If Sufjan Stevens's stamp of approval is any indication of a band's quality, then Victoria, BC natives Shapes and Sizes are ones to take notice of. Currently the only Canadian band on his Asthmatic Kitty roster, the experimental quartet have a penchant for jam-packed tracks embellished with quirky, left-field riffs.
It has been three years since Shapes and Sizes' sophomore record, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, and a lot has changed since then. Now based in Montreal, the band have calmed their somewhat scatterbrained sound, and in comparison to their self-described "obnoxious" early records, the end result is a more "subdued" approach, which you hear all over new LP Candle to Your Eyes.
Candle to Your Eyes is out Tuesday (August 3) via Asthmatic Kitty, but you can listen to it here, where it is streaming all week on Exclaim.ca.
The band's maturation is felt in this, their third album. From the muddy, echo-drenched "You Don't Have to Drink from Here" to the slightly schizophrenic melody, mood and tempo changes of "Time Has Practically Stopped," Shapes and Sizes have figured out a formula that makes for a record that will keep ahold of listeners' attention.
Candle to Your Eyes' enhanced exploration of the sonic soundscape, improved self-editing and the murky, almost blues-soaked guitar running through most of the record, create a balanced, well-thought-out album.
Steady, paced and rooted, yet urgent and continuously alert, Shapes and Sizes' Candle to Your Eyes is proof of a self-assured band where everyone is on the same page.
Candle to Your Eyes will be streaming on Exclaim.ca until August 9.
Stay tuned for these future full-album streams on Exclaim.ca:
Ray LaMontagne God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise August 10 to August 16
Mogwai Special Moves August 17 to August 23
Comeback Kid Symptoms & Cures August 24 to August 30
It has been three years since Shapes and Sizes' sophomore record, Split Lips, Winning Hips, a Shiner, and a lot has changed since then. Now based in Montreal, the band have calmed their somewhat scatterbrained sound, and in comparison to their self-described "obnoxious" early records, the end result is a more "subdued" approach, which you hear all over new LP Candle to Your Eyes.
Candle to Your Eyes is out Tuesday (August 3) via Asthmatic Kitty, but you can listen to it here, where it is streaming all week on Exclaim.ca.
The band's maturation is felt in this, their third album. From the muddy, echo-drenched "You Don't Have to Drink from Here" to the slightly schizophrenic melody, mood and tempo changes of "Time Has Practically Stopped," Shapes and Sizes have figured out a formula that makes for a record that will keep ahold of listeners' attention.
Candle to Your Eyes' enhanced exploration of the sonic soundscape, improved self-editing and the murky, almost blues-soaked guitar running through most of the record, create a balanced, well-thought-out album.
Steady, paced and rooted, yet urgent and continuously alert, Shapes and Sizes' Candle to Your Eyes is proof of a self-assured band where everyone is on the same page.
Candle to Your Eyes will be streaming on Exclaim.ca until August 9.
Stay tuned for these future full-album streams on Exclaim.ca:
Ray LaMontagne God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise August 10 to August 16
Mogwai Special Moves August 17 to August 23
Comeback Kid Symptoms & Cures August 24 to August 30
