You have the right to be skeptical. After an impressive run of Canuck rock wafting southward and elsewhere from above the 49th parallel (north), it would not be surprising to see this latest, fêted indie combo fall flat on its face. Unfortunately for miserablists, Sister Suvi’s Now I Am Champion will not be the record that topples the “great white north” house of pop cards, because this debut is utterly engaging and shows a young trio unafraid to fearlessly experiment. Some other time, we can discuss Canada's unflinching duty to prove itself on a global musical stage — that comes naturally from living next door to the captain of the high school football team for 142 years — but for now it is more important to talk about an album that will fit firmly in the indie rock corner of your music collection, but one that sounds like very little else released this year.
The members of Sister Suvi have a number of impressive things working in their favor. First, they are not from Montréal or Toronto, but from Montréal and Toronto, thus ensuring total greatness. Joking aside, this album may come as a bit of a surprise to those who have seen this band live. The manic energy and frequent ukulele usage of their live shows is dimmed on record in favor of mood-shifting and bizarre songwriting, but it is all for the best. There is a cornucopia of daring tangents to explore on Now I Am Champion: "Desolation" is a spiky guitar mover with short cheerleader vocal jabs and a bouncy bass that recalls The Flaming Lips or The Pixies; "Claymation" should bring to mind one of John Entwistle's Who compositions, deftly describing the creation of a mutant creature made of clay; "The Lot" is a rollicking, indie, cowpunk knees-up that sounds like Stephen Pastel fronting Sons and Daughters, and has ridiculously great singing performances from Nico Dann, Merrill Garbus, and Patrick Gregoire. (Actually, the album could be bought for the vocals alone, which are accomplished and funny, depending on where you drop the laser). Elsewhere, you may hear sound snippets familiar to a wide variety of artists (Pink Floyd in "Agua," anyone?), but mainly you will hear a trio that is so fresh in its far-out-ness that having to resort to cribbing musical notes from anyone is never in question.
What may sound like an overstuffed mess of an album is actually quite focused and unique, and like all focused and unique bands, Sister Suvi's strength lies in capably displaying contrasting emotions for all to hear: sweetness and brutality, subtlety and sledgehammer-obvious force, straight-faced stories and winking, weird pop. In "Longlegs," you can hear many of these textures, but the whole album is a compelling listen, from the deadpan opener of "Deadwood" to the ghoulish closer "Golden." This last track — an ugly child bred from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and Journey — is something that you cannot divert your ears from, and is a strange ending to an already strange album. Here, and at other points on Now I Am Champion, the band is at its best by playing tense, jittery music that feels naked yet full of ideas, coaxing the listener to a choice of paths, many of which are dimly lit.
Few debut albums are masterpieces, and Now, I Am a Champion is no exception. It is, however, a very promising jump-off point and an album that benefits from repeated listens, which is something you should be able to say about any album, but rarely do. Even if the songwriting slips on occasion — there are a couple of rough parts that grate the nerves — the good songs will make you forget about those missteps quickly. The album contains vocal histrionics that would make the most agile of choral groups blush, instrumentation way out of the ordinary, and a healthy dash of humor. In meddling hands, this last quality often signals the death blow for a band, but in Sister Suvi's, it merely guides their songwriting with certain sensibilities.
Adventurous pop is not the sole propriety of any country. Besides, schoolyard boasting and protecting the dominion's honor in music are not important. What is important are tunes, and, for the most part, Sister Suvi have ’em in spades. So, damn national pride, and let us enjoy this debut album's refreshing personality -- dark yet humorous, and without stepping into overindulgences in either of those directions. Let us pray that Sister Suvi continue to mine their sincere vision instead of catering to any straightforward blueprint adopted by many pop bands, even including some of their fellow countrymen and -women.
1. Deadwood
2. Desolation
3. The Lot
4. Claymation
5. American
6. Longlegs
7. Agua
8. Champion
9. Golden
More about: Sister Suvi
