Despite it already being late August this is only the third review of an album released in 2022. I promise I have bought a bunch; that’s just how the random element works sometimes.
Disc 1581 is…. Running with the Hurricane
Artist: Camp Cope
Year of Release: 2022
What’s up with the Cover? It’s the band running, although I don’t see any sign of a hurricane. It looks more like they are running from the sunrise. Like maybe this was filmed on the planet Crematoria, from the 2004 movie “Chronicles of Riddick” in which our heroes can literally outrun the sunrise and survive the blistering heat of the sun by hiding in shadows. Here Camp Cope attempts the same maneuver, but given the flat nature of the landscape, I don’t like their chances.
But I digress…
How I Came To Know It: I have known about the band since their 2018 release, “How To Socialise and Make Friends” so this was me just checking out their latest record.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Camp Cope albums, which is all of them. “Running with the Hurricane” comes in at #1. The best!
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
I imagine Camp Cope is not the camp you would have wanted to attend as a kid – sounds like a place where the camp counsellors spend most of their time grief counselling you. Fortunately, while heartfelt expressions of coping with the world make for a bad summer vacation, they can also make for some pretty great rock and roll.
“Running with the Hurricane” is Camp Cope’s third record and is their best to date, partly because the songs are that much stronger, and partly because they achieve exactly the right balance between wallow and celebration. While lead singer Georgia ‘Maq’ McDonald tends to explore the depths of longing and uncertainty, on this latest record she does it in a way that signifies hope has arrived or, failing that, is just around the corner.
It is also Georgia Maq’s best vocal performance to date. In her lower register Maq has the power to crack a concrete foundation, but she also has a surprising sweetness when she wants to go high. She also does what can sometimes seem the impossible task; tagging a birdsong-like run at the end of a melody without having it feel forced or artificial. Contestants on live singing shows take note – when done correctly a run is a thing of beauty, not a chance to elicit the votes of rubes clueless to the fact that data rates may apply.
The other prominent feature of this record was how bass-forward it is. I guess I should’ve expected it, with Kelly Dawn Hellmrich listed as “lead bass guitar.” Hellmrich’s bass lines are easily the co-lead to Maq’s vocals, and songs like “Caroline” and the title track are glorious intersections of Concrete Blonde and the Cure (and no, “Caroline” is not the Concrete Blonde tune. I’m assuming that title is just a coincidence).
The more listens I gave this album the more I came to appreciate Hellmrich’s bass. It isn’t something I often notice on rock records, but it is so intrinsic to these compositions, you can’t help but turn your ear in that direction.
While this record has some hard moments the themes are primarily positive. Many of the songs are about coming through difficult times and finding something better at the end of it. The record ends with “Sing Your Heart Out” where Georgia Maq does exactly that. After all that glorious bass action, the band takes it down a notch here, opting for an emotionally resonant piano. It features Maq’s finest vocal moments on the record, which is saying something. However, nothing speaks to the record better than the lyrics, “You’re singing off key/but it don’t bother me, baby. Sing your heart out.” This song breaks your heart, and then reforges it into something stronger, all in under four minutes.
My only warning on this record, is that Maq sings in an overwrought style. This is exactly what these songs calls for and I see it as a feature and not a bug, but you have to be in the right mood for the experience. For maximum impact, you need to throw yourself into the crucible of feelings and melt with her. This is a record for immersion, not idle background play.
Best tracks: Caroline, Running with the Hurricane, Blue, Sing Your Heart Out
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