The Meligrove Band
Shimmering Light (Last Gang)
By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: September 27th, 2010 | 7:00pm
On Shimmering Lights, the fourth full-length from Toronto’s the Meligrove Band, the quartet perfects the sound for which they've been aiming throughout their career. The entire record bows at the altar of rock, what with its crunchy power chords, transforming hooks, and tastes of psychedelia and surf rock. And cheerleaders!
High energy fuels the whole affair, from the glowing opener "Ghosts at My Back" to the scream-fest closer "Eagles," featuring the repeated shouts of “You may love me but I will love you more.” And that's something the Meligrove Band does especially well—they deify simple lyrics through their vocal arrangements, blending infectious hooks and sweet melodies to good ends. “I'm aware of my addiction so I'm in charge of it” opens "White Like Lies" dramatically. There are sweeter moments too, such as the happy melody of the chorus of "Bones Attack!!" (“If I love you to death / Will your bones attack me?”), and "This Work" makes an anthem of simple lines like "This work is so hard, mama.”
The vocal delivery would, of course, be nothing without the adrenaline of the rest of the album surrounding it. Through sampling flavors of all varieties of rock and employing various musical techniques, the band manages to keep the music fresh and remarkably cohesive throughout the record. Power chords are a constant, though they always come packaged in a rich musical tapestry that keeps them from getting boring. From the screaming guitars of "Kingfisher" to the more psychedelic "Make Believe It," rock digs its nails in throughout the record.
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Issue #35
