Sunset Rubdown

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Sunset Rubdown

Sunset Rubdown performing at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on October 9, 2007.
Background information
Origin Montreal, Québec, Canada
Genres Experimental rock
Neo-psychedelia
Art rock
Years active 2005 – present
Labels Absolutely Kosher
Global Symphonic
Jagjaguwar
Associated acts Wolf Parade
Swan Lake
Frog Eyes
Pony Up!
XY Lover
Magic Weapon
Deep Sleepover
Fifths of Seven
Website Official site
Members
Spencer Krug
Camilla Wynne Ingr
Michael Doerksen
Jordan Robson-Cramer
Mark Nicol

Sunset Rubdown is an art rock band from Montreal, Canada. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, Snake's Got a Leg, in early 2005. Eventually the concept expanded to become a full band which included Camilla Wynne Ingr (Pony Up!), Jordan Robson-Cramer (XY Lover, Miracle Fortress and Magic Weapon), and Michael Doerksen (Deep Sleepover).

Contents

[edit] Musical Style

Sunset Rubdown's sound is built around chief story-teller and lyricist, Spencer Krug's distinctive emotional singing and colorful, and sometimes eccentric and otherworldly musical landscapes. Their songs are filled with rich, methaphorical images, surreal or mythological characters and heroes, and fantasical or oblique storylines. These unique settings are placed against a musical backdrop often filled with anthemic grandeur, unexpected melodic transitions and frenetic tempo changes. Most offerings are highlighted with memorable drum, keyboard and guitar signatures and bridges which have also become part of the band's distinctive and admired trademark sound.

Sunset Rubdown's evolving maturity has taken it beyond the mere simple labels of art-rock or experimental, with each successive album exhibiting a more accomplished, accessible and fully collaborative set of song creations. Compositions overflow with epic and inventive melodies, complex and textured structures, and the band's intelligent and imaginitive musicianship is as tight and accomplished as anything found on the indie rock scene. Most Sunset Rubdown creations swim firmly against the current of traditional pop/rock structures, resulting in songs which rarely clock below five minutes - such is the time and space needed for the intricacies of the Sunset Rubdown musical tapestry to be fully explored. Fans of Sunset Rubdown's catalog are continuously impressed by how true the full sound and passion of their recordings are successfully re-captured in their live performances. [1]

[edit] Album Releases

Krug released the solo-created Sunset Rubdown EP in January 2006. This was followed by the first full band album Shut Up I Am Dreaming recorded in Montreal in early 2006 and released in May to immediate wide-spread critical acclaim, finishing the year with a 15th place ranking on Pitchfork's best albums list.

Random Spirit Lover, recorded in Montreal's Breakglass studios in the late winter of 2007, was released on the band's new label, Jagjaguwar, in October of that year. The recording featured a highly eclectic, elaborate, and sometimes challenging collection of songs, which was heralded as one of 2007's best albums by several critics and music publications. [2] The CD made numerous top-20 albums of the year lists, earned Pitchfork's "Best New Music" distinction and finished in 14th spot in Pitchfork's year-end Readers Poll. The album also made NPR's list of top albums of 2007, and was nominated for the U.S. Indie Music industry's Plug Award in the Best Indie Album of the Year category.

In 2007 Mark Nicol was added as the band's fifth member. Sunset Rubdown completed their first ever tour of UK and Europe in June 2008.

The band completed their fourth album in Chicago after a fall 2008 tour of the U.S.. Following a spring 2009 tour of several European countries, Dragonslayer was released on June 23rd, 2009 to instant critical acclaim. The album's 'live off the studio floor' dynamics has garnered wide-spread high praise from both mainstream (Spin, Rolling Stone, Pop Matters) and indie music critics for showcasing Sunset Rubdown's distinctive songwriting, musicianship and quirky yet accessible sound. The band once again earned Pitchfork's "Best New Music" ranking, and received a rarely bestowed perfect '10' from England's Drowned in Sound web magazine, with Dragonslayer staying in the top-10 rankings on Canadian and U.S. college and indie music charts (Earshot, Chart Attack) for 10 straight weeks through July and August 2009.

A successful summer tour of North America to promote the CD is being followed by 46 tour stops of major cities in Europe, the U.S. and Japan from September through early November 2009.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Personnel

While all members of Sunset Rubdown reside in Montreal, Quebec, all are transplants from other parts of Canada to Montreal's renowned music scene. Spencer Krug, Mike Doerkson and Jordan Robson-Cramer hail from the West Coast province of British Columbia, with Camilla Wynne Ingr originally from Alberta and Mark Nicol from Toronto.

  • Spencer Krug - vocals, keys, guitar, kick drum
  • Camilla Wynne Ingr - vocals, percussion, keyboards, "Jane-of-all-trades"
  • Michael Doerksen - guitar, bass, synthesizers, drums, vocals
  • Jordan Robson-Cramer - drums, guitar, keyboards
  • Mark 'the nuc' Nicol - bass, kalimba, drums

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.kevchino.com/interview/sunset-rubdown/46
  2. '^ Filter Magazine, "First Impressions: Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover, July 16, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Sunset Rubdown
Spencer Krug · Camilla Wynn Ingr · Michael Doerksen · Jordan Robson-Cramer
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