I think many of you know how impressed I am with what Canada has produced musically over the past couple of years. It is almost as though the country is the furure of Indie. Toronto quartet, No Frills, return for their second album and that is a reason to celebrate.
The band though are not like much of what you hear from the country. They specialise in a fine brand of Indie Pop. If you took them at face value, you might think that they are like many of the bands that my great friend Darrin at Subjangle delights in.
But No Thrills are very different to most around that genre. The album title might give it away, but these are melancholic and insular songs lyrically, yet arranged instrumentally in a magnificent manner. This makes the album become a chirpy sounding joy, the complete reverse to the lyrics.
The results are gentle, but there is real intelligent gravitas to the Indie that they produce. At times, you can envisage They Might Be Giants and at others, they get very early Sugarplastic and there is a real Andy Partridge-esque feel to proceedings.
Just as you feel that you have nailed the vibe, a corking unexpected riff or a keyboard run makes you sit up. Even when a song gets particularly dark, it is just as hypnotic, take for instance Nothing. Yet the cracking Riff on Under The Gun and the pure Jangle Pop of Stephanie offer up really engaging pop.
The-Day-To-Day is one of the great Pop songs of this or any year. Quirky and melodic with a wonderful arrangement. Incredibly inventive, yet so damn catch. Sad Clown will be one of the albums of the year, it offers up everything that we adore here. Daniel Busheikin is a lyrical genius. Totally Splendid!
You can listen to and buy the album
here. It is available on Vinyl and as a download.
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