| CD REVIEW CANT |
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Band : CANT Although in origin CANT is a new solo “Electronica” project of Grizzly Bear member and producer Chris Taylor [in that band, which he joined in 2004, he mainly plays the bass but also a variety of other instruments (including clarinet, flute, saxophone and accordion), as well as providing the band with backing vocals – he also produced the band's last 3 albums, and built Terrible Studios with his bare hands], the debut full-length under that name is a collaboration with Twin Shadow member George Lewis Jr., released in the US under Taylor's own Terrible Records. Founded in mid-2009 with label partner Ethan Silverman to devote time to emerging artists, the label's first release was actually a split 7-inch of CANT (then still a solo project of Taylor) and Arthur Russell. They have since gone on to release 10-inch EPs of Acrilics and Class Actress, a Twin Shadow/ Violens split 7-inch, Twin Shadow's full-length debut Forget (which was already a co-production between Taylor and Lewis, released in late September 2010), and 7-inches of Blood Orange and Chairlift. CANT's debut full-length is the label's 8th release. Nice thing about the label is that they bring out all their stuff on vinyl first! Work on Dreams Come True (which lasted a mere week and a half from getting together to composing the material and having the album recorded in a bedroom studio connected to what used to be Allaire Studios, where Grizzly Bear recorded their critically acclaimed 2009 album Veckatimest) started soon after Taylor and Lewis had finished work on the Twin Shadow album, and the material on the album is strangely diverse. The basically calmer electronic songs occasionally get a non-electronical short interjections of the flute (album opening “Too Late, Too Far” felt weirdly reminiscent of a Phil Collins gone electronic), saxophone (in the opening of “The Edge”), a thriving bass line (in “Believe”, for instance, which also gets a somewhat heavy guitar injection towards the ending; or in the very “loudly” titled “BANG”, which again gets some guitar in the second part?; ), or electric guitar (besides the songs already mentioned, there's “Rises Silent”; or in the somewhat Post-Rock-ish “She's Found A Way Out”, which starts off as a pure calmer exercise on the guitar, and sees “harsher” electronics added only halfway). In between it all, you get the very nice instrumental piano interlude “(brokencollar)” (only 53 seconds long though), and the somewhat Acid House geared album title song (which has a couple of wacky keyboard interludes). The album is closed off with the somewhat longer (still only just over 2 minutes) calm piano diddy “Bericht” (I wonder whether that ain't a typing error from the Dutch secretary whom had to make the info sheet that goes with the download promo of the album). In spite of the couple of “harsher” moments, the main mood on this album is one of serene tranquility...oh well, let's not exaggerate and call it calm serenity in stead...and you could to place the album in the category Electronic Pop, indeed. You can listen to a full-length version of “Believe” at (http://) warp.net, and the song “Ghosts” (probably from the project's debut single, because it's not on the album) can be found on CANT's facebook page. I suppose that for more Internet music sampling of the album, you'll have to do with the 30-second snippets usually provided by the trusted online sales sites. 89/100 Tony. |