Singer-guitarist Xavier Germain Poitras and drummer Louis Guillemette like their rock loud, fast and fuzzy, or at least that's the impression they give on their full-length debut as Solids. Not unlike their West Coast counterparts Japandroids, the Montreal guitar and drums duo craft punchy tunes out of a distortion-heavy wall of sound, mining the likes of Superchunk and Hüsker Dü in the process.
Of course, it's not the sound you stole that matters, but what you do with it. When moving at full throttle, as they often do, it's difficult to differentiate the band from their influences, so it falls to their slower, more melodic numbers to do the heavy lifting, revealing the band's true knack for pop craftsmanship.
Poitras and Guillemette had already self-released this record to college radio last year before getting scooped up by Fat Possum (Dine Alone is handling the album here in Canada), suggesting Blame Confusion could be a major breakthrough. That's not yet the case, but the record is, ahem, a solid debut that should provide a jumping off point for something great next time out.
(Dine Alone)Of course, it's not the sound you stole that matters, but what you do with it. When moving at full throttle, as they often do, it's difficult to differentiate the band from their influences, so it falls to their slower, more melodic numbers to do the heavy lifting, revealing the band's true knack for pop craftsmanship.
Poitras and Guillemette had already self-released this record to college radio last year before getting scooped up by Fat Possum (Dine Alone is handling the album here in Canada), suggesting Blame Confusion could be a major breakthrough. That's not yet the case, but the record is, ahem, a solid debut that should provide a jumping off point for something great next time out.
