Year of Glad

POP Montreal, Montreal QC, September 16

Photo: Steve Louie

BY Matt BobkinPublished Sep 17, 2017

7
"This song is about the second Genesis: entertainment systems" is what I thought Year of Glad vocalist A.P. Bergeron said when introducing his third song. What he actually said was "Sega Genesis entertainment system," in reference to the '90s videogame console, but given his brand of epic prog-folk, it's forgivable to assume he was talking about something biblical.
 
Bergeron's project creates twisting soundscapes that push instruments to their limits, chief among them his voice, which he stretches into shrill, falsetto vocalising. It's as if Sigur Rós traded out their pop sensibilities for folkier influences.
 
Joined by a quintet of backing musicians including a violinist and saxophonist, the set was an exploration in dynamics, with their hushed noodling and bombastic cacophony enthralling in equal measure. Despite the band's size and sound, they carried themselves with an undeniable grace, never collapsing under the weight of their grandiosity.
 
 

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