ARTiST: The Most Serene Republic
TiTLE: Population
LABEL: Arts & Crafts
GENRE: Indie
TiME: 53:59 min
SiZE: 79,8 MB
BiTRATE: VBRkbps
RiP DATE: Aug-29-2007
RELEASE DATE: Oct-02-2007
WEBSiTE: n/a
Track List:
01. Humble Peasants 03:23
02. Compliance 04:14
03. The Men Who Live Upstairs 04:32
04. Present Of Future End 05:25
05. A Mix Of Sun And Cloud 03:50
06. Battle Hymn Of The Republic 03:27
07. Why So Looking Back 04:47
08. Sherry And Her Butterfly Net 05:11
09. Agenbite Of Inwit 02:06
10. Career In Shaping Clay 04:04
11. Solipsism Millionaires 04:47
12. Mulitplication Desks 05:00
13. Neurasthenia 03:13
Release Notes:
æAt the rate theyÆre going, whether they mean to or
not, The Most Serene Republic will alter the way in
which people appreciate rock music. It might sound
like a lofty achievement for an unlikely band of
20-somethings bred in the Toronto suburb of Milton,
Ontario but if you pay close attention to their
discographyùparticularly 2007Æs PopulationùyouÆll
hear something entirely unique. DonÆt disregard
their dense art-pop breakthrough Underwater
Cinematographer (2005) or the transitional tour EP,
Phages (2006) completely; these are the keys to
understanding how The Most Serene Republic came to
form the masterful achievement that is Population,
which might seem superficially sugary if it werenÆt
for the poison lurking under its remarkable layers
of sound.
ôPopulation is our dystopian novel record,ö producer
and keyboard player Ryan Lenssen explains. ôIt is
The Empire Strikes Back; itÆs the one that starts
out with all the action and then leaves you hanging,
makes you wait for The Return of the Jedi. It really
is the anti-record, the one in between that
celebrates the negatives of everything.ö
When Lenssen and vocalist Adrian Jewett started The
Most Serene Republic in 2003, the band served as an
escape from the rigidity of the arts degrees they
were pursuing at university. Frustrated with
stifling curriculums, the two put all of their
expression into making music together. Though more
fulfilled, with their passions running high these
days, thereÆs a lingering sense of bitterness and
rage in the songs on Population.
ôThe juxtaposition between the music and the lyrics
is just so grand,ö Lenssen says. ôThe music itself
sounds almostùalmostùhappy. People will look at the
cover and see all the beautiful graphics but then
theyÆre going to get into the philosophy of the
record and that is much, much darker.ö
ôIf people were to truly understand what we were
really saying and all of the musical choices and why
they were thereàthis is way more calculated. This is
murder in the first degree. This is malicious,
unbridled anger and I think weÆre sort of a little
insane because of the way we present it. We are that
scary clown. We are stabbing you in the front and
smiling, brushing your cheek, saying æIsnÆt it
lovely? IsnÆt it lovely?Æö
Indeed, itÆs difficult not to be swept up in the
musical fray produced by The Most Serene Republic,
which has undergone recent changes. In 2006, a brand
new rhythm section comprised of bassist Simon
Lukasewich and drummer Tony Nesbitt-Larking joined
Jewett, Lenssen, vocalist/guitarist Emma Ditchburn,
and guitarists Nick Greaves and Sean Woolven. Fans
of the band will note that Population boasts a
familiar bubbling sonic landscape with raucous,
arty, pop structures and walls of ambient noise but
the band are even heavier and mightier rhythmically
than in the past. ôI think we sound far more
professional and the ideas started to meld,ö Lenssen
says. ôThe level of musicianship and the desire to
be the best we can possibly be at any given moment
started to happen in the last year.ö
Furthermore, thereÆs the addition of vocalist
Ditchburn to the mix. On Underwater Cinematographer,
JewettÆs high voice was a pretty, wondrous thing,
floating beautifully over the dynamic musical shifts
and voices that surrounded him. Live, he and the
band unleashed themselves on audiences with manic
energy and force, holding their own on tours with
the Strokes, Metric, Stars, and Broken Social Scene.
On Population, Jewett shares the microphone with
DitchburnÆs comparably deep and sensual voice, and
the sophisticated intermingling creates a whole new
instrument for The Most Serene Republic.
ôOn Phages, we experimented with Adrian and EmmaÆs
voices,ö Lenssen recalls. ôWe have a lot of
experience listening to vocal duets and we thought,
æWe could do that, or invent a whole brand new
thing.Æ So, we decided to go with the latter and
people either love it or hate it IÆm sure but it is,
at least, its own thing.ö
In challenging themselves to make music that is
wholly unique yet spirited and engaging, The Most
Serene Republic are far away from award shows and
prizes. Population isnÆt easy, itÆs artùa musical
call to arms for people to choose whether theyÆre
passive patrons or sincerely down with having their
minds blown. As such, like all great albums,
Population isnÆt going to come to you, youÆre going
to have to go to it.
ôI want people to put on the record and I want them
to stop what theyÆre doing and just listen to it,ö
Lenssen says. ôIf they listen to it once a year, IÆm
happy. If they listen to it once in their lifetime
in that dedicated kind of way, IÆll be happy. But I
do honestly think that if you spend time with it, it
reveals truths with each listen. Every word and note
is so placed to be the most biting it could be.ö