Marty Zylstra Presents Boom Chicka

By Keir Nicoll

This new record Boom Chicka is a testament to Marty Zylstra's continuity. His new record is wired deeply with wit and grit. It is timeless music, recollecting the psychedelia of the sixties and more lately, with it's reviving revolution. His music contains joy, hope and the sheer power to move people. Zylstra has played music all his life and is referencing music from as far back as the 60s pop and rock of John Lennon and Brian Wilson, to the later, 90s rock heavyweights – Nirvana and Radiohead. His record contains elements of these eras from pop to rock and everything in between. 

Having shared the stage with many of Canadian's rock luminaries, Zylstra has some serious cred. These include Tegan and Sara, Metric, Sam Roberts, Trooper, Mariana's Trench, Hot Hot Heat, We Are The City, Hey Ocean, The Stills, and The Trews, to name but a few. He has also had his music featured in several prominent television shows, such as MTV's Real World, Degrassi Jr High, Pimp My Ride and Stoked.

The album cover for Boom Chicka is whimsical and trippy- giving listeners an idea of what it is all about. The first song is “The Music” Zylstra is singing about being let out, into the music that we share, that's in the air. It explores the freedom of arriving at the place that we all know that we can reach through sound. Great, exploratory, yet inside the changes guitar-solo in this song. He propounds the incredible ubiquity of music.

“Rattle the Glass” starts with more of what sounds like a drum-machine-track than a kit and a pulsing synth pitch. The swelling “Rattle the glass, kick some ass, rattle the cage, turn the page,” sounds like it's been on people's ears before. It is bombastic soul-rock with poetic undertones. There is a descending and swirling guitar-solo in this song that lingers to listeners.

The next song starts with a sparse drum and guitar intro. In “Show Me Me How To Move,” an introduction to dance is described. Moving together in the soul with another. Out of control, an invitation for the DJ to spin. He describes feeling self-conscious about other's perceptions of his dancing which is refreshingly relatable. 

In “Sweet California,” The song starts with a riveting psychedelic-synth line, then into captivating vocals punctuated with lyrics about staying strong. It's about finding a way, through the darkness. The road seems long as does his lyrics about “finding his way through the darkness.” He wants to be back, where he belongs. The wise words of this song describe “sunlight streaming in, dancing on her long black hair. It is about love shining so brilliantly, it is dazzling. A friend who comes in a dream and reminds him not to forget her song is described in a beautiful, reminiscent and motivating line. 

In “Say Goodbye” Zylstra’s mouths shapes in the clouds. It sounds like the Beatles etymology. Some kind of hope for a future day when love reigns supreme.“Change the World” continues on with Zylstra's themes of radical societal augmentation. Though the world has lost its mind when all you were supposed to need was love. Steady guitar-chording and bass-noting, with organ embellishments in this song. “Are we giving peace a chance today?” His themes are reviving some of those from the sixties that sometimes seem to have been lost in the modern-day world of Fox TV News. “We can change the world if we love,” seems to be a heralding of the generations of today to do what they can. Repetition can work wonders. There are some smooth, reverbed, guitar-chords on the outro here. 

In the track “Tofino” there is a description of a fun approach to surfing in this off-centre coastal town all wrapped up in soaring guitars. Zylstra describes time dragging us like an undertow. A roaring noise-scape accompanies the vocals and drums of this chilling song.

The final ode to peace and all things sixties is “People I Love” which begins beautifully with plucked guitar strings. Singing of “diamonds and light,” and “the sky is blue and so are you.” There is obviously a certain kind of admiration that is going on in this song, as Zylstra recites devotion to certain ones. Overlapping vocal lines create a harmonious wash. The song dives into playful guitar followed by applause and laughter.

All in all, this album recalls the great wash of sound that arose from the psychedelic sixties and the love that was formed in words and notes from voices and instruments that carried a lasting impact. Now we hear it in Marty Zylstra's voice, as he continues to offer us an alternative to the rat-race, that has carried so many people to the brink of alienation. To the leaders of peace and love.

You can listen to Boom Chicka here