Karma Controllers channel a wide breadth of influences into a cohesive blend of indie- rock and jazz. Their new album, Sirens, is the result of carefully crafting those influences into a focused whole. Ambitious, but never self-important, Karma Controllers have created a unique album that stands out from the crowded Canadian indie-music scene.
With Sirens, Karma Controllers draw upon their contemporaries like Stars and Nada Surf. Helen Kuan’s vocals are reminiscent of Jenny Lewis, Jack Jamieson attributes Sondre Lerche as an inspiration to his guitar playing, and Jesse Paul’s drums owe as much to big-band jazz as they do to modern rock styles. Those influences are combined with a love of classic composers like Cole Porter as well as modern Japanese jazz bands such as Soil & “Pimp” Sessions.
More on Toronto’s Karma Controllers
Published on
June 3, 2008 in
Featured and Live Music.
Tags: accordion, Alberta, Alex P. Keaton, Andrea Simms Karp, Blue Moon Lounge, Brandon, Burlington, Bushwakkers, Café Vivant, Casadore, Edmonton, French, Gladstone Hotel, Jim Bryson, Kathleen Edwards, Kellylee Evans, Lady of the Lake, London, Loplops, Marie-Josée Houle, Nuits Blanches, Ottawa, Ottawa Xpress, Our Lady of Broken Souls, Pangina, Pepper Jack Cafe, Prairies, Quebec, Rasputin Folk Café, Regina, Saskatoon, The Apollo, The Elevators, The Spill, The St-Ambroise, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Val d'Or, WestFest.
Click to listen to Marie-Josée Houle’s “Blase D’La Vie” marie-josee-houle-blase-dla-vie
Marie-Josée Houle was born in Val d‘Or, Quebec and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and celebrates her dual cultural roots through music. She sings and writes fluently in both English and French, she brings the Townships to the Prairies and beyond. This lady scores major points with me personally for having been classically trained on the accordion at age five. But, like yours truly, her musical history is as varied as her hair colour. In 2000, she took up the electric bass and saxophone in order to form two very eclectic projects in Edmonton: “Pangina”, an all-girl punk band and “The Elevators”, a post-modern muzak band. Her reconnection with the accordion coincided with a move to Ottawa in 2003 and culminated in the world music collaboration known as “Casadore.” The success of that project – including a performance at the 2005 Ottawa Folk Music Festival – served as a springboard for her solo work. Continue reading ‘Marie-Josée Houle in profile: Yes, accordion can be sexy’