“National Anthem of Nowhere”
from the album National Anthem of Nowhere
2007
iTunes
Whether Andrew Whiteman’s Apostle of Hustle is considered a side project or a primary one is not entirely clear. He plays a major role in Broken Social Scene, which can be considered a super-size side project itself, and National Anthem of Nowhere, Apostle of Hustle’s second full-length, is certainly the work of a member of that collective. Side projects are often easy to dismiss, but in this case it’s clear that Whiteman has an individual voice and is ready to explore his own realm of possibility.
Most striking about National Anthem of Nowhere is not its discreet beauty but its consistent attention to detail. Whiteman is a master of the minute, skillfully matching mood with its accompanying instrumentation. He matches his precious moments with subtlety, his enchanting moments with mystery and his anthemic moments with optimism, best displayed on the title track, an ode to silenced outcasts suddenly united. Whiteman’s shouts crescendo into a full brass assault, with the horns intensifying the vocal resulting in a cathartic climax.