Keith Canisius This Time It's Our high

This, the third album from the American-born-Danish Canisius, a shoegazer in his own right, feels both expository and exploratory. There’s enough synthesizer here to feel fresh while evoking the prog-rock groundwork of King Crimson or Brian Eno — which isn’t to describe Canisius as a pedant, but rather as a capable, re-collective musician working to establish a sound of his own.

That synthesizer nous is balanced by the shambolic guitar associated so strongly with shoegaze of the early 90s — think a more upbeat Swervedriver and you might be vaguely on the right track — and through that combination, This Time It’s Our High establishes something uniquely Canisius.

Of course, where would it be without his sense of timing? The plurality of post-90s shoegaze has taken steps toward integrating the synthesizer as a bona fide instrument of import, so Canisius isn’t exactly breaking new ground in that respect. Instead, while each chord may not resonate, and the structure may not always invigorate, this is shoegaze that never feels plodding or pedantic.

That said, it’s at either side of the album that the best really comes out — the most exciting, upbeat portions of the album are separated a bit from the middle, where the music’s not exactly boring, but — let’s put it simply — it’s not going to make it into commercial radio. Keith Canisius is obviously not trying to do that, and we can thank him for it. Even at his pop music best, he’s not trying to break shoegaze into the public mainstream.

Shoegaze may not be the most in vogue among the indie crowd — the reverb-inflected guitar of Animal Collective or Grizzly Bear comes nowhere near the guitar-inflected reverb of My Bloody Valentine or Lush — but it still has pull, particularly on an international level. Canisius only gives credence to the claim.  It's possible that, consequently, many have tried to recreate the magic of that first My Bloody Valentine listen. Few have succeeded and Canisius, like the rest, isn’t capable of that superhuman feat.  But, it's not what he's trying to do.  This Time It’s Our High is an album that can stand on its own without needing to be propped up by references to producers, guest artists, or something interminably vague.

This Time It’s Our High sees Keith Canisius at his electronic shoegaze best, with either side of the album proving the inevitable focus. What’s in between is some very good shoegaze and dream pop, but it’s on the ends that we’re given something we can really grasp.