The Local Band Weekend Trilogy : Awesomeness Comes In All Shapes & Sizes

I'd just like to start off by saying that I'll never post about Meat Loaf again.

I promise.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about 3 local/semi-local bands that will be having album launch parties in the city in the month of May : Shapes & Sizes, Miracle Fortress and Handsome Furs.

Shapes & Sizes


Hailing from Vancouver/Victoria BC, but now calling Montreal QC their home, this indie rock quartet has been garnering some serious attention with their 2006 self-titled debut, so much so that they were picked up in June 2006 by Asthmatic Kitty Records, home of none other than folk pop hero Sufjan Stevens.

Their unique blend of indie rock sets them apart from the pack mainly because their songs have a tendency of switching genres from rock to folk to experimental from song to song and even in mid-song, in an almost schizophrenic manner at times and often with surprisingly amazing results. Shapes & Sizes never seem content in just going from point A to point B, but it's the musical detours that make the songs all the more worthwhile to listen to. I won't pretend that this hasn't been done before, bands like Modest Mouse and label mate Sufjan Stevens being other great examples of genre-bending goodness, but these guys pull it off with gusto.

Their sophomore release "Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner" will be released May 22th 2007 through Asthmatic Kitty Records. "Alone/Alive", the first song released off the new album, is so all over the place musically, it almost gave me a seizure...but in a good way (is there such a thing as a "good" seizure?).

Even better news than an upcoming release from an up-and-coming band is that said up-and-coming band will be coming down to Montreal for a little rock & roll meet-and-greet not once but TWICE in the next 2 months!

So mark your calendars with a big red marker folks, you won't want to forget this :

Shapes & Sizes/Miracle Fortress (double album launch extravaganza!) @ Friendship Cove on May 16th 2007 (buy here)

The National/Shapes & Sizes @ Cabaret Juste Pour Rire on June 4th 2007 (buy here)

Here's a couple of songs to check out (provided by The Yellow Stereo) :

Shapes & Sizes - Alone/Alive [mp3]
Shapes & Sizes - The Taste In My Mouth [mp3]

Here's a link to Shapes & Sizes' Myspace site for songs off their self-titled debut!

I'll be posting the two next installments later this weekend! Stay tuned!