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Avg: 3.5 (25 ratings)
- Date Released: June 12, 2007
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Mint Records
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We Say...
The Choir Practice may consist of indie rock illuminati, but its sound is that of Peter, Paul & Mary or the Serendipity Singers. “Well-scrubbed” is the word that AllMusic uses to describe the latter and it works for the Choir Practice too. The songs sung by Coco Culbertson (former bassist of the Gay), Kurt Dahle (New Pornographers) and a whole host of others have been scoured within an inch of their lives. “I See Things” seems to merely feature a four-note bassline, a piano, a tambourine and about 15 voices. It’s perhaps the most overstuffed track, instrument-wise, aside from the brilliant “Red Fox,” which is the clear standout of the disc. “Fox” seemingly abandons the AM Gold sheen of much of the work here, allowing the group’s singers to swerve to excitingly out-of-tune places, only to be brought back to their senses moments later. It’s a relative anomaly on The Choir Practice, but that shouldn’t keep you from sampling the rest. Just because the Choir Practice tend to keep it together more often than not doesn’t mean there aren’t dirty secrets and dusky gems to be uncovered. Remember how innocent “Puff the Magic Dragon” sounded at first?
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They Say...
OK, so the whole idea of putting together an indie glee club is just a little on the gimmicky side, but it would be a mistake to dismiss the Choir Practice as nothing more than a novelty act. Just take a look at who's involved here: headed up by Coco Culbertson and comprised of over a dozen sundry representatives from Vancouver's court of indie rock royalty, including P:ano's Larissa Loyva and Great Aunt Ida's Ida Nilsen, the Choir Practice is built on some of the Pacific Northwest's biggest (not to mention cutest) indie talent. More than this, they have some good material to draw from; Culbertson and Lovya have written a batch of wonky, hip, and thoroughly infectious pop songs, and this is what ultimately makes the Choir Practice more than a flash in the pan. Whether by design or accident, a good deal of the material here harks back to folk acts like the New Christy Minstrels and Peter, Paul & Mary, not to mention Fairport Convention and the Mamas & the Papas. The Choir Practice are at their best when they take the traditional chorale sound and gently twist it into indie rock shapes with the help of a lone electric guitar and some handclaps; "Believe in Something" curves and kinks into pleasing indie pop squiggles (think Sufjan Stevens minus the orchestra), and the wistful, tentative "Failsafe," penned by A.C. Newman, is so direct and lovely it hurts. There are some cloying moments here: the blue-eyed, elementary school chorale sound of "I See Things" feels a little simplistic compared to some of the more mature offerings found here, and "White Hat," jaunty as it is, loses its footing under the weight of its syrupy sweetness. Small missteps aside, there's more than enough savory indie pop goodness here to warrant coming back for seconds and thirds, especially when it comes to tracks like "Failsafe" and "Red Fox." This is nostalgic, wise, inspiring stuff.
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| 01. |  |
Running On |
3:14 |
|
| 02. | |
Red Fox |
2:08 |
|
| 03. | |
I See Things |
3:01 |
|
| 04. | |
Pretty |
3:22 |
|
| 05. | |
White Hat |
2:29 |
|
| 06. | |
Believe In Something |
2:56 |
|
| 07. | |
Failsafe |
1:54 |
|
| 08. | |
Little Hands |
3:54 |
|
| 09. | |
Things I Say |
4:33 |
|
| 10. | |
Loose Lips |
3:02 |
|
| 11. | |
Up All Day |
4:18 |
|
11 Total Tracks, 34:51 Total Length
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Credits
- Colin Stewart - Engineer // Kurt Dahle - Percussion // Kurt Dahle - Bass (Electric) // Kurt Dahle - Drums // Kurt Dahle - Organ (Hammond) // Kurt Dahle - Ukulele // Kurt Dahle - Vocals // Kurt Dahle - Bells // Kurt Dahle - Producer // Kurt Dahle - Bass (Upright) // Sheldon Zaharko - Engineer // Peter J. Moore - Mastering // Larissa Loyva - Percussion // Larissa Loyva - Piano // Larissa Loyva - Vocals // Larissa Loyva - Choir, Chorus // Larissa Loyva - Group Member // Karin Bubas - Percussion // Karin Bubas - Vocals // Karin Bubas - Images // Karin Bubas - Cover Image // Karin Bubas - Group Member // Coco Culbertson - Guitar // Coco Culbertson - Percussion // Coco Culbertson - Drums // Coco Culbertson - Vocals // Coco Culbertson - Choir, Chorus // Coco Culbertson - Group Member // Pete Bourne - Images // Shaun Brodie - Trumpet // Sydney Vermont - Percussion // Sydney Vermont - Vocals // Sydney Vermont - Group Member // Marcy Emery - Percussion // Marcy Emery - Vocals // Marcy Emery - Group Member // Shira Blustein - Percussion // Shira Blustein - Vocals // Shira Blustein - Group Member // Shane Turner - Bass // Shane Turner - Percussion // Shane Turner - Vocals // Shane Turner - Group Member // Chris Kelly [Choir Practice] - Choir, Chorus // Chris Kelly [Choir Practice] - Group Member
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