You may have noticed that fresh material from Grizzly Bear has been somewhat absent in the news since 2009’s Veckatimest (oh, I guess there was also 2010’s indie soundtrack). But whatever the other guys are doing, Chris Taylor, Grizzly Bear’s vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer, is far too ambitious to wait idly by for the band to score another “Two Weeks” hit. You’ve probably heard his name in the last two years as the co-founder of Terrible Records (which released Twin Shadow’s debut Forget) and maybe even sent him your demo with hopes of becoming the next big Terrible thing. But being producer and label head is still not enough for Taylor and his dream of Brooklyn(/world) domination, and so with Grizzly Bear in a barely-active lull, he has announced his own solo project as CANT.
On September 13, CANT is planning to release its first album, Dreams Come True, on Terrible Records, and if the title of the record weren’t so cheery, we’d wonder if Taylor was developing an inferiority complex. Like many “solo” projects that actually mean “apart from that supergroup he/she is known for,” Taylor isn’t entirely alone: for Dreams Come True, Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr. is one-half of CANT, having both written and recorded the new album with Taylor. (For Taylor’s purposes, though, “CANT is Chris Taylor. Chris Taylor is CANT.”) While Dreams Come True is CANT’s debut full-length, he previously released a split with none other than the late Arthur Russell, which acted as the first 7-inch in a Terrible Records single series. (Russell’s side is a previously unreleased track, naturally recorded prior to his death in 1992 — Taylor isn’t that special.)
Summer won’t last fast forever, and before you know it, September will soon be upon us, which means CANT is due for a tour, dutifully scheduled for October (and featuring a full backing band). In the meantime, grab an ice cream cone and keep hoping that tastemaker Taylor will pick your band for Terrible’s newest addition. Who knows? Maybe he still has your demo CD-R in his desk drawer.
Tourdates:
10.01.11 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
10.02.11 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club
10.03.11 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
10.05.11 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
10.07.11 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
10.08.11 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
10.11.11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10.12.11 - Denver, CO - Larimer
10.14.11 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
10.15.11 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
10.16.11 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
10.18.11 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10.19.11 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10.21.11 - Toronto, ON - Garrison
10.22.11 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret Mile End
10.24.11 - Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs
10.25.11 - New York City, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10.27.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
10.28.11 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
10.29.11 - Asheville, NC - Moog Festival
• Terrible Records: http://www.terriblerecordsus.com
[Photo: The Queen’s Hall]