Gay - You Know The Rules

  by Andrew Carver

published: 27 / 3 / 2004

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Review

Another day, another excellent Vancouver pop band on Mint. Ho hum! (Just kidding.) The Gay are four gals and one guy, all veterans of the West Coast alternative scene: Drummer and moustache enthusiast Keith Parry of heavy rockers Superconductor, Sarah Lapsley of Vancouver Nights on the keyboards, bassist Coco Cubertson and Maija Martin  — her accordion defines much of The Gay’s sound — hail from the Tennessee Twin; and guitarist Tobey Black, formerly of punk caterwaulers Maow. It’s very catchy pop music, nice and sinewy at times, with lots of harmony vocals from the whole crew (once the women take the lead on every song). The production really captures the energy and there’s enough roughage. There are choruses you can sing along to—  I particularly like the one to Cindy Lou “Hey Cindy Lou, what would Wanda Jackson do ... if put in the same circumstance” (The 'Wonder Woman' TV show was obviously a formative influence on the gang at Mint — a woman dressed in a Wonder Woman costume also makes an appearance on the cover of Young and Sexy’s second album). Cure fans will be glad to hear they also have a song named after Robert Smith (to what purpose, I dunno). The press sheet compares the band like Sparks, Fleetwood Mac, Heart and the Partridge Family (?) ... I’m not sure I buy the Sparks reference, and I’ve managed to avoid The Partridge Family (far too busy watching 'Wonder Woman' probably), but I can hear bits of Fleetwood Mac and Heart’s relationship rock poking through tunes like 'Fidelity' and 'Vacation' (which is about trying to make one’s depressed lover happy). A fun album, fans of The New Pornographers will likely enjoy. And keep your ears — er ... pealed? — for the medley of album tunes in French secreted at album’s end.

Track Listing:-

1 Opulent Canine
2 Critics
3 Vacation
4 Bed of Tines
5 Cindy Lou
6 Robert Smith
7 Lonely
8 Fidelity
9 Dirty Whispers
10 Palace
11 Fishin' Jim