoots side projects and solo offerings appear that both reflect and enhance the originator. Regardless of who goes off and does something on their own be it Leslie Feist Metric Kevin Drew or Andrew Whiteman and his Apostle of Hustle these solo projects always cast a strong gaze back at their patriarch.
Yet the club’s cadets have ventured off in varying musical directions. Some remain almost eerily close to home — as on Kevin Drew’s new LP which is essentially Broken Social Scene with another name — while others traverse the globe in search of sounds to incorporate into the fragile pop tapestry cleverly spun back home. Apostle of Hustle is possibly the best example of these more adventurous offspring.
The offshoot of lead guitarist and clandestine songwriter Andrew Whiteman the trio is a politicized esoteric musical feast as Whiteman departs from Broken Social Scene’s typical ethos. His project incorporates jazz Latin influences and ethereal ambience into fragile pop masterpieces that while verging on breaking apart never do. They haunt creep in and take hold of you in each melody.
“To be honest I cannot tell people what to think and feel in these songs and in how I transcend my feelings through them” says Whiteman of his songwriting. “Yet that is what adds the mystery that holy blossom of sorts that keeps things interesting.”
Earlier this year Apostle of Hustle unveiled its sophomore full-length National Anthem of Nowhere on the Toronto-based Arts & Crafts label . The title itself laden with angst imagery and questions pretty much says it all. Beneath its title lies a series of tunes nearly impossible to categorize in tune heart or soul. Whiteman simply delves into too much creating a perplexing listen that tells more than most pop offerings dusting the shelves of indie outposts nationwide. On one listen it may seem Whiteman and company are questioning the morality of nationalism while another glance into these gems reveals themes significantly more personal as Apostle of Hustle deal with the dangers of irony pretension alcoholism taking oneself too seriously and like most pop albums the trials and tribulations of coping with the opposite or same sex romantically. Yet unlike their debut the brilliantly Calypso-tinged Folkloric Feel more of the sounds are taken from localized demons. Latin and Cuban melodies are noticeably absent on National Anthem .
“We never stop being influenced by things” explains Whiteman “so it was not a dominant decision to go any which way in terms of instilling a more Cuban influence in the songs. Instead we just wrote and put ourselves on the line and this is what emerged this time. Next time will be different too I think.”
In addition the choral atmosphere that permeates much of Broken Social Scene’s output is rarely taken upon by Apostle of Hustle as the trio — Julian Brown and Dean Stone join Whiteman — prefer to keeps things lo-fi and acoustic. National Anthem of Nowhere is a patient record. It takes its time to reveal all its secrets rarely exploding at the seams in any way. Instead this is dark stuff music that picks its sounds wisely sparsely and convincingly. Live the trio plays more or less acoustically. The group joins Do Make Say Think on Saturday October 27 for a performance at MacEwan Hall.
