THE HIGHEST ORDER play the Horseshoe on May 4. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Fans of roots and country in Toronto know Simone Schmidt and Paul Mortimer as principal members of One Hundred Dollars, but they’ve reshuffled into the Highest Order, with drummer Simone TB (Tropics, Ell V Gore) and bassist Kyle Porter in the rhythm section. Though the group shares DNA with the previous one – a penchant for gritty murder ballads and tales of loneliness and yearning – this debut album is a whole new beast.
TB’s noise and garage rock background informs her drumming and gives the band a kick of heavy energy, especially on the motorik Kraut-country Cosmic Manipulations, whose three parts are spread across the album. Mortimer plays lead in One Hundred Dollars but takes even more of the spotlight here, his frequently foregrounded psychedelic guitar providing spacey, stoned warmth.
As usual, though, Schmidt commands most of the attention with her confident, husky vocals and lyrics that add depth to classic country themes.
Top track: Lonely Weekends
