You guys outside of Canada, prepare to heed the hype. As one of the Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Bands To Watch For," The Dears, much like all Middle Eastern and Asian countries are poised to invade the States and teach the UK a lesson... in how to make Radiohead sound like the Beach Boys. One of the biggest issues surrounding live records such as this is the recording quality for which the only word here is lush, capturing the many subtle layers of The Dears' soothing brand of humbling orchestral-rock while retaining the atmosphere of a live gig. Pretentious? Maybe a bit, but they're good enough to back it up. Thank You Good Night Sold Out was puzzlingly released a few days before No Cities Left, their second album and debut for MapleMusic, was scheduled to become their US debut on the should-be legendary SpinART label, famous for bringing you such indie trend-benders as The Sunshine Fix, The Apples In Stereo, and Frank Black & The Catholics, which should tell you a little something about The Dears' difference. Lead singer Murray Lightburn, both vocally and lyrically, is a total hybrid of Damon Albarn (Blur) and Guy Garvey (Elbow) while the band effortlessly combines the power of classic rock, fertile strings, and subtle keyboard touches best captured in the slow building ambiance of the 22 minute long "Pinned Together, Falling Apart," an epic live extension which steadily rises to a well-earned peak centered around a swirling tandem of guitars by minute twelve before rebuilding. The band helpfully suggests you may "have to smoke a bong or something to get into it" if you're having trouble. Thank You is the most powerful live disc I've heard since Alice In Chains Unplugged, hindered only by a brief between track silence due to it being culled from separate sold-out Dears' performances in Montreal and Toronto. Still, I couldn't have foreseen a better advertisement to see the band in person. With the MTV generation's attention span dwindling faster than my hope the moral majority will leave my life alone, The Dears may have trouble finding the audience they deserve. But I give you, the faithful TMT reader, more credit than that; so if they're coming your way, check this out first. I guarantee you'll go to the show and take your better friends with you (provided you've nothing better to do). Memories, like the corner of my mind...
You guys outside of Canada, prepare to heed the hype. As one of the Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Bands To Watch For," The Dears, much like all Middle Eastern and Asian countries are poised to invade the States and teach the UK a lesson... in how to make Radiohead sound like the Beach Boys. One of the biggest issues surrounding live records such as this is the recording quality for which the only word here is lush, capturing the many subtle layers of The Dears' soothing brand of humbling orchestral-rock while retaining the atmosphere of a live gig. Pretentious? Maybe a bit, but they're good enough to back it up. Thank You Good Night Sold Out was puzzlingly released a few days before No Cities Left, their second album and debut for MapleMusic, was scheduled to become their US debut on the should-be legendary SpinART label, famous for bringing you such indie trend-benders as The Sunshine Fix, The Apples In Stereo, and Frank Black & The Catholics, which should tell you a little
something about The Dears' difference. Lead singer Murray Lightburn, both vocally and lyrically, is a total hybrid of Damon Albarn (Blur) and Guy Garvey (Elbow) while the band effortlessly combines the power of classic rock, fertile strings, and subtle keyboard touches best captured in the slow building ambiance of the 22 minute long "Pinned Together, Falling Apart," an epic live extension which steadily rises to a well-earned peak centered around a swirling tandem of guitars by minute twelve before rebuilding. The band helpfully suggests you may "have to smoke a bong or something to get into it" if you're having trouble. Thank You is the most powerful live disc I've heard since Alice In Chains Unplugged, hindered only by a brief between track silence due to it being culled from separate sold-out Dears' performances in Montreal and Toronto. Still, I couldn't have foreseen a better advertisement to see the band in person. With the MTV generation's attention span dwindling
faster than my hope the moral majority will leave my life alone, The Dears may have trouble finding the audience they deserve. But I give you, the faithful TMT reader, more credit than that; so if they're coming your way, check this out first. I guarantee you'll go to the show and take your better friends with you (provided you've nothing better to do). Memories, like the corner of my mind...
1. Autonomy
2. C'Etait Pour La Passion
3. End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story
4. Who Are You, Defenders Of The Universe?
5. The Death Of All The Romance
6. Warm & Sunny Days
7. Lost In The Plot
8. Pinned Together, Falling Apart