27 March 2009

How's this for Career?

As per request (my own), I've written a brief description of Career, for the Reel Cod website or whatever it suits. I tried to write it as honestly as I would have were I not a member of the band. Let me know if this is ok.

"Over the past few years, this Toronto-based collective has been blurring the line between noise and modern medicine. Following no script or rehearsed plan, the members of Career command an almost prescient aptitude for blending sounds in a hypnotic collection of (we’re not quite sure what genre it is, but let’s go with) experimental songs. With nothing but an arsenal of instruments, noisemakers, effects pedals, recording equipment, legally purchased beverages, a few printed popular song tabs from the internet, and a dream, they march in to bedrooms, parks, and backyards, weaving a chaotic-but-morally-just blast of therapeutic sound waves and moment-inspired lyrics. Like a marriage-saving striptease, or a heat-packed Hills episode, every song unfolds layer by layer in a highly repetitive instrumental ballad as each member jumps in to a tumbling snowball of semi-erotic rhythm, lacquered with guilty pleasure and a touch of mystery. Will the horns stay with the drums, or will they leave them for the guitars? Will it end in climax, or will it fizzle out in awkward asynchrony? No one, not even the songsmiths of Career, know the answers to these questions, but their lack of architecture and technical skill is no hindrance to their inspirational drive to heal the city with sound."

13 comments:

disgraced track star said...

dear tristan,

funny you should write something such as this, as we've been sorely slacking in sending something written to rob & julia for the website.

you've inspired me to write something too. here's is a short histoire of career and then some thoughts as well:

career started in late 2006 with chris nick and linton. the plan for me has always been to have fun with my friends.

we would get together in a room and make noise or music, depending on how you look at it. at first mostly with guitars and bass and drums, later bringing in nick's trumpet, and crucially, the Murphy family drum-machine. other things were used too, but lets not get list crazy. soon adam grfnkl joined.

early career music was first recorded on a 4-track tape recorder. later career recordings are now usually recorded directly to a robot.

one night on a bender, nick crashed his red mazma miata into his backyard pool. although he survived, both his legs needed to be amputated. he could no longer drum for career.

roughly at this point we started to get together at the Murphy family residence, and tristan joined the band - replacing nick's trumpet with his own, and bringing in his keybaoard, accordion, and breathtaking falsetto vocals. this was also the beginning of career being an open-door proposition - with lots of guests joining career on many recordings.

career is still going strong now, primarily with tristan linton and chris. all are welcome.

i don't really like to talk in a philosophical way about career. or maybe i'm not articulate or creative enough to think up a concept to shoehorn it into. to me it doesn't have to be about anything. if anything, to me, it is about us. people interacting, finding a groove, or not. i don't really think its terribly experimental music in any way. one phrase that i do like to describe the sound of career is "all please sound". i think that is both humourous and accurate.

lots of love always,
chris

mooshoo variations said...

awesome.

Keep in mind, I think Rob's going to edit everyone's band profiles a bit. He wants them to have a unified voice. He'll probably combine both of your descriptions.

looking forward to the upcoming show.

Amateur said...

I think Chris' description is better, I never even knew how Career got started, I was just along for the ride. As long as they update the website, it's still a little...empty.

Amateur said...

Do you think we could keep the "Hills" analogy though?

mooshoo variations said...

yeah, the website is still clearly a work in progress... and with Julia going away to Europe, I'm not sure if she will continue to contribute overseas. ?
So that leaves Rob to get this shit together... Tristan, feel free to involve yourself in ideas/direction for the website.

Everyone gets that there's no real reel cod agenda, right? The more involved anyone gets in this, the more involved they will be. And the more friends involved, the better.
Rob's pretty busy finishing the new Truidore album (for real), we're going to press a very limited vinyl run and perhaps a tape/cdr companion.
I have been working on a series of cassettes that I'm going to "release" (ha) soon. (including a Mescal Buttons comp. first legit issue)
Nick, Rob & myself (as Village) are recording soon as well.

oh yeah, also, a work friend and myself are about to arrange a split Peter King 12" (as posted before).

so, shit's happening and website updates will follow.
I think we all just need to motivate each other to get stuff done.

mooshoo variations said...

also, I'm glad that you career folks are getting me to drum for the show.
I feel that my participation with your music is painfully overdue, from my end anyway.

Alexander said...

i agree. when i'm done my courses in a few weeks i want to start a prolific revolution. let us make this the summer of makings!! RIGHT?

Tornadosaurus Rex & the Tobogganable Snowman said...

Yeah, Thanks youze guyz. Yeah im going to write each thing with a unified voice, one of the voices in my head, but i will quote you from your descriptions, so be sure to point out your funniest jokes in case they whoooshed up and over me! And Tristan McPal, write up an Amateur proj. desc. as well. Im slow at publishing because im busy. Im going to type it all out and then put them all online at once, instead of one here, one there.

Amateur said...

Does this mean I can join Reel Cod? I'll email the reel cod gmail with the info.

Alexander said...

By the way, if anyone is depressed, they should send any stuff they make as a result to Deep Madder.

Amateur said...

ha, sure, Reel Cod can be the happy-go-lucky label, and Deep Madder can be the depressing philosphical label.

mooshoo variations said...

check out Alex, poaching the talent.

ha, I jest.

Alexander said...

What does poach mean?