Serene Republic turns out great album

There are few times when a band debuts with an album which renews my faith in new artists. New bands all too often fall into the trap of not innovating.

They pick the popular sound of the time and forget that music should be exciting and different. And you can forget about them actually being good musicians.

That is why I couldn't believe my ears when I heard The Most Serene Republic's (TMSR) debut album Underwater Cinematographer.

TMSR, whose members are Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, Nick Greaves, Andrew McArthur, Adam Nimmo and Emma Ditchburn, are at once skilled musicians, talented lyricists and experimental arrangers. Not what one would expect from a group of recent high school drop outs.

However, listening to this CD is akin to having a child run up and kick you in the butt, and then smiling innocently as if he's done nothing.

Seemingly, that is the attitude they took making this record. The playfulness of each track allows it to fly in under the radar. And then it hits you, did I just hear what I think I heard? Thankfully, the answer is yes every time.

Many words can describe TMSR's sound, but the one that serves best is "full". Almost every song is brimming with guitars, drums, electronic effects, piano, and Adrian Jewett's unnaturally high lyrics.

Herein lies one of the album's problems. All of the songs are so rich musically that they sometimes cover up other important parts, like the lyrics.

Perhaps the best song on the album is "Proposition 61". Rather than dwelling on the themes of love and happiness present on the rest of the album, this song recounts a painful experience at a party.

For this track, Jewett trades in his normally soft choral sound for a spoken word approach.

Instead of using elaborate percussion and huge layered arrangements of guitars and synthesizers, they use one synthesizer and an acoustic guitar, along with plenty of hand clapping and even a human beatbox.

"King of No One" is a sparsely arranged song, which essentially puts the listener into a huge group of people, like a park or a mall food court, through the excellent use of background effects.

The last song before the epilogue on the record, "You're A Loose Cannon McArthur.But You Get The Job Done" sounds completely different from the rest of the album.

After hearing a man call to a woman, "Wait, there's this one more thing," the song explodes into a musical tour de force, bringing the listener to a state of sadness when it ends three minutes and 41 seconds later.

Overall, this is a commendable debut album. It is by no means perfect. The skill displayed by the band, however, definitely makes them one to watch.

Is this album worth buying? For most no, it is not. If you're not into Indie rock or you're left shaking your head at some of the excerpts, TMSR is probably not for you. However, if you know what I'm talking about or you just like new music, buy this album. You won't be disappointed.