#38 Apostle of Hustle – National Anthem of Nowhere

With a revolving door of as many as 10 or more band members comprising Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene, it’s no surprise that a number of other projects – Feist, Metric and Kevin Drew – have taken off from its success. Although, to their credit, our friends north of the border have a much more fluid concept of “band,” making them more communal performers than anything else. One such spin-off is Apostle of Hustle led by BSS’ mate Andrew Whiteman, who is, surprisingly, much more influenced by his Cuban roots in his music than any folky Kanook singer/songwriters. Tracks like the flamenco-doused “Rafaga” and post-rock castanet clucker “Fast Pony for Victor Jara” stand in stark contrast to the heavily layered orchestral trance of You Forgot It In People. But National Anthem of Nowhere still shows a deep affection for drippy texture with closer “NoNoNo” and, maybe my favorite track, the dreamy hooks of “Cheap Like Sebastian” that are the true meat of the album. Supposedly more of a departure from the drugged charro-ism of their debut Folkloric Feel (I actually haven’t heard it), it seems Whiteman is finding more electronic in his veins with this latest effort, despite having such a strong Cuban pull in his blood.