Hello, My Dear

Friday night, I headed over to Lee's Palace to see two bands, both of whom were often into "epic" songs, drawn out and full of changes. First up was local band Language-Arts, although the lead singer/guitarist Kristen Cudmore is originally from the Maritimes. This was their last show touring Canada for their latest album Able Island. As such, they concentrated on new numbers including Neighbour and Fight or Flight. Cudmore's propensity for hilarious but inappropriate revelation continued with her admission that one song (Tonight, At The Campsite) was about an ex who "never looked at [her] during sex". Though their songs are often wordy, their live set was more propulsive.

The head-liner was The Dears out of Montreal. Since their oeuvre spanned some 20 years, including a new release this year, there was plenty of (usually muscular and symphonic) material to choose from. Their set opened and closed with two different recordings of Que Sera Sera. Singer/guitarist Murray Lightburn came onstage, and accompanied by a string quartet, crooned Bandwagoneers. His smooth singing ranged from a deep bass to a sweet high note on songs such as Face of Horrors, 5 Chords, and Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe? Vocalist/synth Natalia Yanchak provided a light harmonic counterpoint though she occasionally took co-lead (Onward and Downward, 22: The Death of All The Romance).

For the encore, they were joined by ex-member Robert Bentley for two rocking numbers. The crowd tonight was obviously long-time fans who embraced the new stuff and cheered on old favourites. Some expressed disbelief that somehow The Dears never became huge. Certainly, they do seem to have the same anthemic feel as another Montreal band, the more "recent" Arcade Fire.