Photograph by Alex Cairncross
The Balconies, one of the newest bands to set Toronto on fire with blistering live shows, may formerly have been more comfortable in formal concerts playing classical compositions. Composed of Liam Jaeger and siblings Jacquie and Stephen Neville, The Balconies bring an edgy post-punk feeling to their energetic pop. They’re on the cusp of kicking off their tour in support of their self-titled debut album from late 2009, but took time out between their local shows to tell Ca Va Cool about their backgrounds, discuss differences between Ottawa and Toronto, and point out the importance of animal noises.
The Balconies – Lulu
The Balconies – Serious Bedtime
The Balconies – Rest Up
Sabrina: You guys are still pretty new, having started up in 2007. I was checking out your influences, which range from punk, post-punk, electronic… lots of different decades and genres. Were you trying to channel some of that when you came out with your first LP?
Jacquie Neville: Not consciously. It just kind of came out with our songwriting and the chemistry together. Our influences come out.
Steve Neville: : And if you look at the influences, there’s such a big variety.
Jacquie: Technically speaking, we’re all classical musicians. That’s our formal training, so I feel like the practice of that comes through as well.
Sabrina: Speaking of your training, you studied music at the University of Ottawa. What’s the mentality in the classical music department when it comes to pop music? Is it accepting or more straight-laced?
Jacquie: In my experience, the classical field is quite strict. But as soon as I went to Ottawa U, I met all these amazing professors who would say, “No, they can come together. You can like mainstream and classical music.” If anything, it makes you a more well-rounded musician.
Liam Jaeger: It’s becoming a lot more common. A lot of the professors also experiment. There’s a professor who is a professional pianist and he also plays keyboards at raves. It’s becoming a necessity because you can’t really survive playing one type of music anymore, you need to move around.
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Indie folk darling Basia Bulat’s second album Heart of My Own is out January 26, and it’s every bit as enjoyable as her 2008 Polaris Prize shortlisted debut. Heart of My Own was largely written on the road, taking inspiration from the sights and sounds experienced on tour. The Yukon had a great effect on her, as can be heard on lead single ‘Gold Rush’. The singer took some time to chat with Ca Va Cool before her tour kicked into high gear.
Basia Bulat – Gold Rush
Basia Bulat – Go On
Basia Bulat – In the Night
Kevin: You’re in New York right now?
Basia Bulat: Yeah, we play at the Bowery Ballroom on Friday.
Kevin: Have you toured the US much? I know you’ve covered Europe and Canada quite a bit, but is this new for you?
Basia: No, I’ve been across the US a few times actually, so it’s nice to be back.
Kevin: Just interesting, I went to [The University of] Western [Ontario], I know you went to Western, you were involved with the local music scene, [campus radio station] CHRW, and you were in the first edition of LOLAfest.
Basia: What were you studying at Western?
Kevin: Biochemistry, so probably not your area.
Basia: But now you’re writing about music for a pastime?
Kevin: Yeah, it’s kind of a weird twist.
Basia: You know, I don’t think it’s that weird, to be honest.
Kevin: Anyway, my question is, what does London mean to you?
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Photograph by Norman Wong
The Most Serene Republic serve as a reminder to embrace eccentricity wherever you may find it. The Milton, Ontario septet wash out jubilant layers of symphonic pop to capture the delicate grief in growing up. With their third full length release …And the Ever Expanding Universe, released on Arts&Crafts early last year, the band reveals the strange serenity of an archaic soundscape.
Their visit to the Canadian East Coast late last year started with a sound check occasionally punctuated by the communal donair passed around onstage and the inspired vocal ballads chanted while warping levels. In a starlit back alley dominated by a foggy Atlantic panorama, I spoke with keyboardist Ryan Lenssen and indulged in a romanticized intimacy shared amidst the splatter of raindrops and sting of Halifax cold. The conversation held a note of disheartened idealism found in the group’s records as we spoke about the pain of passivity, the finicky superiority of compact cassettes, and plans for the next album.
The Most Serene Republic – Where Cedar Nouns and Adverbs Walk
The Most Serene Republic – Heavens to Purgatory
The Most Serene Republic – (Oh) God
Jan: What band have you enjoyed touring with most?
Ryan Lenssen: Five years ago we really enjoyed playing with Wintersleep a lot. That was before they became massive. They still remain friends of ours. Loel Campbell is one of my favourite people, I love Wintersleep! Touring Canada, no matter where you go, you’re going to get good people that don’t want to step on any toes – it’s because we’re all passive.
Jan: That could be it.
Ryan: No it is. There’s a lot of anger, there’s a lot of hate that people have, but we keep it to ourselves because we don’t know how to deal with it in Canada, because we didn’t grow up with an American sentimentality.
Jan: It’s interesting how each of your albums has had an emotion tied to it. You describe Population as anger, how much of that is based on your sentimentality?
Continue Reading ‘The Most Serene Republic’ Feature Interview »
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Photograph by Sarah Cass
Welcome back to Ca Va Cool’s best albums of 2009. The first half of our list featured Wolf Parade off-shoots, a band experiencing a grand reunion, and an array of talented newcomers. Our top ten features the heavy hitters, the very best 2009 had to offer. Our contributors battled mercilessly to formulate this list. We emerge bloodied and bruised, confident that these are ten albums that will stand the test of time. Without further ado, here are Ca Va Cool’s top albums of ’09.
Photograph by Annie Powers
10. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
Gather around children and let me tell you the tale of four New York indie poppers who dubbed themselves The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. In their sugar-coated world all songs were dreamy, dense melodies drenched in saccharine sweet vocals and jangly guitar. Lyrics were emotional proclamations with dark undertones disguised beneath cute refrains and gumdrops. Teenage angst, sexual yearning, misdirected emotions, drug analogies and scattered profanities flowed with their overt sweetness and apparent levity in a musical dichotomy; the battle against light and dark arranging itself into aural beauty. Nothing less could be expected from a troupe of troubadours named after a children’s book and channeling broken hearts of the past into a C86 revival. What will become of the courageous quartet in the new year? The story is to be continued. In the meantime, we can lose ourselves in my favourite track about library love from their self-titled debut album released this year on Slumberland Records. — Sabrina Diemert
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Photograph by Annabel Mehran
The year 2009 will be remembered for many things, including the divorce of Jon and Kate Gosselin, Tiger Woods’ infidelity, and of course, the introduction of Keyboard Cat. But aside from those momentous events, some decent music was released. As the year draws to a close, we here at Ca Va Cool continue our list-making ways to bring you our favourite albums of 2009. Through an intense, scientific process, we have distilled the vast amount of quality releases into an essential brew of twenty such albums. Old favourites share space with relative newcomers in the first half of our list.
20. Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
Spencer Krug has solidified his position as wizard of the indie world with the release of Dragonslayer. Conjuring up mythical beasts and inspiring a belief in whimsical folklore, all while contorting vocals entangled with punchy keyboards. Dragonslayer is Sunset Rubdown’s white rabbit in the top hat. The witty experimentation paired with outstanding hooks forms an album that is both accessible and multifarious. Dragonslayer compiles an unparalleled consistency as the eight tracks serve as standalone sensations while weaving an outlandish fairytale. The record has the capacity to immerse listeners and encourage exploration. Sunset Rubdown uncovers a new adventure with each thumping refrain of ‘Idiot Heart’ or the possessed chanting of ‘You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)’. The quintet’s unpolished finish on the album prides itself on the kinks in their armour and much like a good fairytale, each scrape, bruise, and bump has its own merit when fighting dragons. — Jan Kucic-Riker
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