Tusks
Tusks EP
BY Sarah Liss
October 01, 2008 21:10
Though it’s technically their first release, there’s something immediately familiar about the self-titled EP from Toronto’s Tusks. It comes imprinted with the earmarks of the well-pedigreed members’ former projects — ringing stop-and-start chords taken from the galaxy of guitarist Julien Beillard’s Wooden Stars, plus circuitous melodies and unresolved chords that evoke frontman Samir Khan and drummer Robin Buckley’s old band Kepler. But these elements have a neater frame in Tusks, thanks to Khan’s punchier songwriting (note the clever lyrical nod to Rod Stewart in “Baby Noise”) and tight arrangements. Where Kepler often meandered toward ponderous shoegaze territory, there’s a nice airiness to the songs on Tusks. Khan’s not the most powerful singer — his voice often suggests a faded-denim version of Constantines’ Bry Webb — but he plays to his strengths, offsetting his vocal melodies with Shaw-Han Liem’s silvery keyboard parts and John Tielli’s layered-falsetto backing harmonies. Tusks may be a relatively new band, but this EP is clearly the work of seasoned vets.
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