31
Oct
27
Oct
14
Apr
New Wax Mannequin Album and Tour Dates
The Red Brain, out on Coax Records now!
Wax Mannequin has garnered a widespread cult following by creating interfaces with listeners outside of style or convention. Since the early 2000s, he has performed his surrealist folk songs on many festival stages and international tours. Throughout eight albums fusing heavy riffs with ornate prog arrangements, anthemic pop hooks, and dark humour with a spirit of compassion, Wax Mannequin (a.k.a. Chris Adeney) has forged a uniquely absurdist approach to indie rock. The Red Brain is a culmination of his work – an artfully personal song cycle inviting audience members into Adeney’s world through cryptic yet emotionally vulnerable lyrics capturing his experiences with neurodiversity.
The Hamilton, ON-based musician’s occasionally confrontational live performances have been central to Adeney’s ongoing project of connecting with (and challenging) audiences when traditional forms of socialisation seem insufficient. “There’s a recognition of one’s place in the world as an outsider – a feeling that you have a voice and a vision in a society that’s very malfunctional and bizarre,” says Adeney, who as a child was diagnosed as having a constellation of cognitive differences. “The world isn’t always receptive, and it can feel like you’re speaking a different language. But through trial and error, and finding common ground, you can slowly build deep channels of communication.”
Wax Mannequin began recording The Red Brain shortly before the pandemic, working with producer Corwin Fox (Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry) at his Hidden Well studio on Vancouver Island. When isolation orders were put in place, the album was completed over months of long-distance file trading with overdubs such as cello, Aaron Goldstein’s pedal steel, and guest vocals from psych-folk artist Eiyn Sof adding vibrant hues of hallucinogenic symphonic flourishes. These lengthy stretches of listening, layering, and re-organizing allowed the project to fully blossom.
“When I perform live, my songs are slightly different each night, depending on the room, the audience, my mood,” he says. “That’s true for me with recording as well. Being able to mull things over really helped the songs find their form, whereas in the past I might have felt rushed or frustrated enough to settle on something not quite finished.”
Back in 2004, writer Carl Wilson noted in The Globe and Mail that “crowds are often baffled whether to be awed, irritated, or amused by Wax’s all-rockets-flaring, un-Canadian-like extravagant performances.” About experimenting with both his and his audience’s expectations, Adeney says, “sometimes I would be horrified afterwards, and sometimes I would be elated.” Years of pushing through this addictive cycle helped Adeney refine and clarify his craft — seeking a point of connection through wordless language, all thoughts gone in the present moment.
“Music and performance, at their best, bring the artist and the receiver to an interface that’s beyond style or even content,” Adeney concludes. “I’m not good at narrowing my scope for easy listening or casual conversation, though I do mask pretty well in professional settings. There’s probably a lot of masking that goes on with everyone. We’re always hiding our inner monologues or the dream states that we carry with us throughout the day – I look for ways to express these… and connect through them. That’s the hook that has kept me writing and performing all these years.”
Wax Mannequin The Red Brain Album Guide
The Red Brain begins with “The Obelisk,” as Adeney’s deep, inviting voice is trailed by the steady strum of a guitar, jangling riffs, and the warm glow of an organ. Struggling with a Brian Wilson-esque feeling of not being made for the times, he sings about how “we turn a blind eye to looming existential threats in order to maintain chaotic, quasi-functional domesticity.” In its choruses, the song travels to a far-distant future where obelisks are constructed to laugh at humanity’s plights, highlighting Wax Mannequin’s fantastical, sci-fi world building.
”Wrong About You” is inspired by Adeney’s experiences as a student and elementary school teacher of language, arts, and drama. Barreling ahead with a soaring guitar solo, triumphant piano melody, and chorus of multi-tracked vocals, he turns his focus onto a student that is alienated for not appearing to thrive. Yet once the child returns home, they are able to deftly model the consciousness of those around them using metal wires found on the floor. “Sick Boy” (originally written by Raghu Lokonathan) completes this thematic trifecta with Adeney’s additional lyrics about “kids, classrooms, and noticing our mistakes a bit too late.”
The album embraces a wide range of stylistic forms with the stately strings of “The Red Brain” colliding with the corrosive folk of “Even Then,” where Wax Mannequin sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel with an extra dose of psychedelic fuzz. “Reasons We Came” turns its spotlight on the tumbling drum fills of percussionist Bradford Lambert, as its rhythmically chanted lyrics discuss the action and energy needed during times of transition, warning how blind optimism can cloud our vision. “Love Is A Hunter” is Adeney’s dramatic cover of a song by Coax Records founder Rae Spoon, while “Things to Do With Rage” reworks an empowering anthem about channelling frustration into constructive acts of creativity, originally appearing on Wax Mannequin’s debut album 23 years ago.
“Not The Worst It Gets” drops Adeney’s electronically processed vocals into a sparse pool of echoing pianos and subaquatic beats. While closing the album with a message of hope, it maintains the melancholy realism at the heart of his lyrics. “For me, the end of a depressive cycle is tranquillity,” he says. “Concepts that were incredibly burdensome become objects you can set down and contemplate before they pass into dust.” Yet in moments like these when we are bogged down by our own problems, he reminds us how easy it is to ignore the challenges of everyone else around us. “There’s a peaceful numbness at the end of that turmoil,” says Adeney. “Eventually you deny your own pain and the pain of others, so there’s a bitter tranquillity in that.”
– Jesse Locke
Fri, Apr 21 – Camp Cataract – Niagara Falls, ON
Sat, May 13 – Corktown – Hamilton, ON
May 19-21 – Come Together at FGT –Durham, ON
Sat, June 3 – House Of Targ – Ottawa, ON
Sat, June 10 – Springtide Music Festival – Uxbridge, ON
Sat, June 24 – Dakota Tavern – Toronto, ON
Sat, July 8 – Phog Lounge – Windsor, ON
Fri, July 14 – Music on the River Concert Series – Toronto, ON
Fri July 1 – Palsad Socialbowl – London, ON
July 28-30 – Hillside Festival – Guelph, ON
24
Aug
Parlour Panther Retrograde Out Now!
08
Jun
14
Jan
12
Jan
19
Dec
Rae Spoon – Inheritance Music Video
Music Video for Rae Spoon song, Inheritance, off of their album, Mental Health. Animated by Kimmortal to celebrate the January 6, 2021 release of their digital songbook and box set.
22
Sep
Eve Parker Finley first full-length album Chrysalia
📣 Announcement📣: very excited to finally tell you we’ve joined forces with our new friends Florafone Records to co-release Eve Parker Finley first full-length album “Chrysalia”, coming out on Dec. 4th! . The first single off the album “Come with Me” is out today in a cute interview via Also Cool Mag. You can watch Eve play live (or later) for Pop Montreal this Thursday Sept. 24th at 3pm EST via Pop’s website🔮
14
Sep
Drea Naysayer Announcement
We’re thrilled to announce that we’re working with Drea Naysayer and her band Naysayers for upcoming new music releases this fall!
30
Apr
06
Apr
06
Apr
31
Mar
Rae Spoon Live Concert Moved to April 4, 2020 at 3pm PST
Tune in at 3pm PST in Thursday to see Rae Spoon play a facebook live concert through the National Art Centre, Slaight Music and Facebook.
A 50 minute concert from my studio on the territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples the Songhees and Esquimalt, W̱SÁNEĆ Nations (Highlands District, BC). If anyone wants to pay cover for the show you can send money to the artist at:
Paypal email: raespoon@gmail.com
The concert will be available live with auto generated closed captions. I’ll correct the captions on facebook and post a version of the concert on youtube for folks who want them there. The link to the youtube video will be available on the Coax Site.
Thanks to Facebook, Slaight Music and the National Arts Centre for their support.
30
Mar
29
Mar
New Christa Couture Album, Safe Harbour, Out Now!
Out now on CD and Vinyl in our store.
Buy it on Bandcamp
Listen on Spotify Apple Music
29
Feb
Corwin Fox New Single March 2020
Listen now on Spotify!
29
Feb
17
Feb
Rae Spoon and Bleak Terrain UK April 2020 Tour
Rae Spoon is non-binary musician and author who’s latest album Mental Health, embraces and celebrates the everyday journeys of living with and surviving mental illness.
Brighton act Bleak Terrain‘s music creates space for the complexity of sadness and gently invites listeners to do the same.
12 April Cardiff Wales Goes Pop Festival At The Gate (Rae Spoon Only) Fbook Event Tickets
16 April Oxford The Library w/ Death of the Maiden Fbook Event Tickets
17 April Newcastle at Shoe Tree Cafe with Gem Andrews. Fbook
18 April Glasgow At Category Is Books (Afternoon Reading, Evening Show)
19 April Edinburgh at Wee Red Bar
20 April Dundee At Conroy’s
21 April Middlesbrough At Artmouse Fbook Event Tickets
22 April Manchester (Levenshulme) At Tallyrand Fbook
24 April London In The Bell Aldgate Fbook
25 April Brighton At West Hill Hall Event Tickets
26 April 26 April In Bristol At Cafe Kino Fbook
For more information: email coaxrecords (at) gmail.com
To book a date on this tour contact: katie (at) queerstothefrontbooking.com from Queers To The Front Booking
07
Feb
Family Video Release Album, Forever Changes Overnight, Feb 28 In St. John’s
We’re so thrilled to announce our first ever release of a Newfoundland act is the CD for Forever Changes Overnight by Family Video. Their launch show is on Feb 28 in St. John’s at legendary THE SHIP PUB with guests DANI BAILEY, DANK EATING and more.
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM NOW ON BANDCAMP
Family Video is St. John’s dreamy indie rock gem. Lead by J. King’s driving guitar and raw emotive vocals; the band includes By Divine Right’s Geordie Dynes on drums, The Burning Hell’s Jake Nicoll on synth, and St. John’s’ indie rock mainstay, Knoah Bender on bass.
Currently at #6 on the Canadian campus radio Earshot Online National Charts, Newfoundland indie rock group, Family Video, launch’s their latest album, Forever Changes Overnight, on CD on Coax.
From small town kid to St. John’s indie rock fixture, J. King’s journey informs their earnest song writing; expressing a yearning of the heart that is relatable, but rarely revealed with such vulnerability.
Their latest album, Forever Changes Overnight has J. King playing an assortment of instruments on songs ranging from upbeat to brooding. It also features Fog Lake’s Aaron Powell on guest vocals and piano to round out this beautiful and deeply personal masterpiece of indie rock.
After enjoying an underground following on tape distros and playing small tours and festivals for many years, Family Video are finally being exposed to a wider audience. The album is available on CD from our store mail order, on cassette from Seattle’s Lost Sound Tapes and on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else that you can stream music.
WATCH MUSIC VIDEO FOR LOVE YOU BETTER
WATCH MUSIC VIDIEO FOR TWILIGHT EYES (FEAT. FOG LAKE)
FOREVER CHANGES OVERNIGHT TRACKLIST
FAMILY VIDEO ONLINE: