It's not a movement, per se, but the recent work of inventive Canadian rock bands The New Pornographers, The Unicorns, Sloan, and Constantines does show a trend toward hooky power-pop with purposefully frayed edges. For Sweet Confusion, Toronto's By Divine Right joins the melee, recklessly smearing the distinctions separating classic rock, punk, R&B, and indie-rock for a weather-beaten sound that matches the album's title. Sweet Confusion's first song, "The Slap," jumps from Strokes-esque jagged jangle to a '60s garage rave-up to a weird, almost Yes-esque instrumental break, before finishing with a rush of hard-rock noise. By Divine Right has a history of making forceful, catchy music, but Sweet Confusion does more than just rage full-on; bandleader Jose Miguel Contreras is at his most open and aware here, spinning his influences into one long, sturdy rope.
The album's lyrics entail mostly feel-good, "let's all get together" jabbering, with a few music-themed words to provide a through-line. But the music provides the strongest thread, with the Badfinger crunch of "I Can't Do This By Myself," the Jimi Hendrix boogie-roar of the title cut, the droning Velvet Underground stomp of "City City," the Suicide-spray and My Bloody Valentine distortion on "Wheels Slow," and so on. By Divine Right mixes flavors throughout Sweet Confusion, cramming together The Police and The Yardbirds on "All Over It!" and what sounds like The Band, The Cars, Cheap Trick, and Marlon Brando on "Chinchilla Deluxe."
The record shifts gears halfway through, from raucous to trippy, marking the change with the slow, abstract gospel of "Soul 2000." It's a solid transition, making Sweet Confusion's purpose clear and cohesive, as the album traces rock's evolution from primal dance music to heady mind candy to something like art.
