Ducks Ltd. (pronounced “limited”) used to be called Ducks Unlimited, until a non-profit organization dealing in waterfowl with the same title forced the name change. I feel like their debut LP, Modern Fiction is their answer to such a heinous crime of a name change, because this album overall is anything but limited. The young Toronto outfit stunned the alt-pop world with the EP Get Bleak, with a perfect blend of catchy jangle-pop that filled bedrooms everywhere. Their newest project continues with this style but with even better production, and a release under the independent label Carpark Records, culminating in a mature sounding LP that still has all the cozy charm of its predecessor, and more.
We’re thrust straight into the action with the first track “How Lonely Are You?”, with its face paced intro and heavy bass making for a wake-up call of an introduction to the rest of the album. Following our power trip in the first song, Ducks Ltd. reminisces on yesteryears and old friendships with witty lyrics and a familiar fluffy melodic line behind them in “Old Times”. In the next track “18 Cigarettes”, the band explores the juxtaposition of inebriation and wanting to be happy, carried again by their signature jangle-pop sound, that would almost fool you into thinking the lyrics are happier than they truly are. It’s at this point I must mention that the band’s strongest suit on this album is their dry and cynical but interesting and captivating lyrics that sets this album apart from other bedroom and jangle-pop projects. The next track in the listing however, “Under the Rolling Moon”, flips the formula on its head for an engaging movement in its musical lines and an enduring late 90s’ British-grunge sound that gives the LP just that much more flavor. “Fit to Burst”, the next track up to bat, is the band’s attempt to play with interesting chord progressions and chromaticism in their song writing and, in my opinion, they succeed spectacularly. For what this song lacks in variety in its lyrics, the musicality makes up for, creating an interesting anthem-like jam that is my personal favorite of the entire album. Following my favorite track comes my least favorite track, “Patience Wearing Thin”, an entirely instrumental track that not only starts with a fade in but has no interesting transition or ending to speak of. The odd ends of this song and general lack of gripping musical writing makes this song feel out of place and better left off the listing. That being said, we pick up right back where we left off with “Sullen Leering Hope”, a lyrically engrossing introspection on placing your hope in places you shouldn’t. The next song “t’were Ever Thus” is the band accepting things for how they are, with some of the best writing found in this track’s biting look into acceptance of how life has ended up being, even if it doesn’t turn out the way you want. Fittingly, the closer to our journey with Ducks Ltd. ends with “Grand Final Day”, which greets you with unfamiliar warm acoustics that feel like they’ve been used throughout the entire LP, making you wonder if this instrumentation choice is foreshadowing for the band’s future endeavors.
Overall, this album is exactly as advertised. It is fluffy jangle-pop for you to fill up your bedroom with and take a swim in the clouds for a little while. However, if you take the time to look a bit deeper into the lyrics and writing on this album, you’ll find a surprisingly mature and engaging sense of cleverness and wit that is sure to add another layer onto your smile, or bring you back down to earth, depending on who’s listening. The album can suffer sometimes from a “one-or-the-other” mentality, with the energy on some tracks seeming to go to either the lyrics or the instrumentation, but as a collective, the album still holds firm in its ambition of adding some maturity to the sound of bedroom-pop. So, take a lie down, pop in your headphones, turn on your LEDs and chill with Ducks Ltd. They might just help you discover a bit about yourself…
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