"Alvvays - Blue Rev" Thorough Bliss

 

    I remember when I had first discovered Alvvays last year, it was around the same time The Loneliest Time by Canadian queen Carly Rae Jepsen had dropped, and I had heard rumblings of this other Canadian group that had managed to steal the hearts of all the critics. I mean it was insane, they had topped practically every chart I had ever seen, and so, I downloaded their entire discography and ventured out to see what the buzz was all about. It was slow at first, I remember listening to their first album, it was fine, the same could be said with the second album. I mean it was just indie music to me, and while I enjoyed saying that listened to Canadian artists thanks to my irrational sense of nationalism, I didn't really get it. I loved the hits, Next of Kin and Archie, Marry Me were great. Y'know whatblew me away though? Blue Rev. Looking through my last.fm data, I can safely say that Alvvays will almost certainly sweep my Spotify Wrapped, with multiple entries from Alvvays, and Blue Rev specifically throughout every metric of my most played artists. So, all I can say is that when given the opportunity to recommend it to my friends, I jumped at the chance. Despite only knowing Alvvays for a little less than a year, I ended up putting Blue Rev up there against Aim and Ignite by Fun.,  a personal childhood favourite of mine. With that in mind, here is my track-by-track review of Blue Rev by Alvvays.

Blue Rev - Alvvays

Pharmacist - 92/100 My only complaint with this song is that I wish it was a bit longer. This opener hits you right in the face with the shoegaze influence that other albums by Alvvays lacked, and it really works. I love how noisy yet catchy this album is, from the lyrics, to the chorus to the guitar solo. Also, these first 3 tracks off of Blue Rev are easily the best three-track run Alvvays has done yet, and I love playing them all together, even if I do love After The Earthquake the most.

Easy On Your Own? - 90/100 While I don't think this song is as catchy as Pharmacist, what really seals it for me is the bridge. I just love hearing it and I always look forward to it. There's just something so poignant when Molly sings about wasting "some of the best years of my life" over someone. Alvvays once again delivers.

After The Earthquake - 100/100 This song to me is literally perfection. I don't know what it is, it's just so incredibly catchy it's been stuck in my head for the entire year someone please find me a way out of this all. It's just one of those songs that makes me want to dance, but not in like some cool way where I feel like I'll impress somebody but in that embarrassed nerdy way where I'm alone and I don't have to worry about how dumb I look. From the verse that speaks about sitting in the car with friends, to the chorus that begs someone to climb out of their wake. It's sort of like the last two songs, but with their best parts combined because it also has an amazing bridge and a great guitar solo at the very end.

Tom Verlaine - 79/100 The first foray into slow Alvvays, which will be ever present as the rest of the album begins to calm down from the fun and explosive opening tracks that accented this album. That's not to say that I dislike the rest of the album, but it took me a bit to really like a lot of these other songs. I really think this song picks it up once the third verse comes around and the soundstage generally becomes a bit noisier. I think the ending really is what clinches this song together though and makes it all worth it.

Pressed - 75/100 Alvvays put on some pressure on the neck after a slower whirl and the result is a pretty pleasant and fun track all around. Certainly not their best work, which they showed off at the beginning, but an admirable one nonetheless. Like many of the other tracks I feel like this one isn't catchy enough to justify it's shorter runtime and could have been lengthened to improve on itself.

Many Mirrors - 78/100 What can I say? I heavily associate this album with my Autumn commute on the subway, so many of these songs serve as a great backdrop as I stare outside at the slowly deteriorating setting as it slowly transforms itself into the winter paradise I hold so dearly to my heart. 

Very Online Guy - 82/100 This song is quite catchy for one that's just basically making fun of chronically online people (me), though I'd like to say I'm not as obnoxious as I don't really let my footprint be as big as the dude Molly is describing in this song. Once again in this song Alvvays showcase their ability to create amazing bridges, they are what really makes most of these songs go from great to exceptional. Also I really love the last part where she's just like "He's a very online guy".

Velveteen - 85/100 Who knew insecurity over infidelity sounded so great? The post-chorus and bridge are once again great in this song, that's Alvvays real superpower in this album. Especially in the bridge when the song becomes really upbeat, almost as if it's a track meant to be put over like a running session. It reminds me heavily of She Works Out Too Much by MGMT and I mean that in the best way possible. Of course then the outro hits and Alvvays makes sure they know how to clinch a song with all the synths and layers just melding perfectly together.

Tile By Tile - 90/100 Molly and Alvvays once again deliver with a sad song about unrequited love. All the different sounds make this song so interesting and catchy, have I mentioned that I love this band, this album, and this song yet? As a person who has experienced much too much unrequited love in my life, this song really just makes me want to stare at the ceiling as I put this on repeat over and over again.

Pomeranian Spinster - 85/100 Once again the guitarwork on this song is top notch, and the chorus is once again very catchy. I just feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again and it's not my fault, Alvvays is just that good of a band. I particularly like the guitar riff that is so prominent in this song it's so fast paced and a great blast for the three minutes it's here, it's so fast it almost feels shorter than it actually is.

Belinda Says - 100/100 Noisy? Yes. A bridge that once again with lyrics that feel both so relatable and repeatable? Yes. A catchy chorus? Of course. A key shift upwards that doesn't feel super jarring? Yeah they did that. A guitar solo? Was it ever in doubt? This song pretty much has everything I'd ever want, need and expect from Alvvays. The fact that they manage to do all of this in under three minutes is incredible, I don't know it was even possible.

Bored In Bristol - 60/100 I mean it's fine but there's a reason I'm not too hot about the last couple of songs other than Lottery Noises and Belinda Says. I don't know, this song just feels a little underdeveloped and it could have had more movement or traction, it just stays at the same spot emotionally the entire time. 

Lottery Noises - 80/100 Sort of like Tile by Tile, Lottery Noises is just one of those slow songs I play while I'm just staring a the ceiling, questioning why I'm here on this god-forsaken Earth again.

Fourth Figure - 50/100 This is how they end peak music? It was literally the most basic thing ever I truly am left speechless.

Final Score: 85/100

    You might be asking yourself, "does this album really deserve two 100/100 songs, surely it can't be that perfect". And to that I'd simply say "yes it does". I don't know what else to say, After the Earthquake and Belinda Says are both really incredible songs, and it's not like this is one of those albums that just fell off after time for me, I genuinely have had this in my rotation for the entire time it's been out there, it's just that good. Even if it took a while for them to grow on me, Alvvays always find ways to rope me back in, and I just keep on coming back to listen to this incredible piece of Canadian music that makes me very hopeful for what's to come from Alvvays.