Toronto's Meligrove Band makes music that is heavy yet pop; it's noisy but it's full of melody. Catchy hooks sit alongside violins, organs and brass, wired through any number of guitar pedals - all atop a pounding, fuzz-bass rhythm section. They've taken their explosive live show across Canada, the USA, the UK and even the Azores, touring with the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Tokyo Police Club, and The Constantines among others, playing anywhere from large outdoor festivals and concert halls to Brooklyn art galleries, Philadelphia church basements, and the curling club in northwestern Kenora, Ontario.
The Meligrove Band were one of the first Canadian acts to sign a worldwide deal with V2 Records, releasing Planets Conspire to massive critical acclaim in 2006. The Times of London said that "every song is murderously catchy, with a rick
ety charm" while Rough Trade Shops made it their Album of the Month, proclaiming "this isn't disposable pop; this is stuff that gets into your bloodstream and overwhelms you." At home in Canada, Exclaim called Planets Conspire "strong as super glue" while it reached #2 on college radio. The band performed live on MTV Canada... twice. SPIN.com selected them as Artist of the Day. And then... V2 Records folded, effectively canceling the album's US release, and removing any deadline or urgency from the task of making their next album - not to mention the money to do it.
Touring became more sporadic, while the band took a slow, piecemeal approach to album-making. Freedom from label timetables allowed the band to experiment with sounds and production, going back to recording mostly in their homes, with no idea of how the eventual album would be released. The band would take a week to record, then do a run of shows down the Eastern seaboard, or accept an invite to a faraway festival. They'd get home, go over what they'd recorded, and try new ideas that came to them on the road. Most of the singing happened in a few days at a cottage up north with no phone or internet. Rich Aucoin recorded his own vibraphone on "Bones Attack!!" in Halifax and emailed it to the band. Jose Contreras, who produced the previous album, and recorded all of the drums and bass for this new one, returned to mix the songs as well.
The band's new LP, Shimmering Lights will be released September 21st in Canada (Nevado Records) and the United States (Last Gang Records), with international releases to follow. The first single, "Halflight," will be released as a limited 7" on August 24th in Canada.
The Meligrove Band is Darcy Rego (singing, drums, guitar), Jason Nunes (singing, guitar, organ, piano), Michael Small (bass), and Brian O'Reilly (guitar, synth).
"Vindictive pop fans should gear up their 'told you sos'" Exclaim!
"Equal parts Tin Pan Alley showmanship and spastic, psychedelic freak-out" SPIN
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