The Most Serene Republic Albums (4)
'...And the Ever Expanding Universe'
Release Date 7/14/2009
Tracks 11
Label ACS
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Toronto is a city that seems to spawn pop groups unafraid to aim for a grand and distinctive vision, and one such band, the Most Serene Republic, has been raising its sights a bit higher with each successive trip to the recording studio. The group's fourth album, ...And the Ever Expanding Universe, feels too modest to be called epochal, but its sweep and ambition are broad enough that no other word feels quite apt. While the band features seven musicians, with help from producer Dave Newfeld, the Most Serene Republic sound like some sort of 21st century chamber orchestra on these sessions, particularly on the extended instrumental "Patternicity," and though they haven't abandoned the usual trappings of contemporary pop (cue up the lovely "Vessels of a Donor Look" for evidence), the rich tonal colors and imaginative vocal arrangements that run through most tracks are the work of a band that's moved past guitar/bass/drums/maybe a keyboard in favor of a more challenging vision. ...And the Ever Expanding Universe is tuneful, and the sweetness of the harmonies that dot many of the songs is engaging, but the swing between the breathy voices and cruelly distorted instruments on "Phi" is the work of a group not content to simply sound pretty, and the layers of instruments that interact within a selection like "Catharsis Boo" show that fun and challenging are not concepts that cancel each other out. And there's a graceful balance in the arrangements and performances that keeps this music joyous and full of wonder whether it aims for simplicity or a baroque level of detail. ...And the Ever Expanding Universe is a small wonder that easily confirms the Most Serene Republic's status as one of the most impressive acts on a Toronto pop scene that is already producing a bounty of exciting music. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
At this point in time in the new millennium, Toronto rock might as well be considered its own subgenre. The success of the Arts & Crafts label and the group Broken Social Scene (and artists like Feist, Amy Millan, and Kevin Drew) has cemented the sound and idea of the city in the minds of indie rock fans across North America, even the world. The second full-length by the Most Serene Republic only helps to confirm that this is no fluke. Sporting intricately laid instrumental parts, none of which stay consistent throughout an entire track, anthemic, sometimes obscured or impenetrable male and female vocals, and an aggressive rhythm section, Population is a record that refuses to sit and meditate upon one particular thing for too long, instead approaching a theme (both musical and lyrical) from as many different angles as possible -- and never directly -- as if in an effort to circumscribe an idea rather than defining it tidily. In "Present of Future End," for example, dynamics rise and fall, guitars enter and exit, horns burst and fade away as singers Adrian Jewett and Emma Ditchburn trade off lines about the effects of technology on relationships. "When the talking involved mouth not hands," Jewett reminisces, while Ditchburn counters later with the sweetly melodic, singsongy "Take my voice, please do what you want with it, chose like a mouse with click." Clearly delineated verses and choruses are eschewed for rolling, sweeping phrases that, despite their occasional lack of focus, carry listeners along on the journey and are never boring. Even the instrumental selections here -- the Brazilian jazz-influenced "A Mix of Sun and Cloud," the pastoral opener "Humble Peasants," and the dramatic Italian cinema-inspired "Agenbite of Inwit" -- are engaging enough in their musical diversity that they just add to the overall ambiance of Population, that kind of caught-in-the-moment feeling you get when you realize the album's already done and you don't know where that time went. The kind of offering that proves the Most Serene Republic's place in not only Toronto rock, but in indie rock itself. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Notable in part for being the first band (preceding Los Campesinos! and New Buffalo) signed to Broken Social Scene's Arts and Crafts label without a membership connection to the mother band, the Most Serene Republic are nonetheless a perfect musical and philosophical fit. At eight songs in just about a half hour, Phages was originally recorded as a tour souvenir EP, but the label later gave it a wider release, not least because in nearly every way, it's an enormous improvement over their somewhat tentative debut album. The addition of second vocalist and guitarist Emma Ditchburn alongside frontman Adrian Jewett changes the entire dynamic of the band's sound, for the better. With two singers, the Most Serene Republic now have the vocal capabilities to properly enhance their textured, complex dream pop. Also, it must be said that Ditchburn is simply a better singer for this band than Jewett; his wispy high-register voice isn't as freakishly ethereal as that of Sigur Rós' Jon Thor Birgisson, but it's in that ballpark, and with Ditchburn tending to favor the lower harmonies, she adds some much needed substance and ballast to the vocals. As on Underwater Cinematographer, the lyrics seem like elliptical afterthoughts to the multi-layered arrangements, and as with the vocals, the overall sound of Phages is fuller and more detailed than its predecessor, from the near-instrumental opener "Emergency Performance Art Piece" to the closing track "Stay Ups," which opens with a free jazz duet for piano and drums before downshifting into a dreamy piano ballad that slowly builds into a full-band climax featuring distorted guitar drones and sweet-and-sour horns. A transitional record that points the way towards 2007's even more opulent Population, Phages is an important point in the Most Serene Republic catalog on its own merits. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
'Underwater Cinematographer'
Release Date 7/12/2005
Tracks 11
Label Arts & Crafts
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Most Serene Republic might tip their hats to their Arts & Crafts labelmates on their debut album Underwater Cinematographer, but this theatrical sextet is their own supergroup. Underwater Cinematographer comes off shiny and happy at first with its majestic piano arrangements dancing around angst-ridden guitar riffs and warm harmonies. Frontman/songwriter Adrian Jewett wears his heart on his sleeve like so many of indie rock's tortured souls (Lou Barlow, Ben Gibbard, Joey Sweeney), particularly on songs such as "The Protagonist Suddenly Realizes What He Must Do in the Middle of Downtown Traffic" and "In Places, Empty Spaces." These two particular tracks not only highlight a classic sentimentality, but also an inviting and a very personal effort from the band. They make it okay to be playful ("King of No One") and smart ("You're a Loose Cannon McArthur...But You Get the Job Done"), all without melodrama and too much romance. Underwater Cinematographer isn't your quintessential debut album. It's too complex, too inquisitive, and too ambitious. Tip your hats to the Most Serene Republic. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
