Shawn Hewitt & The National Strike — The Soft Society

Scarborough, Ontario's Shawn Hewitt is a peculiar genre-hopping master of "Afro-Kraut," the odd yet delicious fusion of Afrobeat and Krautrock. After almost a year of buzz and hype, having opened for the likes of K-OS and The Dears, we are finally allowed to devour the first fruits of his prog-soul-hybrid labours with The Soft Society, an indescribably potent and passionate collection of subtle melodies and sexy lyricism. Once you think you've got your fingers hooked around the delicate "Stockholm Syndrone," it pulls an about-face and takes you three times around the dancefloor. Album closer "Cartridge" is a rich tapestry of epic riffs and maudlin melodies. This is a phenomenal record created by a monumental artist.

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