Winnipeg's own Subcity (formerly SubCity Dwellers) recently held a raucous release party for their new album Where's the Noise, as well as completing a thorough tour of Western Canada.
The album's almost like a cool mix tape, the tunes fit well together but contain too many styles and genres to name. And that's just how I like my mixes, varied extensively, each song cool in its own way. Opener Too Loud for the City is a rollicking rock song that might be kissin' cousins to a few Rancid tunes. Drag Me down sounds like sped-up Tom Waits with extra desperation (never thought it possible, didja?) Elsewhere we get Tin Pan Alley-meets-overdriven riffs in a smoky alley, then get hammered with gritty post-punk agitation (Silence), skatown ballads with rocksteady chorus vocals (Sweet Misery), reggae-rock that could turn into a wicked dub mix (Temper), menacing guitar, organ and distorto-vox that add up to the sounds of a house burning down (Gasoline), and more Waitsian vocals on top of funky blues throwdowns (The Hounds pt II). Some songs make me think the "Sub" in SubCity refers to a labyrinthian set of dark, forgotten tunnels deep under Winnipeg, while others cause me to wonder if it refers to Winnipeg's inferiority complex and the band's ability to blow it away. Give it a listen, whaddaya think?
SubCity - Too Loud For This City (download mp3 here)
SubCity play the West End Cultural Centre on Friday October 30, check it out. Buy the disc here.
http://www.myspace.com/subcitydwellers
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2 comments:
Hey, that's actually a pretty cool song. At the start I was thinking "oh, it's going to be a Shadowy Men sort of vibe" but no, they fooled me.
Is that the new "Winnipeg sound" the kids are all talking about?
I think the new "Winnipeg sound" is whatever comes out of your mouth, Mr. Bannatyne.
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