An astonishing barrage of guitars jam and jangle their way through Canning’s latest single ‘State of Mind’, dropping only a couple of weeks late for summer.
Canning is Chicago-based rock trio masterminded by local scene veteran Ricky Canning on guitars and the whacky, addictive vocals, backed by Fritz Armstrong’s bass and Tom Miller’s drums. The trio’s sound is massive and utterly, deliciously weird. Highlighted by a dynamic and huge wall of sound emerging from Canning’s litany of guitars.
‘State of Mind’ sounds fresh and exciting, and is genuinely getting me confused as to which is more unforgettable; the bizarre vocal delivery, terrific ensemble of guitars, the groove, as tight as grooves get, or the simply wonderful mix, keeping all this blessed mess glued together like a very hectic clockwork. ‘State of Mind’ is an inventive piece of music that effortlessly bridges a gap between grunge, Radiohead, and Destroyer that I never knew existed. The vocals are an element to absolutely take an earful of, with all their acrobatic inflections and crazed approach, going from left to right in the matter of a few words, and with the orchestra of guitars playing some fresh, tight, overdriven riffs, hand to hand with the rock-solid rhythm section, we are left with a marvel that will leave you not knowing what hit you.
Canning’s ‘State of Mind’ is an extremely enjoyable song that kept me coming for more as I replayed it again and again for the sake of this review. About a dozen listens later I was still as confused, and as amused as I was when I first hit play.
