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I was having breakfast with my cousins a few weeks
ago, and of all my 100+ cousins, Jeff is the only
one that bonds with me on music. We talked about
this and that, and much to my dismay, he thought
that good music releases were slim to none in recent
years. I must have looked at him like he said he
was going to become a Republican, because he quickly
admitted that in fact he hadn’t really kept
up with new music much. This was the guy that introduced
me to the White Stripes when they were considered
a local band out of Detroit. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
I promptly took him to Twist and Shout and set
him up with at least 10 or 12 albums from 2007
and this year, which I thought would do him for
at least the next week.
Had The Coast had their new
album available at that time, I would have eagerly
added Expatriate to
the stack. Each song is soaked with those fresh
and glorious guitar lines that resemble an aural
version of twinkling light on a lake at dusk.
The moods bounce from lively, trampoline joy rides
(“Floodlight,” “Tightrope,”),
then shift into second gear with more emphasis
on melody and organic structure (“We’ve
Been Killing Off Our Friends,” “The
Moon Is Dead”) and then down to a slow dive
of introspective travel (“Song For Gypsy
Rose Lee,” “All The Boys”).
Considered to be “Canada’s Best Kept
Secret,” The Coast, which is comprised of
Benjamin Spurr (vocals/guitar),
brothers Jordan Melchiorre (drums)
and Luke Melchiorre (bass), and
Ian Fosbery (guitar/keyboards),
the latter of which adds the compelling spark
of tenacity on “Nueva York,” one of
my favorite tracks.
Whether purposely or ironically in respect to
the band’s name, this is music made for
ocean drives, for blasting on your yacht on the
weekends, or from the megawatt speakers in your
humble Malibu beach house. Even if you don’t
have a millionaire's income or easy access to
the coast, Expatriate offers up a treasure
trove of musical abundance at every corner.
Having toured with some big leaguers such as
Elbow, Duke Spirit, Island, French Kicks, Tokyo
Police Club, they’ll be heading out again
in the Fall with TPC, along with Born Ruffians
and Denver's Dressy Bessy. This Tuesday,
August 19 they’ll be here at Hi-Dive performing
with Hello Kavita, Chris Koza, Eleanor.
Expatriate hits the streets Tuesday,
August 19 on Aporia.
www.myspace.com/thecoastmusic
www.last.fm/music/The+Coast
-Kim Owens, August 13, 2008
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