“Snakehouse” by The Cliks
They waste no time getting the listener’s attention as the first phrase on the first track goes “Fuck your pain away.” It was an excellent way to set the tone for the poignant lyrics and themes throughout the album.
There’s quite a story behind this Toronto band. The Cliks came together as the result of a formidable chain of unexpected clicks, beautiful coincidences that led to the formation of an unstoppable trio of underdogs who have ended up on top with this killer album. The band consists of guitar-playing vocalist and songwriter Lucas Silviera, drummer Morgan Doctor, and bassist Jordan B. Wright.
“…The amazing part was how much everything clicked as soon as I started playing with Morgan and Jordan. I started writing much harder stuff. It was fuller and cohesive, and there was much stronger energy onstage,” comments Silviera in the band bio.
Along this journey, guitar-playing vocalist and songwriter for The Cliks, Lucas Silviera, underwent a personal transformation. Biologically born a woman, his gender was out of step with what his heart was telling him, and transitioned to live his life more comfortably as a transgendered man. Though the vocals sound like that of a woman, Silviera takes on a masculine style and makes subtle allusions that presume him to be male.
Although his gender transition is not the main conflict in the songs on Snakehouse, it certainly ads a different spin on the theme of love and loss.
“A lot of the songs on this album are about me coming to terms with the loss of someone I completely trusted.”
Personally I found the lyrics from these garage-pop style songs to be gritty and refreshingly intelligent compared to the average rosy “chick-flick” pop that I’ve sadly gotten used to. It took a couple of listens through before I got into this music, but it has truly grown on me and opened my tastes to a new genre.
“You don’t know it yet, but [Snakehouse]…is going to become the soundtrack to your best-ever road trip, your sweetest first kiss and your most triumphant fight for a girl’s honour.”
Track List:
1) Complicated ?????
2) Oh Yeah ?????
3) Nobody Else Will ?????
4) Whenever ?????
5) Misery ?????
6) Eyes in the Back of my Head ?????
7) Cry Me A River ?????
8) Start Leading Me On ?????
9) Soul Back Driver ?????
10) Back In Style ?????
“We Love You but Not as Much as we Love Ourselves” by Kelly and the Kelly Girls
If you thought the title and band name were a mouthful, just try singing along with what’s on the CD! The way I see it, take 80’s music and turn it Goth – that’s the sound this band captured. The lyrics are very abstract but still pack a major punch with powerful prose and imagery. Some of it may sound like nonsense on the first listen, but after a while it starts making eerie sense.
The first track is the hilariously quirky track mocking “Napoleon”, which starts off with the phrase “With your ass full of metal and your head full of stars.” Another strong first impression and a great introduction to the lead vocalist R. Kelly Clipperton. His deep and rich voice has an amazing energy that I found quite captivating throughout the entire album.
“Napoleon” is followed up with “Catherine Deneuve and the Deus Ex Machinas”, a strong and fast-paced piece that left me exhilarated. Perhaps electric guitars and trumpets don’t sound like the most likely combination, but it is one utilized quite frequently on this album. Odd, but somehow they just sound so right together!
My next favourite was “We were Almighty”, a slightly more laid back piece with a jazzy swing to the chorus. It has an intoxicating confidence and compelling nostalgia that I found very appealing.
Lastly was the deliciously dark cover of Concrete Blonde’s “Bloodletting”, a track very appropriate for Halloween. At the beginning, don’t let the dreary funeral trumpet put you off. The song soon turns upbeat with a pleasantly discordant trumpet and a thrilling chorus.
The Toronto band is currently on Canadian tour to promote their new CD, and will be playing at Broken City on Tuesday November 14th.
Track List:
1) Napoleon ?????
2) Catherine Deneuve ?????
3) Slow Death ?????
4) Ferris Wheel ?????
5) We were Almighty ?????
6) Sugar Drops ?????
7) Firescaping ?????
8) Tits and Tattoos (more tits) ?????
9) Heavy Metal ?????
10) Melting Bones ?????
11) Bloodletting ?????
