SEBASTIEN GRAINGER & THE MOUNTAINS PLAY SUPERMARKET (268 AUGUSTA) OCT 20.
Going to any indie show in Toronto during the past nine months, chances are Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains were one of the opening bands. But tracking the evolution of Grainger’s post–Death From Above 1979 output has been worthwhile — the Mountains’ much-anticipated self-titled debut offers a dynamic and engaging vision of the band’s solid live set. DFA’79-style dance beats figure nicely into the vacuum-sealed pop arrangements, while Grainger shows off his production prowess with layers of intriguing instrumentation. The record starts off in mid–sugar rush, with a sizzling hi-hat beat powering “Love Can Be So Mean” and spacey effects soaking Grainger’s vocals. From there on out, former Illuminati bassist Nick Sewell anchors the low end with barbed melodies while Grainger’s unselfconscious yelps energize the sometimes-predictable grooves (like the official theme song for Queen West Hipsters, “I Hate All My Friends”). Even the disc’s tangents are rewarding, as the piano ballad “Love Is Not a Contest” and noise-burst “Niagara” nicely divert the steady stream of dance-floor glam. The album may not be the Mountains’ You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, but it’s a promising first effort.