mac demarco - 2

Mac Demarco

2
Captured Tracks; 2012

3.5 out of 5

Mac Demarco might give the impression of being a care-free goofball when you look at the front cover of his second LP of the year, but that sense of nonchalance doesn't translate on to the music contained within. Well, maybe it does a bit, he sings with a relaxed delivery and plays casually appergiated guitar chords for the entirity of "2" however it's more of a stylistic preference rather than an indicater of disinterest. Take "Ode To Viceroy" for a great example of how a song can carry the hallmarks of lightweight breeziness whilst deeply resonating with you. There's both an unsettling aura and an effortless charm to Demarco's vocal cadence in "Viceroy" and throughout the rest of "2" also, which is complemented by his twangy guitar tones and understated melodic phrasing.

The Cover Art on "2" isn't a complete red herring though, little idiosyncracies pop up by way of tongue in cheek sign outs on a few of the songs here and "Still Together" is for all intents and purposes a song that should be taken about as seriously "Gangnam Style". Demarco plays the majority of the music on "2" with a relatively straight face though and some tracks like the brilliant "My Kind Of Women" have an undeniably affecting quality to them, his yearning feels earnest and genuine here and his music in this mode becomes very easy to relate to. The stark contrast between "2" and the Glam Rock tinged posturing of Mac Demarco's first album of 2012 "Rock and Roll Nightclub" might leave you to believe he's still searching for an identity as an artist and whillst that may be true, the sincerity of the music on "2" suggests to me that he's found it here.