Canada is rocking. The influx of solid indie music streaming in from north of the border is pleasantly astounding and I’m not just referring to high profile artists like Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. There is a thriving artistic culture spawning fresh-sounding music that is being imported regularly to the U.S.—perhaps one of the unintended benefits of NAFTA. One example is Woody’s recent review of The Rural Alberta Advantage, which easily made my ‘08 top-20 list. If you haven’t listened to this band yet, do so now.
Which brings me to the Canadian indie pop band, Wintermitts. The band, which formed in 2005, is based out of Vancouver and has released two LPs including 2008’s Heirloom. Lead vocalist Lise Monique, cites influences as diverse as French icon Edith Piaf to David Bowie and The Ramones, which manifest in a rather eclectic, genre-bending and bilingual lineup of tracks that ranges from sunny indie pop–70s post-punk styled, to French cabaret. I will resist the temptation to compare the music to Arcade Fire despite loose similarities like a confluence of instruments, most notably the accordion.
The tracks are generally 3-4 minutes, often verse/chorus/verse arrangements and feature an assortment of instruments with some sticky hooks. Lead vocals are shared; however, in my opinion, the tracks which feature Lise are the strongest. Likewise, the band performs musical chairs on instrumentation in the studio and in their live shows, which contributes to the uniqueness from track to track. According to Lise, this is an intentional effort aimed at creating a “mix tape” feel to their albums. On some of the stronger tracks, there is an almost funk-like bass line mixing with sharp lead guitars that somewhat reminds me of newer post-punk revivalism such as a Ra Ra Riot (however, that’s where similarities end). The band also liberally deploys handclaps, glockenspiel and even an occasional flute. The lyrics on certain tracks (those that I can translate), for example Schoolyard, have an innocent characteristic. Sorry, no alt country whiskey soaked bar fights, but maybe a schoolyard scrape or two.
This is going to be very different from 95% of what we review at Hear Ya, but I enjoyed these tracks because they were fresh and unique and indie at their core. I look forward to hearing additional material from the band to see how they evolve. If you’re interested in hearing more, their Heirloom cd can be purchased through a link on the band’s website. The following tracks are from that release – hope you enjoy.
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