Controller.Controller

An unbefitting title for a band whose time together has been surprisingly short, (the quintet have only been playing shows since the beginning of ’03 and only came together at the end of the previous year) given the amount of progress the Toronto band has made in their short saga. Quickly snapped up by local label Paper Bag after being critically highlighted both at home and somewhat nationally, controller.controller exist in somewhat of a peerless state on Paper Bag, bringing a much-needed kick to the otherwise mellow roster. And what the band lack in back story, they make up for in enthusiasm. The group pride themselves on their accomplishments in stirring up dance fever in apparently stony Toronto crowds — their winning combination is a brand of that recognisable dance-y post-punk, set apart a little by dark and sombre undertones and spontaneous break downs that’ll make you wonder if somebody was toiling away in a hardcore band before the disco wave hit. Nirmala Basnayake’s vocals cast the songs in a familiar light, the inflection in her sighing ahhs and ohhs call on Madam O herself (Karen, not Jackie), but dimmer, as if this version of the latest craze was crafted in the early ’90s. The group is solid and steady, but keep to up with the rabid pack, sooner or later controller.controller are going to have to take us by sonic surprise.