Though Halifax, Nova Scotia is typically overshadowed by Canada’s other cultural Meccas like Vancouver and Montreal, there is no lack forward thinking among its musical tinkerers. Whether it’s lo-fi trail-markers Eric’s Trip, or the scruffy hip-hop testimonials of Buck 65, this tight knit community is always gestating new twists on old favorites, and York Redoubt, one of the area’s newest and most exciting acts, are no exception. Recorded largely at a nearby abandoned schoolhouse, these greenhorns are anxious to unroll their full length self-titled debut on Hot Money Records this September.
Trying to grasp the band’s main influence is a difficult procedure. There are occasional spouts of playful dissonance á la Slanted & Enchanted, angular post-rock landslides, and many irreverent hat tips to math rock. With the glassy guitar tones, the closest peers would have to be Calgary’s Women (one of today’s most promising rock acts). The vocals teeter a fine line between naturally demure and an almost self-deprecating take on late 90’s college rock similar to the faux-anthemic Oxford Collapse. With ADD songwriting, flashes of hard/soft contrasts, and breakdowns that contort and scrub themselves at the first sign of sounding cheesy, these guys will run laps around your expectations, but have your blood pumping the entire time.
York Redoubt are set to play at the Pop Montreal and Halifax Pop Explosion this October, and I can only suspect they put on a pretty ecstatic live set. In the mean time, you can download the Cheap Funerals EP for free here.
For Fans Of: Women, Built to Spill, Oxford Collapse
MP3 :::
York Redoubt – I Said Slightly
York Redoubt – Stenciled Lines
