Reviews
Entire Cities
Deep River
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2008-04-19
Deep River, the new EP from Entire Cities, does something that I wasn’t completely convinced was possible: capturing -- or at least fairly interpreting -- the band’s amazing live show to record. It isn’t perfect, but I’m not sure that it ever was or could have been.
It’s difficult for a band that lists 11 members in the liner notes, playing instruments such as trombone, saw, banjo and flute. Seeing Entire Cities live can often be very different from the time previous. Sometimes they may be a six-piece, other times seven; one time, I saw them as a three-piece in my buddy Ben’s living room. That’s what is so neat about Entire Cities -- the band, and by extension the songs, is so malleable that it rarely sounds the same.
Deep River has been a hotly anticipated album for many, myself included. It seems the more I work with the indie music scene, the more I realize that bands tend to record their records in a kneejerk fashion. They want to have something to sell, even if that something is of questionable quality or content. Not with Entire Cities though; instead, they just kept plugging away, garnering attention for their live show and gaining fans, most of the time without having even a single item available at a merch table.
It’s that mentality, that all-about-the-music feel, that I’ve always got from Entire Cities that made me so doubtful that it could be effective on record. So I’m here to announce that Deep River does it – artistic, yet still playful; rocking, without ever being over-the-top; beautiful, but somehow never pretentious.
Throughout the record, Simon Borer’s gruff and unpolished vocals are emphasized and turned up very loud in the mix, while Tamara Hope’s vocals are more complimentary. You can hear a prime example of what makes this band so great on “Accountant’s Dream”, which combines the rougher, louder side of Entire Cities with some killer guitar work and a whole bunch of frantic energy from the rest of the band. When this song comes on at the live show, the crowd is suddenly surprised by just how rowdy Entire Cities can get from time to time.
“Waiting” demonstrates the other side of Entire Cities, the side I think more people are familiar with, which is writing beautifully artistic songs. The song leads in with some triumphantly powerful flute played by Ruhee Dewji that really sets the tone for the song when Tamara and Simon come in on vocals. This is a heavy song in tone, and one that is in no particular rush to reach the finish line. The inclusion of the saw on this song provides it with a quietly haunting element throughout. It’s like a perfectly written movie within a five-minute song, bringing you through the slow lead-in, gaining serious steam and hitting an enormous crescendo -- perhaps the high point of the entire record -- only to end again almost as quietly as it began.
Deep River is a refreshing listen from a band whose patience has paid off in what might very well be the best record to come out of Toronto in 2008. Any praise Deep River receives is completely deserved, and I personally encourage you to go find a copy and give it a listen.
Score: 8.7
- DanW