Greg MacPherson

Following a series of albums with G7 Welcoming Committee, MacPherson’s latest release is a collection of his best, pressed on vinyl by an independent label out of Denmark. It’s a healthy dose of rock’n’roll with the boon of thoughtful words and clever phrasing. MacPherson creates archetypal, accessible Canadian rock that’s more in the vein of the Tragically Hip than Nickelback, but far greater than either in terms of sustained listenability. He and his band keep a good pace, though in many ways their music seems out of place on the contemporary landscape. For years, MacPherson has been a relatively moderate voice among the explicitly political voices on G7, letting his societal concerns manifest more subtly. Sonically, he’s set himself apart from the current crop of folk and indie pop scene starters, standing out with music that isn’t progressive, particularly adventurous or commercial successful. He does, however, make that old time rock’n’roll, circa the early ’90s, sound relevant again. It’s good to him sticking to his guns.