Rec Centre, the music project of Vancouver-based songwriter Alex Hudson, has steadily released little nuggets of pop-rock gold since 2010’s debut, “Long Weekend!.” While Hudson is busy penning his follow up to last year’s “Monster of the Week,” his latest treasure comes in the form of Rec Centre’s first instrumental album — “Tacoma Dome.”
The inspiration for the record came from the Washington building itself, which looks more like a UFO than the sports facility it actually is. In fact, there’s really nothing more depressing than a massive arena in a city that lacks a high-ranking professional sports team to play in it — Hudson takes this sadly hilarious fact and runs with it, capturing the irony in 10 beautifully-crafted, percussion-free tracks.
“Tacoma Dome” depicts the hopes and shattered dreams of the Washington’s most unromantic structure with droning synth, melodic guitarmonies and glittery atmospherics. “The View from the Highway” appropriately opens with bright, ethereal sounds — one can just imagine the Dome standing tall in all its expectant glory. Optimism soon gives way to empty stadium seats interpreted by eerie droning effects and searing resonances (“Between Vancouvers,” “Naming Rights”), before finally moving into desolate moments of languid washes and spaced-out smoke (“Tacoma Drone,” “Summit”).
“Tacoma Dome” was recorded with Rec Centre’s habitual collaborator Jay Arner at his home studio and also features Colin Dodds on piano. Throw it on for a sweet soundtrack on your next road trip down to Tacoma.
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