Sunset Rubdown Continue The Canadian Music Takeover

Spencer Krug burst out into the music world in 2005 with his band Wolf Parade’s debut release Apologies To The Queen Mary. The critically praised album made the band one of the most talked about indie bands of the year. Not long after, Spencer Krug crazy with side projects, forming both Swan Lake and Sunset Rubdown. It seems that every musician from Montreal has 2 or 3 side projects. With every band and every release, Krug has gained more and more praise, and now with today’s release of the 2nd Sunset Rubdown album, Random Spirit Lover, expect even more praise. With a totally unique sound Spencer Krug and Sunset Rubdown are further expanding the boundaries of rock music, just like so many of the brilliant Canadian bands of the 21st century are doing. Random Spirit Lover is has the type of frantic energy needed for a generation of kids with A.D.D., and when it is combined with the dark instrumentation and lyrics, the listener is brought to a very strange and very unique universe—one that David Lynch may feel at home in.

The band was at Music Hall of Williamsburg last night for the first of 2 dates in NYC (The band will be at Bowery Ballroom tonight). The lights were kept dim, with a couple small lamps placed randomly upon the stage. One lamp sat upon Krug’s keyboard and shoot violently with his manic playing. Focusing mostly on the new material, the band played the complex songs with fine technical precision while Krug’s high nasally vocals told odd stories with emotions of pain and paranoia. The band sounded incredibly full, having just added a fifth member, and probably has never sounded full then on the triumphant “Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days.” Towards the end of the set the band seemed to lose clarity as far as the set list was concerned, and when 1/2 the band walked off the stage to wait for an encore, Krug and drummer Jordon Robson-Cramer stuck around. The rest of the band returned, and Krug joked about how it was a half-core, rather than an encore. The band played 2 more and said farewell to the cheering crowd.

In the spirit of side projects, both openers for last night’s show were side projects of musicians that play in bands with Spencer Krug. Wolf Parade guitarist Dante DeCaro (formerly of Hot Hot Heat) showcased his new band Johnny and The Moon. The band’s Paul Westerberg inspired folk rock showed great promise, especially with their excellent set closer, “The Ballad of Scarlet Town,” on which DeCaro played banjo. They’ll surely be headlining plenty of shows in the near future, continuing Canada’s indie rock takeover.

Sandwiched between Johnny and the Moon and Sunset Rubdown duo Magic Weapons (featuring Jordan Robson-Cramer of Sunset Rubdown) set a dark tone with a creepy keyboard and drums interplay.

In Canada, it seems that every band is a side project, but Sunset Rubdown should not be thought of as one, but rather as one of the finest Canadian musical exports so far.

Sunset Rubdown

Sunset Rubdown

Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]