CMW Critical Conclusions for: Boreal Sons

The first band for our Thursday night Canadian Music Week experience was Boreal Sons. They played the somewhat awkward Cameron House (in that you walk right beside both the front room stage and then past the back room stage to get to the audience area).

Venue: Cameron House (Back Room)

First Impressions: Great sound and mix. I like their vibe. The vocals are unique, but familiar, which I know makes no sense. They are familiar in that they remind me of some weird hybrid that I can’t quite place – something like Death Cab for Cutie mixed with Keane (but specifically Atlantic, because of the synth vibe) and then kind of the Guillemots. Interesting first thoughts eh – I have the mind of a maniac.

Stage Presence: Standard three-piece-in-a-small-stage set up, in that options were limited. Good banter between songs though. I particularly liked noting that one song was “Inspired by a Christmas Eve midnight mass I attended, and then I saw a girl’s hair catch on fire from the candles.”

Crowd Reaction: Seated awkwardly and standing around the fringes of the venue. This is often the case at this venue, unless it is rammed, and people fill the gaps.

Random Observation: If you’re a white male drummer and have black thick rubber glasses, you look like Patrick Carney to me.

Last Word: The Calgary act covered another Calgary artist in Feist (The Good in Each Other). The band seem talented, and I like their vibe. However, their song writing and structure doesn’t suit my tastes 100%, and I would like to see them try some other directions (where I think they would excel. Again, to each their own – I’m just a dude in front of a keyboard). A good, tight three-piece with a good singer. 7/10