I suppose the commercialized nostalgia of the 80s unfortunately causes us to remember all those plastic synth acts who achieved success through one hit singles and predictable hooks, making the accomplishments of truly impacting bands like The Smiths, R.E.M., and The Go-Betweens go by unfairly overlooked. Sure, all three of those bands maintain an overwhelming fan base and are given numerous nods from contemporary bands who proclaim them as vital influences, but it remains that modern media remains largely focused on the 80s as a decade of has-beens and formulaic approaches, instead of the artists who actually achieved success to their own substantial degree even after their prominent peaks. With all of that rubbish, it is always a pleasure to see modern bands like The Assistants remember the artists that made the decade more memorable than most people take for first glace. Whether you consider the approach a form of optimism or realism, The Assistants blend together classic influence from the college-rock, power-pop, and jangle-pop that made the overlooked artists of the 80s so lasting and memorable.
I was a bit surprised when I found out they were from Ontario, Canada. The vocals of both Kiley Meehan and Ciaran Megahey sound more European than they do Canadian, resembling a somewhat fainter version of The Housemartins’ Paul Heaton or the great Edwyn Collins. Both Meehan and Megahey also give off the impression of envisioned melancholy, giving off that same form of tortured insecurity that untouchable (and deceased) vocalists like Ian Curtis and Billy Mackenzie gave off through quivering bitterness and social angst. Not only do the vocals ring a distinctively British bell, but the shimmering guitars relay wholesome riffs that act as appropriate melodic counterparts to the captivating vocal melodies delivered by the vocal duo, reminding me of a now sadly impossible Robert Forster and Grant McLennan revival. In fact, if The Assistants were unable to write their own songs, they could probably make a living as a Go-Betweens cover band. Luckily, they have a skill in songwriting that is actually comparable to Forster-McLennan, displaying enough diversity to hold their own on their enjoyable self-titled debut album, The Assistants.
The Assistants can sift through a guitar-oriented track bursting with energy like “Planet News” and then transition toward a subtle acoustic track like “In My Dreams” in a style that makes it look easy. The lyrical content is predictably and romantically downtrodden, as lines in “Planet News” like “with every bridge we burn, it’s a longer way down” echo the sentiments expressed in their brooding musical presentation. It is easy to recognize in tracks like “Planet News” and “Taste It” that the five-piece is particularly fond of glistening guitars and concise rhythm sections, with both Meehan and Megahey acting as the guitarists behind the bass-percussion section of Tim Munro and Adam Boyle. They are nicely rounded out by keyboardist Ildiko Kaszas, who makes his most noticeable appearance in the infectious key-laden chorus of “White” and “Consent”, a throwback closer to the album that incorporates catchy synths and glorified guitar riffs. “And Then Again” and “The Fall” both sound like they could have come off of an unreleased Lawrence Hayward compilation, with slurring vocals over distorted visions of obsolete paradise being so blatantly prominent that a chill is viable to run up your spine. Though the ten tracks on The Assistants breeze by rather quickly, each song leaves a lasting impression through eerie vocal resemblances, impressive guitar production, and tight rhythm sections.
The more I listen to The Assistants’ debut, the more I seemingly fall in love with it. Though it may be because I am a huge fan of both The Smiths and The Go-Betweens, I believe that my feelings are justifiable enough to influence a personal belief that The Assistants have the appropriate amount of ability to truly make something of themselves this year. The Assistants was released in early February and for some reason I have yet to hear anything about it in the blogosphere, on the radio, or by word of mouth. Honestly, it perplexes me. I could sit here and make comparisons to great bands like Orange Juice and The Go-Betweens who made their mark several decades ago, but The Assistants still spout off enough ingenuity to separate themselves from the legions of followers that flood the music scene today. Fans of The Go-Betweens, The Smiths, Orange Juice, Felt, and R.E.M. are surely to find The Assistants’ first release to be one of the most remarkable debuts of the year, just as how I feel. Though critics suffering from two hours of sleep and general bitterness will likely call The Assistants about twenty years too late, I could personally care less. This is enjoyable material, no matter the circumstance.
I first saw Toronto's Assistants last Summer at the shoegaze tribute show I sorta DJ-ed (made mix CDs and hit play, basically) and they didn't make that much of an impression. I commented at the time that "their pedigree (is) more C86 than shoegaze" and they seemed to be about five or six years out of time, as far as the eras they drew influence went. On their debut album, however, they sound immeasurably more "in time" and impressive - while name-dropping the Jesus & Mary Chain and Smiths as influences might be more fashionable, I'm more taken with the Go-Betweens, Lloyd Cole and even Dire Straits in their music (are Dire Straits still the epitome of uncool? Because they really shouldn't be). Janglesome, melodic and far more assured than you'd expect from a debut, file this one under bands I'm proud to share an area code with. Recommended.
Sometimes it’s hard to work out if a band are living in the past or simply anticipating the inevitable revival. Take the Assistants, for example. Just one look at the list of bands that they’ve been compared to — New Order, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Smiths and the Go-Betweens — and it isn’t hard to tell which decade they wish they lived in. Yet their timing is actually pretty good because as the band have sidestepped into less noisy, janglier pop music, they sound remarkably refreshing considering they are still looking backwards. There’s more than a bit of Roxy Music in singer Ciaran Megahey’s delivery but it’s sweetened by Kiley Meehan’s backing vocals and the insistent guitars drive along the majority of the songs at a good pace. Despite sometimes clumsy production, this is an impressive debut that hints that with time the Assistants might be capable of something very special. But not quite yet. (Independent)
This debut full-length from local rockers The Assistants showcases this quintet's affinity for their influences. Opener "Taste It" starts off curiously close to "Minnesota" by the Dandy Warhols while "Planet News" borrows a riff from Danny Wilde's long forgotten colab with the Gin Blossoms, "Long Walk Back." Superficial similarities aside, this record is full of the jangley energy and warm vocal hooks that very much in the vein of The Byrds' 60s psych-inflected pop. There's good guitar work on tracks like "Free to Believe" and one of the record's standout songs "Handful of Heaven." The Assistants show the most promise on the New Order-esque closer "Consent" featuring catchy guitar bends (which need to be louder in the mix), a great keyboard part, and good drumming. While they may not be full-time employees yet, The Assistants definitely have potential. -J.B.
Rating: VVVv
Welcome to the mid 80's! Springsteen and hair metal rule the charts. The Celtics and Lakers are duking it out in the NBA. And in the UK, and new kind of alternative rock and roll is springing up. Moving away from the synthesizers and new romantic movement, and incorporating guitars and chugging rhythms, bands like the Smiths, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Stone Roses, and others came to the forefront and started a new generation of guitar rock.
But wait! This is 2007! I don't even know who rules the charts. No one cares about the NBA (the Spurs are the champs, yet in Toronto none of this matters to the Assistants). While their debut album is filled with catchy songs and great playing, the spirit of the 80's looms a little too large here.
"Taste It" opens with a swirl and a strum which sounds very British. Then the second guitar opens and I realize the production is going to be super thin throughout. Not too good a sign for '07. It's a fine song with a catchy chorus, but the sonics are simply inescapable. "Planet News" begins with a John Squire tribute riff and thankfully Cieran Megahy is a much better singer than Ian Brown. "This Time" adds a little more rock and roll to the mix, with better results, but if it kicked a little more ass...well, you know what I mean. "In My Dreams" actually sounds like a Boston song at the start, but once those thin drums kick in you remember those cold rainy Thatcher ruled days in the UK.
"And Then Again" is again hampered by the production, but a fine song is in there somewhere. "Handful of Heaven" is a nice little mid tempo ballad with some nice lyrics that isn't hurt by the production. However, "Free to Believe" is...and that's too bad. "White", too, could use beefing up, especially with that huge guitar sound in the opening and the chugging bassline. But, that cheesy keys line almost ruin the song. Listen and you'll know the one. If I even have to mention the 80's tribute in the production again, well it pretty much ruins the last two really good songs "The Fall" and "Consent".
I hate to give a band that I see a real future for a bad review, but I feel I must. So I will address my bottom line to the band directly:
Ciaran, Kiley, Adam, Tim, and Ildiko,
You are all talented musicians and I think you are a promising band. But, despite good songs, your debut sounds like an 80's pastiche production wise. Your future does not lie in the past. Mahalo.
Sounds Like: A jangle-rock revival in Toronto
WHY / WHY NOT: Who said jangle rock was dead? Morrissey's still kicking. Ask The Jesus and Mary Chain what they're up to these days. Dancing under the rain is, in fact, alive and well, due in large part to Toronto band The Assistants.
Their self-titled debut picks up where The Smith's left off. The opener, "Taste it," invites you take a dip into their delightful dirge; the dank and dim echo of Johnny Marr in every pluck. "This Time" ups the tempo, dabbling in Dire Straits' pitch-perfect riffage and cosmic croon, while "Planet News" twines a sonic medley of chimes and strings sweet enough to make The Byrds blush. The glam guitar of "Free to Believe" will give you the Gin Blossoms butterflies, and the closer, "Consent," ascends into progressive tech and synth in the same vein as New Order's graduation from Joy Division.
They show loads of promise, and who knows? Maybe with some time, The Assistants will get promoted.
- Leonino Petaccia -
The Assistants are looking for a break, and they insist they’re not too mopey to make it.
Kiley Meehan, vocalist and guitarist for the five-piece band, says the group’s music has “a sense of vague melancholia. Everything sort of has a rainy afternoon sound to it, kind of wistful in a way.”
Though they may cite Morrissey, the ironically miserable frontman of The Smiths, as an influence, bassist and Ryerson grad Tim Munro says they keep the moodiness in check.
“We go for melancholy, but not mopey,” he said. “We’re very worried about getting into emo territory, where’s it’s always very heart-on-the-sleeve.”
Meehan, 26, and Ciaran Megahey, 29, have been the primary songwriters for the band since it formed in 2004. The current lineup, which includes drummer Adam Boyle and keyboardist Ildiko Kaszas, was completed when Rye grad Munro joined a year ago, midway through the recording process.
The Toronto band is currently gearing up to record the followup to its self-titled debut album in November. Currently, the band is debating whether to only release the recording through the Internet.
“Our first record was almost an experiment in self-marketing,” Meehan said. “For the next release, we’ll make sure we have a plan for it.”
The Assistants: Adam Boyle, Ildiko Kaszas, Tim Munro, Ciaran Megahey and Kiley Meehan.
Megahey, the band’s singer-guitarist, named the band after the assistants in Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle – aides who are “supposed to help (the main character), but they end up thwarting him in weird ways.”
Megahey says his incarnation of the assistants shares a similar function to Kafka’s helpers.
“I think art can sometimes be that way. It seems like something that can help you in your life and help you understand yourself, but it also can confuse you a bit too.”
While a student in the journalism program, Munro, 25, played in bands but doesn’t remember a distinct band culture at Ryerson.
He can recall a few cafeteria battles of the bands, but said most groups had to find their place in the city rather than on campus.
“I guess that’s kind of symbolic of Ryerson as a whole,” says Munro.
“The city is almost part of the campus, whereas at a lot of places, everything is on the campus and your whole life is there. (Ryerson) is really symbolic of spreading out into the city at large, the way Ryerson people do.”
Though Munro is no longer pursuing a career in journalism, he says a day job is necessary to support his musical ambitions.
“I’d love to be able to play in bands for the rest of my life and call that a living, but at the same time, you have to be realistic about the shot you have.”
However, these assistants are still looking for their shot at being No. 1.
“It doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Munro said. “People do it all the time and we have as good a chance as anybody.”
The Assistants play a free show with The Superstitions tomorrow night at Mitzi’s Sister (1554 Queen St. W.) For more information, visit www.theassistants.net.
-Vicky Tam