The Collapse / Dragon Fli Empire

I’ve never seen any other band do it, but confetti canon pyrotechnics seemed like a fitting way to punctuate the end of the Collapse’s CD release party for Kills 56. Aiming to exceed expectations, the band made several tidy genre changes in their set, a dozen instrument switches and welcomed two guest vocalists: Lisa German (ex-Shrinking Violet) and Edmonton’s Amy Seeley. Floating between indie rock and an electrifying mix of alt country and vivid shoegazing, the Collapse were clearly hell-bent on making their young band something that even the jaded scenesters could get excited about. Local duo Dragon Fli Empire were wisely recruited to kick off a night of decidedly diverse entertainment. Teekay (emcee Tarik Robinson) began by playfully consoling the crowd for being tortured by ubiquitous and bland booty-obsessed hip-hop. Then, he and DJ Cosm (Adam Hicks) barrelled through an imaginative demonstration of how they’re doing their part to reinvigorate the genre. While Teekay wittily laid down bright and positive rhymes (occasionally en Français), Cosm continued marching out his drool-worthy vinyl collection and cheeky mixing skills. During the Collapse’s firmly diplomatic set, John Hadley, Patrick Palardy and Ken Price’s revolving vocals were each reminiscent of Sebastian Lippa from ’90s cod rock sensations the Hardship Post. However, the magically cohesive moments occurred during songs from drummer/vocalist Mike Angus. Similar to John K. Samson, Angus shone while his band-mates concentrated on meticulously painting out moving soundscapes, such as in the sublime "Geographic Center of Canada.” Detail-oriented, the band used the violin, pedal steel guitar, trumpet and banjo to flesh out atmospheric arrangements as vast as their beloved prairie home. Although still a little green in parts, there were enough moments of brilliance to indicate that the Collapse are a highly promising act to watch for in the future.