GTB CD Review... Flies in the No Fly...

[shainhouse]

I wrote this back in Leeds. Hope you enjoy it.

Grand Theft Bus

Flies in the No Fly

By: Shain Shapiro

A Canadian currently residing in Britain, the central hub of the new wave of new wave, short, poppy and devilishly hook-laden guitar rock outlandishly reside in my stereo. Bands that experiment with the previously experimented gobble up my listening blocks, from Leeds’ Scaramanga Six to the crossover punksters Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Bloc Party and Canadian stalwarts Hot Hot Heat. I used to deplore this music; dismissing it as two-chord rubbish, more image-oriented than musical and filled with musicians who took all too seriously to playing lighthearted bunk. Yet, there is an innately catchy aesthetic within all this. Maybe lying in between folds of cropped hair that is organized to be disorganized or lyricism that’s fluidity washes over me like a frosty pint, something is steering me towards the dark side. Sure, the new-new wave scene is loaded with crap and bands that would rather imitate Television than build on their guidance; but living in Britain, a country, stereotypes aside that take their music very seriously has undoubtedly educated and enriched me musically, for better and worse.

Grand Theft Bus, a group of Maritime-lads whose music has laced my teenage and early-twenties, appear to be changing with me. Since 2000, they have been crafting some of the East’s catchiest, indescribable rock. Their sophomore effort, Flies in the No Fly, has built upon that foundation, but consciously done so under a distinctive new-wave umbrella. Unlike their debut, Birth of Confusion, there is very little jazz-tinged improvisation wrapped around lengthy instrumentals that embrace everything from bluegrass to metal. Instead, tight, catchy verse-chorus-verse Indie-rock dominates the listen, influenced more by the pages of NME than the Phish songbook.

Immediately from the arrival of opener ‘Corbin Benson,’ dense, highly melodic guitar and synthesizer rock assert their supremacy, and alongside simple chord progressions, clever vocal interplay and tasteful electronic garnishes, create a matured, textured listen that gorgeously highlights and builds upon the band’s newfound genre transformation. Both ‘Friend’ and ‘Plastic’ are equally entrancing tight pop numbers, embodying a reserved British-style scaffold that draws out elements of the Pixies, Rammstein, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, The Weakerthans and The Constantines, all wrapped under a blanket that encircles simplicity over complexity, rock over roll and composition over improvisation.

Lyrically, the quartet has also grown considerably, as Flies in the No Fly is spiked with conscious, soul-searching axioms, all exhibiting the collective growth of the foursome and their burgeoning seriousness towards their craft. Wonderful lines like ‘people are not built to be broken/so why do we shatter their lives’ and ‘how I hate to sit and watch you suffering/when I know that there is nothing I can do/if I could I’d switch places with you’ blanket the listen, creating imagery that is simultaneously internally clandestine and outwardly accessible. This is simple, brutally honest mature lyricism; exploring themes of the opposite sex, alcoholism, existentialism and death in a careful, undeniably contagious manner.

Minus the six-and-a-half-minute, trance infused ‘Silence’ that works its way into the heavy, alternative-rock battered ‘Mannequin,’ Grand Theft Bus abandon their jam-laden past on Flies in the No Fly, opting to showcase their growth rather than dwell on their past. In doing so, this record dominantly cuts through the bullshit of image-based Indie, creating a sound that embodies the aesthetic without being corrupted by it. Sure, this music has been done before. It is frequently flooded across my flat, aggravating my jazz-head flatmate with wafts of British new-wave and sloppy hair cuts. However, it has yet to be done so well, especially from a group of Eastern Canadians. Guess them and I have something in common, collectively realizing that rather than discounting it entirely, there is something new to be explored within new-wave. Maybe the dark side is in actuality filled with bright spots.

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http://www.20hzmusic.com/toronto/albumbanddetail.php?ID=6

Edited July 29, 2005 by Guest

[paisley]

right on shainhouse, well written piece bout a well done album (I don't want to hear about it del )

the link'll work to the article (you had a couple of extra tags in your link)

[Basher]

You can hear about from me if you want Pais!

[gentlemonkey]

either Im crazy, or I read this months ago.

shain? is this something youve posted before?

MAN!

[shainhouse]

I posted this before?

I'm getting old in my age.

[Im going home Donny]

I posted this before?

I'm getting old in my age.

oh well..the new CD still rocks. Since this was last brought up No Flies has yet to be bumped outa my car listening selects.

[zero]

They're no Great Big Sea that's for sure.

[shainhouse]

you could have done better with the opportunity.