Easily one of the busiest people in indie rock, Spencer Krug gives other great singer/songwriters such as Jack White (White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather) and Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz/The Good The Bad and The Queen) a run for their money when it comes to the sheer multitude of bands and side projects he is attached to. From Swan Lake to Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes to Fifths of Seven, I honestly don't know where he gets the energy. In June Krug released Dragonslayer, the new album from his other indie rock side-project, Sunset Rubdown. A collection of lush piano tones, distorted vocals and psychedelic sounds, Dragonslayer is a big improvement over Sunset Rubdowns' previous release, Random Spirit Lover, which was a dense mix of squealing guitar and dark electronica harps and keyboard. I don't mean to say that isn't a good thing sometimes, but Dragonslayer is more approachable to the average listener and is likely to be compared to the likes indie rock favorites The New Pornographers or Arcade Fire.
Dragonslayer focuses on mixing piano and keyboard melodies with Krugs' melancholy vocals. Songs such as "You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)" and "Silver Moons" are hauntingly beautiful and will stick with you long after your ipod is turned off. At the same time songs like "Idiot Heart" amp the album up a little with echos of The Killers glueing you to your headphones. Back-up vocals are handled by another Canadian indie rocker, Camilla Wynne Ingr (formerly of Pony Up), who creates a great balance between her lively, confident voice and Krugs' weighty, emotional lyrics. The rest of the band is filled out nicely by Michael Doerkson (Bass, guitar, synthesizer, drums), Marc Nicol (bass, kalimba, drums) and Jordan Robson-Cramer (drums, guitar).
Despite containing only eight tracks, Dragonslayer still feels substantial when you take into account the album ends with the ten minute "Dragon's Lair", a slow-moving epic with some of the most head scratching lyrics I've heard in quite awhile. "I got confetti in my eyes, I was held up at yesterday's parties, I was needed on the congo line..." Either these are words of a crazy man or a genius, I'll let you be the judge of that.
At the end of the day it must be said that Sunset Rubdown is making some of the most interesting music out there today. Combined with all the other great Canadian bands gaining strength in the U.S. (Metric, Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Final Fantasy, Feist) it makes you wonder what they put in the water in Toronto.
www.sunsetrubdown.net
http://www.myspace.com/absolutelysunset
I think it's awesome that you are finally putting together a blog to show off your musical expertise. Will has been feeding me Sunset Rubdown, New Pornographers, Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene and many other Canadian bands since August '07...I must say I am a fan of Shut Up I am Dreaming but really haven't heard much of Dragonslayer. Were you at Pitchfork this year? I think you know how much of an Owen Pallett fan I am...he was amazing. Unfortunately I don't think many people knew who he was. He came on later in the day to play with Beirut who were amazing!
ReplyDeleteDidn't hit Pitchfork, I was at Lolla thou. I mostly know Pallett from his work with Arcade Fire but I do have 'has a good home' on my iPod and I hit a song ever once in awhile.
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