On his latest album, the Murray Lightburn (The Dears) produced “The New 　　Great Game” Andrew Johnston paints in broad, expansive brushstrokes, 　　delivering 12 killer rock anthems for troubled times, with just enough 　　redemption to keep hope alive. 　　 　　Growing up in Ottawa and now calling Montreal home, Andrew has had 　　the great fortune of a career that has included work with some of 　　Montreal’s finest including Richard White (Besnard Lakes), Rishi Dhir 　　(Elephant Stone), George Donoso (Sam Roberts, the Dears), JF Robitaille 　　and many more. 　　 　　 “The New Great Game” is the sound of an artist earnestly aiming for the 　　bleachers and holding nothing back. If a certain aesthetic of coy restraint 　　has become fashionable within indie rock circles, this album grabs the 　　listener from minute one and seems to earnestly proclaim that there is no time to lose; we must love now, yearn now, 　　strive now: our dreams will live or die in this moment. 　　 　　Title track “the New Great Game” is indicative of the terrain we are in here. Starting with a Springsteen-esque piano 　　figure that descends into a wall of carefully crafted 6 and 12 string guitars, “The New Great Game” careens into a chantalong 　　breakdown section to make the Hold Steady jealous, before changing gears and sinuously weaving its way to a 　　riveting conclusion of stacked vocals, wailing guitars and pounding drums. 　　 　　With lyrics such as “ain’t there somewhere we can go where it still feels right - ain’t there something we could say that 　　don’t feel like diffidence”, it is clear that Andrew is in big picture mode, trying to make a statement about the hardships 　　and cruelty of the modern world that still makes room for magic, a little romance, and the dreamer that is inside us all.