Artist Profile
City and Colour
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And now for something completely different. If this doesn’t support the notion that I have an eclectic taste in music, I don’t know what will. I hope it’s no secret that Alexisonfire is one of my favorite bands, and I’ve always felt their strongest attribute was their singer. So really, it was a no brainer to make the purchase when I found out Dallas had a side project. There really are very few singer/songwriter type albums that I own, but these two were well worth the purchase.
The first album, Sometimes (2005) is almost purely acoustic guitar and singing. There are a couple tracks with some piano pieces. But the follow-up studio release Bring Me Your Love (2008) incorporates subtle drums and sometimes piano, harmonica, banjo, and the like. Let me reiterate that, acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica, banjo and the like. Yes, I also said singer/songwriter. Yes, this is Dan. I swear. So why haven’t I posted about singer/songwriters before? Maybe I’m just not terribly well versed, but honestly I really don’t like most of the ones I’ve heard. To save scorn and fury from our readers, I won’t name any of them. But singer/songwriters too often focus on the story and then it really becomes poetry to me. That’s fine, but I really listen to music… you know, for the music. I’ve been in many debates, arguments, and down-right shit shows on this matter. That’s not what I’m here to talk about. Simply put, City and Colour is some the best musicianship I’ve heard from a stripped down singer/songwriter. Feel free to disagree with me on that notion, but if you’re a true Obnoxious Listener I know you’ll at least agree it’s good music… it just might not be your cup of tea.
I won’t go so far as to say Dallas Green (his name is a city and a colour… peculiar) has one the best voices in rock, but he’s definitely one of my favorites. He’s got a great range and a lot of confidence behind his voice… and more importantly you can hear his emotion. It was true in Alexisonfire, and it’s certainly true in his solo project. The fact that both projects are so different really speaks to his ability. But it goes beyond the vocals and lyrics. The guitar work is actually pretty good too. There’s often a lot more to it than just strumming open or bar chords like many singer/songwriters… granted Dallas defaults to that from time to time, but that’s OK. There were definitely a few moments where I thought, “damn, would not have thought of that”. That’s right, my thoughts do not adhere to ridiculous grammar rules… like requiring a subject to go with my predicate. However, I won’t think twice about correcting Nirav’s grammar. But really, the focus of these albums is on composition and vocals.
I realize this music is “whimpy” compared to my usual perceived tastes, but part of being an Obnoxious Listener is listening to music beyond the surface. There are so many genres of music and they are great in their own ways. Right along the same lines, I’ve really got to give Dallas credit for pulling this project off since it’s so drastically different from Alexisonfire. Not only that, it has been rather well received. On a quick ending note, if you think City and Colour is good but you won’t break down and listen to “whimpy” music, make sure you check out Alexisonfire.
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