You can see why the bods at DFA thought Toronto underground character Max Turnball's 2012 album was worth throwing out to a wider audience. A few labels turned it down and it received only a limited release, but A Hound at the Hem has potential in spades.
It’s the truly singular work of a wide-eyed, ambitious pop dreamer, with plenty of classic, chamber and baroque pop shades and feints to be found beneath the ramshackle, murky garage-pop. When you distil each track down to its brass tacks, what’s fascinating is the wide range of influences and inspirations, from Serge Gainsbourg to The Beach Boys to Orange Juice.
The songs are fine things altogether, ranging from the multifaceted trippy psych delights of Heavy Splendour to the hypnotic, layered headrush of Blonde Ascending. We'll be hearing from Turnball again.
