A Canadian aesthetic
Remi Roy
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Janssen: "It sounds like people are starting to turn to Canada for cool, interesting bands"
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The Urban Aesthetics draw upon a rich musical history
Trumpet. Violin. Guitar. Bass. Drums. Keys. Harmonica. The Urban Aesthetics can play. Everything.The band began as a solo project and has blossomed into a seven-piece collective. Their sound is refreshing, without pretension. The arrangement of the seven Ottawans on tracks like the melodic Dead End\Street Scene or Don't Go Takin' It to Heart - but two of the five gems on the band's EP - are busy without being cluttered.Greg Janssen, lead singer-songwriter (and occasional glockenspiel player), says being able to harness seven members "contributing something unique, and something useless," to the project has kept the Aesthetics' musical waters from getting too muddy on the band's first disc.
"The cons of having a seven-member ensemble are that it's insane to try to keep everyone focused and on the same page," says Janssen. "The pros are that we have a lot more musical ideas flowing around, and more to work with in terms of musical textures."
Produced by Dean Watson, one of the capital's indie rock vets, the EP delivers exactly what the liner notes claim: the emotional intensity of Arcade Fire, the painstaking lyrical introspection of Leonard Cohen and the freewheeling tunefulness of Feist.
Janssen calls citing all Canadian acts and artists as influences a shameless marketing ploy, but points out that the Aesthetics have purposely planted their seed
north of the 49th parallel. "We're really excited about where Canadian music is at right now," Janssen says. "It sounds like people are starting to turn to Canada for cool, interesting bands."
The Urban Aesthetics
CD release w/ Ashley Newall, Harvey Cartel
@ The Rainbow
Oct. 2, $8
