Miracle Fortress - Five Roses

The Canadians have done it again. They aren’t famous for much: unorthodox milk storage techniques, cops on horses, and some of the best, most original rock albums of the year. Enter Miracle Fortress.

Multi-instrumentalist and Montreal native Graham Van Pelt has put together a dense, complex, flowery whirlwind adventure of classic beach-rock melodies surrounded by hip psychedelic textures. This album is breath of fresh air in a time where rock feels it needs to be either solemn or depressed. Van Pelt’s freshmen effort is appealing on numerous levels. It appeals to one’s nostalgia while simultaneously bringing the experimentation that every music fan pines for. Plus, its just damn good music.

Whirrs opens up the album as a swirling concoction of thick bass and thumping organs that soars like The Beatles’ “Flying”. From the opening track to the closing note the album effortless flows thanks to magnificent organ work and blurry guitar solos that would make a Clapton-era Cream beg for more. “Have You Seen In Your Dreams?” introduces Van Pelt’s calm Brian Wilson swooning vocalization, and the theme of the album: life, love and the dream it all appears to be. He sings “In a dream in a day/ And a night and a way/ I feigned of a love/ For the greyness above”

“Fortress” plays like a dream. It plays somewhere in reality, somewhere in fantasy, and made me wish I could stay in dream-world forever.

It would be useless for me to break down the best and worst tracks. Because this album flows so well, it plays as a single work, as most albums should. There are few gaps and even fewer flaws. I was in love by the end of the first listen. And, I have found new aspects to appreciate each time through.

Perhaps the only negative is the lack of diversity between the songs. A barrage of instruments, like you hear in Modest Mouse or Arcade Fire, would not have serve the album much, but I would have liked to see Van Pelt play around with a few more instruments than just a guitar, bass, drums and organ. This does not mean, though, that the sound is not full, just not varied.

My local record store is raving over this album, and for good reason. Besides the display for the album they wrote, “Album of the month. Yes. Album of the Year???” It could be, I don’t know. All that I know is that listening to Miracle Fortress has been one of the most enjoyable music experiences I have had since Neon Bible, and that Canada is doing something right.