Electronica artist Good Badger (aka Alex Good) is released his debut album Sapiophobic. If the name of the album is anything to go by, Good must have been terrified when recording this, because the Fredericton artist shows heaps of genius in his inaugural release.
“Sapiophobic is a snapshot of the current socio-political landscape. We are, right now, experiencing the most bizarre, dangerous and exciting social climate, at least of my lifetime,” says Good.
“There is so much disparity, racism, classism and yet at the same time there is so much connectivity, forgiveness, and love. I think that part gets missed.”
Opening the album is “A Peaceful Child.” Beginning with the scattered remains of the classic nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” it slowly builds into a lull of keys and strings, becoming more and more complex as it goes on but never losing its watchful, terrestrial vibe. The percussion near the end adds a bit more of a mature kick to the piece, but the bells that appear alongside it keep it tied to its title. It is a beautiful opener.
Following is one of the best-named tracks we’ve ever seen: “Byzantine Autorickshaw.” Combining an expertly-composed sitar melody with an electronic beat, this song sounds like taking a hike through a man-made desert.
Good isn’t afraid to address some serious themes in his music as well. “Drink From It, America,” using a background of acidic, aggressive, retro-sounding synths, plays us a volley of voice clips from figures such as Donald Trump as well as other figures that aren’t particularly celebrated in the human rights department. “The Courage To Say Never,” meanwhile, combines inspiring drums and strings with voice clips from Marjory Douglas High School student Emma Gonzalez, one of the many student leaders heading the nationwide protest in favour of stricter gun laws in America.
“I’d love for listeners to get really angry at ‘The Courage to Say Never’ and ‘Drink From it, America,’” said Good. “These two pieces are really meant to put into perspective the violence, xenophobia, and sexism that’s being glorified in the US today.”
“I want people to be lulled into a dream and then abruptly be forced to think about difficult issues.”
The duo of “Life Without Sorrow” and “Life Without Sorrow – Reprise” bring a much more organic feel. The former introduces more organic keys and strings to go alongside Good’s arsenal of digital sounds. The results are beautiful melodies from all parts involved and a satisfactory combination of lyrics both vocoded and non-vocoded. The reprised version strips it down to the strings and synth pad, adding a more personable touch with encouragement to live a life without regret.
“Galaxy Trio” and “Genesis 1:28” both introduce a creepier vibe, with the former employing a powerful, haunted house-esque soundscape and the latter using minimal instrumentation and interesting choices of sound effects to give us such a feeling.
Finally, “Cicadae” introduces some ominous yet playful synth keys. The percussion emulates a feeling of descending deeper into this curious track as the synth pad follows us close behind, growing more and more tense with every passing moment. With different synths and keys adding their own melodies as the track goes on, it never drops its unforceful yet powerful energy.
With a wide array of sounds and a drive to inspire social awareness, the Fredericton beatmaker gives us a debut that uses bells, strings, synths, and dynamic pacing to champion messages of peace and modesty.
Good will be premiering the music video to the track “A Peaceful Child” at the album launch on August 7th at 7:00 p.m. at Grimross in Fredericton. Tickets will be $10 at the door or via Eventbrite.