COMMON GRACKLE – THE GREAT DEPRESSION Gregory Pepper and Factor’s latest collaboration: never imitating, always creating

COMMON GRACKLE – THE GREAT DEPRESSION Gregory Pepper and Factor’s latest collaboration: never imitating, always creating

The Common Grackle, a bold looking bird native to the eastern coast of North America, has been known to mimic the sounds of other birds and even humans at times. Are we to assume then, that The Great Depression, the debut full length from Common Grackle, would simply be musical regurgitation? The answer is a resounding no. Common Grackle, a seamless Canadian collaboration of young indie pop mastermind Gregory Pepper and renowned hip-hop producer Factor has delivered some of the most inventive and intoxicating music of the summer. Fusing Gregory Pepper’s ear for distinct, floating melodies and Factor’s uncanny ability to make even the most benign rhythm sound driving and memorable, Common Grackle will leave the kind of impression on listeners that will last long after the last birds have flown south for the winter.

At the suggestion of Fake Four Inc founder Ceschi Ramos, label mates Pepper and Factor began corresponding in 2009. This lead to their first recording: a drunken homage to ODB’s ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya.’ Half a year later the duo met for the first time to mix the 12 song album they had created by swapping audio files over the internet. Perhaps it was the distance between the two which lead to such a profound release. The Great Depression moves with incredible ease; all 12 of the “Psych-hop” tracks bend and blend, creating not just quality tracks but an immense album that demands repeated listens.

‘Thank God It’s Monday’ (feat. Kool Keith) kicks The Great Depression off with a resounding bang. High-energy beats and Pepper’s haunting vocals create a vast-sounding odyssey. The Great Depression establishes itself as a strange but enticing place to be. The album’s dreamy title track and the introspective piano-led swoon of ‘At The Grindcore Show’ showcase the strength of Pepper’s songwriting, while the trippy, countrified groove of ‘Magic Beans’ (feat. Ceschi) displays Factor’s knack for making even the strangest of beats sound unwavering and gorgeous.

The Common Grackle might not possess the flair or recognition of the cardinal but writing off Common Grackle’s The Great Depression will not be nearly as easy. This is a collaboration that deserves to be heard: never imitating, always creating.

Tracklisting:

Thank God It’s Mondy (feat. Kook Keith)
Churchill’s Black Dog
The Great Depression (feat. Ceschi)
All The Pawns
At The Grindcore Show
Down With The Ship
Big Marquee
Please Stop
Safe Word Play
Magic Beans (feat. Ceschi)
Hannibal Lecture
Purgatory Rock And Roll