Leave It All Behind (studio album) by Poplar Street

From sageamagoo 09/19/2014 02:41

Poplar Street's second release, and also their best work to date. Their sound hasn't changed much since the first EP—it still has that lo-fi, indie feel—though the music has evolved in a wonderful way. Songs like "Make You Disappear" have, well, disappeared from the release—that cheerful diddy has been replaced with something more engaging and thought-provoking. The melancholy of "Survive" has been refined and perfected, though the vocals have a newfound air of pent-up anger despite the purity of Mike Fong's fantastic guitar tones.

The whole album drifts along, pianos and guitars meshing seamlessly to provide texture and melody while Michael Delano belts out some of the most infectious vocal lines you've ever heard in this style of music. (Yes, catchy post-rock is a thing now.) "All I've Done" opens with a drum intro (think "Stop Swimming") before getting into the full song, incorporating a strong control over dynamics to good effect. "The Netherlands" is one of the highlights here—it slowly builds to a fantastic climax, with a snare drum march as a break between the epic choruses. But the band doesn't rely on gimmicks to get their music across—that march is there because it fits damn well with the song. "You're Right, You're Wrong" is drenched with reverb, contrasted perfectly by the complex drum beat in the background. "Watching and Waiting" is a great closer; the drums build up halfway though the song while the vocalist croons one of the catchiest melodies the band has created to date, leaving you wishing this was a full album and not just an EP.

Poplar Street's strength is in the way each instrument blends with each other, providing a sound that's both satisfying and unique. Hard to believe a great band has emerged from my native Atlantic Canada, and they're producing something other than folk.