If anyone wanted proof as to how awesome Edmonton is just watch this:

Coming Home by the Shout Out Out Out Outs and Cadence Weapon

The awesome use of fire in only one of the things that makes this music video so epic. The combination of synth pop and rap is rare and truly amazing.  The Shout Out Out Out Outs are synth pop perfection. Members Nik Kozub, Jason Troock, Lyle Bell, Will Zimmerman, Gravy and Clint Frazier are considered by many adoring fans to be one of the best local Edmonton bands. Their notoriety has come from steady airplay on campus radio stations and on CBC radio 3.  Their second album Reintegration Time was released in March which was the follow up to  their celebrated debut album Not Saying/Just Saying which was nominated for a  Best Alternative Album Juno. One of the unique aspects of their group is their use of two drummers.

There’s nothing bad I could say about Cadence Weapon ever (except for maybe the fact that he doesn`t like the club Halo but that can be forgiven). Even `the establishment’ think he`s awesome.  He was named the  Poet Laureate for the City of Edmonton this year by the Edmonton Arts Council. Cadence Weapon aka Roland Pemberton, born and raised in Edmonton,  has so far released 2 lps and 2 mix tapes. His debut album Breaking Kayfabe was so critically acclaimed that he was nominated for the Polaris Prize in 2006 (losing to Final Fantasy). He’s not a typical rapper, he uses techniques from rock and pop.  This doesn’t always turn out well ( not naming any one in particular… cough… Limp Biskit… cough…) but Cadence Weapon makes it work. In this song he doesn’t just rap he also screams. And how can you not love a song that screams we do acid more than several times. Cadence Weapon is best known for using Edmonton as his muse.

This isn’t a typical mix of rap and pop. To start off this song is 7 minutes long, four minutes longer than the average song rap or pop. Both Cadence Weapon and the Shout Out Out Out Outs are at the top of their game in this song so the length isn’t a weakness. As the song goes on it becomes apparent that the length is needed to get all of the awesomeness out. This hybrid works because the artists don’t compromise their sound. They stand true to their music and you can feel the authenticity of this song.

Even if you don’t always remember the last out in the Shout Out Out Out Out’s name, this song and it’s artists are standouts.