Land of Talk - Applause Cheers Boo Hiss

  by Andrew Carver

published: 7 / 11 / 2007

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Review

Listeners won’t be surprised to hear that as a youngster growing up in the agricultural city of Guelph band mainstay Elizabeth Powell was a fan of Nirvana, Fugazi and Weezer. Aficionados of the more abrasive side of independent rock will detect the band’s debt to Sonic Youth. There’s enough guitar squall to satisfy all but the devout noise-rock fan. ‘Applause’ is not, however, a ‘heavy’ album, expect perhaps emotionally. Powell sings with an unfeigned amalgam of P.J. Harvey’s visceral wail and Kazu of Blonde Redhead’s breathy fragility when she moans “Stop spitting on girls you like!” on opening track ‘Speak to Me Bones’. Like most of the hotly tipped albums emerging from Montreal today, ‘Applause’ was recorded by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes at his Breakglass Studios and mastered by Harris Newman. As usual, this is a recipe for a clear, powerful sound and puts further meat on the bones on Powell’s dense guitar chords without sacrificing the songs’ underlying melodies. Her fondness for alternate tunings gives them further heft. Drummer Bucky Wheaton’s thunderous, direct style drives the songs along. A brisk and entertaining entree for fans of indie rock that bares its teeth. (The One Little Indian release of ‘Applause Cheer Boo Hiss’ adds three extra tracks to the Dependency record issue’s original seven. The extras are in a similar vein but with somewhat shinier production featuring new bassist Chris McCarron.)

Track Listing:-

1 Speak To Me Bones
2 Sea Foam
3 Summer Special
4 Breaxxbaxx
5 Magnetic Hill
6 All My Friends
7 Street Wheels

Label Links:-

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