This Sunday, rather than waking with despondence and boredom in that little indie heart, awake with glee. Land of Talk will be playing at Kilby Court on Sept. 26.
Hailing from Montreal, this band represents some of the best of the impossibly good Canadian music of the last five years. Their latest effort, Cloak and Cipher, shows the band’s ability to experiment.
The overall timbre of the new album is crystalline rather than “lo-fi” as was their debut effort, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss. Every track seems to take a different band – be it Arcade Fire, The Beatles, or The Smashing Pumpkins – and bends their style to the will of Elizabeth Powell’s distinct songwriting.
The title track is even a version of the old and ubiquitous “one-to-four” progression. However, a deft and clever melody saves the song from the sameness of so many other bands’ attempts.
Perhaps the first among equals on the album is Quarry Hymns. It owes quite a bit to Arcade Fire in terms of rhythm and bass (and a little research reveals that Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara guests on the track), but the melody and guitar are entirely Powell’s creation.
Quarry Hymns is controlled and neatly laid out as opposed to on the brink of explosion, as is the case with most of the tracks on Arcade Fire’s album Neon Bible.
Somehow despite the precision of Gara’s drums and Joe Yarmush on bass, the melody maintains a beautifully defeated languidness. One can’t help but be anxious to see in what way Powell will convey that in a live performance.
With that in mind, their upcoming performance should not be missed. Doors open at 7 p.m. and cover has yet to be announced.
