Bishop Allen, Electric Owls, The Comas: El Mocambo, Toronto
- Jan 27, 2009
I don't know if Bishop Allen took the time to pay actor and Toronto native Michael Cera a visit on their recent mini-tour which brought them through Canada, but it would have been appropriate. After all, it was largely on the strength of an appearance in his semi-hit film from last Fall, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, that the Brooklyn band were able to fill the mid-size club with eager new fans despite the snowstorm brewing outside. Which is not to say that the band couldn't have drawn a crowd of that size based solely on their musical merits, but a little Hollywood boost never hurts.
Their tourmate for this short jaunt was one Andy Herod, performing under the moniker of Electric Owls. Herod has his own star-crossed past, having formerly been involved with actress Michelle Williams in her Dawson's Creek days and having written an album about the dissolution of that relationship with his last band, The Comas. While his new project didn't have quite the same backstory, Herod was still able to deliver some sharp pop songs both in solo acoustic format and accompanied by laptop arrangements.
The middle set was given to local newcomers Hooded Fang, who didn't have a cinematic connection but a literary one ⓠtheir name comes from the classic Mordecai Richler children's book. And childlike whimsy was a key component of their set, replete with instrument switching and singalong melodies. They did exhibit the lack of focus that one would expect for an act as wet behind the ears as they, but there were enough flashes of genuine inspiration to mark them as a band to watch as they grow.
Not that it need take years to become a truly accomplished pop band ⓠBishop Allen has done it in just two albums. 2007's The Broken String, which compiled the highlights of their ambitious 12 EPs in one year project the year before, is a nearly perfect collection of literate power pop. Rich in lyrical imagery and unrelenting in melodic hookery, it's the sort of record that deserves and demands your attention. The band were technically road-testing material from their forthcoming record Grr..., due out in March, but were savvy enough to get the new songs ⓠas great as they sounded ⓠout of the way so as to dive right into the old favourites. Gems like Rain and Like Castanets were well-received but, unsurprisingly, it was main set-closer Middle Management ⓠaka the Nick & Norah song and their most irresistibly power pop-tacular number ⓠthat got folks dancing.
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