The Dears: Still playing it low-key

Despite bracing for the onslaught of upcoming colourful remarks and observations that Lightburn's opening sentiments hint at, it would appear that this machine is currently idling in preparation for the evening's show. You see, I'm convinced that those artists most committed to their craft vow not to squander their appeal in day-to-day interactions. Why else would Lightburn, known for his onstage intensity and heart-swelling lyricism, devote more dialogue to such subjects as problematic Dutch hotel room phones than to discussing his craft with me?

Sparse as his responses might be, Lightburn should be excused for his lackadaisical approach to media relations. I mean, he's on tour with his 13-month-old. And in spite of that he's mustered up the creative energy, along with the rest of his sextet - including wife Natalia Yanchak - to pop out their long overdue follow-up to 2003's No Cities Left.

The Dears' latest album, Gang of Losers, released just last month, is a shameless thematic tribute to the underdog. Shout-outs to ethnic minorities, the homeless and social pariahs combine with lines like "You and I are on the outside of almost everything" and "Nobody wants you but we want you," demonstrating that after three years, the Montreal-based band is still doing what they do best - empowering the oversensitive. Even with pared-down production and less of the theatrical opulence that earned them their rep, the band should continue to appeal to their emotionally adept and aurally ambitious fan base. But with relatively little notoriety beyond the college radio and nouveau yuppie set, can they really afford to become more indistinct?

Lightburn tells the story of a Netherlands passerby who was shocked that The Dears' lead singer and his wife would be walking themselves home from their own gig in plain sight. Personally, I'm a little bewildered as to why this should come as a surprise since the pair - including the rest of the band - blend in with virtually all other indie scenesters. Until you've given them a good few listens, their music doesn't really stand out either. Shit, they're even from Montreal, a city which I suspect is spiking their municipal water supply with dissolved Belle and Sebastian tapes based on the disproportionate number of romantic orchestral pop bands the city is churning out. Give The Dears a chance, though, and you'll see that they're decidedly more enduring than your average indie band. They may be machine-like in their ability to perform when required, but the emotion they command is genuinely and universally human.

The Dears
w/ Land Of Talk
Tuesday, November 14, at 8 p.m., $17.50
Capital Music Hall

 
 

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