Those readers who paid close attention to our pages in previous weeks probably stumbled upon my writings about Secondhand Existential Crisis, a debut full-length release by Walker & Wylde, a Canadian folk-punk duo shining with brilliant ideas and outstanding musicianship. Their debut unquestionably sounds divine, but wait until you hear Corporate Sponsored Sunday School, their latest full-length effort fully stacked with impressive folk-infused punk rock tracks. Another piece of information you should know about these guys, if you have missed my previous review, is that these two recordings are not their only published works. Quite the contrary, they have plenty of standalone singles like Down By The River, Let It Fall, Here I Am, White Saviour Anthem, Paradise, Bottle Street, I Know Trouble, Let’s Make A Deal, See You Soon, Apocalypse Now, Karmic Justice, Fat Cat, and It’s The Same. Still, nothing exceeds the brilliance these prolific artists showcased on their latest full-length album.
Corporate Sponsored Sunday School shines bright with eighteen new tracks where the band showcases all their ideas and musical abilities by delivering only premium folk-punk maneuvers. You will notice many differences between Secondhand Existential Crisis and Corporate Sponsored Sunday School, and many of those differences are hiding in the additional styles they explored in the past. Therefore, if you paid close attention while listening to their debut effort, you probably heard many explorations into Americana, country, bluegrass, skiffle, klezmer, jazz, world music, and indie. Their latest effort brings a more straightforward folk-punk approach to songwriting, composing, and performing, while those beforementioned elements are hearable in just several songs. This approach suits them well, mainly because the entire material shines with a wild, cheerful, relentless energy that forces you to stand up and dance to these compositions.
Walker and Wylde used the New Orleans jazz scene as a source of inspiration, and you will hear how this unique style lurks on the particular songs. On the other hand, they also used indie folk and indie rock to their advantage, so you might notice some sonic maneuvers that indie artists usually incorporate in their works. Every composition comes with cleverly arranged chord progressions decorated with energetic rhythmic sequences and percussive acrobatics. Some other instruments found their way on this record as well, and you will undoubtedly notice how bass guitar, harmonica, trombone, tuba, trumpet, and saxophone shape some tracks. Corporate Sponsored Sunday School continuously switches from ultimately progressive to more minimalistic orchestrations without losing consistency and balance, so there is something for even the pickiest fans of folk-punk music. Walker and Wylde deserve your utmost attention, and you should check out Corporate Sponsored Sunday School even if you are not into folk-punk because their music will cheer you up. The album is available on compact disc and all streaming platforms. Head to their website for more information about ordering.
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