I’ve known Canada to be the home of many things; chief among them is a music scene that has been consistently excellent for decades yet rarely gets the credit or attention it deserves. Without Canada, we wouldn’t have Rush, Neil Young, Bryan Adams, The Dead South, Hazzerd, The Tragically Hip, AAWKS, no Bubbles singing about kitties and trailer park buffoonery, nor would we have the focus of today’s discussion, a little band named Cannabus.
About Cannabus and The Maple Spliff Sessions
Cannabus comes from Welland, Ontario, to bring you music that is an amalgamation of desert rock, psychedelic and space rock, and stoner rock riffing; they will also throw in a dash of Mötorhead seasoning and a pinch of punkiness at times to complete their tasty musical stew.
Music fans will get a taste of that steamy stew on 4/20, coming in the form of a 4-track EP called The Maple Spliff Sessions, and one bite won’t be enough once you’ve gotten a taste of what they’ve cooked up for you. These songs are perfect for fans of the stoner genres, and we’ll get into why without any further ado.
The Songs
1. Cannabust
The beefy bass guitar we hear first has a great tone: thick, meaty, and super tasty. The groove it and the drums provide indicates heavy psych, which is exactly what we get when the guitars begin. Fueled by the rhythm section’s groove, this section is set off by some fantastic blues-based soloing that almost makes this a spiritual experience. This heavy psych excellence takes up all of the 7 minutes and 44-second runtime, and it’s the perfect way to begin the album.
2. Feeling Alright
Cannabus pulls off an authentic 70s vibe to kick off the first track with vocals, and how those lyrics are performed only adds to that. The music inspired my mind’s eye, picturing a dusty biker’s bar with the beer flowing, and this track sets the mood for partying. The high energy and pulsing bass grooves will keep your head bobbing and toes tapping from the very start!
3. Rolling/Blackwater
If you thought that bass playing has been good so far, then it will blow your mind on this track. Laden with effects at times, the fuzzy tones are the perfect complement to the bass playing, and there’s a diversity when there are no bass effects being used that shows the thought going into those bass lines. This is another energetic song that pulls a desert rock vibe mixed with a 70s hard rock attitude that utilizes some smoking guitar solos and fuzzy tones.
4. Come Down
Cannabus finishes the album with a track that introduces a more prominent Mötorhead influence; this is felt mostly during the main riff and verse parts. They still manage to pull off the high-energy 70s bluesy-hard rock vibe that has been such a big part of this EP.
Final Thoughts
As I said earlier, The Maple Spliff Sessions releases on 4/20, alongside albums by a multitude of bands falling under the stoner genre umbrella. You’d be making a tragic mistake to let The Maple Spliff Sessions get overlooked on what is sure to be an overwhelming release day because this is simply an outstanding EP. All of these songs demonstrate the many sides of this band while providing a soundtrack for having a good time with friends or on your own at home. If these jams don’t get you moving, call the doctor because you’re probably dead.
Support Canabus by finding them on Bandcamp.
This review was written by Tom Hanno, who has been writing reviews for the last 7 years but has been sharing his love of music for the majority of his life. Originally starting out at the now-defunct Chimera Magazine, he is currently contributing to Doomed and Stoned, The Sleeping Shaman, The Doom Charts, Tom’s Reviews, and The Third Eye. Read more of Tom’s reviews by checking out his Linktree.
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