yes dears, we can have it

it takes a lot to put on a good show. you can record lovely songs on an album, keeping in perfect harmony with well-tuned instruments, laying down a sound over and over again until it meets a musical ideal. but to replicate that, to transcend the notes and lyrics, takes something altogether extraordinary. and The Dears, well they have that something.

i went to a free concert of theirs, an in-store gig at amoeba records, and they absolutely blew me away. first off, they are from montreal and hadn't been in a record store quite like amoeba. so they were genuinely excited to be playing there. (i love it when young bands glow with naivete.) they played a 45-minute long set that swelled and became larger than the room itself, expanding and filling the space with infectious drumbeats, movie-moment crescendos of guitars and keyboards, and that voice, the passion and daring in murray lightburn's voice, that captures every appeal for love in heartache. like morrissey with more color. (and yes there are a couple songs on their album that remind me of moz and the smiths. but don't we need some of that on the music scene right now?)

when lightburn sings "our love, don't mess with our love, our love is so much stronger" on "Lost In The Plot" it becomes more convincing with each repetition. the sentiment of the line is punctuated by the power of the music, turning from casual decree to plaintive declaration until you find yourself shouting the contents of your heart with raised fist. and in "Never Destroy Us" the slinky, sexy, jazz flute sounds turn you into some kind of seductive snake, slipping out of your skin. and when the Dears played one of my favorite tracks, "22: The Death Of All The Romance" i swooned with silly joy.

the Dears are na incredibly talented group, impressive to be sure. even my friend who is rarely impressed by any band had no complaints. he even said it was one of the best shows he had been to in a long time. and that's saying a whole lot if you knew this guy.

if you haven't yet had a chance to check them out do so immediately!

i hope this band makes it. they deserve to. i'm excited to hear what they have next to offer.

yes dears, if you can make it, we can have it.