“It was nerve-wracking because we had to wait for like five hours to play. The show was running late and we were the fifth band.” This is how guitarist Matt Collum remembers the first Fjord Rowboat gig at the El Mocambo, held on a cold December night back in 2004.
Singer Craig Gloster was also nervous. “I had to work that night, so I remember jumping in a cab, panicking that I’d be late.” He arrived in good time-the band didn’t end up taking the stage until a quarter to two-but his panic was understandable. While the other four members of Fjord Rowboat (guitarist Justin Grant, bassist Ian MacKay, drummer Kevin MacKay, and Collum) had been playing together for over a year under the name Siblingnortwin, this show marked Gloster’s stage debut with the band.
For Fjord Rowboat, Gloster’s entrance was instrumental. Following the demise of Siblingnortwin (which had gigged around Toronto and was favourably compared to Slowdive, Interpol and The Verve) with the unceremonious exit of singer Phil White, the remaining quartet auditioned a number of potential vocalists, none of whom stuck. Then, like so many relationships in music, all it took was a drunken chance encounter for the missing piece to fall into place.
“We met Craig at Ukula at Andy Poolhall,” remembered Grant, who has a Masters in inorganic chemistry from U of T (dude still carries his T-Card. Hardcore).
“Yeah, he had the right haircut,” quipped Collum.
A few weeks later, once the hazy memories of that night came back into focus, Grant arranged to meet Gloster (who had fronted bands like Maderia Gold and Soyl in his hometown of Windsor) at the Green Room, to test his musical mettle and to make sure he was more than just a $40 haircut.
“We just talked about what kind of music we were interested in making and it seemed like it would work out,” Grant said matter-of-factly.
“Justin gave me a disc of stuff they were working on without any vocals and I brought it home and immediately knew I was interested,” said Gloster.
“I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be a fly-by-night sort of thing, you know, have me over for a drink and a song and that’s it. Because I really liked it a lot.”
In Gloster, the band not only gained an experienced singer and lyricist, but also an accomplished keyboard player. After a few weeks spent integrating Gloster’s vocal and keyboard parts with their existing arrangements, the new band was fully formed.
Gloster then dubbed the quintet Fjord Rowboat, after a mental vision he’d had. “If I could picture perfection it would be in a boat floating down this icy cold fjord just surrounded by the beauty that is the universe just sort of shimmering there.”
The freezing serenity evoked by his imagery is actually an apt description of the band’s reverb-heavy shoegazer sound. Coupled with Gloster’s spacey, emotive vocals, their songs have an essence of something delicate, dark and grand.
With the band’s lineup cemented, Fjord Rowboat set about doing what virtually every indie band does: play shows, write more songs and work on demo recordings. Their hard work soon paid off, with the band landing well-received (and well reviewed) showcases at North By North-East, Canadian Music Week, and Keith Hamilton’s Pitter Patter Festival.
When it came time to record their first album (Saved the Compliments for Morning, to be released next Friday, see sidebar for review), the band chose to work with famed recording engineer Andy Maffogin (Constantines, Hidden Cameras, The Straits) at his London, Ontario studio called The House of Miracles.
True to its name, Maffogin’s studio is actually put together inside a house.
“We just set up in the middle of the living room, put the amps in a couple closets-to try to separate the sound-and recorded everything off the floor,” Collum recalled.
Ian MacKay spoke of Maffogin’s rock-solid reputation as a technical master. “He has great recording gear and he’s been doing this for ages. I think we did all the bed tracks in one afternoon,” said the bassist, who also plays with local indie rockers Public. “That’s the thing Andy’s so good at. He just mixed the songs as we went, and the mixes were pretty much spot on.”
The band ended up recording six tracks with Maffogin and then added four more that they recorded themselves in “various basements” to save on time and money (miracles aren’t free!), giving the album a solid count of ten tracks.
Fjord’s sound, dubbed “shoegazer,” has its roots in the British alternative rock sounds from the late eighties and early ninties. Typified by affected guitars-distortion, delay and lots of reverb to create a Spector-esque “wall of sound”-coupled with subdued, melodic vocals, the genre of shoegazer was embodied by the bands My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Slowdive (among many others), who were signed to Creation Records in London, England. While shoegazer never broke through to major mainstream success (the way that Oasis, Blur and Pulp did with britpop in the mid-ninties) this unique vein of rock has always had a dedicated cult following.
Taken together with these genre giants, Fjord Rowboat fits quite comfortably into the shoegazer canon. Their sound is definitely augmented by a more upbeat rhythm section-bassist Ian MacKay confessed that both he and brother/drummer Kevin have an affinity for the “bouncy beats” of funk and Motown-which acts as a great counterpoint to the dark and self-effacing vocals and quivering guitars that the band use to create their lush sonic landscapes.
Asked if their success is evidence of a shoegazer resurgence of sorts Grant was modest.
“The people who like shoegazer really, really like shoegazer. Even though the popular Creation bands aren’t putting out records anymore, there are still a lot of shoegazer bands who are doing really well, like Serena Maneesh.”
So what’s next for Fjord Rowboat? “We want to go on tour, but we’re waiting for the right financial situation. You can’t just quit your job for two weeks. But I would love to do it,” assured Collum.
“Right now we just want to get the record out there,” said Grant with finality.
Fjord Rowboat release Saved the Compliments for Morning on Feb. 23 at the El Mocambo with Raised by Swans, The Hoa Hoas and DJ Pop Noir. For more info or to hear tracks off the new record visit www.myspace.com/fjordrowboat
Fjord Rowboat – Saved the Compliments for Morning (Independent)
From the thumping urgency of incendiary opener “Carried Away” to the slow-burning instrumental comedown of closer “Spin Cycle,” Fjord Rowboat’s debut full-length shines with reverb-laden guitars, melodic keyboard lines and haunting vocals. The band’s powerful drummer Kevin MacKay drives songs like “Can’t See the Sun” and “Taking the Pass” with solid-even danceable-beats, while bassist (and brother) Ian MacKay lays down dark, grooving bass lines. Vocalist Craig Gloster delivers dreamlike lyrics with just enough subdued hope to convince the listener that there is a certain beauty behind his gloomy and passionate lines. Guitarists Justin Grant and Matt Collum create expansive, twinkling atmospheres that give the album a consistent and cohesive feel, even though it was completed in chunks with six tracks recorded by Andy Maffogin. The result is nothing short of a Canadian shoegazer classic. Both catchy and introspective (and featuring killer artwork), Saved the Compliments for Morning is the best guitar-driven indie-rock album to come out of Toronto in recent memory. Don’t expect these guys to remain independent for long.
Rating: VVVVv
