Tag Archives: mac demarco

#978: Mac DeMarco – On the Square

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That’s right. Another dose of Mac DeMarco for you. I’m sure I wrote down my feelings about Here Comes the Cowboy on the ‘Nobody’ post a while back. From my recollection, I think they were along the lines of “I think time has been better to it,” because when it first came out the reaction from fans and critics weren’t on the most positive of sides. Even I have to admit that, coming off the usual reverb-laden production of DeMarco’s material, …Cowboy was very, very dry in comparison upon that first listen. Bare-boned to say the least. Which I think left people thinking, “Is that it?” Also, there are a couple tracks on there that maybe could have been left on the cutting room floor. Even so, its major difference is something that adds a lot of charm to it, in my opinion. And there are still some fine tracks on there that could be held up against some of DeMarco’s best.

‘On the Square’ was released as the final single leading up to the album’s release, arriving three days before Cowboy unveiling. I haven’t watched the music video maybe since the single’s release. I know it’s right up there, but that’s more for you. I remember it being a trip. There’s a few ugly pig masks in there. And I believe it was considered to be an overall metaphor of being a creature to be gawked at onstage, which was something of a running theme throughout the promotional aspect of Cowboy. Similarly to yesterday’s track, ‘Square’ is mainly synth-led. Though instead of the full, smooth buzzing chords that ‘Level’ provided, ‘Square’ sort of plods along, comfortable in its own pace, but not as strident nor comforting. Really, it’s much more downcast and minor-key. The track apparently contains many references to Freemasonry, which I definitely wouldn’t be able to provide any insight to, but overall is another song of self-reflection on the album, wondering if there’s something more out of a situation you’ve somewhat been assigned to.

Hopefully whatever DeMarco comes out with next is a much more happier affair. These past couple of years have been tough for everyone. But with his own record label and, in effect, his own rules, he probably doesn’t feel much pressure. Sure there’s something in the works, though. I think I had a sentiment along these lines in the ‘Nobody’ post too. Think I’m running out of ideas sometimes. Anyway, the song is up there. Add it to your playlists.

#977: Mac DeMarco – On the Level

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Mmm-mmm. Just want to wrap myself in a blanket and let my mattress swallow me whole when listening to this one. ‘On the Level’, another one of Mac DeMarco’s, was released as the third single from the then-upcoming release of his album This Old Dog in 2017. While the anticipation was building towards the records release date, I was studying for my final exams in university. I’m sure I did hear ‘Level’ when it was unveiled on YouTube, but I think I listened through my iPhone speakers and so didn’t really get the whole picture. But with some good headphones on, those warm ethereal synths that open the track and are a constant throughout are a cleansing sonic experience.

Because I’m usually so zoned in on the sound and Mac DeMarco’s lilting, heavily-reverbed vocal, I’ve gotta admit the lyrical content within the song is something that’s gone one ear and out the other over these years. From the titular phrase, I’ve always assumed the track to be about feeling content, on a certain wave, like there’s nothing much to do but just let life be and let time pass without feeling too guilty about it. But after looking up the lyrics for the purpose of writing this, I’ve found my interpretation to have been just a bit off. Though I still kind of like the way I’ve taken it. Really, it’s another instance of existential reflection on the album, with DeMarco somewhat coming to terms about getting old and coming to something of an understanding with his estranged father.

Coming near the end of the album, ‘Level’ provides that last moment of bliss before things become quite spacey in the following track and downright sad in the closer. DeMarco described it as a “kind of a sister song to ‘Chamber of Reflection’” from Salad Days. It’s hard to disagree. Both synth-heavy and led by very memorable synth melodies with a distinct lack of guitar in the frame. Whenever DeMarco does this type of track, it usually ends with impressive results.

#965: Mac DeMarco – Ode to Viceroy

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Honestly, when it comes to ‘…Viceroy’, I’m not too sure I can pinpoint the exact moment when it clicked with me. I can say for sure that I would have heard it the first time when going through Mac DeMarco’s 2 for the first time in 2014, not too long after Salad Days had dropped and was instantly one of my favourite albums of recent times. I do recall wondering how the word ‘Viceroy’ was pronounced before the track started. Being from the UK, I don’t think I’d ever seen/heard that word in my life. Once DeMarco sings the word, it’s actually very obvious. I also remember ‘…Viceroy’ being a bit of a slow burner for me. The track’s the longest tune on the album, but it finishes off just under 4 minutes, which is a pretty standard song length. But still, it took a few listens for it to sink in. But once it did, well, just couldn’t get enough of it. Whoo, it’s a jam.

This jam is exactly what it says in the title. It’s a dedication to Viceroy cigarettes, one that came about after DeMarco started trying another brand of cigarettes, realized they were terrible and fully appreciated how great his beloved Viceroys were. There was a period in the mid-10s where DeMarco was the poster boy of indie rock, and his dedicated followers really wanted to be like him, wearing similar attire to the guy and smoking Viceroys just to be that closer to him. He however has made it clear that this is not a track that is meant to endorse smoking, but rather one that’s meant to put emphasis on his terrible smoking addiction. I think that unsettling outro with those heartbeat-like pulses that go on and on while a deep-pitched DeMarco starts choking puts a highlight on that too. But the glorious minutes are formed by a glorious song, one that only consists of two verses and two choruses, but the melodies are so memorable and the mood is so enticing. Really, it’s no wonder that fans wanted to smoke after hearing it. It’s too good not to smoke to.

What I’ve come to appreciate more and more is the contrast between those reverb-soaked guitars and DeMarco’s drier vocal that sits over the top of them. The juxtaposition is one that works too well. When you hear it, you come to realise DeMarco doesn’t really sing that much, and it’s the guitar that’s doing a lot of the melodic work. A lot of string bends and fills going on in those verses. And then those culminate in the call and response choruses with DeMarco singing and the guitar soloing in response. Man, it’s just good structure. And you can sing along to every part. This song’s great. Centerpiece of 2. Admittedly, I think Salad Days is slightly better. Just a bit more consistent. But 2 has very high highs, and ‘Ode to Viceroy’ is right up there. This’ll be the last track from that album I write about. If I had started just a bit later, ‘Cooking Up Something Good’ and ‘Dreamin” would have had their own posts on here. Wasn’t meant to be, but I’d suggest you check those out too.

#938: Mac DeMarco – Nobody

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Three years ago on this day, Mac DeMarco released ‘All of Our Yesterdays’ – the second single from what was his forthcoming fourth album Here Comes the Cowboy. That’s a nice one, was an instant download for me. Would have its own post had it not been released six years after the blog. But just under a month before came the album’s first single, ‘Nobody’, a slow burner reminiscent of his work on This Old Dog that was also accompanied by its somewhat unsettling video featuring DeMarco heavily doused in make-up to resemble a reptilian-like creature.

The decision to do that was very much in line with the song’s theme. Mac describes himself as a creature put on display for people to entertain while feeling sad inside and wishing he could go back to the way things were before, when he wasn’t known as the indie jester-type character that people seen him as up until then. The music is light and forlorn, carried by this lightly plucked guitars – both acoustic and electric – and a droning keyboard that changes notes in accordance with the chord progressions throughout. That is one lonely keyboard, but its use really ties everything together. DeMarco delivers his vocal with the usual croon, but there’s a sigh-like quality to it that makes it all the more comforting.

The sentiment of feeling like an exhibition put out for display was reflected in the other videos DeMarco made during the ‘Cowboy’ era. That whole period was marked by a few other actions of his that got people talkin’. He deactivated his social media accounts. He prevented the public from commenting on and liking/disliking his videos on YouTube. All of this really left people wondering if he was okay for a while. Then the album came out and left a majority of fans disappointed. I think time’s been kinder to it. But it’s been the longest period of time between a Mac release since Rock and Roll Night Club way back when. Hopefully that’s because he runs his own label and so feels no pressure to work on music for now, rather than he not wanting to do music at all.

#931: Mac DeMarco – No Other Heart

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‘No Other One’ is a track from Mac DeMarco’s mini-album Another One, released back in 2015. By that time I had a been a fan of the guy since the arrival of Salad Days the year before. After having watched visited 2 and watched a large portion of YouTube videos concerning him, the announcement of Another One was a cause of great anticipation on my part. I even had a try of sort-of reviewing its lead single around the time. The mini-album came, including seven songs (all more or less about love, gaining it, losing it, wishing that you had it, accepting when it’s gone) and an instrumental. The title track is a favourite of mine. ‘No Other One’ follows it, very much containing the same situation, but is delivered in more of a deceptively cheerful manner.

That situation being that the narrators in both songs have feelings for a lady who is already in a relationship with someone else. The old case of unrequited love. Hurts for a lot of people. But DeMarco lays it down in the lyrics that makes it so relatable for many listeners. In this case, he notices that this girl has been feeling low for some time. He wants to be the man to make her happy, but then he realises that she’s already taken and so has to let things be. But there’s still that yearning and wanting that makes things harder to accept. This is all stated under/over soft piano chords, that noodling guitar-style that was something of a trademark of DeMarco’s at the time, and a really groovy bass that ties everything together. In fact, if you’re zoning out on DeMarco’s vocals and noticing other things in the music, the bass will probably be the next thing you’ll pay attention to. Very melodic. Very tasteful.

Seven years on, I kind of see Another One has bit of an era-ending document of DeMarco’s. After this, his music never sounded quite the same. Though some cynics out there might laugh at that notion and argue the opposite. From what I’ve noticed, he moved down more of an acoustic route with more varied instrumentation on 2017’s This Old Dog, and then followed that by taking his tracks to their basic elements on Here Comes the Cowboy in 2019. There was definitely a sound to his earlier releases that tied them all together. Maybe it was simply that shining guitar tone that was present on all of them. I could ponder about this for a long time.