By Will McGuirk

Late 80s early 90s era Kingston, what’s not to love; the Hip, Headstones, Harmer, Weeping Tile and the Inbreds inspiring to so many including Kasador, the four piece modern rockers playing the Oshawa Music Hall Oct 17 as well as an in-store at Kops Records earlier in the day.

One can hear their love of the Limestone City’s music alumni right off the bat on ‘Brood & Bloom’, the lead-off and titular track from the band’s latest release. The song swerves into blowing high dough vibeology and comes from the pen of singer/guitarist Cam Wyatt. Will Hunter is the other singer/guitarist. Boris Baker is on bass. Stephen Adubofuor is on the kit. All contribute to the song writing process.

Although ‘Brood & Bloom’ was produced by Gord Sinclair and Rob Baker (Boris is his son) Kasador is no Tragically tribute nor throwback. The album ranges from BSS-like pop anthems to Arkells-like modern soul on “Waiting” to synth-funk of “Givin It Up”.

The centrepiece of the album is “Again For Me” written by Hunter about the death of his father and it is this common experience of love and loss, grief and growth which informs the title of the album, the songwriting on the album and the direction of their life onwards. These are young men, perhaps too young to have such shared experience but the world is as it is. But what they have collectively learned and expressed in this record so early in their career is the importance of taking time to understand the process, to grieve, to honour the loss, to think deeply, and yes to brood.

And out of that slowness comes creation, comes promise, comes grace, gratitude and a companionship of empathy and yes a blossoming.

And these blooming kids in Kasador have taken all of that and poured all of that into this, this album which seeks simply to make sense of the senseless and to do it all by way of a thoughtful and well written song.