Friday, August 21, 2009

Reviews:; The Balconies self-titled

It seems lately, Ottawa is trying to defend its title as capitol of Canada. To most casual observers, our nation’s capitol is lousy with back office deals and parliamentary debates, but no one really talks about the music scene. That’s probably because as of late the number of independent acts gaining notoriety passed the frozen waters of the Rideau have been limited (hell, even the great stable of artists on Kelp are constantly overlooked).

But with the rise of bands like Giant Hand, Amos the Transparent, The John Punch Band, and That’s The Spirit, it seems the scene is doing better than most outsiders think. That being said, when it all comes down to it the Ottawa outfit that gets the most attention is one that doesn’t even call the city home anymore. The Balconies are a power popping trio with a nice pedigree, tons of energy and the songwriting chops to make their self-titled, self released debut one to hear.

Veterans Jacquie Neville and Liam Jaeger both bring different sounds and influences to the table and Jacquie’s brother Steve fits nicely into the mix, but no matter who takes the lead, almost every track on this record is a firecracker. The trio delivers dance floor boomers, snotty garage rawkers, experimental textures, guitar freak outs, punchy rhythms, and straight ahead pop tracks. For a less talented band, the ambition and effort might fall apart and seem disjointed, but they handle the constant shifts well. On every song, you can't help but think how tight the band is already, only 18 months after starting this endeavor and that has a lot to do with the strength of the vocalists.

When Jacquie lets her voice dominate, like she does on the infectious Ghost Fever, you surge forward with the talented front woman, but she holds your attention on the moody slow jams too (The Slo). When Liam puts his stamp on a track (Lulu and Skinny Dipper), The Balconies move more towards the blissful melancholy and snarls we expect from bands across the pond, but the trio works best together. They trade vocals nicely on Serious Bedtime and the casually cool Smells Like Secrets, but it’s the album’s closer that really showcases this band's true talent. Rest Up shows the trio darting around the space, trading vocals in a rock opera like fashion and it’s one of the best tracks on the record.