 The
Gay
"You Know The Rules" CD
Mint
Records
Genres: indie pop
Mint Records
PO Box 3613
Vancouver BC
V6B 3Y6 Canada
Mar 8 - 14 2004
|
The Gay is a Vancouver mega-group, boasting members from
several indie pop bands around town, including folks previously
involved in The Tennessee Twin and Superconductor.
Their producer, Kurt Dahle, also happens to be a member of The New
Pornographers, who have a lot in common with the similarly pop-minded Gay.
You Know The Rules is The Gay's second release and
first album, after a three-song EP that came out in 2002. Of
those three songs, two have made this disc, alongside nine new numbers
that run the gamut from feisty, indulgent pop to slower, melodic
ballads. For fans of The New Pornographers, as well as
other Mint and Endearing bands, this distinctly (and enjoyably)
Canadian disc will make for a surefire hit.
As far as individual songs go, there are many standouts here.
"Bed of Tines," for example, is a pure campfire pop tune,
even though its melody strays dangerously near to that of The Red
Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away."
"Lonely," meanwhile, is pure party rock, with a delightful
indie pop flare, and "Fishin' Jim" is an absolutely
delicious slice of keyboard-infected indie pop.
You Know The Rules will surely draw comparisons to Mass
Romantic, but it could be more successful - the inclusion of many
slower, less gushing songs adds a very nice balance to the
mix. This disc is a required purchase for connoisseurs of truly
infectious pop music.
88%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks + one hidden, distributed by the
label, released 2003] |
