The Prince of Trip Pop

posted in: Artist Features • Pop

Making it in Canada’s exalted indie pop scene might go something like this: Recording with session players from Matt Mays & El Torpedo, The Guthries and The Heavy Blinkers. Touring Europe with Sufjan Stevens. Playing the wedding of Kevin and Nina Barnes from Of Montreal. These are just a few highlights on the indie-cred-heavy resume of Jason Ball, the brains behind Hopeful Monster. Ball refers to his music as psychedelic chamber pop, and it’s a good description. Like the Beatles and Flaming Lips, Hopeful Monster drops dreamy pop gems like hits of LSD. River Reflexive is a confetti cannon explosion of xylophone, horns, organs and keys ” a Technicolor doodle of a ditty.  But if your weakness is a wistful piano ballad, put on Dream Car and recline your seat. Analog synths, fuzzed guitars and sweet female back-up vocals result in one utterly endearing melody. In our dream car every road’s familiar, but is it real? Ball asks. As long as the buzz never wears off, it doesn’t matter.