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Like their hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Brasstronaut is hard to pin down. Their debut album, Mt. Chimaera, possesses qualities of the fjord-flanked city's unpredictable character. Since forming in 2007, Brasstronaut has steadily acquired the hands necessary to fuse a diverse range of genres and this follow-up to their Old World Lies EP represents the first statement by the band's definitive six-piece line-up. Vocalist and keyboardist Edo Van Breemen is joined by a roster fluent in trumpet, lap steel, flugelhorn and the seldom-heard EWI (a wind synthesizer), among others.
As the members would try to tell you, the experience of the band is not about making music that is based on some pre-existing vision. Instead, each player allows their knowledge and skills from their different backgrounds to mesh with the other’s sounds, without overwhelming the sum of parts with an individual voice. This balance has been successfully translated to recording with Mt. Chimaera, and the result is a startling album that is all at once avant-garde and universal.
You might expect these ingredients to produce something too obscure for radio or more mainstream audiences, but thus far Brasstronaut is firmly rooted in the pop tradition. Take for example, Mt. Chimaera opener "Slow Knots," in which horns tempt the song toward total chaos but are restrained by an upbeat, finely-honed rhythm Stewart Copeland might be proud of. Or single "Lo-Hi Hopes," with its changing tempo and many movements, which yet has all the pace and hook of a Spoon anthem. Still, there remains a darker underlying cinematic element in many places, as evident in the last track, "Insects", which gives the album a depth that other pop records are unable to achieve.
The band members are: Bryan Davies (trumpet/flugelhorn/glockenspiel), John Walsh (bass/guitar), Brennan Saul (percussion), Edo Van Breemen (keyboards/vocals), Tariq Hussain (lap steel/electric guitar), & Sam Davidson (clarinet/EWI). All play in a number of other projects but are quick to profess that this is their one and only golden egg. They also emphasize that Brasstronaut is a bona-fide band as opposed to what many articles have reported to date: a strategic collection of conservatory-trained veterans. For example Edo is self-taught in electronic production and only began playing in bands well into an unrelated biology degree. Another misnomer is the "jazz" label. Yes, some of these guys play jazz, and have even studied it in school, but this is categorically not a jazz band. The group was formed in a very organic way with Bryan & Edo originally playing instrumentally at house parties, and good friends/musicians gradually being added to the roster as songs developed.
Brasstronaut emerges from the west-coast city's rain-soaked culture of underground venues and cheap sushi, and currently whole-heartedly embraces the pirate lifestyle of constant touring. They have built credibility on the road, having played with bands from Belle Orchestre to Why?, and in international festivals like Reykjavik’s Iceland Airwaves ‘09, where they appeared on-stage with the brass section from Sigur Ros. They are currently slated to appear at South By Southwest 2010 on the official Pop Montreal cur rated showcase.
Mt. Chimaera was recorded in locations as various as Banff, AB, Oberlin OH, New York, NY and in Vancouver in home studios. It will be released Mar. 1 in Canada and Mar. 24 (digitally) in the U.S. on Unfamiliar Records (Japandroids, Snailhouse, Makeout Videotape, No Gold, Paper Cranes).