Under Review

Roche Limit

Sometimes We Must Change Shape

Independent

Review By Aaron Goldsman

It’s hard not to listen to this new record from local artist Roche Limit (a.k.a. Dave Righton) without hearing another one-man-show recording artist lurking in the background: Beck. From the first track to the last, Beck’s fingerprints are all over this album, serving in part as a catalogue for the different sounds and postures he has taken on over the years. It’s also pretty clear that Righton hasn’t exclusively been listening to the good parts of the oeuvre; some of Beck’s more annoying tendencies also make appearances here and there (see the tongue-in-cheek rap on “Some One Else”). That being said, Sometimes We Must Change manages to please, despite the burden of that all too familiar sound. There are a lot of good ideas here, and the record manages to (mostly) balance its everything-and-the-kitchen-sink production style with focused, catchy hooks. On the more pared down tracks like “So Sorry,” Righton’s ability as a songwriter shifts front and centre, and these moments prove to be some of the most satisfying on the record. Providing that Righton puts the Beck aside for a while, Sometimes We Must Change seems like a step in an interesting—and in terms of the Vancouver music scene, unique—direction.