The Hidden Names

Before I heard Parlour Steps’ Hidden Names (out October 13), I did a little bit of amateur research on the band to get my bearings.  I had never heard any of the Vancouver band’s music before, though my hopes were quickly raised high when I heard that a song of theirs (“Thieves of Memory”) had won the International Songwriting Competition.

I went to their MySpace page, read their profile, and turned on the new album.  I thought I’d got the wrong band.

Not in a bad way, though.  It’s just that their profile says that they are ‘creating something new: Thought-Rock! This is art damaged beauty, music that is both stormy and playful… influence is drawn from emotional rockers Arcade Fire and The Pixies, combined with the lyrical elements of Sufjan Stevens and Tom Waits… unafraid of asking big questions and taking musical risks….’

Okay, so I heard none of that in Parlour Steps.  Well, maybe the Sufjan Stevens thing, but it’s more his vocals that seem to inspire Parlous Steps here, not his lyrics.  But this is all okay – it’s not the music I have a problem with, it’s the opinion reflected here about their music (whoever wrote it).  Forgetting the almost offensive and downright idiotic term ‘thought-rock,’ Parlour Steps shouldn’t really feel any need to sell themselves as such a forward-thinking band.

The bottom line on Hidden Names, though, is: it’s damn fine entertainment.  The tone is nicely summarized in the chorus of the opener, “As the World Turned Out” – riding a snappy guitar hook, singer Caleb Stull sings: ‘We might just start to think we’re good enough.’  It’s one of those lines that you wish a lot of bands would be honest enough to admit, rather than feigning importance behind their supposedly impenetrable wall of esoteric-ness.  And that isn’t the only line that parodies indie grandeur – on “Bleeding Hearts,” Stull opens with: ‘My friends and I feel relevant/It’s a fate worse than death.’

So Stull obviously has a way with a words (and his vocals get the job done – when I mentioned Sufjan Stevens earlier, I must say his voice isn’t as grating on the softer numbers as Stevens’ can be).  But how’s the music? Well, it’s pretty good, too.  The parts that may resonate most – the ones that you want to return to – are instrumental portions like the delicate last minute of “Sleeping City”, which really does sound like a city falling gently asleep in unison.  And a similar coda in “Bad Math.”  And the twilit guitar interludes in the almost-perfect “The Catastrophists.”  And one can’t forget the watery piano and guitar in “Little Pieces,” which both sound like something Cat Power could have written (though there, along with others on Hidden Names, you might wish that Parlour Steps had followed Ms. Marshall’s aesthetic of not always feeling the need to use drums – the songs here may have benefited from being looser).

Admittedly, these guys don’t quite have a way with solid rockers yet.  They take an ill-advised foray into a stomper in “Miraculous,” which is nearly saved by the guitar interplay of Stull and Rees Haynes, and the vocal harmonies (either by bassist Julia Bavalis or subtle keyboardist Allyson Mara).  Almost.  A similar misstep is taken with the stumbling, aforementioned “Bleeding Hearts.”  And the guitar line that powers “Blindness” isn’t nearly as smart as the band thinks it is.

It’s ironic that the band would mention Pixies as an influence, since one thing you’ll notice is that Parlour Steps don’t come to roaring choruses like Black Francis’ gang did – they hold back and make them more subtle, with the final crescendo in closer “Mad Mad Day” being one of the few exceptions.

But that’s no matter.  I’m surprised that these guys felt the need to set such lofty standards for themselves.  Contrary to the description, this music is far from challenging unless you tuned out of independent music as soon as R.E.M. came along.  This is very enjoyable stuff, with some truly beautiful moments and some intelligent snatches of lyrics.  I just wish the band had the courage to describe themselves as such, and maybe stop pushing the rockers.  Yo La Tengo have made an entire career out of that – a-ha! Now there’s a fitting comparison…and a compliment.  These guys are easily worth your time.

For more Parlour Steps:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/parloursteps