Indie Spotlight : Jon Epworth & The Improvements - Wet on Wet

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this. I don't think anyone will argue with me that Mike Belyea is an important Maritime drummer. I don't even think they will argue that this record is great, but I am sure they will wonder why I didn't post a record that contained some of Mike's extremely impressive drumming with his Saint John semi-prog rock band, Ermine. The truth is, Mike is an awesome all around drummer and I love his playing with Ermine, but my issue is this.

Of course Mike Belyea is awesome at playing prog rock drums. He's from Saint John NB! Prog rock is to Saint John what milk is to cows. It's inside you, and there's nothing you can do, you just have to let it out once in a while or you'll die. When Mike was recruited by Jon Epworth to play on his third record, the first to have drums by anyone but Jon (who I am sure I will get to on here, eventually), Mike was slightly out of his element, and when you take drummers outside of their comfort zones I think you get their best work. Belyea was used to playing intricate patterns that develop over a long time (most Ermine songs were between 5 and 7 minutes). Jon had an album full of 3 and a half minute rock songs already written and arranged, Mike could have easily gone in, played some straight up rock and walked out. Instead, along with the influence and background of the rest of the band (Two punks, Jon and Shane, and Jay Vautour, the most metal guy I know) they managed to make something really incredible.

This record has everything a pop record should have, catchy songs, up beat tempos and killer vocals (Jon along with playing drums and guitar, had one hell of a set of pipes). Mike manages to work within the pop confines but still remain unique and true to his style. He can rock out, like on Static Receiver, or give the drums their own voice and really play around with space, like at the start of Gone. It has as much noisy energy as any punk record, but the technical ability of a metal one. Except it's a pop record.

A really good one.

Audio/Visual Evidence: Gone (dual drum version with Loel Campbell of Wintersleep)