SHAPES AND SIZES Issue #32

Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner

By Anna Breshears
Published: June 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

If there’s one thing Montreal’s Shapes and Sizes can’t be accused of, it’s indolence. The band’s aggressive and fractured pop twitches, shouts, and scatters like a child without his Ritalin. Hooky at points, discordant at others, their tunes can unexpectedly come to a screeching halt or dive into a cavalcade of horns.

On their second album, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, Shapes and Sizes run the gamut, but keep production clean, which helps the many-directioned songs from becoming too muddy or shambling. When all the disparate elements work together, Shapes and Sizes shine. “Alone/Alive” and “Piggy” balance catchy, anthemic guitar with streams of pleasant yet imperfect vocals from Caila Thompson-Hannant and Rory Seydel. The marching-band-meets-indie-rock frivolity of “Victory In War” brings together crashing cymbals and a group chorus before devolving into a soaring trumpet outro.

Unfortunately, a good third of the album misses the mark. Moving in every single direction that presents itself within three minutes overly upsets the pacing and fabric in many of these songs. The band’s biggest problem is knowing when to ignore the road not taken. “Geese” would be better served without the
awkward downturn right before an
exuberant guitar solo and keyboard
send-up. “The Horses Mouth” drowns in guitar parts, too slow movements, and clumsy silences.

Still, Shapes and Sizes are onto something good. With a little editing, the band could retain their idiosyncratic approach, while giving its music a sense of focus and clarity.