Barcelona Pavilion

It's Because Of…

BY Alex MolotkowPublished Jul 1, 2005

Love them or hate them, the Barcelona Pavilion are what they are: Toronto's forerunning lo-fi pop act. Their sound is inspired by the DIY bedroom aesthetic of Beat Happening, and delivered via a current of electronic fuzz. Steve Kado and Vanessa Fischer hoot and holler with and at one another like siblings fighting over toys, while simple laptop beats patter away and bass licks thread a melody through the to-do. This is the third instalment in a series of MiniDisc EPs, and in terms of format alone, the Barcelona Pavilion's music could not be better presented. It is ideal bedroom dance music, conceived in basements and performed among friends, packaged in folded cardboard and sold at zine fairs: as precious as it is ephemeral. In fact, ephemera is a big part of what the Barcelona Pavilion are all about, but in a deep way. They believe in fun: mass participation in fun, making your own fun, and the marriage of fun and intellectualism. They are all about the expansion of fun to new realms — often ones you thought were confined to lecture halls (where else will you find electro-pop songs about semiotics?). Here are four songs that should bring you joy, chuckles, and body tremors. Though this album won't launch any emotional journeys, those of you who prefer to release your feelings in big blasts of positive energy will find it right up your alley.
(Blocks)

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