A hat-tip for today’s Intro post goes to Tiana Feng of Ride The Tempo, whose “Present Boxes From Canada” are always filled to bursting with musical treats. Her September edition was no different. For the particularly astute amongst you, this may have tipped you off to SolarSolar‘s origins – but, you know, don’t be too hard on yourself if it didn’t. It’s Canada, by the way; specifically Waterloo, Ontario. And I can confirm that they are definitely a musical treat.
They’re a duo/trio depending on whether they’re just tinkering between themselves or playing live respectively. The core pair are Dan Drysdale, who plays synths and guitars, and Angela Drysdale, who sings and plays synths. Dan started out very much in the guitar vein, playing with a couple of rock bands; like all the really great music out their, SolarSolar evolved from mucking about in spare time. Live, they’re joined by Thomas Hammerton to help plug any gaps. The whole live set-up is a work in progress at the moment: as you’ll hear, the songs don’t exactly lend themselves to live reproduction in their current form.
Why that is should become clear when I say that one of their key influences – and the first comparison that came to my mind – is the almost unreasonably brilliant Swedish electro-pop duo The Knife. My first taste of SolarSolar, “I Can’t Find You”, has a definite air of the sublime “The Captain”. Both bands trade in intricate, multi-layered shenanigans that sound stunning, but must be an absolute nightmare to try and orchestrate in a live setting.
Their other influences extend in various directions – some of them really quite unexpected (if anyone can pick up Tool or Bauhaus in there let me know, although I’m all for it in principle). Those that really shine through are the minimalists – Eno, Glass, Satie (a particular favourite of mine) – and the ambitious electronica pioneers – Kraftwerk, basically.
SolarSolar released a debut EP, “Secrets And Orchids”, just over a year ago – it’s available free on their Bandcamp and well worth grabbing. Its more upbeat moments, “Creature Makers” and “Secrets And Orchids”, have apparently been popular: “Creature Makers” in particular has more than a touch of the Tamborello to it, so I guess that’s unsurprising. That said, I much preferred the darker opening tracks, “Closer To The Sun” and “It Should Begin”. I guess I’m just a moody git, or something.
The pair have a debut album due out imminently, so I strongly recommend keeping your eyes peeled. In the meantime, you can download some highlights-to-date below, or follow the links for more audible chocolate (yes, I’ve been watching South Park).
Connect with SolarSolar – Facebook | Twitter | Website | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
SolarSolar – ”It Should Begin”
SolarSolar – ”Creature Makers”
