Illustration?Logo?Art! by Logan Mcdonald

quips and quibbles: Christian Martius


5.11.06

It was raining cats and dogs outside but inside the Media Club there was a warm candlelit glow and amongst the shadows and illuminated faces something special was presented to those that braved this city's stormy monsoon weather.

Parlor Steps, a local band, have branded themselves as “Thought Rock” so I’m inclined to believe there was going to be a histrionic display of complicated harmonies and intricate thought out instrumentation, like Good Vibrations ciphered through the indulgencies of Emerson Lake and Palmer. Obviously, a horrifying and tortuous prospect for any unsuspecting unbearded punter. Thankfully the stench of progressive rock didn't linger heavy under the nose and the term was a misnomer.

Parlor Steps were a very different kind of band. Using traditional indie rock balladry as a foundation they built upon each successive song with quiet-loud-quiet-loud dynamics and a democracy of vocals. The songs were the bricks of a house slowly coming into view. Only by the end of the set could you know where the Parlor Steps were going to go and by the time the house had been built the audience was theirs.

Lovely Feathers were a jolt to the senses. Leaping out of the rich seam of talent coming from Montreal, they played what can only be described as demented post punk nursery rhymes, complete with plinky plonk piano and bumbling bass. An assortment of key changes twist the songs into perverse shapes as the singer intermittently yelps as if he has plugged himself into the amp. Memories of Pavement at their most ramshackle and brilliant are recalled as choppy guitar cuts up the sound.

Between the numbers, tales of lost singers are told and 80’s vinyl is thrown to a hungry crowd. They continue on with a bursts of Kraut-rocky synth and rhythm until the Lovely Feathers close their set with such a pleasurable crescendo that it ejects the audience with a smile into the outside; where the terriers and shorthairs are talking out innocent pedestrians (to continue with the old theme...).