Thursday 27 August 2009



NEW MUSiC: The Balconies

(photo: Ben Welland)

(photo: Ben Welland)

When I first heard “Lulu”, the opening track on Ottawa band The Balconies self-titled debut album, I had this odd out-of-body experience akin to moving back in time.  The retro vibe of this jangly, effervescent power pop track reminds me of a cross between an ironic-free B-52′s and early Britpoppers Echobelly, both of which are good things in my books.  The buzz they’ve generated since forming in late 2007 is very much justified; The Balconies is an impressive collection of songs written by all three members, perfectly executed.  The guitar riffs jangle and rock, the vocals soar and soothe the soul, and the whole package grooves and shimmies like all get-out.  One Of my favourite moments on the record is “The Slo” and its down tempo, slinky groove, provided by bassist Steve Neville, coupled with vocalist Jacquie Neville’s piercing voice.  The brother and sister are joined in the band by Liam Jaeger, completing the power-pop triangle.

The Balconies were scheduled to play at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern last night, and have a few more dates lined up  through Southern Ontario in the nest few months to celebrate the release of the LP in September.  Check the link to their Myspace page below for further dates and information surrounding the album’s release.

MP3: The Balconies “Smells Like Secrets”
MP3: The Balconies “The Slo”
Myspace: The Balconies
Facebook: The Balconies

by J. Di Gioia | 1 Comment »

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One Response to “NEW MUSiC: The Balconies”

the balconies – the balconies :: indie shuffle [beta] September 5th, 2009 at 9:51 pm

[...] the balconies self-titled debut album drops on september 15th, 2009. The guitar riffs jangle and rock, the vocals soar and soothe the soul, and the whole package grooves and shimmies like all get-out.  One Of my favourite moments on the record is “The Slo” and its down tempo, slinky groove, provided by bassist Steve Neville, coupled with vocalist Jacquie Neville’s piercing voice.  The brother and sister are joined in the band by Liam Jaeger, completing the power-pop triangle – quickbeforeitmelts.com [...]