Maybe it’s the upcoming election in Ontario, but lately I’ve found myself wishing I put half as much energy into reading up on politics as I do listening to music. Who knows? Maybe I could even start a blog centered on the world of local government—we all know that’s not going to happen, but it’s an interesting thought. Instead I’ll just put on the latest Spy Machine 16 album, How Things Come Apart, and drift into an imaginary world where the candidates are impassioned and cocksure and the debates occur on the dance floor.

You see, these politically-charged Guelph kids have managed to retain a sense of reckless spunk without becoming bitter or apathetic towards to paltry state of Canadian governmental pandering and promises. Call me a cynic, but I just gave up an hour and a half of my life watching a debate between the three lead candidates for Premier of Ontario that left me frustrated and dejected. Believe it or not, I actually turned the television on with a tinge of excitement—pleased with myself for trying to be a responsible citizen—and, as an undecided voter, I looked forward to watching a clear choice emerge from the vague and ill-defined rubble. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), it turns out I’m far more incensed by listening to the political dance-punk of Spy Machine 16 than hearing out any of the three provincial party leaders.

“Are you ready to throw down?” SM16 ask at the end of “On Struggles for Change and hope”—the answer to which was clearly in the negative when it came to this debate.

Hoping to gain new insight into the electoral race, I was instead presented with the equivalent of Dalton McGuinty doing his best Michael Cera impression while Hampton and Tory urinated on him from either side. Hampton stumbled through like an amateur, giving an uncharismatic performance that Darrell Hammond would’ve had a field day with, while Tory, unfortunately the most personable, just whined—“But Dalton, you promised. But Dalton, you made politicians look bad”—good God, man! Of course, that’s not to say McGuinty was any better, as nothing came from his mouth that hadn’t already appeared in a campaign commercial—and don’t get me started on that half-cocked, sideways grin.

However, the real kicker came afterward, when all three parties issued statements claiming victory in the debate—VICTORY? All anyone won after watching that debacle was the uneasy right to cast a last minute vote based solely on an affinity for the colours on election posters. I might as well base my vote entirely on who Spy Machine 16 tell me to endorse. That said, as the stunted and frenetic “Paperwork” bounces energetically through my headphones, I can’t help but think that there’s always the Green Party…

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Catch Spy Machine 16 live at Sneaky Dee’s on Oct. 7. In the meantime, listen to a few tracks from the highly recommended How Things Come Apart below (right click, “Save Link As” to download) or pick up the album digitally from Zunior here.

Spy Machine 16 - On Struggles for Change and Hope

Spy Machine 16 - Autobiography: Some Notes on What’s Been Called “Internalized” Racism