Yo, it’s corrup’ where I’m from, Edmonton
I have to say that Cadence Weapon’s new song Oliver Square is one of the best songs ever. Maybe you have to be from Edmonton to fully understand its brilliance. Though the Pitchfork review is quite positive.
Elsewhere, Cadence’s hometown shoutouts get Simon Reynolds off his back. While most of us can’t appreciate the local flavor of “Oliver Square”, we feel Cadence’s connection to them, and the low-level mystery of it all–like the best low-level mysteries–keeps us on pins. The city, seemingly forgotten by as many Canadians as the millions of Americans who don’t watch ice hockey, serves as an ideal backdrop for Cadence’s occasional “people are gonna respect me if it kills them” demeanor: “Don’t generalize, you must think and wonder/ Why I drink 40s and memorize BusLink numbers/ Well, I don’t have a license, but I’m tryna gain prominence/ ‘Cause I’m living in a house with a fridge full of condiments.”
Go to Cadence Weapon’s site to make a purchase of the debut while you can still get it out of his backpack; I just did.
My enthusiasm for this goes way beyond the Edmonton references. Also check out the Soundclick page.